TWO MINUTES FOR THOUGHTS: JANUARY 22ND, 2025
Jan 22, 2025The Hartford Wolf Pack opened the second half of their season on Saturday afternoon in Charlotte against the Checkers. A building that has been far from kind over the years turned into exactly the kind of place the Wolf Pack needed to visit.
After sweeping a weekend set from the Checkers, the Wolf Pack have opened the second half with a record of 2-0-0-0 and now have sole possession of the sixth and final playoff spot in the Atlantic Division.
Onto the blog!
1. We’ve talked a lot about Dylan Garand in this space this season, and rightfully so. Let’s not forget about his crease mate, however. Louis Domingue was terrific for the Wolf Pack on Saturday afternoon, making 32 saves. His best work came in the second period, where he made 16 saves on 16 shots to keep it a 1-1 hockey game heading into the final period.
2. With the win, Domingue is now 3-0-0 against the Checkers this season with a .922 save percentage. He’s also 2-2-0 in his last four starts with a .929 save percentage. Domingue is playing his best hockey of the season right now, giving the Wolf Pack arguably the best one-two punch in net in the AHL.
3. Garand was terrific over the weekend as well. He made 34 saves to collect his third shutout of the season on Sunday afternoon in the club’s 3-0 victory. His biggest save of the game came 5:35 into the second period when he denied John Leonard on a penalty shot.
Garand didn’t have his best game on Wednesday night in Utica, no one did. Nights like that are going to happen in pro hockey, it’s a guarantee. His response on Sunday is exactly what you look for from a high-level goaltender, which is exactly what the All-Star is.
4. There isn’t enough love, in my opinion, for Blake Hillman. A natural defenseman, Hillman has played five games at forward for the Wolf Pack this season and has done quite a good job. Returned to his natural position on Sunday, Hillman thrived.
He scored his third goal of the season 15:29 into the second period, blasting a shot through traffic from the left-wing point. His biggest play of the game, however, was his assist on Alex Belzile’s goal 11:38 in. Hillman saw Belzile all alone in the neutral zone and flung a perfect pass to the veteran forward, springing him in on a breakaway.
A reliable, well-liked player, it was nice to see Hillman take the spotlight on Sunday.
5. Belzile’s goal on Sunday, his 12th of the season, turned out to be the game-winning tally. It was his fourth game-winning goal of the season, which is already tied for his career-high. Belzile also had four game-winning goals last season with the Wolf Pack.
6. Speaking of last season, Belzile’s 50 points (19 g, 31 a) in 61 games led the Wolf Pack. This season, he’s at 36 points (12 g, 24 a) in 35 games. The veteran forward is playing the best hockey of his career right now and is on pace for his first career 20-goal, 60-point season.
Not enough good can be said about Belzile. He’s been terrific for the Wolf Pack this season and one of the best forwards in the Atlantic Division.
7. Chad Ruhwedel’s overtime game-winning goal on Saturday afternoon was set up by some good work from Brennan Othmann. The second-year forward did a good job of getting in a shooting lane and blocking a shot late in overtime, turning possession back to the Wolf Pack.
His pass to Ruhwedel was right on the mark, too, which sent the veteran blueliner in on the right-wing side.
8. Nice to see the steady Brandon Scanlin rewarded with some time in the spotlight this weekend too. Scanlin recorded his first career multi-goal game on Saturday. He struck 68 seconds in on a blast from the point, then showed off his skill in the third period when he walked around Will Lockwood and sniped home his fifth goal of the season.
9. Another player who impressed over the weekend? Blade Jenkins. The forward won an offensive zone faceoff directly back to Scanlin for the first goal on Saturday, then dumped the puck in to pick up the secondary assist on Hillman’s goal on Sunday.
The hard-working forward was noticeable all over the ice over the weekend, playing a fast, hard, physical game. He’s been a really nice addition for Hartford’s forward depth since signing last February from the ECHL’s Worcester Railers.
10. After losing their first seven games on the road (0-5-1-1) this season, the Wolf Pack have quietly become quite a solid team away from home. Over their last eleven games away, the Wolf Pack are 7-4-0-0, getting their overall record to 7-9-1-1.
Head Coach Grant Potulny has talked about being a .500 team on the road while maintaining strong play on home ice. The Wolf Pack has been better than that on the road over the last two months.
They’ll need to keep that going with four of their final six games before the All-Star Break coming on the road.
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ABOUT THE HARTFORD WOLF PACK: The Hartford Wolf Pack has been a premier franchise in the American Hockey League since the team’s inception in 1997. The Wolf Pack are the top player-development affiliate of the NHL's New York Rangers and play at the XL Center. The Wolf Pack has been home to some of the Rangers newest faces including Igor Shesterkin, Filip Chytil, and Ryan Lindgren. Follow the Wolf Pack on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.