Pack Complete Home and Home Sweep of Devils
Feb 15, 2015Chris Mueller’s goal with 3:47 left in the third period broke a 3-3 tie Sunday at the Times-Union Center in Albany, and gave the Wolf Pack a 4-3 win over the Albany Devils and a sweep of a home-and-home series between the two clubs.
The Wolf Pack won the front end of the home-and-home, 5-2, Saturday night at the XL Center, scoring three times late in the third period of another tie game.
Albany battled back from a 3-1 deficit Sunday, deadlocking the game on a Mike Sislo goal, his second of the game, at 10:57 of the third. Mueller, though, responded with his eighth of the season, and fourth in the last three games, taking a feed from Ryan Bourque and wiring a shot past the stick side of Albany goaltender Scott Wedgewood.
“Yesterday was a tight game for a long time, and today we scored three quick and maybe backed off a little bit and they came on,” Mueller said. “And we just took it to them at the end of both games. That’s the sign of a team growing and learning how to put teams away.”
Mueller also had an assist for the Wolf Pack, and Bourque had a goal to go along with his assist on the game-winner. Conor Allen also had a goal and an assist, Danny Kristo scored and Ryan Haggerty chipped in two assists. Jeff Malcolm improved to 3-0-0 in AHL action on the season, with 22 saves in the Hartford net.
Paul Thompson scored the other Albany goal, and Joe Whitney had two assists. Wedgewood made 19 saves.
The victory snapped a five-game road losing streak (0-3-1-1) for the Wolf Pack, who improved to 28-15-4-3 overall, for 63 points.
The red-hot Kristo started a first-period burst in which the two teams combined for four goals in 4:06, with his 16th goal of the season at 8:31. Kristo, who scored twice in the Wolf Pack’s Saturday-night win, took a pass from the left-wing side from Tyler Brown and rifled a shot from the right side high into the net, past the catching glove of Wedgewood.
Allen doubled Hartford’s lead only 13 seconds later, moving up the middle and beating Wedgewood’s catching glove with a snap shot.
Those were the Wolf Pack’s fastest two goals of the season.
Sislo got Albany on the board at the 11:22 mark with his 13th goal of the season. After Whitney moved the puck into the Hartford zone, Sislo unleashed a quick shot from the right circle that got by Malcolm on the stick side, just inside the goalpost.
Bourque got that one back for the Wolf Pack only 1:15 later, though, at 12:37. After a strong rush by Haggerty, Dallas Jackson took a slap shot from just inside the left point, and Bourque reached out his stick and tipped it past Wedgewood.
Thompson, the Devils’ goal-scoring leader, got the only goal of the second period, cutting the Wolf Pack’s lead to 3-2 at 14:51. Thompson and David Wohlberg worked a nifty give-and-go, with Wohlberg setting Thompson up alone in front for a finish through Malcolm’s legs.
The Wolf Pack maintained the lead until Sislo’s tying tally, which was set up by Whitney. Whitney blocked a Mat Bodie pass, and Sislo’s quick release caught the corner of the net on Malcolm’s glove side.
Next up for the Wolf Pack is a trip to Portland to take on the Pirates this Tuesday night, February 17. Faceoff is 7:00 PM, and all of the action can be heard live on Fox Sports Radio 1410, and on-line at www.foxsportsradio1410.com and iHeartRadio. Video streaming is available at www.ahllive.com.
The Wolf Pack’s next home game is Sunday, February 22, a 3:00 PM game at the XL Center against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The Wolf Pack’s “Click It or Ticket Family Value Pack” is again featured on Sundays this year. The Family Value Pack features two tickets, two sodas and two hot dogs, all for only $35.
Tickets for all 2014-15 Wolf Pack home games are now on sale at the XL Center ticket office, on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com and by phone at (877) 522-8499. Wolf Pack tickets start as low as $12 for youth 12 years old or younger.
To speak with a Wolf Pack representative about season or group tickets, or any of the Wolf Pack’s many ticketing options, call (855) 762-6451, or click here to request more info.
Hartford Wolf Pack 4 at Albany Devils 3
Sunday, February 15, 2015 - Times Union Center
Hartford 3 0 1 - 4
Albany 1 1 1 - 3
1st Period-1, Hartford, Kristo 16 (Brown, Bodie), 8:31. 2, Hartford, Allen 9 (Haggerty, Mueller), 8:44. 3, Albany, Sislo 13 (K. Zajac, Whitney), 11:22. 4, Hartford, R. Bourque 9 (Jackson, Haggerty), 12:37. Penalties-McIlrath Hfd (unsportsmanlike conduct), 3:30; Sestito Alb (unsportsmanlike conduct), 3:30.
2nd Period-5, Albany, Thompson 23 (Wohlberg), 14:51. Penalties-Haggerty Hfd (slashing), 4:52; Matteau Alb (boarding), 9:31; Haggerty Hfd (roughing), 17:15; Burlon Alb (roughing), 17:15.
3rd Period-6, Albany, Sislo 14 (Whitney), 10:57. 7, Hartford, Mueller 8 (R. Bourque, Allen), 16:13. Penalties-No Penalties
Shots on Goal-Hartford 10-7-6-23. Albany 8-8-9-25.
Power Play Opportunities-Hartford 0 / 1; Albany 0 / 1.
Goalies-Hartford, Malcolm 3-0-0 (25 shots-22 saves). Albany, Wedgewood 7-11-2 (23 shots-19 saves).
A-3,815
Referees-Garrett Rank (48), Stephen Reneau (34).
Linesmen-Mike Emanatian (69), Frank Murphy (29).