Penguins Deal Pack first Defeat of Year, 6-2
Oct 15, 2016The Wolf Pack suffered their first loss of the 2016-17 season Saturday night at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre, PA, falling 6-2 to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, who were playing their first game of the year.
Jake Guentzel had a four-point night, with a goal and three assists, to lead the Penguin attack, and Oskar Sundqvist, Carter Rowney and David Warsofsky added a goal and an assist each. Nicklas Jensen and Matt Carey scored the Hartford goals.
“We turned pucks over and we didn’t get it deep, and we didn’t really establish a forecheck,” Jensen said. “We knew they were going to come out hard in their first home game, and we just didn’t really sustain any pressure or get any attacking offense. It’s our fault today, and we’ve just got to build on it and learn from it.”
After the Wolf Pack had scored just 1:56 into their season-opening 6-3 win over St. John’s at home on Friday night, they gave up a goal just 1:48 into Saturday’s first period. Josh Archibald got behind the Hartford defense and put a backhand bid just through the pads of Wolf Pack goaltender Mackenzie Skapski (29 saves).
That lead lasted until the 15:17 mark, when Jensen equalized for the Wolf Pack with his first goal of the season. The goal came just eight seconds after a Hartford power play expired, as Marek Hrivik fed to Jensen on the left side, and Jensen’s shot from outside and below the faceoff dot eluded Wilkes-Barre/Scranton netminder Tristan Jarry (24 saves) on the short side.
The Penguins then would take control of the game in the second period, scoring three times.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton connected on its first power play of the game at 5:51, with Chris Summers off for interference. Warsofsky handed the puck to Rowney at the top of the left circle, and former Wolf Pack Ryan Haggerty set a perfect screen in front of Skapski, allowing Rowney’s snap shot to find its way into the net.
The Penguins made it a two-goal lead at 13:49, on a Sundqvist backhand shot from in close. Tom Kostopoulos started the play out of the left-wing corner, passing to the top of the slot to Stuart Percy, who spun away from a Wolf Pack defender and found Sundqvist for the finish.
A fine individual effort by Guentzel made the score 4-1 with 3:22 remaining in the second. Guentzel broke up a pass attempt by Ryan Graves in the neutral zone and then, despite being upended in the slot by Mike Paliotta, still was able to whip a shot past Skapski.
The margin grew to 5-1 at the 5:11 mark of the third period, with Jean-Sebastien Dea tipping a slap pass from the right point by Tim Erixon past Skapski’s stick side.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton scored its second power-play goal in two chances on the game at 9:15, on a goal by Warsofsky. After Graves was sent off for tripping at 7:40, Warsofsky got a pass from Guentzel and, from high in the slot, connected on a snap shot, with Kostopoulos bothering Skapski.
Carey made the final margin 6-2 with his first Wolf Pack goal with 1:25 remaining. A Steven Fogarty lead sent Carey in on a breakaway, and Carey stayed with the play after Jarry stopped his initial try. From below the goal line to Jarry’s left, Carey was able to bang the puck off of Jarry’s pads and into the net.
The Wolf Pack are now off until next Saturday night, October 22, when they travel to Allentown, PA to meet the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Faceoff is 7:05 PM, and all of the action of that contest can be heard live on News Radio 1410 WPOP, and on-line at www.newsradio1410.com and iHeartRadio. Video streaming is available at www.ahllive.com.
The next home game for the Wolf Pack is next Sunday, October 23 vs. the St. John’s IceCaps, with faceoff at 5:00 PM. Each of the Wolf Pack’s Sunday home games feature the Wolf Pack’s “Click It or Ticket Family Value Pack”. The Family Value Pack includes two tickets, two sodas and two hot dogs, all for just $40.
Tickets for all Wolf Pack 2016-17 home games are on sale now at the Agera Energy Ticket Office at the XL Center, on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com and by phone at (877) 522-8499.
Season ticket information for the Wolf Pack’s 2016-17 AHL season can be found on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com. To speak with a representative about all of the Wolf Pack’s many attractive ticketing options, call (855) 762-6451.
Hartford Wolf Pack 2 at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 6
Saturday, October 15, 2016 - Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza
Hartford 1 0 1 - 2
W-B/Scranton 1 3 2 - 6
1st Period-1, W-B/Scranton, Archibald 1 (Wilson, Sundqvist), 1:48. 2, Hartford, Jensen 1 (Hrivik, Bodie), 15:17. Penalties-Brown Hfd (fighting), 12:58; McGrath Wbs (fighting), 12:58; Erixon Wbs (cross-checking), 13:09.
2nd Period-3, W-B/Scranton, Rowney 1 (Warsofsky, Guentzel), 5:51 (PP). 4, W-B/Scranton, Sundqvist 1 (Percy, Kostopoulos), 13:49. 5, W-B/Scranton, Guentzel 1 16:38. Penalties-Summers Hfd (interference), 4:44; Sundqvist Wbs (tripping), 6:10; Wilson Wbs (hooking), 8:39.
3rd Period-6, W-B/Scranton, Dea 1 (Erixon, Guentzel), 5:11. 7, W-B/Scranton, Warsofsky 1 (Guentzel, Rowney), 9:15 (PP). 8, Hartford, Carey 1 (Fogarty), 18:35. Penalties-Glass Hfd (fighting), 6:54; McGrath Wbs (roughing, fighting, game misconduct - third major/second fight), 6:54; Graves Hfd (tripping), 7:40; Porter Wbs (holding), 9:49; Gaunce Wbs (holding), 12:03.
Shots on Goal-Hartford 6-9-11-26. W-B/Scranton 11-15-9-35.
Power Play Opportunities-Hartford 0 / 6; W-B/Scranton 2 / 2.
Goalies-Hartford, Skapski 0-1-0-0 (35 shots-29 saves). W-B/Scranton, Jarry 1-0-0-0 (26 shots-24 saves).
A-6,159
Referees-David Banfield (77), Guillaume Labonte (35).
Linesmen-Matt McNulty (26), Luke Murray (92).