WOLF PACK EARN POINT WITH LATE GOAL, BUT FALL 3-2 TO MARLIES IN OVERTIME THRILLER
Mar 11, 2023TORONTO, ON – For the first time this season, the Hartford Wolf Pack used the extra attacker in the final minute of a hockey game to earn a point. Despite the late goal to earn the club a standings point, the Pack couldn’t hold off the Toronto Marlies in the extra frame, as they prevailed 3-2 in overtime in the first of two games between the clubs this season.
Logan Shaw rifled his 18th goal of the season by Louis Domingue 2:39 into overtime, earning the second point for the Marlies. The Toronto captained worked his way into the slot and perfectly placed a shot over the veteran’s glove to end the proceedings in Toronto.
In their first meeting of the season, the Wolf Pack and Marlies spent the first 20 minutes of the contest feeling each other out. Hartford successfully killed off two Toronto penalties, holding the league’s top powerplay at bay in the opening frame. Domingue made ten saves to keep the Marlies off the board, while Joseph Woll turned aside five Hartford shots.
The Wolf Pack finally broke the ice 15:04 into the middle stanza, as Will Lockwood scored his first goal with the club. Lockwood fired the puck from the right-wing wall, with Woll stopping the shot with his glove. The puck took an awkward bounce off of Woll’s glove, however, and rolled down the back of the netminder before trickling over the line. The goal was Lockwood’s 13th of the season, continuing a career year.
The Marlies tied the contest just over three minutes later at 18:46, scoring off a fortunate bounce of their own. William Villeneuve fired a shot from the point that Domingue denied, but the rebound bounced into the air. Radim Zohorna, acquired via trade from the Calgary Flames on March 3rd, knocked the rebound out of mid-air and deposited his first goal with the Marlies.
Toronto took their first lead of the night 11:11 into the final frame, as Kyle Clifford made it 2-1. Clifford fired a puck from the top of the left-wing circle that Domingue never saw, as four bodies combined to create havoc in front of the Hartford net. The goal, Clifford’s sixth of the season, was his second in as many games.
The Marlies had two chances to hit the open net and cement victory, but rang iron on their second try. With a new lease on life, the Wolf Pack hurried up ice and did something they hadn’t done all season to this point.
Adam Clendening waved his way deep into the Toronto zone before sending a backhand pass to the front of the goal. Clendening’s pass hit the leg of Jake Leschyshyn and beat Woll at 19:23 to force overtime. It was the first time in 2022-23 in which the Wolf Pack scored with the extra attacker to force overtime.
In overtime, however, the Wolf Pack couldn’t hold off the Marlie attack. Domingue made a terrific save on Filip Kral moments into overtime, but Shaw would bury Toronto’s fourth shot of the extra period to give the home team the important second point on this night.
The Pack return to the XL Center on Wednesday, March 15th, hosting the Bridgeport Islanders for the latest installment in the ‘Battle of Connecticut’. The puck drop is set for 7:00 pm. To get tickets, visit www.hartfordwolfpack.com.
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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.