WOLF PACK LOSE 7-3 TO UTICA COMETS
Jan 15, 2025UTICA, NY – The Hartford Wolf Pack opened a three-game road trip on Wednesday night by surrendering a season-high seven goals in a 7-3 loss to the Utica Comets.
A wild second period saw the Wolf Pack battle back from down 3-0 to even the tilt 3-3.
Moments after getting things even, however, Simon Nemec restored the lead for the Comets. A defensive breakdown led to a three-on-one down low for the Comets, with Shane Bowers holding possession. Bowers dished off to Nemec, who lifted a backhander over Dylan Garand for his fourth goal of the season.
The Wolf Pack started off well, generating the game’s first power play at 11:37 when Topias Vilen was whistled for boarding. The Wolf Pack took an offensive zone penalty moments later, however, setting up a four-on-four situation.
The Comets took advantage of the situation, striking first at 12:48. Max Willman worked his way down the left-wing side, then snuck a sharp angle shot by Garand for his second goal of the season.
After Vilen’s penalty expired, the Comets were given an abbreviated power play as Alex Belzile sat for interference. On that power play, Nolan Foote worked into a scoring area and snapped home his ninth goal of the season at 13:59.
The goal was Foote’s third in two games and came just 71 seconds after the strike from Willman.
The second period saw the sides combine for five goals, with the Wolf Pack holding a 3-2 edge to make it a 4-3 game through 40 minutes of play.
Chase Stillman opened the wild frame by snapping home his third goal of the season 5:06 into the period. Stillman worked his way down the right-wing side and beat Garand to make it a 3-0 spread in favor of the home side.
Just 32 seconds later, however, the Wolf Pack had the answer. Belzile sent a centering pass to Bo Groulx, who maneuvered his way just inside the right-wing circle. Groulx went top-shelf at 5:38, picking up his team-leading 12th goal of the season.
The Comets would head to the power play for the third time at 7:41 when Jake Leschyshyn was whistled for cross-checking. On the penalty kill, Dylan Roobroeck poked the puck out to center ice, then won a footrace for it.
Roobroeck created a breakaway for himself and beat Nico Daws for his first career shorthanded goal at 8:38. It was Hartford’s fifth shorthanded tally of the season, and Roobroeck’s seventh goal of his rookie campaign.
Anton Blidh capped off a stretch of three goals in 4:59, drawing the Wolf Pack back to even. Connor Mackey stepped into a drive along the left-wing boards that Blidh got a piece of. The puck snuck by Daws for Blidh’s tenth goal of the season. The assist was Mackey’s second of the period and seventh of the season.
Nemec restored the lead for good at 13:01, kicking off a stretch of four unanswered goals for the Comets.
Bowers’ assist was his second of the game and eighth of the season, while Nemec’s goal was his second of five points on the night (2 g, 3 a).
Nemec tacked on his second goal of the night just 93 seconds into the third period. After Daws made a strong save on a Groulx chance, the Comets moved up ice. Mike Hardman dropped a pass to Nemec, who beat Garand to make it 5-3.
Max Willman added his second goal of the game at 11:42, while Xavier Parent tapped home a backdoor feed at 16:50 to make it 7-3.
The Wolf Pack continue their road trip with a pair of games in Charlotte, NC, this weekend. The back-to-back set opens on Saturday with a 4:00 p.m. puck drop.
The Pack is back at the XL Center on Friday, Jan. 24, when the Laval Rocket make their second and final visit to the XL Center this season. Join us for $2 drafts and $2 hot dogs until the end of the first intermission!
The puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m.
Tickets are available at 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.