WOLF PACK WEEKEND PREVIEW: DECEMBER 19th, 2024
Dec 19, 2024HARTFORD, CT – ‘Twas the games before Christmas. The Hartford Wolf Pack have just two games remaining before the annual holiday break, a back-to-back set against the rival Providence Bruins.
The sides will meet on Friday night in Hartford, then wrap up the pre-holiday slate on Saturday night in Rhode Island.
These two games will conclude a stretch of three straight for the Wolf Pack against the Bruins.
Friday, December 20th, 2024, Vs. Providence Bruins (7:00 p.m.)
Saturday, December 21st, 2024, @ Providence Bruins (7:05 p.m.): The Wolf Pack and Bruins will meet for the fourth and fifth times this season on back-to-back nights.
The Bruins hold a 2-1 edge in the head-to-head matchup, having won 5-2 last Sunday at the Amica Mutual Pavilion. Patrick Brown and Ryder Korczak traded first period goals, sending the teams to the middle frame tied 1-1.
Three goals in a span of 6:47 would give the Bruins a 4-1 lead and enough of a cushion for their sixth consecutive victory. Matthew Poitras broke the tie at 6:03, burying a centering feed from Vinni Lettieri for his sixth goal of the season.
Tyler Pitlick then pounced on a rebound at 9:01, making it 3-1 for the Bruins. Pitlick’s goal would stand as the game-winning tally. Jeffrey Viel capped the scoring stretch with a rebound goal of his own on the power play at 12:50.
Jake Leschyshyn got the Wolf Pack within two just 2:35 into the third period, deflecting home a backdoor pass from Alex Belzile on a five-on-three power play.
Despite a strong push from the Wolf Pack, which included three goalposts hit, 4-2 was as close as they got it. Georgii Merkulov hit the empty net at 16:09, cementing the victory.
The Bruins also claimed a 4-2 victory on home ice on Nov. 10, with Marc McLaughlin scoring the game-winning goal 2:12 into the third period.
The Wolf Pack’s lone victory in the head-to-head matchup came on Nov. 16, as they doubled up the Bruins 4-2. Connor Mackey scored the game-winning goal in that contest.
Quick Hits:
• On Tuesday, the parent New York Rangers assigned Mackey to the Wolf Pack. He played two games with the Rangers during his most recent recall.
• In a corresponding move, the Wolf Pack loaned defenseman Ryan Siedem to the ECHL’s Bloomington Bison on Tuesday afternoon.
• Wolf Pack forwards Belzile (3 a) and Adam Sýkora (1 g, 2 a) have scored three points each in three games against the Bruins this season.
• Belzile has assists in three consecutive games and currently sits tied for eighth in league scoring with 25 points (9 g, 16 a).
• Defenseman Matthew Robertson has recorded an assist in four straight games (6 a). He has recorded 13 assists in 23 games this season. His previous career-high in assists is 18, accomplished during the 2022-23 campaign.
• Leschyshyn has scored a goal in five straight games. He has recorded six goals during that span, with five of them coming on the power play.
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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.
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