REVENGE 

     VERSUS    

Contestants on the CBS television show reality show “Survivor” are told that they must “Outwit, Outlast and Outplay” the competition in order to win the game. Well, the Hartford Wolf Pack used that advice themselves at the XL Center against the Atlantic Division leading Manchester Monarchs. Pack captain Dane Byers scored with 2:40 remaining in overtime off an amazing deflection with his back to the Monarch’s All-Star netminder, Jonathan Bernier giving the home team a 3-2 win Friday night. Just as important for the Pack was that they picked up a point on the team they are chasing for the Atlantic division lead. Hartford is now seven points out of first place with a game in hand over the Los Angeles Kings top farm club.

Hartford started the game minus their premier offensive threat in P.A. Parenteau. The Hull, Quebec native was injured in last week’s meeting with Manchester on a very questionable hit by the Monarch’s Kevin Westgarth. At 7:10 of the second period, the Pack lost their most effective goal scorer of late, the red hot Dale Weise to an upper body injury. Weise did not return to the game. They also played the entire contest without one of their first pair defenseman, Assistant Captain Corey Potter, who remains out with an undisclosed injury.

“It was a good game for the boys. Manchester is a good team that’s obviously going to have its spurts, so you just have to counter that.” Byers said in the locker-room after the game. “Obviously we were down a few skilled guys, so that means there are opportunities for other guys to step up.”

Byers, who’s been on a scoring drought since December 30th when he scored in the second period against Springfield, certainly stepped up on the game winner.

At 1:49 of overtime, Corey Locke was leading a break into the Manchester zone when right wing John Zeiler appeared to jump off the bench too soon on a line change and played the puck causing a whistle for Too Many Men on the ice. The penalty set up a full two-minute four-on-three man advantage. Pack head coach Ken Gernander called a time-out to rest his top unit enabling them to come right back on the ice. The Pack power play has been anything but effective over the past 24 games. The power play units entered the game having gone a dreadful 9-for-97 and fallen from first overall down to twelfth in the league at just 17.9%.

The Pack spread out and passed back and forth and cross ice and got the defense moving around.  Byers positioned himself perfectly. He stationed himself in front of Bernier and split the two Manchester defensemen, Joe Piskula and Andrew Campbell. Pack center Paul Crowder, standing just above the right face off circle dot recognized the play and held the puck for just a second drawing Piskula closer to him and further from Byers. Crowder put the puck perfectly on the tape of Byers stick. The Pack captain then redirected the puck past Bernier’s left leg and under the glove for his third game winner and second in overtime this season.

“Being in front is kind of Dane’s forte, especially on special teams,” Gernander told reporters afterwards. “Crowder made a good look, and Dane made a good redirect. It was good.”

“It has been a couple of weeks (between goals), but I had been getting chances, so if you do, hopefully something is going to go in for you,” Byers said. “It was a great pass by Crowder. I just wanted to make my stick available, and offensive players like Crowder and (Corey) Locke will see that stick out there and make that play nine times out of ten.”

Special teams played a big part in this game throughout the entire contest.

Justin Soryal through a big hit along the right wing boards into Westgarth that started a scuffle at 10:21. Soryal and Dwight King mixed it up with the Pack left winger very cautious in the scrap, having just returned to action after suffered broken facial bones in a fight with Jesse Boulerice of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on December 5th. At the same time as the Soryal/King match, Geoff Walker was sent off to the cooler for the extra penalty for roughing.

On the ensuing power play, Locke’s pass across the crease was intercepted by Doug Nolan. His outlet pass sent former Rangers draft pick Marc-André Cliche and Gabe Gauthier out of the zone on a shorthanded two-on-one odd man rush. Cliche drew Ilkka Heikkinen over to him on the right side and fired a shot. Chad Johnson, (27 saves, 14-7-2) back starting for the Pack while staying on the Ranger goaltender shuffle, made the initial stop but could not control the rebound. Gauthier came in unobstructed and flipped a backhander in past the stick and blocker of the Pack rookie netminder.

The Pack showed some character as they didn’t let their ninth surrendered shorthander of the season throw them off their game. Just 1:07 later, the Pack responded with a goal of their own.

While still on the Walker power play, Bobby Sanguinetti pinched in along the left wing and went down below the goal line. Alex Martinez came over to the corner to try and take the puck away from the Rangers 2006 first round draft pick. But the New Jersey native quickly dished the puck over to Evgeny Grachev who was all alone behind Bernier’s cage. Grachev surveyed the land and found Brodie Dupont all alone. Grachev’s pass to Dupont in the right circle created a lane and Dupont snapped it perfectly splitting Cliche and Walker and under the glove of Bernier for his eighth of the season.

The Baby Rangers continued to push the attack right at their first place rivals led by Jordan Owens who seemed to just be everywhere on the ice all game long. After another shift where the puck kept Manchester on their heels in their own zone, the Pack struck again.

With the Pack once again on the power play, Byers went down low after the puck beneath the goal line but had it taken away from him by Piskula. The Monarch defenseman had Locke all over him and left it for Nolan. Locke turned towards Nolan as he tried to clear the puck. Locke got a stick on it and it caused the puck to come out in front just past the reach of Bernier. Locke grabbed the puck on the right side and found Nigel Williams who read the play perfectly and rushed up the crease. Locke put the puck in between the hash marks where Williams uncorked a vicious one timer that blew right past the stick side of Bernier for his  second of the season just two seconds after the power play had ended.

The second period was uneventful in terms of actual scoring, but that’s not to say there weren’t chances.

Owens had a great opportunity to add to the Pack advantage at 2:52 with a quick wraparound attempt, but was denied by a right leg save by Bernier (33 saves, 18-11-4). Johnson then matched that save with a spectacular one of his own when at 3:03 he fended off Bud Holloway’s shot with Dave Urquhart crashing into him. Somehow they managed to keep the puck out of the net. Owens then had another great chance at 11:30 when he missed the net from dead red and Bernier out of position.

However the biggest concern for the Pack coming out of the second period was the Weise’s condition. It’s unclear exactly what happened to the Winnipeg, Manitoba native. He made a hit on Holloway just inside the right side blue line and immediately dropped off his gloves and skated off to the bench. It looked like it might be a hand or wrist but at this time the Pack are not saying much at all. If Weise is unable to play Sunday the Pack will either have to summon a player from Charlotte or play short one forward.

Manchester came out hard to start the final frame working out of desperation to get the equalizer. Head Coach Mark Morris said afterwards, “It took two periods for our team to answer the bell. Our performance expectations are much higher than what we saw tonight.” The coach added, “A lackluster effort following the All-Star break has been addressed and there is no room for complacency.  We have to have more contributions from more players from the drop of the puck to be successful.”

In the third they seemed to get it and at 9:36 their hard work knotted the score.

The Pack were scrambling a bit in their own zone but Heikkinen retrieved a loose biscuit behind the goal line from the left side and flipped the puck out of the zone…or so it appeared. Martinez grabbed the puck out of the air from what seemed on the replay like it was outside the zone and flipped it back in. The linesman was right there and allowed play to continue. The puck found Walker in the left side circle and fed Martinez up at the point. The Monarch defenseman walked it up the slot and fired it through both Owens, who rushed at him as he was unloading and Jared Nightingale defending the crease against both John Zeiler and Corey Elkins who were screening Johnson. The puck hit Elkins on the way into the net for his 14th of the season and like that the score was tied at two.

Hartford was just not able to mount any sort of serious offensive push in the final frame. Manchester wasn’t having that problem and over regulations’ final 37 seconds it was one shot and scramble in front after another, but Johnson stood tall and kept it out of the net making possible the opportunity for Byers’ overtime heroics.

“It got a little scrambly,” Byers said understating it by quite a bit. “But Chad has been terrific and given us a chance to win almost every night,”

“Johnson played a real good game.” Gernander commented afterwards. “I say all the time that it’s good to have good goaltending, but you don’t want to have to rely on it.” The Pack head coach then added, “We had a pretty good game for the most part. They had opportunities during the course of the game, but I thought our guys stuck with it and did a good job to get the two points at the end.”

The great Bruce Berlet is back off injured reserve and delivers another masterfully written story from a great writer who, if we had any real say in the matter, would be inducted into the “Sportswriters Hall-of-Fame.” Read the story at Hartfordwolfpack.com.  For the Manchester perspective, check the Union Leader and the Monarchs own site.

GAME SUMMARY and OFFICIAL SCORERS SHEET

STANDINGS

NOTES:
* Howlings is totally committed to supporting Team Coco. It really has nothing to do with anything…just thought you might like to know.

* The Pack have recalled two players from Charlotte, Tyler Doig and NY Rangers 2003 third round pick (#75 overall) Kenny Roche who ironically just played against the Pack in the game against Providence last week.

* The Pack are 9-4-2-0 in their last 15 games including a winning streak of four straight from December 27th through January 3rd. The team has not lost consecutive games since losing four straight during that disastrous first weekend of December when they got their rear ends handed to them by this same Manchester team 7-1 on December 4th, then 4-1 in Wilkes-Barre the next night followed up by a 9-2 embarrassment at the hands of the Hershey Bears and then the following week 5-2 in Portland.

* With a record now at 7-1-5 in overtime, the Hartford Wolf Pack have the best record in overtime in the AHL.

* If the Pack can somehow at least get to being a .500 team on the road (8-13-0-2) and maintain their dominance at home (15-3-1-2) this will be not only make the playoffs, but be a team to recon with.

* Both of Manchester’s overtime losses this season have come to the Wolf Pack and both in the XL Center (1/22/10 and 11/01/09) and both by the same 3-2 score.

LINES:

Byers © – Locke – Weise
Grachev – Dupont – Couture
Ambϋhl – Crowder – Owens 
Soryal – Garlock – DiDiomete

Heikkinen – Sauer
Williams – Sanguinetti
Urquhart – Nightingale

Johnson
Valiquette

(Assistant Captains Bold and Italicized)

SCRATCHES:

Corey Potter – Injury – Day-to-Day
P.A. Parenteau – Upper Body Injury – Day-to-Day
Mathieu Dandenault – Lower Body – Three to Four Weeks
Matt Zaba – On recall with the NY Rangers
Brent Henley – Knee  – Season
Mike Hoffman – Shoulder – Season

THREE STARS:

1. HFD – D. Byers
2. HFD – B. Dupont
3. MCH – A. Martinez

ON ICE OFFICIALS:

Referee:
Chris Brown (86)

Linesmen:
Brent Colby (7)
Kevin Redding (16)

NEXT GAME:

The Pack take their  Game time for Friday night’s game is 7pm.

To watch the game live, you can purchased it for $6.99 at AHL-live.

If you can attend the cost is as little as $10 a ticket, why not just go? For Ticket information call (860) 548-2000.

Too far away or can’t make it? Listen live at WTIC.com.

SCORE-SHEET:

Manchester Monarchs 2 At Hartford Wolf Pack 3 (OT) – Status: Final OT

Jan 22, 2010 – XL Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum

Manchester 1 0 1 0 – 2

Hartford 2 0 0 1 – 3

1st Period-1, Manchester, Gauthier 6 (Cliche, Nolan), 10:36 (sh). 2, Hartford, Dupont 8 (Grachev, Sanguinetti), 11:43 (pp). 3, Hartford, Williams 2 (Locke), 14:53. Penalties-King Mch (roughing, fighting), 10:21; Soryal Hfd (fighting), 10:21; Urquhart Hfd (interference), 12:12; Cavanagh Mch (high-sticking), 12:51.

2nd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Sanguinetti Hfd (hooking), 7:40.

3rd Period-4, Manchester, Elkins 14 (Martinez, Walker), 9:36. Penalties-Nolan Mch (holding the stick), 4:46; Clune Mch (elbowing), 15:22.

OT Period-5, Hartford, Byers 10 (Crowder, Heikkinen), 2:20 (pp). Penalties-served by Holloway Mch (bench minor – too many men), 1:49.

Shots on Goal-Manchester 7-8-13-1-29. Hartford 13-15-5-3-36.

Power Play Opportunities-Manchester 0 of 2; Hartford 2 of 5.

Goalies-Manchester, Bernier 18-11-4 (36 shots-33 saves). Hartford, Johnson 14-7-2 (29 shots-27 saves).

A-4,967

MEANWHILE DOWN IN CHARLOTTE…

     VERSUS               

CHECKERS BATTLE BACK FOR THRILLING 5-4 VICTORY 

Race Night A Success; Second Consecutive Sell-Out For First Time Since Feb., 2007

For the second game in a row, the Charlotte Checkers packed the building and treated the sell-out crowd to a thrilling victory as they downed the Wheeling Nailers, 5-4, as part of “Race Night” on Friday evening at Time Warner Cable Arena.

The Checkers fell behind by two early in the third but battled back with three straight goals for the win in front of 11,484 screaming fans. With the full house, the Checkers sold out in consecutive games for the first time since Feb., 2007.

Aaron Slattengren led the way with two goals and an assist, Daniel Tkaczuk added three assists and Ryan Munce stopped 25 of 29 for his third consecutive win.

The Checkers opened the scoring at the midway point of the first period on a point shot by Julien Brouillette. Slattengren and Kenny Roche were buzzing around the Wheeling net firing shot after shot at Nailers goaltender Michael-Lee Teslak before the puck made its way back to the point. Brouillette stepped into it and fired a laser of a shot over the shoulder of Teslak for his 10th of the season, placing him in a tie for second among all ECHL defensemen.

Charlotte would take a two-goal lead, just under three minutes later, when Daniel Tkaczuk carried the puck into the Nailers’ zone and dropped a pass to Matt Schepke in the slot. Schepke took a quick shot on net and Slattengren was there to bang home the rebound. The goal came at the 12:18 mark of the first period and was Slattengren’s third in as many games.

The Nailers then battled back with three straight goals in the second period, beginning with a Dan Henningson point shot that found its way to the back of the Checkers’ net.

Just over a minute later, Wheeling tied the game when they entered the Charlotte zone on a two-on-one. Nailers forward Chris Davis dished a saucer pass past the Checkers defender and onto the stick of T.J. Fox who then put it off the post and in for his team-leading 14th of the season.

Wheeling would add another late in the period before Fox notched his second of the game, early in the third to help the Nailers take a 4-2 lead.

Immediately after the Nailers’ goal, Checkers defenseman T.J. Reynolds decided to take the game into his own hands, literally, and dropped the gloves with Wheeling forward Ryan Schnell looking for a momentum swing.

The fight seemed to light a spark under the home team as they came flying out for the next shift and brought the game to within one on Slattengren’s second of the game. On a five-on-three power play, Michel Leveille took the puck down low and fed a cross-crease pass to Slattengren who tapped it in past Teslak.

The Checkers did not stop there, however. Just 29 seconds later, and still on the power play, Roche and Tkaczuk each took whacks at the puck in front of the net before Steve Ward skated in from the point and banged it home to tie the game at 4-4.

With less than 10 minutes to play in the game, Wheeling forward Colin Power took an untimely penalty and Charlotte went to work on the power play once again. Matt Schepke, fresh off his ECHL All-Star Game appearance, took the puck at the right-wing wall and skated in on a Nailers defenseman. Schepke then cut to the middle and, using the defender as a screen, fired it far side past Teslak for the 5-4 lead.

The Checkers would apply constant pressure and Munce turned aside the remaining two shots he faced for the victory. The Checkers earned their fifth straight win at Time Warner Cable Arena and will end up undefeated at home for the month of January (5-0-0).

Following the game, the Checkers held a jersey auction with a portion of the proceeds benefitting the USA Hockey Foundation on behalf of hometown NASCAR driver, and 2009 Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year, Joey Logano.

The Checkers (22-13-5) will embark on a four-game northern road swing before returning on Thursday, Feb. 4 to host the Florida Everblades Ticket information can be obtained by calling 704-342-4-ICE or visiting www.gocheckers.com.

GAME SUMMARY and OFFICIAL SCORERS SHEET

STANDINGS:

NOTES:
* The Checkers are introducing the “Blue Line to Finish Line” charity event at Victory Lane Indoor Karting on Sunday,  January 24th, as their annual fundraising function. Proceeds will benefit Checkmates Charities and other local non-profit organizations.  It wil lbe Indoor karting for charity from 5-8 p.m. at Victory Lane Indoor Karting, 2330 Tipton Drive in Charlotte.  All your favorites players wil lbe on hand. The proceeds will benefit Checkmates Charities and other local non-profit organizations.

* Charlotte is 13-3-1 in its last 17 home games…Andrew Carroll has seven goals and six assists in his last nine games

* Michel Leveille (2g, 7a) and Daniel Tkaczuk (2g, 7a) are each on five-game point streaks

* Tyler Doig ranks fifth in ECHL scoring with 48 points (11g, 37a) while Leveille ranks tied for ninth with 42 points (14g, 28a)

* Julien Brouillette has eight points (4g, 4a) in his last seven games and ranks third among all ECHL defensemen with 26 points (10g, 16a)

* T.J. Reynolds leads all ECHL defensemen with 168 penalty minutes, and is second in overall plus-minus with a +19 rating

* Special teams are the key to any franchise going deep into the playoffs. If Charlotte is going to make any sort of run, they will need to improve on their tenth ranked power play (17.3%) and dead last penalty kill (79.0%) out of the twenty teams in the ECHL.

* NY Rangers draft pick, Ryan Hillier was not in the Wheeling lineup thus missing his first chance to play against the Checkers since being moved to Wheeling to get more ice time in late November. Hillier has only played in two of Wheeling’s last ten games. Since moving to Wheeling, Hillier has two goals and three assists (5pts) in fifteen games.

* Charlotte came from behind to win after trailing entering the third period for only the second time in 15 chances (2-11-1-0).  They are also 11-0-2-1 when leading after the first period, 8-4-3-2 in one goal games and 15-6-0-1 when outshooting their opponents

LINES:

Doig – Leveille © – Roche
Slattengren – Tkaczuk – Schepke
Chabot – Taylor – Carroll
Marshall

Reynolds – Berube
Graham – Ward
Brouillette – Schaeffer

Munce
Wiikman

(Assistant Captains Bold and Italicized)

SCRATCHES:

Tysen Dowzak – Healthy
Chris Snavely – 21-day IR
Codey Burki – IR
Trevor Glass – 21-day IR
Chris Chappell – 21-day IR

THREE STARS:

1. CHR – D. Tkaczuk
2. CHR – S. Ward
3. CHR – A. Slattengren

ON ICE OFFICIALS:

Referee:
David Lewis (16)

Linesmen:
Mathieu Chenier (71)
Mike Hamilton (80)

NEXT GAME:

SCORE-SHEET:

Wheeling Nailers 4 At Charlotte Checkers 5 – Status: Final

Jan 22, 2010 – Time Warner Cable Arena

Wheeling 0 3 1 – 4

Charlotte 2 0 3 – 5

1st Period-1, Charlotte, Brouillette 10 (Slattengren, Roche), 9:31. 2, Charlotte, Slattengren 8 (Tkaczuk, Schepke), 12:18. Penalties-Ward Chr (interference), 17:00.

2nd Period-3, Wheeling, Henningson 2 (Lord), 5:42. 4, Wheeling, Fox 14 (Davis, Clarke), 6:51. 5, Wheeling, Clarke 11   12:53. Penalties-Reynolds Chr (kneeing), 0:58; Bushee Whl (hooking), 2:33; Reynolds Chr (cross-checking), 13:38.

3rd Period-6, Wheeling, Fox 15 (Clarke, Davis), 1:15. 7, Charlotte, Slattengren 9 (Doig, Leveille), 3:35 (pp). 8, Charlotte, Ward 2 (Roche, Tkaczuk), 4:04 (pp). 9, Charlotte, Schepke 13 (Graham, Tkaczuk), 8:26 (pp). Penalties-Schnell Whl (fighting – major), 1:16; Reynolds Chr (fighting – major, game misconduct – jersey), 1:16; served by Schmidt Whl (bench – too many men), 2:46; Davis Whl (tripping), 3:28; Clarke Whl (slashing ), 6:51; Power Whl (cross-checking), 10:33; Leveille Chr (interference), 14:21; Yaworski Whl (holding), 19:18.

Shots on Goal-Wheeling 9-16-4-29. Charlotte 12-13-13-38.

Power Play Opportunities-Wheeling 0 of 4; Charlotte 3 of 6.

Goalies-Wheeling, Teslak 9-9-2-1 (38 shots-33 saves). Charlotte, Munce 8-7-1-0 (29 shots-25 saves).

A-11,484