FALCON CREST 

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The Hartford Wolf Pack have been among the American Hockey League’s most successful teams in the past 12 years. They hold the AHL record for playoff success from inception with 12 straight appearances in the post-season. However in 2009-2010 it’s been a major struggle for the New York Rangers top farm team to get anything approaching the type of consistency necessary to be a playoff contender. There’ve been two root causes for Head Coach Ken Gernander’s troops all season; long term injuries to the team’s best players, and a serious inability to consistently find the back of the net particularly at key points in the game.

Currently the Pack find themselves entrenched in seventh place in the Atlantic Division seventeen points out of first place, nine out of the last playoff spot in their division and three behind Bridgeport to sneak into the fourth spot in the East for the right to get smoked by Hershey.

Friday night the stars were aligned for the Wolf Pack to start a late season push and catapult themselves back into the playoffs. Unfortunately, not even the return of two of the Wolf Pack’s top tier players from injury were enough to ignite their stalled offense as Hartford dropped a heartbreaking 2-1 decision just 12 seconds into overtime to the last place Springfield Falcons at the XL Center.

Two Quebec natives, P.A. Parenteau, out the past 16 games (concussion) and 13 year NHL veteran and three time Stanley Cup Champion defenseman Mathieu Dandenault, out the past 36 games (groin) made their return to the Pack lineup.

Starting the extra session, Rob Hisey won the opening faceoff from AHL All-Star Corey Locke. The Falcon center drew it back to Chris Armstrong. The Falcon defenseman in turn sent a pass along to winger Charles Linglet on the left side. Linglet saw and returned the puck to his centerman, free on the right side. Hisey ripped a one-timer from the faceoff circle that hit the glove of Pack Starter Matt Zaba (29 saves, 6-10-1) and went into the net behind him.

“I read the play, was there in plenty of time, and knew he was going to take a one-timer,” Zaba said. “It was just kind of a fluke. It hit my glove and went up and over. I don’t know, but it might have missed the net.”

It’s been that kind of a season for the Wolf Pack.

“We’re having trouble scoring goals,” Zaba said. “So if we’re only going to score one goal, we have to do anything we can to win 1-0. We definitely had some chances, but for whatever reason, we just couldn’t get the job done the last two games. I guess if there’s a positive we got a point out of it, but it’s kind of discouraging not to get two (points).”

After a first period where the Pack decidedly controlled play and outshot their guests 15-7, they finally broke through in the second.

A delayed penalty was in play for what appeared to be a high stick by Linglet on Corey Potter behind the goal line in the Pack zone. Jordan Owens retrieved the puck and fed Ryan Garlock who rushed the puck up ice and into the Falcon zone. The Pack brought out the extra attacker in Parenteau. Garlock found Jared Nightingale open in the slot for a hard shot. The puck rebounded into the right wing corner. Garlock retrieved the puck and fed it back to Nightingale along the half-boards. Nightingale in turn slid the puck over to Parenteau at the right point. Parenteau brought the puck over to the left side and drew Linglet and Chris Minard with him to the left point. Potter and the Hull, Quebec native changed places as Parenteau spun and made a quick pass back to the defenseman. Potter went back to the right point and drew ex-Pack center Chad Wiseman with him which opened up the middle of the ice. Garlock rotated out and found the open ice in the slot. The Pack center corralled the puck off the Potter feed, turned and used Chris Armstrong, who’d come out to try and block the shot, as a screen and wristed a hard low shot. Between Armstrong going down to get the shot and the traffic in front of the Falcon net, as both Owens and Nightingale kept defenseman Taylor Chorney tied up in Devan Dubnyk’s (32 saves, 12-17-2) line of sight. Garlock’s shot slid under the Falcon netminder at 7:36.

But after that, the Pack could not generate good scoring chances and the ones they did were all turned aside by Dubnyk who was incredible.

“(Dubnyk) had some turning point saves, for sure,” Zaba said. “If we had got up two or three (goals) the way we were playing, I think the game probably would have been over. But they just kind of hung around and hung around and got a couple of breaks and ended up winning.”

After a good scoring chance by Evgeny Grachev that was turned aside by Dubnyk that went out of play with 8:45 to go in the game, there came an offensive zone faceoff for the Pack. Ryan O’Marra beat Paul Crowder. The puck wound up on the stick of Colin McDonald who rushed the puck up the right wing boards. McDonald put a shot on net that Zaba deflected into the left wing corner. The puck slid up the boards where ex-Pack Dean Arsene controlled it and slipped it to Ryan MacMurchy. The Falcon right winger saw O’Marra free in the center as Donald Brashear was slow to get over to pick him up. O’Marra who wristed a seeing eye puck over the glove of Zaba knotting the score with just 8:30 left to play.

“We did a lot of good things, but when it’s 1-0, you have to have even more sense of urgency to try to build on your lead,” Wolf Pack coach Ken Gernander said. “Then we gave them some life and they kept coming and coming. And Dubnyk played very well. He’s a big part of their team. He gets the sure shots on goal and usually stands pretty tall for them. But that’s part of the equation. You’ve got to overcome, and you have to do what it takes.”

Saturday will see the return of Andres Ambϋhl to the Wolf Pack lineup strengthening the team further and removing their last excuse of a weakened lineup. If the Wolf Pack cannot start putting pucks in the net as they did early in the season and shoring up their goaltending they will end their record of consecutive playoff appearances at twelve.

The ever incredible Bruce Berlet is on hand in Hartford and tells the tale at Hartfordwolfpack.com. Gerry Cantelon saw the action and has his story for his European audience at Eurohockey.net.  The Springfield perspective can be seen at MassLive.com 

GAME SUMMARY and OFFICIAL SCORERS SHEET 

STANDINGS

SCOREBOARD:

A busy night for the AHL with 22 of the 30 teams in action. In games directly affecting the Rangers top farm club, Albany doubled up Portland 4-2, Providence got a hat trick from John Lammers and defeated Binghamton 6-4. Lowell got two goals in the third period to beat Manchester 3-2. Norfolk lost to Adirondack and Syracuse knocked off Lake Erie by the same 3-2 score. Abbotsford beat Worcester 5-4 in a shootout. Rochester knocked off Grand Rapids 5-3. San Antonio dismembered Manitoba 4-0 while Peoria and Texas both won 3-2 over Chicago and Houston respectively.

NOTES:

* If you have yet to sign up for our new service to our readers on Twitter, you’re really missing out on the most extensive coverage of the Wolf Pack and Checkers you’ll find anywhere. In addition to keeping you posted here on all major news stories, visit www.twitter.com/howlingstoday for in-game coverage of both Wolf Pack and Checkers games. Please “Follow” us on Twitter.

* It hasn’t really been written anywhere that we’ve seen, but former NY Ranger, Michael Nylander has been moved from the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins to Jokerit Helsinki joining former Carolina Hurricane Bates Battaglia on the same squad.

* Andres Ambϋhl is back from his two week stay in Vancouver with his native Swiss Olympic team. While Ambϋhl did not score in the five games he played in, he was exceptionally solid defensively and played center as well. He’s expected to be in the lineup for Saturday’s game against Portland. In all likelihood it will Justin Soryal that joins Devin DiDiomete, Dave Urquhart and Kenny Roche in the press box.

* A solid source told us that the NY Rangers had acquired another goaltender and that Miika Wiikman would be sent back to Charlotte on Monday. We shared that information with a couple of other reporters including Larry Brooks in New York. Brooks, being perhaps the most tied in hockey reporter anywhere, this morning reported in the NY Post that the Rangers might claim Alex Auld off re-entry waivers from Dallas. It’s since happened proving both us and our source correct.

This is good news, not just in making us just that much more of a credible reporting source, but for Chad Johnson and Matt Zaba. They can focus on their respective games and not sitting and rotting on the bench watching Henrik Lundqvist. Johnson has struggled the last few games posting an 0-4 record with a 6.85 GAA and a .780 save percentage. Meanwhile, while he hasn’t winning games right now, (mostly to the lack of scoring in front of him) Zaba overall has been quite good and very steady, but has faltered on a couple of occasions on shots that have beaten him that probably shouldn’t have, i.e. Friday night’s game winner. While not spectacular, Zaba has been the best that the Wolf Pack have had between the pipes and should stay the number one goaltender the rest of the way.

* Potter’s assist on Garlock’s goal ended a six game pointless drought.  Kenny Roche, a healthy scratch has points in seven of his fourteen games (4g, 4a). Evgeny Grachev has one goal in his last 18 games while Jordan Owens has no goals in 17, but has 4 helpers over that span. Dane Byers is pointless in three games. Nigel Williams has been the Pack’s most offensively productive defenseman. Over the last 18 games, Williams has 12 points (3g, 9a). Corey Locke ended a three game goal scoring streak.

LINES:

Byers © – Locke – Parenteau
Grachev – Dupont – Weise
Brashear – Crowder – Owens
Soryal – Garlock – Couture

Heikkinen – Sanguinetti
Potter – Nightingale
Williams – Dandenault 

Zaba
Johnson

(Assistant Captains Bold and Italicized)

SCRATCHES:

Miika Wiikman – Recall with NY Rangers
Devin DiDiomete – Healthy Scratch
Andres Ambϋhl – Healthy Scratch
David Urquhart – Healthy Scratch
Kenny Roche – Healthy Scratch
Steven Valiquette – Hand Injury – Day-to-Day
Michael Sauer – Shoulder – Season over
Mike Hoffman – Shoulder – Season over
Brent Henley – Knee – Season over

THREE STARS:

1. SPR – R. Hisey
2. SPR – D. Dubnyk
3. HFD – M. Zaba

ON ICE OFFICIALS:

Referee:
David Banfield (44)

Linesmen:
Derek Wahl (46)
Brent Colby (7)

NEXT GAME:

This was a game that the Wolf Pack needed because coming into the XL Center Saturday night are the Portland Pirates. While they’ve lost two straight they just came off an eleven game winning streak. The Pack find themselves nine points out of the final playoff spot in the Atlantic and if they can finish above Bridgeport and Providence in their division and have more than Wilkes-Barre /Scranton they could get in as the fourth team in the East Division. They trail Bridgeport by three points and have a game in hand. Bob Crawford takes to the air with the pre-game show at 6:30pm.

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

If you can attend the home games, they 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:

Springfield Falcons 2 (OT) At Hartford Wolf Pack 1 – Status: Final OT

Feb 26, 2010 – XL Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum

Springfield 0 0 1 1 – 2

Hartford 0 1 0 0 – 1

1st Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Wiseman Spr (hooking), 3:12; Fretter Spr (holding), 7:18; Garlock Hfd (hooking), 18:46.

2nd Period-1, Hartford, Garlock 4 (Potter, Parenteau), 7:36. Penalties-Peckham Spr (goaltender interference), 4:20; Weise Hfd (slashing), 5:34; Taylor Spr (holding), 15:05.

3rd Period-2, Springfield, O’Marra 10 (MacMurchy, Arsene), 11:30. Penalties-Nickerson Spr (misconduct – unsportsmanlike conduct), 19:02; Soryal Hfd (misconduct – unsportsmanlike conduct), 19:02.

OT Period-3, Springfield, Hisey 8 (Linglet, Armstrong), 0:12. Penalties-No Penalties

Shots on Goal-Springfield 7-11-12-1-31. Hartford 15-13-5-0-33.

Power Play Opportunities-Springfield 0 of 2; Hartford 0 of 4.

Goalies-Springfield, Dubnyk 12-17-2 (33 shots-32 saves). Hartford, Zaba 6-10-1 (31 shots-29 saves).

A-4,201

MEANWHILE DOWN IN CHARLOTTE

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