CANTLON: WOLF PACK SHUTOUT IN PRE-SEASON OPENER 

WOLF PACK SHUTOUT IN PRE-SEASON OPENER

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BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack were shutout in their pre-season opening contest for the 2017-18 season 2-0 by the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

The game started at noon and was closed to the general public.

With lineups on both sides comprised mostly of players destined for their ECHL clubs, the game sadly mirrored in last year’s edition of the Wolf Pack.

In the first five minutes, the Wolf Pack were forced to kill two penalties including a 17-second five-on-three. Even after The Pack had killed the penalties, they found themselves pinned in their zone.

“We got in trouble early to do some penalty killing. That got us back on our heels,” the Pack’s new head coach, Keith McCambridge said. “Once we got past that, we were able to get ourselves going a bit.”

The Sound Tigers grabbed a 1-0 lead when former Boston College (HE) product, Matt Gaudreau, scored on Pack netminder Chris Nell on a nifty forehand off a breakaway that came as a result of a defensive zone turnover by forward, Adam Chapie at 12:16.

Gaudreau would have a game-high six shots.

The Pack managed just five shots on net in the first period.

One player who got a slew of quality ice time in the first period was Henrik Samuelsson who got a slew of quality time in the opening frame.

“Obviously, he was a high pick, and we have seen a little bit of him with other AHL teams,” McCambridge said. “He was here on a tryout to see where he’s at. He did well with faceoffs and special teams. On the penalty kill, it’s all about the opportunity. There were some positives out of the game, but areas he can work on too.”

In the second period, Bridgeport used the power play to score their second goal.

Former Yale player Frankie DiChara was set at the right point and sent a hard, low slap shot that Chris Langkow redirected high to the stick side at 13:05.

Samuelsson had an eventful second period getting into the second scrap of the game with the Sound Tigers’ Mike Cornell. The Bridgeport defenseman caught Adam Chapie with an elbow to the head and Samuelsson was right there and dropped his mitts for the tussle. Samuelsson wasn’t hit with an instigator but did receive a roughing minor in addition to the fighting major.

“I saw Chapie go down and I thought it was a bit of a dirty play. I always stick up for my teammates out there, and you want to be a reliable player out there,” Samuelsson, whose father Ulf, earned a few five-minute majors in the building, said.

Samuelsson was strong on his faceoffs in the offensive and defensive zones.

“It was the first time playing center in a while,” Samuelsson said. He mostly played the right side in the Arizona organization. “Even though I wasn’t playing center there, I always continue to work on taking faceoffs. I like playing center, so I had a few go my way today, so I’m happy with that.”

The other scrap was a good exchange between the Pack’s Jack Nevins and the Sound Tigers’ rookie Yanick Turcotte from St. Brigitte-de-Laval, Quebec.

The Wolf Pack did manage to get some quality offensive zone pressure. Newcomer Dan DeSalvo had a great chance that hit the post on a five-on-three power play for the Pack.

“I had coached him in Manitoba,” McCambridge said of the fourth-year pro. “He’s a very creative player. He has that quickness in his first three strides and has good vision. I thought he had a really strong game today.”

The other chances were a Malte Stromwall blast from 25 feet out that went off the facemask of Sound Tigers’ goalie Kristers Gudlevskis. “I had a little opening there,” Stromwall said. “I didn’t put it where I wanted to. That’s an area I will have to sharpen up as well.”

The two teams hook up again Saturday night in Worcester at 7 pm at the brand new Fidelity Bank Worcester Ice Center rink in downtown Worcester.

NOTES:

Sound Tigers outshot the Wolf Pack 24-16

Ryan Bourque played for Bridgeport with three shots on goal.

DiChiara also had three shots and was a plus-1 for Bridgeport.

The Wolf Pack have yet to announce roster cuts for players about to be sent to the Greenville Swamp Rabbits (ECHL);

Sound Tigers made seven cuts to their roster and surprisingly Langkow and DiChiara were among them along with goalies Joe Fallon, Mitch Gilliam and Nick Saracino, Willie Raskob, and Kyle MacKenzie who were sent to Worcester.

During yesterday’s game, the Rangers sent out a press release announcing roster cuts including sending to Hartford: Ryan Graves, Vinni Lieterri, Neal Pionk and Boo Nieves. Matt Puempel was put on waivers at 12 Noon yesterday and cleared waivers and was assigned to Hartford.

The Rangers’ first-round pick from the summer, Lias Andersson, was returned to Frolunda HC (Sweden-SHL) who hold his European rights. His Canadian junior rights are held by the Kitchener Rangers (OHL).

Nieves post-game was already at the XL Center. After finishing a workout, he was chatting with the Rangers new Director of Player Development, ex-Pack Jed Ortmeyer, and Rangers’ Special Advisor, Brian Leetch.

Had a chance to chat with Ortmeyer during the pre-game. The Rangers reached out to him for the position.

“Dru (GM, Chris Drury) and I had the same agent, so that’s where it started and I got a nice call from Adam Graves as well. It’s always nice to be wanted.”

With a truncated pre-season evaluation process time has shrunk.

“You try to see how some chemistry might form, how guys handle different situations and who handles them well. We get a pretty good baseline from out of the main camp and some are more advanced because we have seen them since Traverse City.”

Ortmeyer is working with the rest of the executive team in the big job of overhauling the team. “That’s the plan, and we’re just starting.”

The AHL All-Star game has been awarded to Utica for the end of January. The format has still to be determined.

Former Wolf Pack goalie Mackenzie Skapski was released from the Toronto Marlies camp this afternoon.

Tim Erixon and Tim Kennedy, both former CT Whale and Wolf Pack, have been assigned to the Binghamton Devils.

Ex-CT Whale, John Mitchell, cut from two NHL camps (Chicago and Columbus) signs a PTO deal for Cleveland Monsters camp.

Landon Ferraro, the son of former Whaler, Ray Ferraro, is assigned to the Iowa Wild where he joins ex-Pack, Ryan Malone.

Former Quinnipiac star goalie, Mike Garteig, joins Utica after being reassigned.

Former Yale players Ken Agostino was sent to Providence from the parent Boston Bruins while Gus Young heads to the Florida Everblades (ECHL).

The Buffalo Sabres claimed ex-Sound Tiger, Jordan Nolan, off waivers from Los Angeles. Another ex-Sound Tiger, Jesse Graham, heads to San Antonio (AHL) after being assigned there. St. Louis sends Adam Musil, the nephew of former Whaler and Ranger, Bobby Holik, to San Antonio.

Brian Flynn, a former South Kent Prep player, starts the season in Texas (AHL) after being reassigned.

Ex-Pack Akim Aliu is in camp with Ontario.

Mike McKee, a former Kent Prep player, signs with Tulsa (ECHL).

Ex-Pack, Tyler Brown, signs with Reading (ECHL).

Mike Vaskivuo (Westminster Prep/South Kent Prep) returns from HC Thurgau (Switzerland-LNB) and signs with Orlando (ECHL).

Former Whaler. Robert Petrovicky stays in his native Slovakia and becomes an assistant coach with HC Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia-KHL).

Former Wolf Pack players continue their hockey careers with the Quebec-based LNAH (North American Hockey League). Cedrick Desjardins will play with Jonquiere Marquis, and Francois Fortier, with St. Georges.

Amazingly, former Wolf Pack, Alex Bourret enters the coaching ranks!

Bourret will be an assistant coach at the midget level in Quebec with Marie-Riviere (QEMMA). As a player, Bourret was a career coach killer and now will train children in hockey.

Two college exhibition games this weekend for Canadian college teams. UConn hosts St. Francis Xavier (Moncton, NB). The defending Canadian college champions drop the puck at 2 pm on Saturday at Freitas Arena at UConn’s campus. The team features Kristoff Kontos, the son of former Ranger and Nighthawk, Chris Kontos.

Then Sunday afternoon, Quinnipiac University Bobcats play host to the St. Mary’s University Huskies (Halifax, NS). St. Mary’s is coached by former New Haven Nighthawk, Trevor Steinburg.

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