CANTLON: (FRIDAY) WOLF PACK DROP OPENER WITH CHARLOTTE ON LATE GOAL 

WOLF PACK DROP OPENER WITH CHARLOTTE ON LATE GOAL

       VERSUS      

By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HARTFORD, CT – As Yogi Berra was once quoted as famously saying, “It was like déjà vu all over again”

Mirroring much of the way things went for them last season, the Hartford Wolf Pack got off to a good start but ultimately it wasn’t enough as a pair of two-goal leads evaporated in the third period giving the Charlotte Checkers a come from behind 5-4 victory on the opening night of the AHL season.

The game-winning goal came with 59.8 seconds left in regulation when a shot came from off the right wing by Patrick Brown (two assists). Rookie netminder Alexander Georgiev was out of position and a defensive breakdown down low on the left wing side left Warren Foegele wide open and able to deposit his second goal of the night into an open net. The goal completed the Checkers three-goal third period.

It appeared the puck might have deflected off a skate to Foegele.

Pack head coach Keith McCambridge was not quick to jump on that theory. “I’m going to have to look at the tape. It kind of looked like it did, but I have to look at the tape. We have to learn how to handle things and learn to put pucks in better places on the ice.”

The puck clearly looked like it did, in fact, go off the skate of center Boo Nieves and right to Foegele

The whole play started with a defensive zone faceoff loss that allowed Charlotte to control the play. The original shot came from Philip Samuelsson.

The Pack came out as they did in the second period scoring a goal and restoring their two-goal lead.

Scott Kosmachuk lifted the stick of Checkers Trevor Carrick on the forecheck, took the puck and put a shot on net. The initial save was made by Alex Nedelijkovic, but Adam Tambellini, stopped 20 seconds earlier on a strong scoring chance, was right there to chip in the rebound at 2:42.

“It was a good play by him (Kosmachuk) to start the whole play,” Tambellini said afterward. “(He) made a good play getting the puck and the shot. I thought I had (Nedelijkovic) shortside, but was able to follow up on it and put it in.”

Tambellini had a game-high four shots.

Former Ranger prospect, Aleksi Saarela, who went to Charlotte in the trade for Eric Staal, started the Checker comeback exactly seven minutes later with defenseman Brendan Cawley draped all over him. Saarela shoveled a shot past Alexander Georgiev.

The Pack got in trouble taking too many costly penalties. Alexei Bereglazov‘s hooking call was answered with a goal by Charlotte just 1:05 after the call by Valentin Zykov. The Russian rookie took a cross-ice pass from Sergey Tochinsky and beat Georgiev low to the glove side at 13:06. The goal shifted the entire momentum of the game and left the score tied at 4-4.

In the second period, the Pack put tons of pressure on Nedejilkovic. The Pack struck early, regaining a one-goal lead.

Ryan Gropp intercepted an ill-advised pass from Phil DiGuiseppe and went around him and snapped his first of the year into the net at 2:25.

They doubled their lead to 3-1 off a gorgeous cross-ice pass by Matt Puempel to team captain Joe Whitney, who easily redirected the pass into the net for his first goal as a Wolf Pack at 9:28.

“It takes time to develop chemistry, but I’ll take that (pass) any day. He made it easy for me,” Whitney said.

Just 1:52 after Whitney had scored, The Pack then got hemmed in their own zone and the Checkers took advantage of it.

Linus Wallmark was able to curl and drag the puck at the top of the right wing circle and fired his first of the season past Georgiev, one he would most certainly want back.

The Pack got the new season started like they got started more than a dozen years ago scoring in the first minute of regulation.

Assistant captain Ryan Graves’ shot was stopped by Nedeijlkvic, but he couldn’t control the rebound. Former UConn product, Cole Schneider, was on the doorstep. Schneider jammed the puck into the net for his first of the year just 54 seconds into the contest. The goal pumped up an opening night crowd of 6.035 who had just settled into their seats.

The Pack did do a strong job with puck possession and body contact keeping Charlotte off balance during the game’s first seven minutes.

“I like the speed we showed. Our preparation for the game was good. We came out well and that was a real strong point for us,” McCambridge stated. “When they pushed back, we were able to build some momentum on our side.

“Overall, what we can take from this game is that you have to stay aggressive when you have the lead and not play on your heels and be aware when there are momentum shifts in a game to get pucks into areas and increase the percentages on your side.”

The Checkers took advantage of one miscue. Gabriel Fontaine couldn’t get the puck out of the zone and granted Clark Bishop the puck. Bishop found Foegele who found the seam and fired from 15 feet out on one knee. He tallied his first of the year at 14:15.

NOTES:

The crowd of 6,035 is the lowest home opening crowd in Wolf Pack history. The previous low was 6,347 in 2013. That game was a 3-2 shootout loss to Norfolk.

The Pack went 0-for-4 on the powerplay with Graves, Fontaine, Bereglazov and San DeSalvo each with three shots on net.

Foegele was a plus-three. Saarela had five shots on goal.

Last time the two teams met was on March 25, 2011. The result then was a 3-2 shutout when the Wolf Pack operated under the CT Whale moniker.

In 2010-11, the team’s split a four-game series with each team winning their home matchups. The Pack won the first game as the Wolf Pack before the ill-conceived name change.

The Wolf Pack record in season openers is now 10-10-1. There was a 3-3 tie back in 2003 with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. For home openers, the Pack record is now 6-7-1 (.500) including a 4-2 win over Charlotte in 2010-11. The team has battled Springfield the most at four times followed by Bridgeport at three times.

In 21 years, seven of the teams the Pack played in openers are no longer in the league. Those teams include New Haven, Philadelphia, Albany, Manchester, Adirondack, St. John’s and Quebec.

McCambridge starts his sixth season as an AHL head coach. He has compiled a record of 179-158-23-20 with St. John’s and Manitoba giving him a career .528 winning percentage.

Charlotte is coached by former Hartford Whaler, Mike Vellucci. He moved from Carolina’s assistant GM and replaced former Whalers great, and Rangers player and assistant coach, as well as assisting with the Wolf Pack and Avon Old Farms, Ulf Samuelsson.

Vellucci was a junior head coach and GM for the former Plymouth Whalers (OHL) for 13 years.

His assistant coach is one-time Ranger, Peter Andersson (1992-1994). His two sons are playing pro hockey. Ex-Pack Calle Andersson is with SC Bern (Switzerland-LNA) while Rasmus  Andersson is with Stockton (AHL).

The Checkers lineup features Samuelsson (Ulfie’s oldest), Josh Wesley, the son of former Whalers, Glen, his father, and Blake, his uncle. They are on defense. Up-front the Checkers have former Yale University Bulldog, Andrew Miller.

The Checkers were without forward Steven Lorentz for opening night. Lorentz received an instigator penalty in the last five minutes of regulation and is suspended by the AHL for one game. He was slated to be assigned to Florida (ECHL).

The Wolf Pack play host to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms Sunday at 5 pm. Lehigh features former Yale Bulldog goalie Alex Lyon in net and they’re coached by former New Haven Nighthawk, Scott Gordon.

ECHL camps are about to get underway and a few more collegians are signing. Those players include: Brian Morgan of UConn with Jacksonville (ECHL), Chris Izmirlian (Yale) with Brampton (ECHL) and Connor Doherty (Sacred Heart) to Worcester (ECHL) were among the late signees.

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