CRAWFORD: (SAT) MARLIES BEAT PACK IN OT 

CRAWFORD: (SAT) MARLIES BEAT PACK IN OT

      VERSUS      

Toronto Marlies 4, Hartford Wolf Pack 3 (OT)

BY: Bob Crawford, Hartford Wolf Pack 

Toronto, Ontario, December 2, 2017 – The Hartford Wolf Pack saw a 3-1 third-period lead slip away Saturday at Ricoh Coliseum, in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Toronto Marlies.

Dmytro Timashov’s goal at 2:56 of the extra session won it for Toronto, after Trevor Moore’s second tally of the third period had tied the score with 1:54 left in regulation and Marlie goaltender Garret Sparks on the bench for an extra attacker.  Moore had brought Toronto to within one goal with a power-play score at 14:22 of the third.

Toronto’s Andreas Johnsson took a major penalty for boarding Filip Chytil at 15:49 of the third frame, but while the Wolf Pack were on the power play, Dan Catenacci was whistled for tripping at 17:00.  With the teams skating 4-on-4, the Marlies were able to get Sparks to the bench, Jeremy Bracco found Moore at the left side of the slot, and Moore beat Wolf Pack goaltender Alexandar Georgiev to the stick side.

Then, after the Wolf Pack could not capitalize on the remainder of penalty to Johnsson, Timashov picked up the puck from Miro Aaltonen deep in his own zone and went nearly the length of the rink to score the winner.  He got around the Wolf Pack’s Dan DeSalvo on the left side and cut across the front of the net, before beating Georgiev with a backhander.

“We know we will continue to learn, and learn from playing under the pressure at the pro level,  and manage the game a lot better,” Wolf Pack head coach Keith McCambridge said.  “I would use the word poise, just more poise with the puck, being stronger with your game management and recognizing where the pressure’s coming from, that there’s certain areas of the ice where you can’t put the puck.  And when there are breakdowns, you’ve got to make sure your stick is not in the wrong spot, that you’re going to put yourself in the (penalty) box.”

Wolf Pack rookie Ryan Gropp had his first multiple-point game as a pro with two goals, and Vinni Lettieri had the other Hartford goal.  Defenseman Travis Dermott also scored for Toronto, and Aaltonen and Jeremy Bracco had two assists apiece.

After a scoreless first period, in which the Wolf Pack outshot their hosts 11-6, the Marlies dominated the early action of the second period and opened the scoring at 4:38, on Dermott’s first goal of the season.

Aaltonen carried down the left side in the Hartford zone and found Dermott sneaking down the slot from his point position, and Dermott fired a high shot past Georgiev, who would finish with 35 saves.

The Wolf Pack equalized at 10:44, with Gropp scoring for a second straight game, and a third time in four contests.  DeSalvo passed the puck to Catenacci on the left wing, and his shot was blocked.  Gropp picked up the loose puck in the slot, though, and got to his backhand to put it past Sparks (34 saves).

Lettieri then gave the Wolf Pack a 2-1 lead on a power play with 1:20 remaining in the period, just 10 seconds after Aaltonen was whistled for slashing.  Peter Holland, playing his second game with the Wolf Pack since being acquired from the Montreal organization, passed the puck from the right-wing boards to Cole Schneider along the goal line, and he found Lettieri in the slot for the close-in finish.

After that late second-period tally, Gropp would get his second of the game only 1:31 into the third, on a man advantage that carried over from the second period.  With Dermott in the box for a slash, Gropp took a feed from Scott Kosmachuk, poked the puck over the Toronto line and picked it up again, before faking Sparks to the ice and beating him with a move to the backhand.

The Wolf Pack maintained that lead until Moore started the Marlie comeback only 14 seconds after Kosmachuk was sent off for tripping.  Colin Greening threaded a pass from along the goal line on the right side through the slot to Moore, who had most of the net to shoot at from Georgiev’s right.

The Wolf Pack are now off until this Friday night, December 8, when they will travel to Providence to take on the Bruins in a 7:05 PM game.  All of the action of that battle can be heard live on News Radio 1410 WPOP, and online at newsradio1410.com and iHeartRadio.  Video streaming is available at ahllive.com.

The next home game for the Wolf Pack is next Saturday, December 9, when they host the Rochester Americans in a 7:30 PM contest, and that is “Star Wars Night” at the XL Center.  Fans can hang out with their favorite Star Wars characters and win some awesome Star Wars prizes.  Also that night, the first 2,000 fans will receive a free Wolf Pack 2018 calendar, presented by Hartford Distributors.

Tickets for all Wolf Pack 2017-18 home games are on sale now at the Agera Energy Ticket Office at the XL Center, online at hartfordwolfpack.com and by phone at (877) 522-8499.

Season ticket information for the Wolf Pack’s 2017-18 AHL season can be found online at hartfordwolfpack.com.  To speak with a representative about all of the Wolf Pack’s many attractive ticketing options, call (855) 762-6451.

Hartford Wolf Pack 3 at Toronto Marlies 4 (OT)
Saturday, December 2, 2017 – Ricoh Coliseum

Hartford  0 2 1 0 – 3
Toronto   0 1 2 1 – 4

1st Period- No Scoring. Penalties-Lettieri Hfd (tripping), 5:18; Mueller Tor (interference), 10:30; LoVerde Tor (hooking), 12:16; DeSalvo Hfd (slashing), 18:27.

2nd Period-1, Toronto, Dermott 1 (Aaltonen, Moore), 4:38. 2, Hartford, Gropp 4 (Catenacci, DeSalvo), 10:44. 3, Hartford, Lettieri 9 (Schneider, Holland), 18:40 (PP). Penalties-DeSalvo Hfd (slashing), 15:38; Aaltonen Tor (slashing), 18:30; Dermott Tor (slashing), 19:49.

3rd Period-4, Hartford, Gropp 5 (Kosmachuk, Gilmour), 1:31 (PP). 5, Toronto, Moore 4 (Greening, Bracco), 14:22 (PP). 6, Toronto, Moore 5 (Bracco, Liljegren), 18:06. Penalties-Leedahl Hfd (slashing), 2:22; Mueller Tor (hooking), 3:34; Kosmachuk Hfd (tripping), 14:08; Johnsson Tor (major – boarding, game misconduct – boarding), 15:49; Catenacci Hfd (tripping), 17:00.

OT Period-7, Toronto, Timashov 8 (Aaltonen, Nielsen), 2:56. Penalties-No Penalties

Shots on Goal-Hartford 11-15-10-1-37. Toronto 6-18-11-4-39.
Power Play Opportunities-Hartford 2 / 7; Toronto 1 / 5.
Goalies-Hartford, Georgiev 4-7-4 (39 shots-35 saves). Toronto, Sparks 11-3-0 (37 shots-34 saves).
A-4,932
Referees-Reid Anderson (49), Kristijan Nikolic (39).
Linesmen-Libor Suchanek (60), Tyson Baker (92).

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