CANTLON: (FRI) WOLF PACK WIN IN A SHOOTOUT IN SYRACUSE OVER THE CRUNCH 

CANTLON: (FRI) Wolf Pack Win In A Shootout in Syracuse OVER THE CRUNCH

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BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

SYRACUSE, NY – The Hartford Wolf Pack improved their record to 23-20-4-3 (53 points) and remain in sixth place in the AHL Atlantic Division after earning a 4-3 shootout win on the road over the Syracuse Crunch (26-17-2-3) Friday night.

In winning, they extend their streak to nine games (8-0-1) without a regulation loss despite enduring a wild level of roster change over the previous 36 hours. The team got this win and kept their eight-game unbeaten streak alive doing so short one key player.

The game-winner came off Ryan Gropp‘s stick. In the shootout, Gropp went down the right-wing side, cut to the middle and then snapped a shot high to the stick side and past Eddie Pasquale.  

Adam Tambellini scored the other shootout tally with an identical move on Pasquale.

Carter Verhaeghe, the ex-Sound Tiger, was the only Crunch player to beat Alex Georgiev. The Pack netminder had a stellar night in goal with 43 saves and ran his personal record to 12-11-6 in his eighth straight start for Hartford.

Georgiev is likely to be recalled by the Rangers after Ondrej Pavelec suffered an injury in the first period of the Rangers’ 4-3 win over the Calgary Flames on Friday night.

The Pack got the game’s first goal when Tambellini took an unforced turnover from ex-Wolf Pack captain, Mat Bodie, and fired his tenth of the year. Tambellini’s shot was along the ice and eluded Crunch goalie Connor Ingram at 10:23. It gave The Pack a 1-0 lead that held up in the first period.

It was another Georgiev first period special. He faced 18 shots as Anthony Cirelli and Carter Verhaeghe each had four apiece and one of his best was on Cirelli’s turnaround shot from the slot.

The Crunch equalized things just 1:04 into the second period. Ingram started the scoring play by hitting Cirelli in stride at center ice from the goal crease. Cirelli weaved his way through the Pack zone and spotted an open Olivier Archambault. He was able to set up behind the net unchecked. Cirelli spotted Alexander Volkov coming down the middle with Cole Schneider trailing him and got it to him. Volkov snapped his 14^th past Georgiev

The Wolf Pack responded just 10 seconds later to restore the lead as Cole Schneider chipped the puck at center ice to Filip Chytil. The Rangers’ first-round pick raced down the left wing, came to the net, and did a spin-a-rama and put a backhanded shot in the net past a stunned Ingram for his ninth goal of the year.

Less than thirty seconds later, Gropp continued his strong play popping his tenth goal on their second off a two-on-one rush. A soft lead pass from Chytil allowed Gropp to skate into the puck as the Crunch’s Erik Condra couldn’t catch him at 7:03. The Pack had a 3-1 lead.

Ingram was pulled by head coach Benoit Groulx in favor of Pasquale, who was just acquired from the Bakersfield Condors two days prior.  It was fortunate for Pascale that his pads and mask colors matched the orange colored Syracuse jerseys for the night.

With 16.7 seconds left in the period, Syracuse’s Mitchell Stephens wired a blast that went bar-down on a late power play to shrink the Pack lead to 3-2.

Syracuse tied the score in the third period as Mathieu Joseph got his second point of the night on his 21^st birthday. Joseph took a cross-ice pass from Verhaeghe and the left-handed shot, who was on the right wing, was able to put a shot just inside the far post on Georgiev at 8:00 for his ninth goal.

Georgiev was strong all night stopping Kevin Lynch seven times, a game high for both teams. Stephens had four other opportunities including back-to-back shots from 15-feet out.

The Pack travel to see the Hershey Bears for tomorrow night’s game and then will go to Charlotte for a two-game midweek set.

NOTES:

The Wolf Pack will be playing against their former captain, Joe Whitney when they visit Hershey. In anything but surprising, Whitney was traded for defenseman Hubert Labrie announced late in the day as the parent teams of the Pack and Bears, the Rangers and Washington Capitals, concluded a separate deal sending Adam Chapie for the Bears’ John Albert.

Albert played for Keith McCambridge in Manitoba and three-of-the-four, except Chapie, have been underperforming for their teams.

Whitney becomes the third consecutive Wolf Pack captain that was traded in the last three years. Ryan Bourque – who also went to Hershey – and Mat Bodie are the other two. Whitney was a healthy scratch for six straight games prior to the move. His last game wearing the “C” came against the Wilkes Barre/Scranton  Penguins on January 21^st. His first time as a healthy scratch came on January 7^th against the Utica Comets.

In total, four Pack captains have been dealt in franchise history. The first was Dane Byers on November 12, 2010, when he was sent to the then Springfield Falcons.

The moves concluded a wild 36 hours where a total of five transactions took place.

John Gilmour and Neal Pionk were recalled by the Rangers to make their NHL debuts tonight. Pionk wore #44 and played and was on the ice at 18:44 for Kevin Hayes opening game goal. Gilmour wore #58 and played 17:1. He had two shots was a plus-one and had a big smile as he exited the ice after the Rangers win.

The Rangers signed Desmond Bergin from Adirondack (ECHL) who had a great third-period scoring chance on a nice setup from Chytil, but was denied by Pasquale. He wore jersey #73. The Pack recalled Sergei Zoborovskiy from Greenville and he was in the lineup tonight.

The Pack will receive Rangers veteran defenseman Brenden Smith, who has disappointed, to say the least, in the first year of a massive four-year, $17.4 million dollar deal. They are clearly unhappy with his play. Smith is expected to report to Hartford tomorrow to play against Hershey.

Brandon Halverson will start if Georgiev is recalled. Marek Mazanec is still out with a groin injury may be a back up in name only or you might see another transaction tomorrow.

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