CANTLON: (SAT) WOLF PACK HERSHEY HOME AND HOME 

CANTLON: (SAT) Wolf Pack Hershey Home and Home

      VERSUS      

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HARTFORD, CT – A well-played game was decided by which team could capitalize on their power-play chances; the Hershey Bears (28-30-4-5), led by Madison Bowery and capitalized on their two quality chances and were able to knock off the Hartford Wolf Pack (29-30-5-3) at the XL Center, Saturday night, 2-1.

The game-winning tally came as Bowey, who was playing in just the fifth game of the season, showed why he is a difference maker.

His second of the game, and for the season, came when he took a cross-ice pass from off the left wing from Wayne Simpson. Bowery then went through the box as he came off the right point and snapped a perfect shot into the top shelf over Pack netminder, Marek Mazanec‘s left shoulder. The goal came at 12:49 of the third period.

“That happens when you have a breakdown in your defensive zone coverage, it winds up in the back of your net. We have to be aware of our structure and where guys are on the ice. We have to have better awareness where he is,” remarked Pack head coach Keith McCambridge.

For a second straight season, Bowery has missed significant time due to injury. Currently, Bowery is on a tear with five points in five games.

The two teams battle again tomorrow afternoon at 5 in Hershey.

The Pack had a great chance to tie the game on the powerplay on a late Liam O’Brien penalty and made it a six-on-four after pulling Mazanec. Their lack of effort not only they didn’t tie the game, but even with a two-man advantage, couldn’t even muster a registered shot on goal.

“It was execution again. We have those guys out on the ice for a reason and when you’re one of those (six) guys on the ice, we want you to execute and we didn’t do that,” a clearly perturbed McCambridge said.

Vinni Lettieri on the unit’s failure to produce, “We had our chances. We’ve got to capitalize. We’re (out) there for a reason. It’s a team loss. We go to bat for each other. It’s a learning process.”

After a series of shots that missed the net entirely early in the second period finally did get one on net, and as a result got the game’s first goal.

Bowey took Travis Boyd’s pass and moved in on the left side. He got a passing screen from Boyd and beat Mazanec to the far side. Mazanec was leaning to the short-side while trying to get around the screen.

The Wolf Pack answered back at 8:26. After missing wide on his breakaway attempt 15 seconds earlier, Lettieri took a perfect lead pass from Chris Bigras in the Wolf Pack zone and fired a cross-ice pass to Cole Schneider, who broke into the offensive zone alone. The former UConn Husky went forehand-to-backhand and beat Vanacek for his 15^th goal of the season. Schnieder now has points in seven of his last eight games.

“Bigs make a great pass to me and I just sent it over to Schneids and he scored a great goal. He made a great move there.”

Lettieri was unhappy in how he handled the breakaway and the team’s failure to capitalize on opportunities they had throughout the contest. “We had numerous opportunities that we didn’t put away. The three-on-two we were on and several others. Momentum starts with the next shift and they took it away. That breakaway just didn’t come off my stick well. I was thinking of dekeing him first and then the puck got in my skates, so I slowed down.  I was thinking about somebody coming from behind me, then I went top-right. Sometimes you get them and you get a shot on net, this time I missed the net.”

The Pack had a golden chance with exactly three minutes left in the period as John Albert broke in and skipped a backhander past Vanacek and hit defenseman Connor Hobbs in the face catching him just under his visor as he slid in the crease. He seemed to keep the puck out of the net, but the play went under review which confirmed no goal. It did seem like he slid over the goal line, but the refs are the only ones able to see the overhead camera angle.

Hobbs went off for some repairs and returned and played the the third period.

“You gotta be ready to one get yourself in position to get chances and stage two would be to execute on them. We gave ourselves some looks, but we couldn’t put it in the back of the net. One of them, of course, a guy blocks it with his face. Give him credit.”

The first period was a nip and tuck affair.

In the last three or four minutes the Pack defense smothered Hershey and held them to three shots in the first 3:29 of the game and none the remainder of the period.

“We had good back pressure in the game and were able to get pucks on sticks.”

“We had the momentum,” Lettieri said. “We started out well. We got away from our structure.”

NOTES:

Hershey had ex-Pack captain Joe Whitney in the opening lineup.

SCRATCHES:

• Ryan Gropp (lower body)
• Brendan Smith (broken hand)
• Brendan Kotyk (healthy)
• Dan Catenacci (healthy vet scratch)

LINES:

Chytil-Lettieri-Schneider
Nieves-Kosmachuk-Albert
Andersson-Tambellini-DeSalvo
Fogarty-Fontaine-Beleskey

Crawley-Bigras
Labrie-Ryan Lindgren
Pedrie-Denis

Montreal announced the signing of Hayden Verbeek to an entry-level deal starting for the 2018-19 season. The 5^th year major junior player with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL) is in a first round playoff series with Saginaw (MI). He’s the nephew of former Hartford Whaler, New York Ranger, and New Jersey Devil, Pat Verbeek, who is currently the assistant GM and Director of Player Development of Tampa Bay.

Former UCONN defenseman Johnny Austin was wearing a #10 jersey, signed an ATO deal with the Laval Rocket. He made his debut last night and picked up an assist in a 3-2 Charlotte OT win that officially eliminated the Wolf Pack from playoff contention.

Lots of major college hockey news.

Minnesota’s Don Lucia has stepped down after 19 years. The Golden Gophers one of the nation’s premier programs, along with North Dakota and Boston College, are not in the mix at the NCAA regionals – a first in more than 20 years.

Expect a major national search to replace him. Could Ken Gernander, a Minny alum, possibly toss his hat in the ring?

The NCAA East Regional in Bridgeport was an all Catholic school affair with Notre Dame playing Providence College.

Miami of Ohio’s (NCHC) Red Hawks two assistant coaches, Brent Brekke and Nick Petraglia, have left to pursue other hockey opportunities.

Congrats to Hockey East commissioner Joe Bertagna on his enshrinement into the ECAC Hall of Fame where he got his start. He spent 19 years as a player, coach, and administrator before going to Hockey East. Joining him in the class of 2018 are seven other recipients including ex-Whaler defenseman Mark Fusco (Harvard).

The ceremony is May 4 at the Crown Colony Plaza in Danbury.

The NCAA Division III Frozen Four is set for this weekend in Lake Placid, New York. The games will be played at the Herb Brooks Arena. The two finalists after last night’s semifinals are; St. Norbert College (WI) Green Knights (NCHA) and the Salve Regina (RI) Seahawks (CCC).

Former UCONN star Trevor Gerling was just on the French Magnus Elite champion HC Lyon beating GHC Bordeaux for the title with a former UCONN teammate, Jason Sims, who’s the son of former Whaler, Al Sims. Bordeaux features former Sound Tiger, Olivier Labelle. The league regular seasons scoring champion was ex-Pack, Alexandre Giroux of Grenoble.

Gerling’s next hockey adventure will be this summer with Canberra (CBR) Brave in the Australian Hockey League (AIHL).

Hockey in the Southern hemisphere is about a month from starting. Cheshire native, and Australian dual citizen, Rob Malloy, will return for an eighth Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) season with the Newcastle Northstars.

Malloy will skate with Mighty Roos for his fourth national team appearance since gaining citizenship April 23-29 at the IIHF Division II Group A tournament featuring six countries in Tilburg, Holland.

There is a strong chance that Nathan “Stormy” Walker currently with Hershey may play for his national team for the first time since 2011-12 when Australia was in Division 1B.

The Group B tourney will be held the same week in Spain.

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