BY: Bob Crawford, Hartford Wolf Pack
Allentown, PA, February 9, 2019 – The Hartford Wolf Pack snapped a 0-7-1-1 drought Saturday night at the PPL Center, with a 2-1 win over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the first of back-to-back games between the two teams in Allentown.
Brandon Halverson made 25 saves in the Hartford net for his first AHL win of the season, and Ryan Gropp’s early third-period goal was the game-winner. Jori Lehtera scored the only Lehigh Valley goal, and Alex Lyon made 31 stops in the Phantom net.
“I thought the group as a whole did a lot of the little details that give you a chance to win hockey games,” said Head Coach Keith McCambridge of the Wolf Pack, whose last win had also been against Lehigh Valley, a 6-5 overtime victory at the XL Center January 18.
The Wolf Pack controlled much of the action in the first period, outshooting Lehigh Valley 13-5, and came out of the frame with a 1-0 lead.
Peter Holland put the Wolf Pack in front at the 8:13 mark, as the Wolf Pack broke a 0-for-24 power-play drought. With Connor Bunnaman off for holding, Chris Bigras passed from the middle of the blue line to Holland just above the right faceoff dot, and his one-timer beat the catching glove of Lyon and flew into the top corner of the net.
McCambridge said of the power play, “We made some adjustments there, to what our setup was in-zone. And I thought that unit did a good job with the breakout, the entries, and finally were rewarded for their shots going to the net.”
After a scoreless second period, the two teams combined for a pair of goals in a span of only 1:19 early in the third session.
Gropp doubled the Wolf Pack lead at 3:52, with his second goal in three games. After Lehigh Valley defenseman Reece Willcox had a pass deflected near his own blue line, Hartford’s Steven Fogarty moved down the right side in the Phantom end. He got almost to the corner before sending a feed to Gropp in the slot, and he snapped a shot past Lyon on the stick side.
That goal loomed large because Lehtera cut the margin back to one at 5:11. Lehtera, who was making his Phantom debut after having been assigned by the parent Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday, broke up an attempted Wolf Pack breakout feed near the blue line and sent a quick bid towards the net. With Colin McDonald attacking the net, Lehtera’s shot eluded Halverson, ending his shutout bid.
The Phantoms could get nothing else behind Halverson, who was making only his second Wolf Pack appearance of the year, though, despite getting Lyon to the bench for an extra attacker with more than a minute-and-a-half left, and exerting some strong pressure.
“I thought [Halverson], when there were breakdowns, he was in good position,” McCambridge said. “And, obviously, having a goaltender that plays the puck as well as he does, was a big benefit to help our breakouts.”
The Wolf Pack and Phantoms play a rematch Sunday afternoon at the PPL Center, with faceoff at 3:05 PM. All of the action can be heard live on News Radio 1410 AM, and 100.9 FM, WPOP, and online at newsradio1410.com and iHeartRadio. Video streaming is available at theahl.com/AHLTV.
The next Wolf Pack home game is this Wednesday, February 13, a 7:00 PM contest vs. the Toronto Marlies. That is another chance to take advantage of the Wolf Pack’s “Click It or Ticket Family Value Pack”, which includes two tickets, two hot dogs and two sodas, all for just $40.
Tickets for all 2018-19 Wolf Pack 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. Tickets purchased in advance for kids 12 or younger start at just $13 each, and all tickets will have a $3 day-of-game increase.
Season ticket information for the Wolf Pack’s 2018-19 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, or click here to request more info.
Hartford Wolf Pack 2 at Lehigh Valley Phantoms 1
Saturday, February 9, 2019 – PPL Center
Hartford 1 0 1 – 2
Lehigh Valley 0 0 1 – 1
1st Period-1, Hartford, Holland 18 (Bigras, Andersson), 8:13 (PP). Penalties-O’Donnell Hfd (tripping), 2:41; Bunnaman Lv (holding), 6:44; Goulbourne Lv (tripping), 13:05.
2nd Period- No Scoring. Penalties-Meskanen Hfd (tripping), 18:14.
3rd Period-2, Hartford, Gropp 5 (Fogarty, Gettinger), 3:52. 3, Lehigh Valley, Lehtera 1 5:11. Penalties-No Penalties
Shots on Goal-Hartford 13-8-12-33. Lehigh Valley 5-11-10-26.
Power Play Opportunities-Hartford 1 / 2; Lehigh Valley 0 / 2.
Goalies-Hartford, Halverson 1-1-0 (26 shots-25 saves). Lehigh Valley, Lyon 11-10-1 (33 shots-31 saves).
A-8,837
Referees-Beaudry Halkidis (48), Tim Mayer (19).
Linesmen-Jud Ritter (34), Patrick Hanrahan (19).
Related
Related posts
Top picks
WOLF PACK INK DEFENSEMAN NATE KNOEPKE TO PTO
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack HARTFORD, CT – New York Rangers Assistant General Manager and Hartford Wolf Pack General Manager Ryan Martin announced today that the club has signed defenseman Nate Knoepke to a professional tryout agreement (PTO). Knoepke will join the Wolf Pack…
WOLF PACK SEND BRANDON SCANLIN TO NY
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack HARTFORD, CT – New York Rangers President and General Manager Chris Drury announced today that the club has recalled defenseman Brandon Scanlin from the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. Scanlin, 24, has appeared in 57 games with the Wolf Pack…
WOLF PACK WEEKEND RECAP: MARCH 18th, 2024
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack HARTFORD, CT—The Hartford Wolf Pack dropped their fifth straight contest on Sunday evening, falling 4-0 to the Hershey Bears. This is the second time this season that the Wolf Pack has suffered five consecutive losses. The team packed up…
GARAND STOPS 31 WOLF PACK STILL LOSE TO CHECKERS 2-1
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack CHARLOTTE, NC – Dylan Garand turned in a terrific performance on Tuesday night, stopping 31 shots to help the Hartford Wolf Pack bank a point at the Bojangles Coliseum. Ultimately, it would not be enough as the Checkers prevailed…
WOLF PACK INK DEFENSEMAN NATE KNOEPKE TO PTO
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack HARTFORD, CT – New York Rangers Assistant General Manager and Hartford Wolf Pack General Manager Ryan Martin announced today that the club has signed defenseman Nate Knoepke to a professional tryout agreement (PTO). Knoepke will join the Wolf Pack…
WOLF PACK SEND BRANDON SCANLIN TO NY
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack HARTFORD, CT – New York Rangers President and General Manager Chris Drury announced today that the club has recalled defenseman Brandon Scanlin from the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. Scanlin, 24, has appeared in 57 games with the Wolf Pack…
WOLF PACK WEEKEND RECAP: MARCH 18th, 2024
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack HARTFORD, CT—The Hartford Wolf Pack dropped their fifth straight contest on Sunday evening, falling 4-0 to the Hershey Bears. This is the second time this season that the Wolf Pack has suffered five consecutive losses. The team packed up…
RANGERS AGREE TO TERMS WITH LOUIS DOMINGUE
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack NEW YORK, March 10, 2024 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Chris Drury announced today that the team has agreed to terms with goaltender Louis Domingue on a one-year contract extension. Domingue, 32, has appeared in 24 games…
CYCLONES FALL SHORT IN TOLEDO AGAINST WALLEYE
Remy Parker scores in his professional debut By: Dana Grey, Cincinnati Cyclones TOLEDO, OH – The Cyclones fell to the Walleye 4-3 inside the Huntington Center Friday night. Cincinnati drops to 4-6-2-0 against Toledo in the regular season series. Three Cyclones forwards made their pro…
SOMOZA LEADS SWAMP RABBITS TO ROAD TRIP SWEEP
Greenville goes four-for-four on the road with a 2-1 win over Savannah; the magic number at 15 for playoffs By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits SAVANNAH, Ga. – Ethan Somoza rifled a laser at 7:53 of the second period to break a 1-1 deadlock and,…
SWAMP RABBITS WIN NAIL-BITER AGAINST ORLANDO
Greenville wins three of three on the road trip with one game remaining; the magic number to clinch now 17 By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits ORLANDO, Fla. – Ben Freeman broke a 1-1 deadlock late in the second period, and Jacob Ingham stopped all…
SWAMP RABBITS GOALIE INGHAM GETS NHL DEAL
Net-minder signs one-year, two-way deal; assigned to Swamp Rabbits By: Mark Binetti, Greenville Swamp Rabbits LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The Los Angeles Kings, NHL affiliate of the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, announced today the team has signed Swamp Rabbits goaltender Jacob Ingham to a one-year, two-way…
Stay connected with ours socials