#caydenprimeau

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HARTFORD WOLF PACK REGULAR SEASON FINALE PREVIEW

By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack open the final weekend of regular season play tonight at the XL Center as they welcome the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to town for their home finale. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m., and coverage is available on both AHLTV and Mixlr. Tale of The Tape: This is the sixth and final meeting between the Wolf Pack and the Penguins during the 2022-23 season. It is also the third and final meeting between the clubs at the XL Center and marks the second year in a row in which the Wolf Pack wrap up their home schedule against the Pens. The Wolf Pack have won each of the last two games against the Penguins, most recently taking a 5-1 decision on March 26th in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Zac Jones opened the scoring just 16 seconds into the contest, scoring Hartford’s fastest goal to start a game on the road this season. Will Lockwood potted the eventual game-winner on a two-on-one with Ryan Carpenter at 6:25 of the period, while Jonny Brodzinski blasted home a one-timer on the powerplay at 13:33 to allow the Wolf Pack to pull away. Anton Blidh tacked on an insurance marker 10:27 into the second period, while Turner Elson polished off the scoring with an empty net goal at 19:24 of the third. Jonathan Gruden scored the only goal for the Penguins, coming 10:31 into the third period on the powerplay. The Wolf Pack have points in all five games against the Penguins this season and six consecutive meetings dating back to the 2021-22 campaign. Hartford is 3-0-1-1 head-to-head this season, while the Penguins have a record of 2-3-0-0. The sides split the previous two meetings at the XL Center, with the Penguins taking a 4-3 shootout decision on October 22nd and the Wolf Pack an 8-2 decision on February 4th. Wolf Pack Outlook: The Wolf Pack won their seventh straight game on Saturday night, clinching a playoff berth in a 5-3 triumph over the Providence Bruins in Rhode Island. Elson opened the scoring 2:42 in, taking a pass from Jones at the backdoor and burying it. The Bruins would take a 2-1 at 10:54 after goals from Josiah Didier and Luke Toporowski, but Elson would jam home his second of the night at 16:46 to even the affair 2-2. Carpenter put Hartford back in the lead at 6:03 of the second period, firing home a rebound for his 21st goal of the season. Libor Hájek tacked on the insurance, and eventual game-winner, at 2:21 of the third, blasting home a shot from the left-wing circle. After Didier’s second goal of the night, Tanner Fritz hit the empty net at 19:34 to cement the victory and snap Hartford’s playoff drought of seven seasons. Hartford’s current seven-game winning streak is their first since a seven-game winning streak during the 2020-21 season. The franchise’s longest winning streak is nine games. That occurred during the 2004-05 season. Brodzinski leads the Wolf Pack in points with 48 (21 g, 27 a) in 46 games. Will Cuylle, meanwhile, leads the team in goals with 25. Penguins Outlook: The Penguins suffered a 4-0 setback at the hands of the Laval Rocket on Monday night in Quebec. Rafaël Harvey-Pinard opened the scoring 2:36 into the game, scoring a powerplay goal that would stand as the eventual game-winner. Jesse Ylönen tacked on a powerplay goal of his own 7:22 into the third period, while Gabriel Bourque and Danick Martel both scored late. Cayden Primeau made 41 saves for the shutout victory. Valtteri Puustinen leads the Penguins in scoring with 56 points (23 g, 33 a) through 70 games. His 23 goals lead active Penguins in scoring. Alex Nylander, currently on recall with the parent Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL), leads the club in goals overall with 25 on the campaign. Game Information:  WATCH: AHLTV LISTEN: Mixlr Play-by-play voice of the Wolf Pack, Alex Thomas, will have ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ starting live at 6:45 p.m. on both AHLTV and Mixlr. The Wolf Pack wrap up the 2022-23 regular season tomorrow night when they visit the Springfield Thunderbirds for the final installment of the ‘I-91 Rivalry’ this season. The Wolf Pack will begin the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs next week. Hartford’s First Round opponent and game dates and times are still to be determined. For Calder Cup Playoff tickets and seeding information, please visit  hartfordwolfpack.com/tickets/playoff-information. ABOUT THE HARTFORD WOLF PACK: The Hartford Wolf Pack has been a premier franchise in the American Hockey League since the team’s inception in 1997. The Wolf Pack is the top player-development affiliate of the NHL's New York Rangers and plays at the XL Center. The Wolf Pack has been home to some of the Rangers' newest faces, including Igor Shesterkin, Filip Chytil, and Ryan Lindgren. Follow the Wolf Pack on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. HARTFORD WOLF PACK HOME Read the full article

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GRUNDY: (FRI) PACK TRIPLE UP ROCKET

Hartford Wolf Pack 3, Laval Rocket 1 BY: Bryce Grundy, Hartford Wolf Pack Hartford, CT, February 12, 2020 – The Hartford Wolf Pack rebounded from a Wednesday-night home loss to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in commanding fashion Friday night, beating the Laval Rocket 3-1 at the XL Center. Goaltender Tom McCollum got his first win in a Wolf Pack uniform with a 20-save performance, in his first home-ice action in six Wolf Pack appearances. “He did well for us,” Wolf Pack head coach Kris Knoblauch said of McCollum. “His passing skills alleviate a lot of pressure. Making saves is really important, but not letting them establish a forecheck, I know our defense appreciate that.” “I felt really good tonight,” said McCollum. “I think a lot of it really boils down to a total team effort. The guys in front of me did a really good job, they were blocking a lot of shots and giving me clean lanes to see pucks. Our forwards were doing a good job to create backpressure, which helped our defense.” A struggling Laval team, which was 1-4-2-1 in its previous eight games was no match for a dominant Wolf Pack team that is now 21-2-0-2 on home ice. “The fans bring a lot of good energy,” said Wolf Pack forward Danny O’Regan. “Especially on the weekends. It’s fun to play in front of a crowd when they’re excited about it. We just have that confidence; we know we’re a good team at home. I think confidence is the key.” Hartford’s early and often attack gave a quick 2-0 lead in the first period. O’Regan put on a stellar display of stickhandling right in front of Rocket netminder Cayden Primeau for a 1-0 Wolf Pack lead at the 5:28 mark. Vitali Kravtsov and Vincent LoVerde assisted on the goal. “Danny has been very important to us throughout the year, and that was maybe his best game,” said Knoblauch. “I thought he won a lot of key faceoffs, the majority of his shifts were against their top line, which is pretty dangerous.  So not only was he providing offense, he did a lot of defensive responsibilities. I thought his game was really good.” Team leading scorer Vinni Lettieri followed with a goal of his own shortly thereafter, at 8:55. Lettieri collected his own rebound at the top of the circle, skated into open ice toward the point and sniped one through traffic. Nick Ebert and Matt Beleskey had the assists. “The first period, I don’t think we could’ve played any better. I thought we did an outstanding job,” mentioned Knoblauch. “I thought it was a pretty good effort here with everybody.” Laval was next on the board after a scoreless second period. Riley Barber buried a rebound in the slot midway through the third period to cut the deficit in half. This was not enough for Laval, however, as Tim Gettinger put away an empty-net goal in the final minute of the game, securing the two points for Hartford. The Wolf Pack are back in action Saturday night, traveling to Allentown, PA to take on the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.  Faceoff is 7:05.  The Wolf Pack’s next home game is next Saturday, February 22, when they host the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at 7:00.  That is “Hartford Hockey Heritage Night”, as the Wolf Pack celebrates over 40 years of Hartford hockey history.  The first 2,00 fans into the game that night will receive a free 2020 Wolf Pack Sonar bobblehead, presented by Xfinity. Tickets for all 2019-20 Wolf Pack home games are on sale now at the Sunwave Gas & Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, on-line at hartfordwolfpack.com and by phone at [phone].  Tickets purchased in advance for kids 12 or younger start at just $10 each, and all tickets will have a $3 day-of-game increase. To speak with a Wolf Pack representative about season or group tickets, or any of the Wolf Pack’s many ticketing options, call [phone], or click here to request more info.  To visit the Wolf Pack online, go to hartfordwolfpack.com. Laval Rocket 1 at Hartford Wolf Pack 3 Friday, February 14, 2020 - XL Center Laval       0 0 1 - 1 Hartford 2 0 1 - 3 1st Period-1, Hartford, O'Regan 10 (Kravtsov, LoVerde), 5:28. 2, Hartford, Lettieri 22 (Ebert, Beleskey), 8:55. Penalties-No Penalties 2nd Period- No Scoring.  Penalties-Newell Hfd (delay of game - faceoff violation (batting puck with hand)), 7:53; Kravtsov Hfd (tripping), 16:30; Olofsson Lav (tripping), 19:32. 3rd Period-3, Laval, Barber 13 (Varone, Olofsson), 10:14. 4, Hartford, Gettinger 12 (Fogarty), 19:45 (EN). Penalties-Lettieri Hfd (slashing), 4:42. Shots on Goal-Laval 7-7-7-21. Hartford 10-10-6-26. Power Play Opportunities-Laval 0 / 3; Hartford 0 / 1. Goalies-Laval, Primeau 12-9-3 (25 shots-23 saves). Hartford, McCollum 1-2-2 (21 shots-20 saves). A-4,089 Referees-Terry Koharski (10), Peter Schlittenhardt (12). Linesmen-Jonathan Deschamps (84), Glen Cooke (6). Read the full article

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CANTLON: WOLF PACK LOOK TO BREAK LOSING STREAK IN SPRINGFIELD

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - The Hartford Wolf Pack will have three cracks at ending their losing streak this weekend. Just one will do in Springfield Friday night in their fifth consecutive road game. The hope is to start a winning streak at the XL Center on the back end of a hockey doubleheader against the Binghamton Devils at 7:30 PM. On Sunday the Pack gets on the bus to travel to Providence for a 3 PM puck drop against the Baby Bruins. “Things could be different. We went to overtime (the last two) games. However, they're still two losses. Our powerplay had some scoring chances. It helped us against Hershey, but still isn’t performing as we would like. Maybe we won some games early in the season we shouldn’t have, and now we're losing games we deserve to win,” team captain, Steven Fogarty, stated. “We're still in the games," Fogarty added. "We're not getting blown out. I thought we played really well the first two periods against Lehigh Valley, but they took it to us in the third, but we were there in overtime. "In Hershey, it was a weird game. Special teams, lots of teddy bears, (Hershey had their Teddy Bear toss). I don’t want to make excuses. We're not gonna win every game. No team has ever done that,” Fogarty said with a laugh and a wry smile. "If we stick to the small things will get back to where we were.” There will be some lineup changes for the weekend. Defenseman Sean Day was reassigned to the team's ECHL affiliates, the Maine Mariners. Yegor Rykov (pronounced Ree-kov) will make his regular season debut after missing the first two months of the season while recovering from a high ankle sprain suffered in the Traverse City prospects camp in early September. He was given full medical clearance last week and was formally reassigned Wednesday to Hartford where he has been skating for the past month. “We have an excess of defenseman now with Yegor coming back to play this weekend, and Jeff Taylor is playing great. He a very valued prospect. He was originally scheduled to be here for the opening day roster, but unfortunately, the injury pushed him back. There were discussions about (where he would go), but it was felt best that this is where he should be,” Pack head coach Kris Knoblauch said of the Russian rookie rearguard. Taylor was signed in the off-season from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins roster. He has been scratched more than he has played. He did well enough last weekend that the New York Rangers/Wolf Pack elected to keep him and to send Day back to Maine for a second time in his brief pro career. “The way (Taylor) is playing, there is no way we're going to send him back. Sean is a good defenseman. He’ll be back. He was helpful when he was here, and we want to make sure he gets his minutes (in Maine),” Knoblauch said flatly. Upfront, Tim Gettinger, who missed both of last weekend’s game with a lower-body injury, will be back, as will Lewis Zerter-Gossage (upper body). “I think five-on-five we need to generate more offense, and in those games, that’s where you need your power play to come through for you, and lately it hasn’t come through as often as we'd like. "Our last game, (in Hershey), we were terrible five-on-five, but there, our powerplay did give us an opportunity with two power play goals and that makes a huge difference and special teams are very important,” Knoblauch said in speaking of his 27th ranked power play which is operating at a flaccid 11.0%. In net, Igor Shesterkin is slated to start the game Friday with Adam Huska going Saturday against Binghamton. Knoblauch has no qualms about the play he's receiving in the 4x6 cage. “Our goaltending has been outstanding and has been very good. It looks bad right now, but that is a reflection of how we have been playing in front of them. We are defending more than we should be, that’s because we're not making the simple passes. We're trying the longer ones, which are more low percentage, and we give away possession (of the puck), so we're back more in our zone and that leads to breakdowns and scoring chances.” Fogarty thinks there could be something to their recent play relying on their two brick walls in net a little too much. “Maybe subconsciously we might be doing that a bit, but we're trying to cheat and maybe make plays we shouldn’t have. They're still making those saves for us and it certaintly is not in our game plan." The main game plan is to win in regulation and start a new winning streak. NOTES: Late note... Shesterkin could be recalled in the morning depending on the condition of Henrik Lundqvist who took ill before the Columbus game a 3-2 Rangers win. The emergency goalie was in the house, but Alexander Georgiev went between the pipes and was spectacular making 45 saves. Cayden Primeau, the son of former Hartford Whaler, Keith Primeau, made his NHL debut in Montreal and was on the short lost a 3-2 decision to Colorado. The Thunderbirds gave up 63 shots on goal in regulation at home on Wednesday night to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. They recalled defenseman Dylan MacPherson from the Greenville Swamp Rabbits (ECHL). Former Wolf Pack goalie, Chris Nell, is now on his third ECHL team in the first two months of the season. He was traded from the Adirondack Thunder to the Florida Everblades. Ex-Bridgeport Sound Tiger, Jared Gomes, leaves the Brampton Beast (ECHL) to head to EC Bad Nauheim (Germany DEL-2). Kristoff Kontos, the son of ex-New Haven Nighthawk and Ranger, Chris Kontos, signs a deal for the rest of the year with Vimmerby HC (Sweden Division-1). The World Junior Championship tourney comes up in three weeks with rosters starting to get filled in with names. Canada has one local name. Peter Diliberatore from Quinnipiac University (ECACHL). The team's goalie coach is Pack all-time great, Jason LaBarbera. Sweden has announced the names of two Rangers prospects on the initial roster. They are defenseman Nils Lundqvist, and center Karl Henriksson. Read the full article

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CANTLON: PACK LOSE IN A SHOOTOUT TO LAVAL

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings LAVAL, QUEBEC - After a truly hard fought 65 minutes of Sunday afternoon hockey, the Hartford Wolf Pack saw Alex Belizle scoring the lone goal in the shootout to give the Laval Rocket a 2-1 win. Belizle used a delayed toe drag and then flipped a backhander past Wolf Pack netminder, Adam Huska. Ice bags would be necessary for both teams in this highly physical contest that took nearly three hours to play. The third period saw the two teams push hard to score the second goal. The Wolf Pack thought they had a game winning goal when defenseman, Mason Geersten, was in front of the net only to have his first shot stopped by Cayden Primeau. On his second chance, Geersten was knocked into Primeau by Laval’s Antoine Waked with 8:16 left. The red light was on and the Wolf Pack were celebrating, but a little prematurely as the referees and lineman consulted and waved off the goal for a crease violation. They looked at the video board showing a replay and denied Geersten the game winner and what would have been a, "Gordie Howe Hat Trick." Wolf Pack head coach, Kris Knoblauch, raced down the bench screaming at the officials Connor O’Donnell, and Carter Sandlak. He was very unhappy with their decision when asked about it in the post game. “’We thought we had scored the go-ahead goal. The arena puts the replay on the screen (video board), which they are not allowed to do (when its under review). The referees are looking at that replay, so they changed their minds. "I’m very frustrated. We worked so hard, and played so hard, to have it taken away like that,” Knoblauch said while doing his best to contain himself. When asked if a notice would be sent by the team to the league, Knoblauch replied, “The league has already commented on it, that it was the wrong play (call) very simply, they (the officials) messed up." Geersten had a jagged Zorro-like cut on his nose and was a bear on his skates as he made his presence felt all night. He was stoic about the events as he headed for post game medical treatment. “They're a quick, fast team out there. It was a pretty physical, chippy game. I really thought I had it there,” He said. The defensive duo of Geersten and Joey Keane were excellent from the start of the game and on both ends of the ice. “They were both so good out there all night. Defensively, being physical, and offensively they were solid. Geersten obviously has the reputation of being a physical defenseman. (Joey) Keane doesn’t get enough recognition for his play as a physical defenseman. He’s always giving his body laying it down out there and finishing his checks. Those two were just outstanding.” After a long stretch with the Wolf Pack tightening the defensive screws, Huska came up with a ten-bell-ringer save on Jake Evans. Huska was ready as Evans was in the right wing circle and dove forward and getting a piece of the shot with just 1:12 remaining in regulation. “I was just lucky there. I threw myself out there,” Huska said with a Cheshire cat smile. It was a skill move by the humble rookie goalie to make that stop. At the start of the second period, the Pack continued their late first period progress and tied the game just 49 seconds into the second frame. Keane was at the right point and took his defensive partner's pass and just sent it on net where it eluded Primeau, who was screened by Matt Beleskey. For Keane, it was his team leading fifth of the season. “It was a good, low shot on net, and it was made possible by the screen of Beleskey taking away Primeau’s eyes. He doesn’t get the assist, but that play made it possible,” Knoblauch said of the veteran winger. Huska was named the game’s Third Star and was able to repel several of Laval's wide open chances. Matt Peca, the one time Quinnipiac University product, is off to a slow start. He's a minus-six through five games. He had a solid goal scoring opportunity at 8:18 off a breakaway chance that Huska denied Then he made another gorgeous pad save on Ryan Poehling’s wide open chance. With 3:01 remaining, Huska stopped Michael McCarron twice, the second time coming with a screen from ex-Pack, Dale Weise. Vejdemos' backhanded attempt was denied by Huska's left pad and then he was denied again a shot from the left wing side. “In the second period, we gave up way too many quality chances. Adam was just sensational. We’ve had a lot success so far this season because of our goaltending,” commented Knoblauch. The game was physical and a chippy contest from the outset. There was plenty of hitting with skirmishes breaking out several times in the second period as both teams had played three times in the last eight days with animosity getting well-established. Geersten was in the middle of it. After hitting Laval’s Jake Evans with a clean hard hit, in the left wing corner, he turned and dropped his gloves knowing somebody was coming. Anthony Waked was outmatched against the much bigger player. On the next shift, Vinni Lettieri and Weise jostled each other and near the end of the period Danny O’Regan was hit with a double minor for high sticking. Vejdemos tried to wrestle him to the ice with 7.5 seconds left in the period. The Rocket started their game picking up were they left off in the last one with a 7-2 shot advantage over the first half of the opening period. Huska was in top form, especially on Victor Olofsson’s open blade redirect that looked like it had the top shelf. Huska made a strong lateral save using his right shoulder to make the stop. Alex Belizle followed with a quality opportunity from 20-feet-out several seconds later. “I felt pretty good today. It was the best I felt so far in the AHL. I saw him coming backdoor and I knew he was gonna pass it to him. I just waited for him to make that pass,” Huska said ever so nonchalantly of the superb play. The Rocket's next shift and next shop came with the shot hitting the back of the net. Former Quinnipiac University product, Matt Peca, came down the left wing and got a gift as Vincent LoVerde’s clearing attempt hit the metal stanchion and the puck came right to him. From 15-feet out he made the pass to Antoine Waked who found the puck through a maze of players, and then registered his first goal at 12:28. Waked was just recalled from Adirondack (ECHL) and earned a half bear hug from head coach ex-Pack, Joel Bouchard. At that point, the Pack needed a quick pick-me-up and Mason Geersten tried his best to please his teammates. First, he challenged Michael McCarron in front of the Pack bench and he wouldn’t go. He got him with a high-stick earlier and was cut that neither official called. Then his next shifty he lined up Waked for a good clean hard hit at center ice that was amazingly called a roughing penalty. The Pack killed off the chance and then got a surprising late power play chance as Laval got their man-advantage. It looked like Keane and Belizle had dropped the mitts after a collision near the Pack blue line, but the linesman stepped in but gave Belizle got the extra two for a crosscheck. That woke up the Pack offense. They went on to launch six shots on net before finally forcing Primeau, the son the ex-Whaler Keith to have to work. Phil DiGuiseppe fired two and Matt Beleskey had one. The two teams don’t meet again till Valentine’s Day. Pretty safe bet that they will not be exchanging candy or flowers. PACK LINES: Nieves-Beleskey-Di Giuseppe Gettinger-Lettieri-Fogarty O’Regan-Fontaine-Newell Jones-Meskanen-Zerter-Gossage LoVerde-Raddysh Taylor-Ebert Geersten-Keane SCRATCHES: Sean Day Ty Ronning NOTES: The Wolf Pack power outage on the power play continues as the team went 0-for-6 with their success rate dropping to an abysmal 8.8%. When asked if Geersten had had any "Gordie Howe Hat Tricks" in his career, he responded with a laugh saying, “Had a few in juniors none yet in the pro’s. Thought I had one tonight.” One of the first "Gordie Howe Hat Tricks" in Wolf Pack history came from big Steve McIntyre in Hershey circa 2004-05. Weise was in the opening lineup with McCarron and Charles Hudon. Igor Shesterkin continues to produce strong numbers in the AHL on par with what he did in the KHL. He was rewarded with being named, "The CCM/AHL Goaltender for the Month of October." In six games, Shesterkin has a 5-1-0 record, with the AHL's fifth best GAA of 1.49. He's surrendered just nine goals. The three he allowed on Wednesday were the most in any of his six games. He also sports a .942 save percentage, good for the AHL's sixth best. The Russian rookie is not classified as such because of his time in the KHL. He has the AHL's sixth highest minutes played at 363:19 behind only Cal Petersen (Ontario), Garrett Sparks (Toronto), Ville Husso (San Antonio), Casey DeSmith (Wilkes Barre/Scranton) and Chris Dreidger (Springfield). Shesterkin will start Saturday night in Belleville. Ex-Pack, Josh Wesley, was recalled from Tulsa (ECHL) from San Antonio. Cole Cassels, the son of former Hartford Whaler, Andrew Cassels, was loaned from Utah (ECHL) to Belleville, where the Wolf Pack play tomorrow night at the CAA Arena. After five games, ex-Pack, Shawn O’Donnell, has three points. He has left Allen (ECHL). The Toronto Maple Leafs continue their roster shuffle to remain cap compliant and it affects their AHL farm team, the Toronto Dreidger. Nic Petan was reassigned this morning after playing just four games with the Leafs. He had two goals and an assist against Belleville in a 7-4 win where he played on a line with former Yale Bulldog, Kenny Agostino. The team also traded former Canadiens farmhand, Ryan Johnston, to the San Diego Gulls. He was with Montreal for two years. Johnston was in Sweden last year with Mora IK, but the Leafs signed him to a one year AHL-deal in July. He has yet to play this year. Johnston played ten games with no points over two seasons with Montreal and played on the last two of the Canadiens' farm teams in St. John’s. The Flyers sent down Big Samuel Morin, and recalled three players from Lehigh Valley in German Rubtsov, Carsen Twarynski, and Philippe Myers. Tanner Jago was recalled by Texas from Idaho (ECHL). After just nine games, ex-Sound Tiger, Mike Sislo, had three assists with EHC Wolfsburg (Germany-DEL). He has requested that his contract be dissolved and he announced his retirement because of a back injury. He played 483 games in the AHL, mostly with Albany, but he has also spent time with San Antonio, Toronto, Tucson, and Bridgeport. Future Wolf Pack center, Karl Henriksson, a second round pick (59th overall) last summer by Vancouver was elevated from Frolunda HC J-20 (Super Elite) to Sodertalje SK (Sweden-Allsvenskan). Henriksson is off to a strong start. In 17 games, he has 18 assists and 23 points for Frolunda and is now playing in the second highest league in Sweden as an 18 year old. He had a very strong camp in Traverse City opening the eyes of many. More than likely, Henriksson will be on the Swedish WJC team in December when the annual Christmas time hockey tourney hits the Czech Republic in Ostrava, and Trinec. While currently unsigned don’t be surprised next spring when his Swedish season is done, he will be pulling a Wolf Pack sweater over his head. Read the full article

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CRAWFORD: PACK LEAVE LAVAL SHORT A SECOND POINT AFTER SHOOTOUT LOSS

Laval Rocket 2, Hartford Wolf Pack 1 (SO) BY: Bob Crawford, Hartford Wolf Pack Laval, Quebec, November 1, 2019 – Adam Huska made 27 saves, and Joey Keane scored his fifth goal of the season, for the Hartford Wolf Pack Friday night at Place Bell, but the Laval Rocket prevailed in a shootout, 2-1. That gave the Rocket a sweep of a pair of games between the two teams in Laval, as the home side had defeated the Wolf Pack 4-1 at Place Bell on Wednesday night.  The Wolf Pack, however, gained at least a standings point for the tenth time in 11 games on the season (8-1-0-2). Antoine Waked scored the Laval goal, and Alex Belzile had the only goal of the shootout.  Cayden Primeau made 27 saves for the Rocket and went 3-for-3 in the shootout. “I think Huska gave us every opportunity to win this game,” Wolf Pack head coach Kris Knoblauch said.  “In the second period, we gave up way too many scoring chances, and he was really good.  In the third period, I thought our team responded very nicely.  There was a lot of adversity, a lot of things to fight through, playing in front of their fans, who are very boisterous.  The Rocket are a good hockey team, and they didn’t get rattled.  They played strong, and I thought we should have had a better fate.” The Rocket controlled much of the early action in the first period and broke through to open the scoring at the 12:27 mark.  The Wolf Pack got a bad bounce on the play, as a clearing attempt by Vincent LoVerde hit one of the stanchions holding up the glass and deflected back deep in the zone.  Matthew Peca picked up the puck and passed it into the goalmouth, and Antoine Waked knocked it underneath Huska. Waked was playing his first AHL game of the season, up from Adirondack of the ECHL. The Wolf Pack were outshot 14-7 in the second period but would get the only goal of the frame 49 seconds in.  Mason Geertsen passed from the left point across to Keane on the right point, and his wrist shot found its way past Primeau.  That increased Keane’s team-leading goal total to five on the year. That would be it for the scoring, although the Wolf Pack had an apparent goal in the third period by Geertsen disallowed after it was ruled that he interfered with Primeau. The Rocket had a power play late in regulation after Nick Ebert was called for tripping at 16:49, and the Wolf Pack were up a man for 1:52 of overtime, as a result of a tripping call against Dale Weise with 7.8 seconds left in regulation.  Neither power play could convert, though. Belzile’s goal, on a backhand shot, on the Rocket’s second shootout attempt would prove decisive, as Primeau stopped Vinni Lettieri, Patrick Newell, and Danny O’Regan. The Wolf Pack finish a stretch of four straight road games Saturday night, traveling to Belleville, Ontario to take on the Senators.  Faceoff is 7:00 PM, and all of the action can be heard live on-line at hartfordwolfpack.com.  Video streaming is available at ahllive.com. The Wolf Pack’s next home game is next Friday, November 8, when they host the Hershey Bears at the XL Center.  Faceoff is 7:15, and once again this season, all Friday-night Wolf Pack home games feature $1 hot dogs and $2 beers through the start of the second period, presented by Nomads Adventure Quest. Tickets for all 2019-20 Wolf Pack home games are on sale now at the Sunwave Gas & Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, on-line at hartfordwolfpack.com and by phone at [phone].  Tickets purchased in advance for kids 12 or younger start at just $10 each, and all tickets will have a $3 day-of-game increase. To speak with a Wolf Pack representative about season or group tickets, or any of the Wolf Pack’s many ticketing options, call [phone], or click here to request more info.  To visit the Wolf Pack on line, go to hartfordwolfpack.com. Hartford Wolf Pack 1 at Laval Rocket 2 (SO) Friday, November 1, 2019 - Place Bell Hartford 0 1 0 0 - 1 Laval     1 0 0 0 - 2 1st Period-1, Laval, Waked 1 (Peca), 12:27. Penalties-Geertsen Hfd (roughing), 14:27; Keane Hfd (unsportsmanlike conduct), 17:17; Belzile Lav (unsportsmanlike conduct, cross-checking), 17:17. 2nd Period-2, Hartford, Keane 5 (Geertsen, Nieves), 0:49. Penalties-Evans Lav (holding), 9:47; Fontaine Hfd (hooking), 12:17; served by Cox Lav (bench minor - delay of game (faceoff violation)), 14:28; Geertsen Hfd (fighting), 17:34; Waked Lav (fighting), 17:34; Belzile Lav (roughing), 19:07; O'Regan Hfd (double minor - high-sticking), 19:52; Vejdemo Lav (roughing), 19:52. 3rd Period- No Scoring.  Penalties-Ebert Hfd (tripping), 1:56; Belzile Lav (interference), 7:44; Ebert Hfd (tripping), 16:49; Weise Lav (tripping), 19:52. OT Period- No Scoring.  Penalties-No Penalties Shootout - Hartford 0 (Lettieri NG, Newell NG, O'Regan NG), Laval 1 (Hudon NG, Belzile G). Shots on Goal-Hartford 9-7-8-4-0-28. Laval 8-14-6-0-1-29. Power Play Opportunities-Hartford 0 / 6; Laval 0 / 5. Goalies-Hartford, Huska 3-0-2 (28 shots-27 saves). Laval, Primeau 4-2-0 (28 shots-27 saves). A-4,650 Referees-Conor O'Donnell (41), Carter Sandlak (6). Linesmen-Nicolas Boivin (16), Benoit Martineau (87). Read the full article

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CRAWFORD: WOLF PACK WEEKLY: October 21-27, 2019

BY: Bob Crawford, Hartford Wolf Pack HARTFORD, CT - The Wolf Pack (5-0-0-1, 11 pts.) continued their unbeaten-in-regulation start to the season this past week, with a pair of one-goal wins.  On Friday night at the XL Center, in the last of five straight home games to begin the year, Igor Shesterkin stopped 36 Springfield Thunderbird shots for his first North American pro shutout, in a 1-0 Wolf Pack win.  Phil DiGiuseppe’s second-period goal was the only scoring in that game, and DiGiuseppe posted his third game-winner in as many goals-scored Saturday night in Binghamton, capping a Wolf Pack comeback from a 3-1 deficit in a 4-3 overtime win over the Devils, in Hartford’s first road game of the season.  Vinni Lettieri had a goal and two assists in that game, and Joey Keane and Filip Chytil had a goal and an assist apiece. This week: The Wolf Pack face their first three-game weekend of the season this week, with two of the three games at home. The Wolf Pack host the Laval Rocket this Friday night, with faceoff at 7:15 PM, and then play a home-and-home with their in-state rivals the Bridgeport Sound Tigers Saturday and Sunday.  The Sound Tigers come to the XL Center for a 7:00 game on Saturday night, and the rematch is a 3:00 faceoff in Bridgeport on Sunday. Friday, October 25 vs. the Laval Rocket (Montreal) at the XL Center, 7:15 PM This and every Friday-night Wolf Pack home game features $1 hot dogs, and $2 draft beers and fountain sodas, through the start of the second period, presented by Nomads Adventure Quest. The Rocket, coached by former Wolf Pack and New York Rangers defenseman Joel Bouchard, is off to a 3-4-0-0 start and has won three of its last four after losses in the first three. Laval rookie goaltender Cayden Primeau, son of former Hartford Whaler Keith Primeau, is 2-1-0 in his first three pro appearances, with only five goals-against on 87 shots (1.68 GAA, 94.3% save percentage). This is the first of four meetings this year between the Wolf Pack and the Rocket, and the first of two XL Center visits for Laval.  The two teams split a two-game series last year, the Wolf Pack winning 3-1 in Hartford October 7 and dropping a 5-2 decision on the road October 17. At this and every Wolf Pack Friday or Saturday home game, fans are encouraged to come early for “Hockey Happy Hour” in the XL Center’s Coliseum Club.  From 5:15 PM until puck drop, a $5 wrist band gives fans access to the “Chill Zone” of the Coliseum Club, which features an appetizer buffet and $2 beers, presented by Minuteman Press. Tickets for this and all 2019-20 Wolf Pack home games are on sale now at the Sunwave Gas & Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, on-line at hartfordwolfpack.com and by phone at [phone].  Tickets purchased in advance for kids 12 or younger start at just $10 each, and all tickets will have a $3 day-of-game increase. Broadcast – live with Bob Crawford and Mark Bailey on on-line at hartfordwolfpack.com.  Video streaming at ahllive.com. Saturday, October 26 vs. the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (Islanders) at the XL Center, 7:00 PM This is the Wolf Pack’s “Witches & Wizards night”.  There will be all kinds of Halloween fun, including trick or treating on the concourse, an intermission costume parade, and a youth backpack giveaway to the first 1,000 fans 12 or younger, courtesy of Carvel. This is the second encounter of the season between the Wolf Pack and their Connecticut rivals.  In the first, October 6 at the XL Center, the Wolf Pack pulled out a 4-3 overtime win. Bridgeport has at least a standings point in three of its first five games, but only one win on the season, having gone 1-2-1-1 thus far.  The Sound Tigers’ last action was a 3-2 shootout loss Saturday night in their home opener vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Matt Lorito leads the Bridgeport club in points and goals through the first five games, with 3-1-4. At this and every Wolf Pack Friday or Saturday home game, fans are encouraged to come early for “Hockey Happy Hour” in the XL Center’s Coliseum Club.  From 5:00 PM until puck drop, a $5 wrist band gives fans access to the “Chill Zone” of the Coliseum Club, which features an appetizer buffet and $2 beers, presented by Minuteman Press. Broadcast – live with Bob Crawford on-line at hartfordwolfpack.com.  Video streaming at ahllive.com. Sunday, October 27 at the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (Islanders) at Webster Bank Arena, 3:00 PM This is the first of six visits on the year to Bridgeport for the Wolf Pack, who were 2-2-1-0 in five games at the Webster Bank Arena last season. After seven of the Wolf Pack’s eight games of the season were at home, this contest starts a stretch of four straight and six out of eight on the road. Broadcast – live with Bob Crawford on-line at hartfordwolfpack.com.  Video streaming at ahllive.com. Wolf Pack Community Appearances: The Wolf Pack have the following appearances scheduled this week.  For further information on these, or any other Wolf Pack community initiatives, contact Wolf Pack community relations manager Frank Berrian, at [phone]: Thursday, October 24, 9:00 AM, Corpus Christi School, 581 Silas Deane Highway, Wethersfield, CT Sonar, the Wolf Pack’s lovable mascot, attends Corpus Christi’s Walk-a-thon event to help raise funds for the school. Saturday, October 26, 1:00-2:00 PM, Lessard Lanes, 136 New Britain Ave., Plainville, CT Sonar hits the lanes for Junior Achievement’s bowling event. Recent Transactions: None Pack Tracks: The Wolf Pack’s home game Saturday, November 9, when the Belleville Senators visit the XL Center for a 7:30 PM start, will feature the Wolf Pack’s annual “Teddy Bear Toss”.  Fans are invited to bring soft toys to the game and fling them on to the ice when the Wolf Pack scored their first goal.  All the toys collected will be donated to Operation ELF and Toys for Tots. On Saturday, November 16, when the Wolf Pack battle the Providence Bruins at 7:00 PM, it’s “Hockey Fights Cancer Night” at the XL Center.  The Wolf Pack will be teaming up with Hockey Fights Cancer to support those who are battling cancer, and their families.  Also, the first 2,000 fans will receive a free Wolf Pack lanyard, courtesy of CM Concessions. The Wolf Pack’s annual “Sonar’s Edu-skate” school-day game is coming up Wednesday, November 20 vs. the Syracuse Crunch, with faceoff at 11:00 AM.  Lots of educational fun will be on tap throughout the day, and for information on bringing a school group to the Edu-Skate game, contact the Wolf Pack ticket office at [phone]. Once again this season, fans can enjoy $1 hot dogs, and $2 draft beers and fountain sodas, at every Friday Wolf Pack home game, through the start of the second period, presented by Nomads Adventure Quest.  After this Friday, the Wolf Pack’s next Friday-night home outing is November 8, when they entertain the Hershey Bears in a 7:15 PM game. Each of the Wolf Pack’s Sunday and Wednesday home games will feature the Wolf Pack’s “Click It or Ticket Hat Trick Pack”.  The Hat Trick Pack includes two tickets, two sodas, and a large popcorn, all for just $40.  The next Hat Trick Pack game is the “Sonar’s Edu-skate” school-day game Wednesday, November 20 vs. the Syracuse Crunch, with faceoff at 11:00 AM. In partnership with the Hartford Chamber of Commerce, the Wolf Pack this year will be offering “Suit to Sweater Wednesdays”, to wash away the mid-week work blues.  Any fan showing a company ID at the Sunwave Gas & Power Ticket office can purchase Blue-Level tickets to Wolf Pack Wednesday home games for only $15 each (limit two tickets per ID).  The Wolf Pack’s first Wednesday home date is November 20, the 11:00 AM “Sonar’s Edu-skate” school-day game vs. the Syracuse Crunch. Wolf Pack home game tickets can be purchased at the Sunwave Gas & Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, on-line at hartfordwolfpack.com and by phone at [phone].  Tickets purchased in advance for kids 12 or younger start at just $10 each, and all tickets will have a $3 day-of-game increase. To speak with a Wolf Pack representative about season or group tickets, or any of the Wolf Pack’s many ticketing options, call [phone], or click here to request more info.  To visit the Wolf Pack online, go to hartfordwolfpack.com. TRACK THE PACK ONLINE AT HARTFORDWOLFPACK.COM Read the full article

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CANTLON: (FEB 7) UCONN BEATS NORTHEASTERN IN OVERTIME 

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - The UCONN Huskies reversed what could have been another looming one-goal loss and instead in dramatic fashion, turned it into a thrilling 3-2 overtime victory over the 13th ranked, Northeastern Huskies 3-2. UCONN improves their record to 8-17-2 overall (3-12-2 in Hockey East) while Northeastern's record slips to 16-9-1 overall (9-6-1 in the conference). UCONN will play Merrimack on Saturday at 5 pm at the XL Center in an extremely critical Hockey East matchup for both teams. UCONN moved into a tie for the tenth spot with one less loss, and one less win than Merrimack. UConn is now seven points behind eighth spot holding Maine. “We're excited with the win and we have been playing pretty well during this homestand. We just haven’t gotten the results, and tonight we stayed with it,” UCONN head coach Mike Cavanaugh said with a clear sigh of relief. The OT game-winner came when Northeastern‘s Jordan Harris lost control of the puck as a result of pressure from Sasha Payusov from behind and just outside the crease area. The puck found the right player for UCONN, as Jachym Kondelik wasted little time feathering a perfect pass to Payusov, who corralled a rolling puck and went upstairs with it on 6’4 netminder, Cayden Primeau, ending the game at the 1:05 mark of the extra session. “We just made eye contact and he got it right to me. It was rolling a bit, I just got it on the net,” Paysusov said. After four other of Paysusov's previous bids stopped by Primeau, he observed something he was able to use. “He (is) so good down low. I wasn’t getting one there, so I tried to go upstairs and that worked better,” Payusov said with a very broad smile. For Paysusov, it was his team-leading 14th goal and first game-winner of the season. Kondelik picked up his team-leading 20th assist and completing a two-point effort for the game. Northeastern head coach Jim Madigan was red-faced and direct in how he felt regarding his team play over the final period and overtime in what was just a twelve-second press conference, likely a new post-game record. “Our puck management sucked, any questions?” Madigan said, then stood up and charged out of the room. The Huskies tied the game late after pulling starter Tomas Vomacka with 1:37 remaining. They got a double screen on Primeau with the 6'7, Kondelik, and 5'8, Brian Rigali. The shorter of the two got the deflection of Ruslan Iskhakov’s right point shot. “I just showed my stick on the play. He (Iskharov) put it right there and was able to get it,” said a smiling Rigali. “We have been working all week on this type of play, the six-on-five and it paid off,” Rigali said. Karl El-Mir's hard work resulted in a forced turnover in the Northeastern zone. It got the whole play started. “That’s the only way to beat him,” Cavanaugh said chuckling while offering his analysis of the Hockey East goaltending. “There are a lot of good goalies in this league, Joe Woll (BC), (Tyler) Wall (UMASS-Lowell), (Jake) Oettinger (BU), who’ll we'll face next week. If you don’t take their eyes away from them it's going to be awfully hard to beat (any) of them.” Cavanaugh's two goalies, Adam Huska, and Tomas Vomacka also rank right up there with the names he mentioned. Knowing the team's post-season hopes are slim, Cavanaugh was very happy with the team character they showed in the third period, even while trailing and seeing several good shots go wide that would have tied it earlier in the period. “I liked how we stuck with it, staying with it no matter what happens. Miles (Gendron, the team captain) challenged the team to score the first goal and we did. When they scored early in the third period, I liked how we stayed with our game plan and it's a good win. We're very happy with,” Cavanaugh remarked. The early part of the third period saw the Huskies come out flying and with their feet moving in the offensive zone. Isharov hit the post at 1:28 on a quick breaking two-on-one. Payusov was denied a bid on the right wing try. Isharov was then denied on a left-wing rush at 4:56. The first solid scoring chance Northeastern got they buried in the net. On a strong cycle off the left wing, Grant Josezek, before he circled the UCONN net, reversed the puck back to the left side to Eric Williams, who was wide. Williams easily fired his third goal of the year past an unsuspecting Vomacka at 2:03 to give Northeastern the lead. “That was some blown coverage when you have guys get two players chasing one, but I like our mindset. We have played good third periods in our last three games, and that wasn’t the case early in the year. We have made it a focal point of our team in the second half that we want to win third periods.” Tyler Madden, who was quiet for Northeastern in the first period, but was very noticeable in the second. He was stopped twice and was a forechecking menace throughout the second frame. One of those chances came in the last minute of play and he got into two skirmishes as well. UCONN had a stellar chance on a redirect by El-Mir, but Primeau, the son of the ex-Hartford Whaler and NHL’er, Keith Primeau, did a great job tracking the puck. UCONN’s Tomas Vomacka (31 saves) was equal to Primeau 29 saves) knocking aside a redirect by Zach Solow. Jeremy Davies of Northeastern was at the left point and chipped the puck down the wall to Solow. He was able to come out of the left wing corner uncontested on Vomacka. He deked and swept the puck past Vomacka scoring his 12th goal of the season at 6:15 of the second period. The goal tied the game at one. UCONN was able to start generating some quality offensive pressure late in the period and collected the first goal of the game. A beautiful three-way passing play started by Roman Kinal at the right point to El-Mir in the lower left wing corner. He sent it to Kondelik in front, who put it past Primeau at 15:21. The UCONN Huskies really started to apply some offensive zone pressure to get Primeau to move, but UCONN’s Marc Gatcomb and Jordan Timmons were denied. NOTES: Offensively, UCONN is ranked last with 30 goals for, but they're also first in goals against with 67. Northeastern is in fourth place in the conference. They are tied for the third-best in scoring offense and fourth best in scoring defense. Their PP is seventh while UCONN’s is tenth.  The Northeastern PK is seventh and UCONN is tenth. El-Mir has six powerplay goals are is second in Hockey East and ninth in the nation. Kondelik has 22 points, good for third among freshmen and fifth in the nation. Madden is the son of the former NHL’er, John Madden, who is now the head coach of the Cleveland Monsters (AHL). He also attended Avon Old Farms for one year. Besides Primeau, there is one more son of a former NHL’er on the team. He is the fourth-line center, Eutu Selanne, the son of NHL great Teemu Selanne, but not nearly as much of an offensive threat as his father with no points in 13 games. Former UCONN goalie, Garrett Bartus, who's currently with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits (ECHL), has signed to play this summer with the Sydney Ice Dogs (Australia-AIHL). Last summer, former UCONN Husky, Trevor Gerling, scored the overtime game-winner to help his CBR (Canberra) Brave win the Australian Goodall Cup championship. Read the full article

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CANTLON: (FRI) PACK TAKE REMATCH WITH T-BIRDS

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - Dustin Tokarski’s 26 saves, a strong two-point game from Lias Andersson, and a game-winning powerplay tally by John Gilmour combined to propel the Hartford Wolf Pack to their fourth win in a row and second consecutive victory over the Springfield Thunderbirds, 3-1 before 3,798 fans on Friday night at the XL Center. “I liked our start," a relaxed Pack head coach Keith McCambridge said. "We created some good energy to start the game and both teams traded chances back and forth on special teams. We liked the type of game we played tonight." The Wolf Pack record improves to 16-15-12-2 (36 points) and the team sits in sixth place. They are now just one point behind Springfield (15-12-4-3). The Pack will entertain the third-place Lehigh Valley Phantoms Saturday at 7 pm. In the third period, the Wolf Pack penalty kill continued its strong play. Andersson nearly had a shorthanded tally on the PK while the overall team defense handled the high octane Springfield offense quite well. “We weren’t happy with how many penalties we took, but we're happy how we defended against them. Springfield has a lot of offense over there. We did video before the game so we know how good they are.” While Tokarski did not face a lot of shots, the ones he did were high-quality scoring chances and led to two big third period saves on Jonathan Ang at 12:31 and then 15 seconds later on Matt Mangene. The Pack pushed back hard on their next shift as Chris Bigras and Steven Fogarty had great chances stopped by the Thunderbirds' Samuel Montembeault. “We know we have to close out games in the third period and tonight we really did just that.” The second period was filled with a series of power plays for each squad with limited five-on-five play. The save of the game, and perhaps the season, would rank with any of the best from some made by other Wolf Pack greats including J.F. Labbe, Jason LaBarbera, Dov Grumet-Morris and Yann Danis. Tokarski's magic came when Springfield’s Blaine Byron was at the left point and ripped a low slap-shot that the Pack netminder handled. The rebound came right to Mangene who fired a bullet that Tokarski somehow found, and gloved on the ice, Mangene reacted by holding his head in his hands as he skated around the net in frustration. The entire XL Center crowd and the Wolf Pack players were blown away as well. “To be honest, I thought it was going in because you saw how the rebound popped out. He got all the wood on that one, and we all were silent for a second, then we all went nuts. It was a great save and he has shown he is capable of doing that every night,” Gilmour said. McCambridge has named Tokarski his starter for Saturday. Each team had seven shots on net with few serious quality chances, with the Pack's best coming off the stick of Dawson Leedahl. The Wolf Pack grabbed a 2-0 lead and had good control of the game in the first period. The Pack made it 1-0 when Andersson, on his second shift, was alone on the right wing side and converted a rebound from Ryan Gropp, who was in the lower left wing circle, at 7:08. “It just bounced out to me. It was really nice play by him and it felt good putting one in,” Andersson remarked. The Pack made it 2-0 on the powerplay. Ville Meskanen made a perfect diagonal pass from the left side to point to Gilmour, who will represent that Wolf Pack at the AHL All-Star game. Gilmour's blast at 10:59 was his tenth of the season and went over Montembeault's glove to the short-side and just inside the post. “He‘s a very deceiving, shifty player out there," Gilmour said of Meskanen. "He shot the puck out there flat to me, and I just wanted to get everything behind the shot and it went in I was pretty ecstatic about it.” Gilmour gave an extra fist pump after the goal horn went off. The Pack was strong in controlling play. The only issue was penalties they were taking. The last near the end of the period came back to bite them. Jason MacDonald was at the left point and took a feed from Mangene, his defensive partner. MacDonald whistled a low wrist shot with all sorts of traffic in front of Tokarski, who was thoroughly screened by Paul Thompson, just as MacDonalds shot came and it eluded him at 18:25. Just before the Thunderbird goal, the Pack almost made it 3-0 with Beleskey's shorthanded bid where he used MacDonald and Mangene as a screen. His shot hit Montemebeault in his right shoulder. WOLF PACK LINES Fontaine-Butler-Leedahl Andersson-Gropp-Lettieri Holland-Meskanen-Beleskey Fogarty-Schneider-Gettinger Gilmour-Hajak Bigras-O’ Gara Day-Lindgren SCRATCHES Shawn O’Donnell (Flu/Injury) Brandon Crawley (Healthy) Shawn St. Amant (Healthy) Terrence Wallin (Healthy) NOTES: McCambridge said he has no plans to change his lineup for Saturday’s game. The Wolf Pack's Vince Pedrie has seen his time with the New York Rangers organization come to an end. The defenseman was placed on unconditional waivers with the purpose of terminating his contract. Congratulations to Ryan Graves of the Colorado Avalanche. The ex-Pack scored his first NHL goal (ironically) at Madison Square Garden against the Rangers. The goal put the cap on a 6-1 win and came unassisted out in front of the Rangers net. The US World Junior (U-18) team beat Russia 2-1 in Vancouver to advance to the gold medal game. The Americans will play in the final for the second time in three years and take on  Finland who rolled past Switzerland 6-1 in the other semi-final. Cayden Primeau, the son of ex-Whaler Keith Primeau, made 32 saves and was a standout during the final four minutes in handing the Russians their only loss of the WJC tournament. Several AHL players have returned to the league from their various World Junior teams, among them are, Martin Necas (Charlotte/Czech Republic), Tobias Geisser (Hershey/Switzerland), plus Erik Brunnstrom, (Chicago/Sweden) and Timothy Lilejgren (Toronto/Sweden). UCONN lost the first game of their two-game tourney in Las Vegas at the T-Mobile arena to the nationally ranked #17 team, Western Michigan Broncos, 5-1. The Broncos are 10-6-1 overall and were led by Cam Lee, and Austin Rueschhoff, who each had a goal and an assist. UCONN did have freshmen center, Jachym Kondelik, back from the Czech Republic WJC team. He picked up an assist on the lone Huskies goal. Huskie goalie, Adam Huska, stopped 36 of 41 shots in the loss for the Huskies who are now 6-12-1 overall. The Huskies will play St. Lawrence at 8 pm EST on Saturday in the consolation game of the tournament. Read the full article