#christierney

HARTFORD WOLF PACK SWEPT IN CHARLOTTE BY CHECKERS By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings CHARLOTTE, NC - North Carolina has not been friendly territory for the Hartford Wolk Pack and proved it again by dropping their second straight contest at the start of the 2022-23 season with a 3-1 loss to the Charlotte Checkers at the Bojangles Coliseum. Like the Aerosmith tune, “Same Old Song and Dance," the trip down South sent them to an abysmal Tar Heel State record of 1-16-1-1. Their only win was the final game of last season. This game was even throughout the first period as the Pack goalie, Dylan Garand, answered the best opportunities that came his way. Garland and Mark Gudaz for Charlotte were both making their seasons' first start. Charlotte’s Patrick Giles, a former Boston College winger, tested Garand halfway through the period. About two minutes later, it was ex-CT Whale Michael Del Zotto from off the right side and was stopped with a Garand glove save. Jonny Brodzinski saw his backhand attempt on Guzda denied several minutes later. Then a shorthanded bid was repelled by the big netminder. Charlotte broke through late on the man advantage at 17:50 as Connor Bunnaman got behind Matt Robertson and put it past Garand for a 1-0 lead. Chris Tierney, who played well in both games, earned the primary assist. In the second period, each roster put 12 shots on the opposing netminder, but no goals were scored. Turner Elson of the Wolf Pack had a quality chance squashed by Guzda. But he was not alone in flashing the leather as Garand denied Logan Hutsko and Patrick Giles again two minutes later at 8:47. With 3:11 remaining in the period, Tanner Fritz was stopped by Garand. Her turnaround to deny Alexei Heponiemi, then John Ludvig had a late block off a Patrick Khordorenko bid to keep the Pack off the board. The Pack had two chances late with seven seconds to go Guzda kept from denting the twine. In the third, Charlotte got its second again on another special team’s goal. At 6:52, Riley Nash popped in his first tally of the season in front of the net Garsnd made the first save on Anton Lectschu before the Czech rookie and last night’s hero, causing him to be untouched by either defender was able to slip his shot under Gararand. Lucas Carlsson just back from their locker room for repairs and got the whole play started from the beginning at 6:52. The Pack’s Elson and then Trivigno tried to get one past Guzda but were unsuccessful. Meanwhile, Henry Bowlby, set up in front of Garand and was able to get off an effective e-bid gobbles up after a three-on-one failed for the Checkers. Then Santuu Kinnunen tallied at 17:23 his first into the empty net as coach Kris Knoblauch chose to pull Garand early for an extra attacker, but got nothing. Kinnunen was the leading defenseman in scoring in Finland last year. The Wolf Pack finally broke the shutout bid of Guzda, the game’s first star, as Elson converted Will Cullye’s pass for his first at 19:56. The Wolf Pack return where they will kick off the home portion of their season against the Scranton Wilkes-Barre Penguins at 7.  NOTES -For the second game in a row, Will Cullye led the Pack with four shots, this time sharing it with Elson. -Ex-Sound Tiger Michael Dal Colle becomes 109th AHL’er to head to Europe and 16th to Finland as he signed with TPS Turku after being cut by Ottawa. -Del Zotto played, but former Yale goalie Alex Lyon did not dress. Chase Priskie (Quinnipiac University) played for the Checkers. -All the rehab work done on the Bojangles Arena was overseen by the late Davin “Dave” Olson, who passed away suddenly six months ago in Corpus Christi, Texas on a part-time gig after being unceremoniously let go by Gale Force Holdings- the parent company of the Carolina Hurricanes,’ their former affiliate. Olson had run the Hartford Civic Center Coliseum (nee XL Center) and the New Haven Coliseum in his career LINES: Brodzinski-Gauthier-Cullye Henriksson-Trivigno-Rempe Fritz-Elson-Pajuniemi Khordorenko-Gettinger-C.J. Smith Emberson-Welinski Scanlin-Robertson Harpur-Skinner Dylan Garand Louie Domingue HARTFORD WOLF PACK HOWLINGS Read the full article

HARTFORD WOLF PACK DROP THE OPENING WEEKEND FINALE TO CHARLOTTE CHECKERS 3-1 By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack CHARLOTTE, NC – The Hartford Wolf Pack and Charlotte Checkers played a tightly contested game at the Bojangles Coliseum on Saturday night. An even affair at five-on-five was decided by special teams, as the Checkers powerplay struck twice to propel the team to a 3-1 victory and a sweep of the two-game weekend series. Riley Nash scored his first goal in his second stint with the Checkers at 6:52 of the third period, converting Charlotte's second powerplay goal of the night. Nash pounced on a rebound and stuffed it by Wolf Pack starter Dylan Garand, pushing the Checkers' lead to 2-0. The goal would stand as the winner on this evening. The Checkers would strike first for the second time in as many nights. Chris Tierney fired a shot on goal that Garand denied, but the rebound sat in the crease with the netminder down on the ice. Connor Bunnaman got the inside position and, as a result, could locate the rebound and stuff it home for his first goal of the season at 17:50 of the first period. The goal was also a powerplay goal, as Bobby Trivigno was sitting for two minutes due to a delay of game penalty. Neither side could light the lamp in the second period, but not for lack of chances. Both teams fired twelve shots on goal, but Garand and Charlotte starter Mack Guzda was up to the task. Guzda's saves in this game were a stop on a partial Jonny Brodzinski breakaway and a Julien Gauthier point-blank chance in tight. Guzda's strong play in the net kept the Checkers ahead long enough for the powerplay to strike a second time. Nash pounced on the rebound at 6:52 to give Charlotte all the insurance they needed on this night. The rebound was created thanks to an Anton Levtchi shot, giving the Finn his first career AHL assist. Santtu Kinnunen would hit an empty net at 17:23 to make it 3-0. The goal was his first in North America. Turner Elson would break the shutout at 19:56, scoring his first with the Wolf Pack on a feed from Will Cuylle. Tanner Fritz would also grab an assist on Hartford's only marker of the night, tying him for the team lead with two helpers early in the season. The Wolf Pack return to the ice at the XL Center next Saturday, October 22nd, for their home opener. Join us at 7:00 p.m. when the Pack hosts the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The first 1,500 fans will receive a 2022-23 Wolf Pack magnetic schedule, courtesy of Pepsi Zero Sugar. To get tickets, visit hartfordwolfpack.com. About OVG360: OVG360, a division of Oak View Group, is a full-service venue management and hospitality company that helps client partners reimagine the sports, live entertainment, and convention industries for the betterment of the venue, employees, artists, athletes, and surrounding communities. With a portfolio of more than 200 client partners spanning arenas, stadiums, convention centers, performing arts centers, cultural institutions, and state fairs around the globe, OVG360 provides services, resources, and expertise designed to elevate every aspect of business that matters to venue operators. Service-oriented and driven by social responsibility, OVG360 helps facilities drive value through excellence and innovation in food services, booking and content development, sustainable operations, public health, public safety, and more. 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

HARTFORD WOLF PACK DROP FIRST GAME 4-3 in OT TO CHARLOTTE CHECKERS By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack CHARLOTTE, NC – The Hartford Wolf Pack and Charlotte Checkers went back-and-forth on opening night at Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, but when the dust settled, it was the Checkers who skated away with a dramatic 4-3 overtime victory. Anton Levtchi turned the lights out with his second goal of the night, capping off an exceptional AHL debut just 35 seconds into overtime. Levtchi took a pass from fellow rookie Finn Santtu Kinnunen, then darted in on Wolf Pack starter Louis Domingue. Levtchi held the puck until he got Domingue down, then buried a shot over the sprawled-out goaltender for his second goal of the night. Charlotte opened the scoring just 4:58 in, as Aleksi Heponiemi broke the ice on the season with a deflection in front of the Wolf Pack net. Heponiemi caught a piece of Dennis Cesana’s point shot, beating Domingue for his first goal of the season. The Wolf Pack responded rather quickly, tying the score under ten minutes later. Jonny Brodzinski gained possession of the puck after a turnover in the Checkers' end, then fed a streaking Will Cuylle. Cuylle snapped a quick shot that beat J-F Berube for his first goal of the season at 13:52. The Checkers again took a lead early in a period, this time 1:44 into the second. Levtchi notched his first AHL goal in his AHL debut, converting Charlotte’s first powerplay of the game. Lucas Carlsson’s shot was blocked on the way in from the point but bounced right to Levtchi. He quickly snapped a shot that beat a sprawling Domingue. Lauri Pajuniemi had the answer, however. Hartford scored a powerplay goal of their own at 3:42, as Pajuniemi fired a one-timer from the far faceoff circle. Matthew Robertson set him up for his first assist of the season, while Tanner Fritz also got in on the scoring with an assist of his own. In his first game as a member of the Wolf Pack, Julien Gauthier would give the team their first lead of the night 8:07 into the third. The hulking winger barreled his way into the offensive zone, holding possession on his backhand. Then, after getting Berube down, he quickly transitioned to his forehand to bury his first goal with the Pack. Unfortunately, the Wolf Pack couldn’t hold the Checkers off. Grigori Denisenko fired a shot that hit the leg of defenseman Ben Harpur and bounced right to veteran Chris Tierney. Tierney, wasting no time, collected the puck and beat Domingue for his first goal as a Checker at 12:28 of the final frame. Charlotte pressed hard for a regulation winner, but Domingue stood tall, making 13 saves in the third period alone. However, Charlotte’s only shot of overtime would be enough, as a turnover by the Wolf Pack sent the Checkers the other way. Levtchi would bury his chance to send the crowd home happy just 35 seconds into three-on-three overtime. The Wolf Pack concludes its opening weekend tomorrow with a rematch against the Checkers. Puck drop is set for 6:00 p.m., with pregame live on AHLTV and Mixlr at 5:45 p.m. The Wolf Pack return to the XL Center for their home opener next Saturday, October 22nd. Join us at 7:00 p.m. when the Pack hosts the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The first 1,500 fans will receive a 2022-23 Wolf Pack magnetic schedule, courtesy of Pepsi Zero Sugar. To get tickets, visit hartfordwolfpack.com. About OVG360: OVG360, a division of Oak View Group, is a full-service venue management and hospitality company that helps client partners reimagine the sports, live entertainment, and convention industries for the betterment of the venue, employees, artists, athletes, and surrounding communities. With a portfolio of more than 200 client partners spanning arenas, stadiums, convention centers, performing arts centers, cultural institutions, and state fairs around the globe, OVG360 provides a set of services, resources, and expertise designed to elevate every aspect of business that matters to venue operators. Service-oriented and driven by social responsibility, OVG360 helps facilities drive value through excellence and innovation in food services, booking and content development, sustainable operations, public health, public safety, and more. 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