Despite Strong Effort, Wolf Pack Fall to Marlies 4-1

After picking up a big victory over the Bridgeport Islanders last night, the Hartford Wolf Pack continued their four-game home stand on Saturday night. They welcomed the Toronto Marlies to town for the first time since December 2023.

The Wolf Pack fired 38 shots on net in the game, but got just one of them to fall. Toronto struck four times throughout the contest to secure a 4-1 decision.

Keep On Brisson

The Marlies would break the ice in this contest. Former Wolf Pack forward Vinni Lettieri beat Callum Tung on the short side to give the visitors the game's first lead.

Cédric Paré doubled the lead about midway through the opening frame, converting on a power play opportunity by tipping a shot from Logan Shaw by Tung.

However, the Wolf Pack would continue to press throughout the frame, firing 15 shots on goal to Toronto's five. During an extended sequence in the offensive zone, Dylan Roobroeck attempted to hammer a rebound off a Trey-Fix Wolansky shot home. However, the puck clipped a Toronto defender and slid through the slot to Brendan Brisson on the backdoor. Brisson grabbed the loose change and ripped a shot that Ken Appleby had no chance at stopping to cut the lead in half.

The goal was Brisson's 11th of the season, good for second on the team. The game went into the first intermission with Toronto in front 2-1.

Toronto scored twice in quick succession early in the second period. First, Tung went out to settle a puck, but he lost the handle on it. The puck trickled to Matthew Barbolini, who nailed the empty net to reinstate the two-goal lead. After the goal, Hartford lifted Tung for Dylan Garand in net.

Just 19 seconds later, the Marlies found their largest lead of the night. Ryan Tverberg attempted to stuff a wraparound bid by the pad of Garand, and after a delayed call, officials ruled it a goal. Garand protested, but after a review, the call stood, making it 4-1 in favor of the visitors.

The Wolf Pack kept up the shot volume, firing 13 bids at Appleby, but the Toronto netminder stood tall to send the game into the second intermission with the Marlies up by three.

Trust the Process

The Wolf Pack continued to fire shots in the final frame, but they simply couldn't solve Appleby. Despite holding an edge in shots by a 38-24 margin, the Wolf Pack fell 4-1 in the matchup.

"You look at a game like this, and give their goalie due. He played well," Wolf Pack head coach Grant Potulny told Blueshirt Banter after the game. "I think we're playing good hockey right now. Yes, the score is the score, and you play to win the game. But you gotta look at the brand of hockey we're playing. We're skating, we're forechecking, I feel like we're defending pretty well."

The Wolf Pack bench boss has a point. This was not a game where the Wolf Pack fell behind and conceded the game. They skated until the final whistle, generating chances even as the final seconds ticked off the clock. It's an effort that Potulny and his staff can be proud of, even in a loss.

As for the result of the game, Potulny offered a simple statement to Blueshirt Banter:

"Some days they go in, some days they don't. Tonight, they just didn't go in."

Up Next

The Wolf Pack continue their home stand on Wednesday, welcoming the Charlotte Checkers to town for the second time this season. Puck drop is set for 6:30 pm.