Wolf Pack Bounce Back, Trounce Thunderbirds 6-3

After a frustrating game last night against the Bridgeport Islanders, the Hartford Wolf Pack returned to action on Saturday night. They hit the road to visit the Springfield Thunderbirds for round two of the I-91 Rivalry this season.

The Wolf Pack had a great response, playing one of their best games of the season. The offense erupted for six goals as they cruised to a 6-3 win over their rivals from Springfield.

PP-Beebs

The Wolf Pack got a much better start than last night, tilting the ice in their favor throughout the opening frame. However, it would be Springfield that broke the ice. A long range shot from Corey Schueneman flew through traffic and by Dylan Garand to open the scoring.

However, the Wolf Pack would respond about three minutes later. A boarding call against Dalibor Dvorský gave Hartford their first power play bid of the evening. Brett Berard would be the one to snap the Wolf Pack's power play drought, taking a feed from Gabe Perreault and ripping a shot from the slot by Georgi Romanov to tie the score at one.

Scott Morrow earned the secondary helper, his first point as a member of the Wolf Pack.

Running Up That Hill-man

The Wolf Pack took the lead just over two minutes later. Blake Hillman stretched a pass for Bryce McConnell-Barker, who took the puck into the offensive zone. McConnell-Barker danced around a defender and found Hillman powering towards the goal. Hillman tapped the feed by Romanov to put Hartford in front.

The Wolf Pack would take the 2-1 margin into the first intermission.

Coming in Hot

The Wolf Pack came out of the break on fire, scoring just 44 seconds into the frame. Dylan Roobroeck forced a turnover behind the Springfield net, and Brendan Brisson corralled it. Brisson took a shot that Romanov denied, but the forward slammed home his own rebound to put Hartford up by two.

Carey Terrance followed up just over a minute later. Adam Sýkora took a big hit at neutral ice, but it allowed the puck to trickle into the Springfield zone. Terrance collected it, cut to the net, and roofed a shot over Romanov to make it a 4-1 game.

Hillman picked up the secondary assist on Terrance's tally, giving him two points on the night.

Just 17 seconds later, Gabe Perreault made it a 5-1 contest. Justin Dowling took a shot from beyond the circles, and Perreault tipped it into the net to make it three goals in under two minutes for the Wolf Pack.

Perreault's goal would chase Romanov from net. Vadim Zherenko came on in relief.

Bryce for What

Leo Lööf would cut the lead back to three, ripping a shot over Garand just over a minute after Perreault's goal.

However, McConnell-Barker would reinstate the four-goal margin at 7:55 of the frame. McConnell-Barker took a pass from Anton Blidh, skated towards the Springfield net, and attempted a centering pass for Trey Fix-Wolansky. The pass clipped the skate of a Springfield defenseman and trickled by Zherenko to make it 6-2 in favor Hartford.

The goal gave McConnell-Barker two points (1 G, 1 A) in the contest, and the Wolf Pack took the four-goal lead into the second intermission.

Making a Statement

Dvorský would pot a power play goal in the final frame, but the damage would end there. The Wolf Pack earned a 6-3 victory over their rivals from Springfield. Hartford outshot the Thunderbirds 35-15 on the night and spent plenty of time in the offensive zone. The penalty kill remained strong, going three for four on the night - they've killed 92.6% of penalties against them, good for second in the American Hockey League.

It's an impressive response to a frustrating game on Friday. After last night's contest, Wolf Pack head coach Grant Potulny told Blueshirt Banter that it was great they'd have an opportunity tomorrow. They made the most of it, playing by far their best game of the season and earning a statement victory.

Up Next

The Wolf Pack return to the Connecticut capital on Wednesday, hosting the Charlotte Checkers for the first time this season. Puck drop is set for 7:00 pm.