Wolf Pack Can't Complete Comeback, Fall to Islanders 4-2

The Hartford Wolf Pack kicked off their April slate on Friday night with a crucial tilt. They visited the Bridgeport Islanders for the tenth iteration of the Battle of Connecticut this season.

The Wolf Pack got off to a bad start, and it ultimately did them in. Bridgeport struck three times in the opening 20 minutes to eventually lead to a 4-2 decision for the home side.

27 Club

The opening frame was all Bridgeport. Daylan Kuefler gave the Islanders a lead they'd never lose just under five minutes into the action. Kuefler took a pass from Victor Eklund, went to the backhand, and beat Spencer Martin to open the scoring.

Cam Thiesing doubled the lead ten minutes later, flinging a shot through traffic that beat a screened Martin.

Marshall Warren capped off the barrage, taking advantage of a failed clearing attempt by the Wolf Pack and rifling a shot past the glove of the Hartford netminder. Bridgeport took the 3-0 lead into the first intermission.

The Wolf Pack would finally get onto the board about six minutes into the second period. Carey Terrance threaded a puck around the boards, and Brandon Scanlin poked it away from a Bridgeport defender. The puck trickled to Trey Fix-Wolansky at the far point, and the veteran forward blasted a howitzer that Henrik Tikkanen couldn't get all of to cut the lead to two goals.

The goal was Fix-Wolansky's team-leading 27th of the campaign. Fix-Wolansky is two goals off matching his career high of 29, as well as three goals off recording his first 30-goal season and becoming the Wolf Pack's first 30-goal scorer since Nicklas Jensen potted 32 goals in the 2016-17 campaign.

Just over the halfway point in the frame, Terrance was elbowed in the head by Luke Rowe. Terrance exited the game, and the Wolf Pack went to a five-minute power play as Rowe was given a major penalty and a game misconduct. However, just a minute into the man advantage, Fix-Wolansky was assessed a match penalty for an illegal check to the head, forcing the Wolf Pack to play with just 10 forwards for the remainder of the contest.

Neither side could find the twine through the rest of the period, and the rivals entered the second intermission with Bridgeport ahead 3-1.

Ultralight Beemer

The Wolf Pack drew within one early in the final frame. Cole McWard attempted a stretch pass, but he put the puck right on the stick of Bryce McConnell-Barker. The second-year forward ripped a shot from the left circle that Tikkanen turned aside, but McConnell-Barker buried the rebound from a sharp angle to give Hartford a puncher's chance.

The goal was McConnell-Barker's 11th of the season, a new career high.

The Wolf Pack pressed hard for the equalizer over the remainder of regulation time. However, they simply couldn't find the necessary goal. Matthew Highmore would eventually hit the empty net to secure the 4-2 decision for the home side.

The loss, combined with a 4-2 Springfield win over Hershey, put the Wolf Pack eight points back of the playoff cut line with just seven games to play.

Up Next

The Wolf Pack return home tomorrow, hosting the Hershey Bears for the final matchup between the teams this season. Puck drop is set for 6 pm.