Wolf Pack Fall to Checkers 7-1

The Hartford Wolf Pack continued their four-game home stand on Wednesday night. They welcomed the Charlotte Checkers to town for the second time this season.

The Wolf Pack played a decent game through two periods, but the third period saw them unravel. Charlotte eventually struck seven times on their way to a 7-1 decision.

Lucky Seven for Charlotte

Charlotte would open the scoring in the contest. Nate Smith got the visitors on the board first, finding some open ice before rifling a shot top shelf over Dylan Garand just under six minutes into the contest.

The Checkers doubled the lead in the final minutes of the period. Riese Gaber forced a turnover behind the Wolf Pack net and found Ben Steeves alone in front. Steeves went to the backhand and slipped a shot by Garand to put Charlotte up by two. They'd take the 2-0 lead into the first intermission.

The Wolf Pack continued to apply the pressure in the middle frame, outshooting the Checkers by a 9-3 margin. However, Charlotte would triple the lead just over the 12 minute mark in the period. Brett Chorske took a shot that Garand made the initial stop on, but it trickled through the netminder and over the line for the visitors' third goal of the night. Charlotte took the 3-0 lead into the second intermission.

The Wolf Pack got a power play bid early in the third period. However, Jack Studnicka would strike on a shorthanded breakaway to make it a 4-0 contest.

Chorske notched his second of the night three minutes later, followed by Wilmer Skoog scoring just over the 12 minute mark in the frame and Gaber capping off the Charlotte barrage just over a minute later to make it 7-0.

Off the Wal

Daniel Walcott broke the shutout bid in the waning seconds of the contest, tipping home a shot from Blake Hillman.

The goal was Walcott's third of the season, but the intrigue ended there, and Charlotte took a 7-1 decision.

"When it got to four, I felt it kind of popped the balloon on the bench," Wolf Pack head coach Grant Potulny told Blueshirt Banter following the game. "[Charlotte is] a good hockey team. They were as advertised in the first. I didn't think we showed them what we were capable of [in the first], I thought we did in the second. The third was what it was."

The Wolf Pack will have a quick turnaround to an important game on Friday, hosting the Bridgeport Islanders. The in-state rivals continue to battle for position in the standings, and every game between them is a key one.

"Friday is a huge game for us," Potulny remarked to Blueshirt Banter. "It might come down to who wins the season series, cause those are gonna be really important points."

That said, Potulny doesn't want his team to dwell on the tough loss. Every team will have games like this throughout the season, but you get a chance to respond to it in your next game.

"We've gotta wake up tomorrow, the sun is gonna be up, and we've gotta attack the day," the Hartford bench boss told Blueshirt Banter.

Up Next

The Wolf Pack are back in action on Friday, welcoming the Bridgeport Islanders to town for round eight of the Battle of Connecticut this season. Puck drop is set for 7 pm.