Wolf Pack Fall to Crunch 7-2
Despite two early leads, the Wolf Pack fell hard in their Saturday night matchup in Syracuse.
The Hartford Wolf Pack capped off their two-game road trip against the North Division on Saturday night. They made their only visit to Syracuse this season, taking on the Crunch.
The Wolf Pack played a strong first period, but they lost momentum throughout the rest of the contest. Syracuse would attack, finding the net seven times to cruise to a 7-2 decision.
Return of the Mack
The Wolf Pack broke the ice just two minutes into the game. Dylan Roobroeck won an offensive zone draw, and Connor Mackey corralled it at the blue line. Mackey fired a shot that Ryan Fanti made the initial stop on. However, the puck trickled through the Syracuse netminder, giving the Wolf Pack the game's first lead.
COUNT IT. pic.twitter.com/7fAAKC5i9b
— Hartford Wolf Pack (@HWPHockey) December 14, 2025
The goal was Mackey's first of the campaign.
A high-sticking call against Brendan Furry would give the Wolf Pack the game's first power play bid. However, it would be the Crunch who found the net, as Jack Finley potted a shorthanded marker to draw the teams even at one.
Who Hotter than Otter
The Wolf Pack would reinstate the lead about six minutes later. Derrick Pouliot flipped a puck into the neutral zone that Trey Fix-Wolansky collected. Fix-Wolansky and Brennan Othmann sped into the Syracuse zone on an odd-man rush. Othmann took the feed from Fix-Wolansky and roofed a shot over Fanti to put the Wolf Pack back in front.
TIC-TAC-GOAL pic.twitter.com/DZdj3Xr4zg
— Hartford Wolf Pack (@HWPHockey) December 14, 2025
The goal was Othmann's fourth of the campaign and his third in his last four contests.
However, the Crunch would again tie the game in the final minutes of the frame. Officials awarded Jakob Pelletier a penalty shot after he was interfered with during a shorthanded breakaway. Pelletier converted, ripping a shot by Spencer Martin to send the game into the first intermission with the score tied at two.
Crunched
The Crunch blew the game open in the middle frame. Furry put Syracuse in front just over two minutes into the period, while Ethan Gauthier doubled the lead at the 7:24 mark. Pelletier potted his second goal of the night on a power play bid near the halfway point of the period to push the score to 5-2.
Matteo Pietroniro and Lucas Mercuri both notched goals in the final frame to secure the 7-2 decision.
Up Next
The Wolf Pack will return home to Hartford on Friday for a rematch against the Crunch. Puck drop is set for 7 pm.
