Wolf Pack Ride Strong Effort to 4-1 Win Over Senators

After a heartbreaking loss last night in Hamilton, the Hartford Wolf Pack continued their season-long eight game road trip on Friday night. They remained in Ontario, visiting the Belleville Senators for the only time this season.

The teams played a tight game, but a 60 minute effort from the Wolf Pack helped them get back into the win column. A pair of empty netters late in regulation secured a 4-1 victory for the Wolf Pack.

Ant-On the Mark

For the fourth straight game, the Wolf Pack found the opening goal. A double minor for high-sticking against Matthew Andonovski sent the Wolf Pack to the game's first power play bid. On the ensuing man advantage, Juuso Pärssinen snapped a cross-ice feed to Nathan Aspinall in the right circle. Aspinall immediately whipped a pass to Anton Blidh at the net front, and the veteran Swede poked it home to break the ice.

The goal was Blidh's second of the campaign, while Pärssinen extended his point streak to three straight games with the secondary helper.

The Senators would respond about four minutes later. Brody Lamb took a delay of game penalty for closing his hand on the puck, giving the home side their first power play bid of the contest. Hartford got the kill, but before Lamb could rejoin the action, Kasper Halttunen ripped a shot past Callum Tung to even the score at one.

Just Tap It In

The Wolf Pack got another power play bid late in the opening frame when Gabriel Eliasson was whistled for tripping. On the power play, Glenn Gawdin found Marc Del Gaizo at the top of the zone. The captain walked in before dishing a feed to Justin Dowling stationed on the back door. The veteran forward tapped it past Jackson Parsons to reinstate the lead, this time for good.

The goal was Dowling's second of the season, which extended his point streak to three games. Gawdin's point streak reached five games with the secondary helper; Gawdin has recorded seven points (1 G, 6 A) in that span. The Wolf Pack would take the 2-1 lead into the first intermission.

Total Team Effort

Neither side could find the twine in the middle frame. Parsons kept the home side in it, stopping all 10 shots he saw in the period. On the other end of the ice, Tung denied five bids to send the game into the second intermission with the Wolf Pack still leading 2-1.

Belleville picked up the pace in the final stanza, pressuring Hartford. However, Tung continued to stand tall, making some stellar stops to prevent the Senators from drawing any closer.

Late in regulation time, Belleville lifted Parsons as they sought the equalizer. Hartford cleared the puck to center ice, where Pärssinen found Carey Terrance with room. Terrance worked towards the vacant cage and was hooked before he could shoot. As a result, officials awarded him the empty net tally to put Hartford up 3-1 with just 41 seconds to play.

Blidh tacked on another empty netter in the waning seconds of regulation, cementing the 4-1 victory for the Wolf Pack.

With the win, the Wolf Pack finish their two-game swing through Ontario with three out of a possible four points. They'll return to Hartford tonight before renewing the I-91 Rivalry on Sunday afternoon.

Up Next

The Wolf Pack will continue their eight game road trip on Sunday, visiting the Springfield Thunderbirds in the first installment of the I-91 Rivalry this season. Puck drop is set for 3:05 pm.