Wolf Pack Sink Islanders in Dominant 6-0 Win

After taking a tough loss in a great effort on Wednesday night, the Hartford Wolf Pack continued their five-game home stand on Friday night. They welcomed the Bridgeport Islanders to town for a pivotal tilt with massive playoff implications.

The in-state rivals engaged in a physical battle all night, racking up 212 penalty minutes between them. Throughout the festivities, the Wolf Pack struck six times on their way to a massive 6-0 win.

Trey = 20

The Wolf Pack broke the ice just over two minutes into the contest. For the second night in a row, Trey Fix-Wolansky did the honors. Brendan Brisson tapped a loose puck to Connor Mackey at the right point. Mackey fired a long shot that went wide and ricocheted off the back wall. Fix-Wolansky tracked the puck and hammered the carom past Marcus Högberg to give the Wolf Pack the game's first lead.

The goal was Fix-Wolansky's 20th of the season, becoming the first member of the Wolf Pack to hit that mark. There has been at least one 20-goal scorer in every one of the Wolf Pack's AHL seasons, dating back to their inaugural campaign in 1997-98.

Both teams got opportunities through the remainder of the frame, with Bridgeport getting a pair of power plays and Hartford getting one of their own. However, neither team could find the twine, and the Wolf Pack took the 1-0 lead into the first intermission.

This Fix is on Fire

The Wolf Pack got a power play bid just over three minutes into the second period when Travis Mitchell was called for holding. Less than a minute later, they'd double their lead. Scott Morrow sent a cross-ice feed for Brett Berard along the right-wing wall. Berard walked in before dishing the puck back across the ice to Fix-Wolansky in the left circle. Fix-Wolansky fired a howitzer that zipped by Högberg and into the net to put the Wolf Pack up by two.

The goal was Fix-Wolansky's 21st of the season, and it gave him his fourth multi-goal game of the campaign.

Blidher at the Bat

The Wolf Pack extended their lead four minutes later. Dylan Roobroeck won an offensive zone draw, and Cooper Moore sent a shot on net. Högberg made the initial stop, but Anton Blidh batted the rebound out of the air and into the net. Bridgeport protested for a high stick, but the goal was upheld, making it a three-goal margin for the Wolf Pack.

The goal was Blidh's sixth of the campaign.

Briss is How We Do It

The Wolf Pack ballooned the lead to five in the final minutes of regulation thanks to a pair of goals from Brendan Brisson. The first tally came off an odd-man rush. Fix-Wolansky gained the zone and fed Adam Sýkora across the ice. Sýkora sent one more pass to Brisson powering to the net, and the 2026 AHL All-Star tapped the puck home it make it 4-0 Hartford.

Brisson's second tally came just over two minutes later. Brisson gained the zone and slipped the puck to Casey Fitzgerald. The captain sent it back to Brisson, who beat Högberg on the backdoor again to push the lead to five.

The goals were Brisson's 14th and 15th of the season, respectively, while Fix-Wolansky recorded his first four-point game as a member of the Wolf Pack. Hartford took the 5-0 lead into the second intermission.

Battling in Connecticut

With Bridgeport trailing 5-0 after 40 minutes of action, their frustrations boiled over. The rivals engaged in a massive scrum just over the five-minute mark of the third period.

Ten players were sent to the box with two minutes for roughing and a ten minute misconduct - Fix-Wolansky, Sýkora, Brisson, Morrow, and Moore for Hartford, and Mitchell, Cam Berg, Matthew Maggio, Cole McWard, and Alex Jefferies for Bridgeport. Jefferies picked up an extra minor for roughing, giving the Wolf Pack a power play bid. Seven seconds into the man advantage, Luke Rowe was called for holding, giving the Wolf Pack a five-on-three power play chance.

On the ensuing power play, Brandon Scanlin teed up Fitzgerald for a one-timer, and the captain hammered it home to make it a six-goal lead for Hartford.

The goal was Fitzgerald's third of the season.

Fitzgerald's tally capped off the scoring for the game, but the festivities were far from over. The powder keg burst near the halfway point in the period. Hunter Drew fought Jackson Dorrington, and after the tilt ended, he immediately charged Spencer Martin. The Hartford netminder was willing to throw down.

Drew, Dorrington, Daniel Walcott, and Matthew Highmore were all sent off with misconducts, while Martin soaked in the thunderous applause from a raucous Hartford crowd.

In total, the teams racked up 212 penalty minutes - 114 for Bridgeport and 98 for Hartford.

The festivities ended there, and the teams skated out the rest of the contest. The Wolf Pack earned a massive 6-0 win, while Martin picked up his second shutout as a member of the Wolf Pack.

"It was a great game for us," Wolf Pack head coach Grant Potulny told Blueshirt Banter following the contest. "It's been a continuation of about two weeks of this kind of hockey. We're playing a brand of hockey that's repeatable."

The win now puts the Wolf Pack just four points back of Bridgeport for the sixth and final playoff spot in the Atlantic Division. Hartford also holds a game in hand over the Isles.

"It's gonna be playoff mentality for every game for us here on out," Fix-Wolansky remarked to Blueshirt Banter following the game. "Every game with an in-division opponent, it's a four point game. It's gonna be huge coming down the stretch and we're definitely ready for it."

Martin agreed, telling Blueshirt Banter, "Every single game is important. We're in the playoffs right now."

Up Next

The Wolf Pack continue their five-game home stand tomorrow night, hosting the Hershey Bears for the first time this season. Puck drop is set for 6 pm.