Wolf Pack Stave Off Checkers, Earn 5-2 Win

The Hartford Wolf Pack continued their five-game road trip on Tuesday night. They visited the Charlotte Checkers for a St. Patrick's Day tilt in the Tar Heel State.

The Wolf Pack wouldn't need any Irish luck on this night. They took an early lead and never looked back, eventually earning a 5-2 victory and a big two points in the playoff chase.

Trey Leaf Clover

For the first time in the season series, the Wolf Pack broke the ice. Casey Fitzgerald and Brendan Brisson gained the zone on a rush. With Fitzgerald going to the goal, Brisson slipped the puck to Trey Fix-Wolansky at the top of the offensive zone. Fix-Wolansky ripped a long shot that deflected off a Charlotte defender and found its way past Cooper Black, giving the Wolf Pack the game's first lead.

The goal was Fix-Wolansky's team-leading 24th of the season.

Hartford nearly doubled the lead during a power play bid late in the frame when Adam Sýkora hammered a rebound on net. However, Black made an immaculate save to keep the deficit at one. The save sent the game into the first intermission with the Wolf Pack ahead by one.

Aidan Go Bragh

The Wolf Pack doubled their lead about five minutes into the middle frame. Scott Morrow knocked down a Charlotte pass at the blue line and sent the puck to Aidan Thompson, working into the zone. Thompson walked to the right-wing circle before sniping a shot through traffic and into the net to put the Wolf Pack up by two.

The goal was Thompson's seventh of the season and his first as a member of the Wolf Pack.

Fixy's Seeing Green

A four-on-four sequence was initiated 11:37 into the second period as Morrow and Ben Steeves each sat for roughing. A minute later, Jack Studnicka took a roughing minor as well, giving the Wolf Pack a four-on-three power play bid.

After failing to convert on their first two man advantages, the Wolf Pack power play finally broke through. Connor Mackey teed up Fix-Wolansky at the top of the left-wing circle, and the veteran forward uncorked a shot that Black couldn't stop to make it a 3-0 game.

The goal was Fix-Wolansky's team-leading 25th of the campaign, as well as his sixth multi-goal outing of the season. Mackey's primary assist was his 100th career AHL point, while Brisson, who picked up the secondary helper, earned his second point of the night and his 30th of the season.

Hartford got a pair of key penalty kills late in the frame, sending the game into the second intermission with the Wolf Pack up 3-0.

Saint Mack-trick

The Checkers would cut the lead down to one early in the third period. Dylan Garand couldn't cover a puck, which trickled to Studnicka. The veteran forward rifled a shot over a downed Garand to get Charlotte on the board.

Studnicka struck again seven minutes later, using Morrow as a screen to tally a shorthanded marker and bring the home side within one.

However, the Wolf Pack would turn the tides back in their favor. Dylan Roobroeck won an offensive zone draw for Mackey, and the veteran blueliner snapped a seeing-eye shot that snuck by Black to reinstate the two-goal lead.

The goal was Mackey's fifth of the campaign, and it gave him his first multi-point contest of the season.

County Carey

The Wolf Pack capped off the scoring just 52 seconds later. Brody Lamb kept the puck in the offensive zone and fired a shot from the left-wing wall. Black made the save, but Carey Terrance stuffed a backhander home to put Hartford back up by three.

The goal was Terrance's sixth of the campaign, while Lamb picked up his first professional point with the primary assist.

The Wolf Pack would ride out the contest from there, eventually earning a 5-2 victory.

The win gives the Wolf Pack 52 points on the year and puts them just four points back of a playoff spot in the Atlantic Division. The Springfield Thunderbirds and Bridgeport Islanders each have 56 points; Springfield holds the tiebreaker, and by virtue, the final playoff spot in the Atlantic Division, with 21 regulation wins to Bridgeport's 20. The fifth place Lehigh Valley Phantoms have 58 points, six more than Hartford. All four teams have 13 games left to play.

Up Next

The Wolf Pack and Checkers will wrap up the North Carolina portion of the season series tomorrow night. Puck drop is set for 7 pm.

The Wolf Pack will host Charlotte in their return to the PeoplesBank Arena on Saturday, March 28. Puck drop is set for 6 pm.