Wolf Pack Use Force, Beat Bears 5-2

Fresh off a dominant victory over the Bridgeport Islanders last night, the Hartford Wolf Pack continued their five-game home stand on Saturday night. They welcomed the Hershey Bears to town for the first time this season.

An all-out effort from the Wolf Pack led to another massive victory. Hartford struck five times on their way to an eventual 5-2 win and another two points in a tight playoff race.

Revenge of the Fix

The Bears would notch the icebreaker just under seven minutes into the contest. Andrew Cristall sniped a sharp-angle shot that beat Dylan Garand to give the visitors the game's first lead.

However, the Wolf Pack struck back about two minutes later. Adam Sýkora poked the puck away from a Bear down low, allowing Brendan Brisson to collect it. Brisson sent a feed to Trey Fix-Wolansky in the slot, who promptly snapped a shot over Garin Bjorklund to tie the contest.

The goal was Fix-Wolansky's team-leading 22nd of the campaign, and it extended his point streak to six games. It's the longest streak by a Wolf Pack player this season.

Never Tell Me The Odds

The Wolf Pack took their first lead of the night in the final minutes of the opening frame. Aidan Thompson corralled a loose puck at neutral ice and chipped it around a Hershey defender. Thompson tapped it to Carey Terrance, who powered towards the goal. Terrance fired a shot from an impossible angle that somehow found its way through Bjorklund and into the net to put Hartford in front.

The goal was Terrance's fourth of the campaign, while Thompson, acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks at yesterday's NHL trade deadline in exchange for Derrick Pouliot, collected his first point as a member of the Wolf Pack. Hartford took the 2-1 lead into the first intermission.

Rogue 11

The Wolf Pack doubled their lead early in the middle frame. Connor Mackey sent a stretch pass to Thompson, who slipped it to Terrance streaking into the zone. Terrance danced through the Hershey defense, went to the forehand, and stuffed a shot home to put the Wolf Pack up by two.

The goal was Terrance's fifth of the season and second of the night, giving him his first multi-goal and multi-point game as a professional. Additionally, the assist gave Thompson two helpers in his Wolf Pack debut.

"Guys have been great so far, super welcoming," Thompson told Blueshirt Banter following the game. "Couldn't ask for a better start."

Both teams had chances through the remainder of the frame, but neither could find the net again, and the Wolf Pack took the 3-1 lead into the second intermission.

This is Where the Fun Begins

The Wolf Pack found their largest lead of the night just over the halfway point in the final frame. Blake Hillman tapped the puck up the ice to Cooper Moore at the blue line. Moore stepped into a drive that Fix-Wolansky got a piece of, putting the Wolf Pack up by three.

The goal was Fix-Wolansky's 23rd of the campaign and second of the night. It was Fix-Wolansky's second straight game recording multiple goals, as well as his fifth multi-goal game of the season.

Hershey would cut the lead back to two when Grant Cruikshank buried a turnover, but Sýkora nailed the empty net in the waning minutes of the contest to reinstate the three-goal margin. The goal capped off the scoring, giving the Wolf Pack a 5-2 victory.

"It was another very good game for us," Wolf Pack head coach Grant Potulny told Blueshirt Banter following the game. "I'm walking off the bench in the first period, and I thought, if we could hold them to about seven shots a period, and we can get close to 30, I feel pretty good about it. It ended up exactly where I [thought]."

It's another massive victory for Hartford in what is essentially a playoff game as they aim to creep closer to returning to the Calder Cup Playoffs. The stretch is bringing the Wolf Pack closer together and helping them deliver victories.

"I think we just came together," Terrance noted to Blueshirt Banter after the game. "No matter the noise outside, whatever's going on. We've got to stick to our game, and we believe in what we have in the locker room. We know we're in the chase. We just gotta keep our heads forward and keep stepping forward."

Up Next

The Wolf Pack return to action on Wednesday, hosting the Cleveland Monsters for the first of two games between the teams next week. Puck drop is set for 7 pm.