The Hartford Wolf Pack came out of Hamilton with a point, but the penalty box came with the bigger bill.
On Thursday night, Hartford opened its season-long eight-game road trip against the Hamilton Hammers in the first meeting between the franchises. The game had plenty of offensive punch on both sides, and regulation wasn’t enough to settle it. In the end, Hamilton cashed in four times on the power play and edged Hartford 5-4 in overtime.
Hartford started fast and got the night’s first goal just over seven minutes in. After a bench minor for too many men sent the Wolf Pack to the penalty kill, Dennis Cholowski cleared the puck to center ice and Carey Terrance played it away from a Hammer. Jaroslav Chmelař picked up the loose puck, charged into the Hamilton zone short-handed and buried a backhand chance through Josh Kotai for the opening goal.
The lead didn’t last long. Hunter Drew redirected a shot past Spencer Martin on the power play to tie the game at 1-1.
The Wolf Pack answered quickly and went back in front just over two minutes later. Justin Dowling worked the puck low, fed Matthew Robertson at the point, and Robertson fired through traffic for his first goal of the season and his first since October 25, 2024, when he scored in a 4-3 overtime win over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Dowling, meanwhile, picked up his 300th career AHL assist on the play.
Hartford then stretched the margin to 3-1 less than a minute later. Glenn Gawdin moved the puck ahead to Brody Lamb, who beat the Hamilton defense and lifted a backhander through Kotai for his first goal of the season. Drew Fortescue earned the secondary assist, which gave him his first AHL point.
But Hamilton kept finding ways to swing the game back in its favor. With Cholowski off for tripping, Cole Eiserman finished a chance to trim the deficit to 3-2 before the first intermission.
The second period belonged to the home side. Cam Thiesing tied the game just before the 15-minute mark by snapping a centering pass from Pierre Engvall past Martin. Then, at 17:40, Matthew Highmore put Hamilton ahead for good in regulation when he stuffed in a chance during a sequence that saw Nathan Aspinall take a double minor for high-sticking and Lamb go to the box after putting the puck over the glass.
Hartford pushed back in the third and got the equalizer on a five-on-three. With Engvall serving a hooking penalty and Quinn Finley in the box for tripping, Marc Del Gaizo took a pass from Dowling and blasted it home from the high slot to make it 4-4. It was Del Gaizo’s second goal of the season, and Dowling’s first multi-point game of the year.
The Wolf Pack pressed for the winner late in regulation, but Kotai held the line and forced overtime.
Hartford’s trouble arrived before the extra period even began. Terrance was called for holding, giving Hamilton a power play to start overtime, and Highmore finished the game off with his second goal of the night.
Hamilton went 4-for-8 on the power play, and that was the difference. Hartford picked up one point, but the missed discipline was costly.
The Wolf Pack continue their trip north of the border on Friday, when they visit Belleville for the only time this season. Puck drop is set for 7 pm.
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