The Hartford Wolf Pack’s search for a first home win kept slipping away Wednesday night, and the finish made the final line look harsher than the middle of the game felt. Lehigh Valley left PeoplesBank Arena with a 4-1 win after breaking a 1-1 tie late and then adding two empty-net goals to put it away.
Hartford’s night started with structure and decent goaltending at both ends. The first period stayed scoreless despite chances for both teams, with each side getting a power play look and neither able to cash in. Callum Tung stopped all 12 shots he saw, and Carson Bjarnason turned away 11 to keep it 0-0 through 20 minutes.
Lehigh Valley appeared to strike first early in the second when Cam Dineen buried a power play chance, but the goal was immediately wiped out for goaltender interference. The Phantoms didn’t have to wait much longer to grab the lead, though. With the period winding down, Jett Luchanko set up Carl Grundström on an odd-man rush, and Grundström beat Tung to make it 1-0.
Hartford answered quickly. Cole Beaudoin chipped the puck past a defender to spring Taylor Raddysh, who pulled Bjarnason out of position and lifted a backhand over the goalie’s blocker to tie it at 1-1. The goal was Raddysh’s third of the season, Beaudoin picked up his team-leading sixth point, and Matthew Robertson got the secondary assist for his first point with the Wolf Pack since April 9, 2025, when he assisted in a 3-2 win over the Bridgeport Islanders.
That tie held into the second intermission, but the third period swung back Lehigh Valley’s way. Hartford had an early power play chance and later killed off a key penalty, yet it couldn’t turn either moment into momentum. Noah Powell eventually slipped a shot under Tung’s glove to put the Phantoms back in front, and this time Hartford never recovered.
Alex Bump and Cam Dineen each added empty-net goals late to close out the 4-1 result.
“We had some good opportunities throughout the game to put it in the back of the net. Their goalie made some saves, so did ours,” Wolf Pack head coach Jay Leach told Blueshirt Banter following the game.
“We're having [what] I was kind of expecting with a young group that's playing a lot of important minutes very early on. Going through some ups and downs of playing in the American Hockey League.
Gotta keep working and certainly learn from some mistakes.”
Leach also singled out Tung, who finished with 31 saves on 33 shots.
“He's been great. He's kept us in pretty much every game,” the Wolf Pack bench boss told Blueshirt Banter. “I can't say I remember a bad goal, which is not an easy thing to say for a goalie.”
Hartford now heads to Charlotte for two games against the Checkers this weekend. Leach said the change of scenery can help.
“The road, sometimes it simplifies your game,” Leach noted after the contest. “Hopefully we're up for the challenge and we can come back with a good taste in our mouth when it comes to our game.”
The Wolf Pack play Friday and Saturday in Charlotte, with puck drop Friday set for 7 pm.
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