Wolf Pack Snap Skid with Gritty Win Over Penguins
WILKES-BARRE, PA - After seven straight games without a win, the Hartford Wolf Pack rolled into Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza on Friday night looking to change the narrative-and they did just that. Behind a relentless second-period surge and some clutch goaltending down the stretch, the Wolf Pack held off the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for a 4-3 victory, snapping a frustrating 0-6-1-0 skid.
It didn’t start pretty. A costly early turnover in their own zone handed the Penguins the first goal of the night.
Atley Calvert picked off a pass and quickly moved it to Tristan Broz, who found Gabe Klassen in the slot. Klassen didn’t hesitate, beating Dylan Garand just 3:49 into the game to give the home team a 1-0 lead.
But Hartford didn’t let the early mistake define their night. Less than two minutes later, Daniel Walcott drew a tripping call, putting the Pack on the power play.
That’s when the dam finally broke. Casey Fitzgerald stepped into the high slot and let one fly, and Jaroslav Chmelař got just enough of it to redirect the puck past Sergei Murashov at 6:36.
Not only did it tie the game, it marked Hartford’s first power play goal in 11 tries against the Penguins this season-a breakthrough that couldn’t have come at a better time.
The second period brought the fireworks. Klassen struck again for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at 11:41, capitalizing on a rebound after a long shift left the Wolf Pack gassed and vulnerable. Calvert won the faceoff cleanly to Finn Harding, who fired a shot that Garand stopped, but the rebound sat up perfectly for Klassen to bury his second of the night from the bottom of the circle.
But this time, the Wolf Pack answered back with lightning speed. Just 26 seconds later, Chmelař-already making an impact on both ends-blocked a shot in the defensive zone and quickly transitioned the puck up ice. He fed Brett Berard on the left wing, and Berard did the rest, beating Murashov with a low snipe at 12:07 to even things at 2-2.
And the momentum kept building.
At 14:26, Kalle Väisänen got in on the action, tipping a Fitzgerald point shot past Murashov to give Hartford its first lead of the night. It was Väisänen’s third goal of the season, and it couldn’t have been more timely. The Wolf Pack had flipped the script-and they weren’t done yet.
Justin Dowling added what turned out to be the game-winner with just 45 seconds left in the second period. Berard tipped a Chmelař shot on net, Murashov made the initial save, but Dowling was right there to clean up the rebound and fire into a wide-open cage. That made it 4-2, capping off a three-goal outburst in just over seven minutes.
The Penguins weren’t going away quietly, though. Midway through the third, Aaron Huglen forced a turnover deep in Hartford’s zone and found Aidan McDonough in the left circle. McDonough’s quick release beat Garand glove side at 9:38, cutting the deficit to one.
But Garand locked in after that. The 21-year-old netminder stopped all nine shots he faced in the third period, slamming the door on any comeback hopes and sealing the Wolf Pack’s first win since late December.
The victory couldn’t have come at a better time for a Hartford team trying to right the ship during a critical five-game road trip. They’ll get a quick turnaround and another crack at the Penguins in a rematch tomorrow night, with puck drop set for 6:05 p.m.
After that, the Pack return home to the newly renovated PeoplesBank Arena on January 23, where they’ll host the Bridgeport Islanders. That one’s set for a 7:00 p.m. start, with coverage beginning at 6:45 p.m. on AHLTV and Mixlr.
But for now, the Wolf Pack can breathe a little easier. The losing streak is over-and they earned every bit of it.