Wilkes-Barre, PA, January 11, 2014 – Anton Zlobin had two goals, including the third-period game-winner, Saturday night at Mohegan Sun Arena, as the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins defeated the Hartford Wolf Pack, 5-3.
The Wolf Pack took a 3-2 lead into the third period, but were outshot 17-2 in the third. Tom Kuhnhackl also scored for the Penguins in the third, and Brian Dumoulin had an empty-netter. Dominik Uher scored a shorthanded goal for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the first period, and Scott Harrington had three assists.
T.J. Hensick had a goal and an assist in his first game for the Wolf Pack, after being claimed off of waivers from the Abbotsford Heat Friday night, and the Wolf Pack also got goals from Danny Kristo and Ryan Bourque. Danny Syvret had a pair of assists.
“I thought we fought hard,” Kristo said. “I thought we outplayed them for two periods, and then a little penalty trouble in the third and they scored one. Then a tie game, it just comes down to a bounce, and we got the short end of it tonight.”
The Wolf Pack outshot the Penguins 9-2 in the first period, but came out of it tied at one.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton scored shorthanded at 5:32, on what was their only shot of the period for nearly the first 15 minutes.
After Mike Carman won a draw in the defensive zone, Uher moved into the Wolf Pack end and fired a shot, from deep in the slot, that Wolf Pack goaltender Jason Missiaen (20 saves) got a big piece of but could not stop.
The next time the Wolf Pack went to the power play, Hensick tied the game. Hensick took a feed from Syvret and moved up the slot, and sent a shot from about 25 feet out off of Penguin goaltender Jeff Deslauriers (16 saves) and in.
The Wolf Pack took their first lead of the game at 7:10 of the second, when Kristo, the team’s leading scorer, broke a four-game points drought with his 13th of the year.
Syvret threaded a perfect pass out of the defensive zone, through a Penguins player in center ice, to Kristo, who broke down right wing and put a low shot through Deslauriers.
Zlobin answered that goal for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at 10:08, after a long Phil Samuelsson pass sent him into the Wolf Pack zone with a step on the defense. Zlobin tried to stickhandle and could never quite control the puck, but managed to reach out and poke a close range backhander past Missiaen.
Just 2:33 later, at 12:41, Bourque put the Wolf Pack back ahead, extending his goal-scoring streak to a career-high three games. Hensick intercepted Harrington’s pass in the neutral zone, moved into the Penguin zone and handed off to Bourque on the right-wing side. Deslauriers made the initial save on Bourque’s hard shot, but the puck deflected off of a defender and found its way into the net.
The Wolf Pack went into the third period having outshot Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 17-8, but the tables turned dramatically in the final session.
Kuhnhackl tied it at three on a power play at 8:09, with Tommy Hughes in the penalty box for tripping. Zack Torquato sent Kuhnhackl down right wing with a pass, and Kuhnhackl was able to snap a shot high into the net past Missiaen’s catching glove.
The game-winner, Zlobin’s second goal of the game, came at 12:10. Bourque blocked a shot by Brendan Mikkelson, but the puck came right back to Mikkelson at the right point. Missiaen stopped Mikkelson’s initial shot but could not cover the rebound, and Zlobin got two tries at it, the second of which he pushed just inside the goal post to Missiaen’s right.
Dumoulin then iced the game at 19:09, with Missiaen on the bench for an extra attacker. Dumoulin cleared the puck from the right-wing boards inside his own blue line, and the disc bounced and rolled perfectly into the open net.
The Wolf Pack wrap up a three-game road weekend Sunday in Bridgeport. Faceoff is 3:00 PM, and all the action can be heard live on Fox Sports Radio 1410, and on-line at www.foxsportsradio1410.com and iHeartRadio. Video streaming is available at www.ahllive.com.
The Wolf Pack’s next home game is Friday, January 24, a 7:00 PM contest against the Springfield Falcons. All Wolf Pack Friday-night home games feature $1 hot dogs and $2 beers through the start of the second period, presented by Marc’s Appliance Warehouse, located at 75 Prospect Ave., Hartford, CT.
Tickets for all Wolf Pack 2013-14 home games are on sale now at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com and by phone at (877) 522-8499. Wolf Pack tickets start as low as $12 for youth 12 years old or younger. To speak with a representative about season or group tickets, call (855) 762-6451.
Hartford Wolf Pack 3 at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 5
Saturday, January 11, 2014 – Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza
Hartford 1 2 0 – 3
W-B/Scranton 1 1 3 – 5
1st Period-1, W-B/Scranton, Uher 4 (Carman, Dumoulin), 5:32 (SH). 2, Hartford, Hensick 1 (Syvret, Allen), 11:31 (PP). Penalties-served by Torquato Wbs (bench minor – too many men), 5:14; Haley Hfd (fighting), 7:45; McNeill Wbs (fighting), 7:45; Hrivik Hfd (holding), 8:47; Harrington Wbs (boarding), 10:55.
2nd Period-3, Hartford, Kristo 13 (Syvret, Hrivik), 7:10. 4, W-B/Scranton, Zlobin 3 (Samuelsson, Harrington), 10:08. 5, Hartford, Bourque 7 (Hensick), 12:41. Penalties-Zolnierczyk Wbs (tripping), 0:25; Yogan Hfd (interference), 3:56; Johnson Hfd (boarding), 7:44; Kuhnhackl Wbs (hooking), 14:47.
3rd Period-6, W-B/Scranton, Kuhnhackl 8 (Torquato, Harrington), 8:09 (PP). 7, W-B/Scranton, Zlobin 4 (Mikkelson, Harrington), 12:10. 8, W-B/Scranton, Dumoulin 3 (Samuelsson), 19:09 (EN). Penalties-Hughes Hfd (tripping), 6:42; Bickel Hfd (high-sticking), 9:06; Johnson Hfd (hooking), 19:59.
Shots on Goal-Hartford 9-8-2-19. W-B/Scranton 2-6-17-25.
Power Play Opportunities-Hartford 1 / 4; W-B/Scranton 1 / 6.
Goalies-Hartford, Missiaen 2-10-1 (24 shots-20 saves). W-B/Scranton, Deslauriers 16-9-2 (19 shots-16 saves).
A-8,188
Referees-Jarrod Ragusin (54).
Linesmen-Scott Adams (20), Jud Ritter (34).
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