St. John’s, Newfoundland, April 13, 2014 – The Hartford Wolf Pack’s seven-game winning streak, which tied the second-longest in team history, was snapped Sunday at Mile One Centre, in a 6-2 loss to the St. John’s IceCaps.
John Albert scored twice for St. John’s, which earned a split of a back-to-back set with the Wolf Pack after a 7-2 loss to the Pack on Saturday night, and Carl Klingberg had a goal and two assists.
Danny Kristo had a goal and an assist for the Wolf Pack, who also got a power-play goal from Chris McCarthy, his first goal as a pro, to open the scoring, only to see St. John’s get the next five goals of the game.
“They just came hard,” Kristo said of the IceCaps. “It was good start, we had the power-play goal, got out to the lead, but they came right back, scored a couple there, and then it was pretty much downhill the rest of the game. I thought we made a couple of good pushes to try and come back, but they played strong today.”
St. John’s took two early penalties, and the Wolf Pack scored on the second man advantage, with Adam Lowry in the penalty box for tripping. St. John’s goaltender Tyler Beskorowany (27 saves) stopped a Kristo shot from the right-wing side, but the rebound went right to McCarthy in the left circle and McCarthy, playing his sixth game with the Wolf Pack, banged it through Beskorowany and into the net.
The IceCaps would respond with three goals before the first period was out, though, starting with a Blair Riley strike at 8:34, only 1:37 after McCarthy’s goal. Kyle MacKinnon won the puck in the right wing corner and wrapped it around the opposite post, and Riley deflected it past Wolf Pack starting goaltender David LeNeveu.
Albert gave St. John’s the lead with his 26th goal of the season at 14:19, jamming home a second rebound from right on top of LeNeveu, after Zach Redmond put the puck at the net from the right point.
Kael Mouillierat made it a two-goal St. John’s advantage on the IceCaps’ first power play at 18:35, with Conor Allen off for slashing. Mouillierat’s shot from the top of the right circle got by the stick side of LeNeveu, who was being screened by Klingberg.
The Wolf Pack replaced LeNeveu with Dov Grumet-Morris to start the second period, and the first half of the second was scoreless, before the IceCaps broke the game open with two goals in a span of 55 seconds starting at 10:01.
Klingberg made it a 4-1 St. John’s lead at 10:01, after Eric O’Dell got by the Wolf Pack’s J.T. Miller on left wing and fed a perfect backhanded pass to Klingberg, who deflected the puck under the crossbar behind Grumet-Morris.
Then at 10:56, in a delayed-penalty situation, Klingberg flung the puck at the net from just inside the blue line, and Jerome Samson deflected it past Grumet-Morris for a 5-1 St. John’s lead.
The Wolf Pack stopped the run of five straight IceCap goals at 12:46, on a five-on-three power play. Kristo took a pass at the left point, moved to the top of the circles and fired a shot past Beskorowany’s catching glove, increasing Kristo’s team-leading goal total to 24 on the year.
Hartford could get no closer, though, and Albert completed the scoring with his second of the game at 13:57 of the third, as Kris Fredheim’s shot from the right point hit Albert and redirected into the net.
The Wolf Pack finish the season with home games this Friday night, April 18 against the Springfield Falcons and Saturday, April 19 vs. the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Both games face off at 7:00 PM, and Friday’s game is the last chance this season for fans to enjoy $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 both of the last two 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 2 at St. John’s IceCaps 6
Sunday, April 13, 2014 – Mile One Centre
Hartford 1 1 0 – 2
St. John’s 3 2 1 – 6
1st Period-1, Hartford, McCarthy 1 (Miller, Kristo), 6:57 (PP). 2, St. John’s, Riley 7 (MacKinnon, Redmond), 8:34. 3, St. John’s, Albert 26 (Redmond, Jaffray), 14:19. 4, St. John’s, Mouillierat 19 (Kichton, Klingberg), 18:35 (PP). Penalties-O’Dell Stj (high-sticking), 0:35; Lowry Stj (tripping), 6:40; Allen Hfd (slashing), 17:52; Morrissey Stj (delay of game – restricted area), 19:57.
2nd Period-5, St. John’s, Klingberg 21 (O’Dell, Mouillierat), 10:01. 6, St. John’s, Samson 25 (Klingberg, Chiarot), 10:56. 7, Hartford, Kristo 24 (Miller, Hensick), 12:46 (PP). Penalties-Chiarot Stj (interference), 11:39; Fredheim Stj (tripping), 12:06; Powe Hfd (interference), 14:17; Bourque Hfd (high-sticking), 19:57.
3rd Period-8, St. John’s, Albert 27 (Jaffray, Fredheim), 13:57. Penalties-Latta Hfd (fighting), 11:34; McIlrath Hfd (roughing), 11:34; Vaive Hfd (roughing), 11:34; Lipon Stj (instigating, fighting, game misconduct – second instigator), 11:34; Lowry Stj (roughing, roughing), 11:34; Powe Hfd (slashing, cross-checking, fighting), 13:03; Chiarot Stj (cross-checking, slashing, fighting), 13:03.
Shots on Goal-Hartford 13-8-9-30. St. John’s 15-11-8-34.
Power Play Opportunities-Hartford 2 / 6; St. John’s 1 / 3.
Goalies-Hartford, LeNeveu 11-9-0 (15 shots-12 saves); Grumet-Morris 16-15-5 (19 shots-16 saves). St. John’s, Beskorowany 7-2-2 (30 shots-28 saves).
A-6,287
Referees-Graham Skilliter (48).
Linesmen-Todd Horwood (34), Jim Vail (75).
