HARTFORD, January 4, 2015:  Hartford Wolf Pack general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that the parent New York Rangers have reassigned goaltender Jason Missiaen from the Wolf Pack to its ECHL affiliate, the Greenville Road Warriors.

Missiaen made one appearance for the Wolf Pack after his latest AHL callup December 27, playing 29:56 of relief in Saturday’s 7-3 Wolf Pack loss to the St. John’s IceCaps.  The fourth-year pro stopped 11 of the 12 shots he faced in that at action, and carries a 1-2-1 record in five AHL appearances on the year, with a 3.56 goals-against average and an 88.4% save percentage.

In ECHL action with Greenville, Missiaen is 8-4-1 in 13 appearances, with a 2.66 GAA, a 91.5% save percentage and two shutouts.

The Wolf Pack’s next game is home at the XL Center this Friday night, January 9, a 7:00 PM battle with the Syracuse Crunch.  All Friday-night Wolf Pack home games feature $1 hot dogs and $2 beers through the start of the second period.

Tickets for all 2014-15 Wolf Pack home games are now on sale at the XL Center ticket office, 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 Wolf Pack representative about season or group tickets, or any of the Wolf Pack’s many ticketing options, call (855) 762-6451, or click here to request more info.

HARTFORD, January 4, 2015: Hartford Wolf Pack general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that the Wolf Pack has signed Dallas Jackson, who had been with the team since November 2 on a Professional Tryout (PTO) agreement, to an AHL contract.

Jackson, a fifth-year pro who has played both left wing and defense since joining the Wolf Pack from the Greenville Road Warriors of the ECHL, has skated in 25 games with Hartford, scoring one goal and adding five assists for six points and posting 16 penalty minutes. In seven ECHL contests with Greenville, the 6-2, 2005-pound Jackson had three assists and six PIM.

A 25-year-old native of Edson, Alta. and a product of the Western Hockey League, Jackson has logged 108 career AHL contests with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, Lake Erie Monsters, Springfield Falcons and Wolf Pack and has amassed four goals and 31 assists for 35 points, along with 64 PIM. In 139 career ECHL outings with the Reading Royals, Gwinnett Gladiators and the Road Warriors, he has totaled 16 goals and 40 assists for 56 points, plus 141 PIM.

The Wolf Pack’s next game is home at the XL Center this Friday night, January 9, a 7:00 PM battle with the Syracuse Crunch.  All Friday-night Wolf Pack home games feature $1 hot dogs and $2 beers through the start of the second period.

Tickets for all 2014-15 Wolf Pack home games are now on sale at the XL Center ticket office, 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 Wolf Pack representative about season or group tickets, or any of the Wolf Pack’s many ticketing options, call (855) 762-6451, or click here to request more info.

Hartford, CT, January 3, 2015 – The St. John’s IceCaps used three first-period power-play goals to get a quick jump on the Hartford Wolf Pack Saturday night at the XL Center, and cruised to a 7-3 victory, earning a split of a two-game series with Hartford.

The Wolf Pack had recovered from a 2-0 deficit Friday against the IceCaps, coming back for a 4-2 win.

Jason Jaffray had two goals and an assist to lead the way offensively for St. John’s, and Scott Kosmachuk also scored twice.  Will O’Neill had three assists, and Connor Hellebuyck made 39 saves.  Chris Bourque had a goal and an assist for the Wolf Pack, who also got goals from Ryan Malone and Chris Mueller.

The Wolf Pack fell into a 3-0 hole in the first period, as the IceCaps went 3-for-4 on the man advantage.

Hartford found itself two men short after cross-checking penalties against Joey Crabb at 3:53 and Dylan McIlrath at 4:32, and the Wolf Pack were able to kill the two-man disadvantage, but gave up a goal at 5:54, just one second after Crabb stepped out of the box.  After the Wolf Pack missed on a couple of opportunities to clear the puck, Yann Sauve stepped into a drive from just above the top of the circles and beat Wolf Pack starting goaltender Mackenzie Skapski.

Just 2:22 later, at 8:16, Kosmachuk made it a 2-0 IceCap lead, with Malone off for tripping. Eric O’Dell danced down the right side and found Kosmachuk wide open at the left side of the slot, and Kosmachuk had most of the net to shoot at.

St. John’s took advantage of a Malone hooking penalty at 14:52 to make it 3-0, with Carl Klingberg scoring his 10^th goal of the season.  O’Neill kept the puck in at the left point and wristed it at the net, and Klingberg skated in front of Skapski and tipped it in.

The IceCap onslaught continued early in the second period, as Kosmachuk made it a 4-0 game with his second of the game only 2:33 into the middle frame.  The goal was unassisted, as Kosmachuk poked the puck away from Mat Bodie in center ice and broke in alone on Skapski, beating the rookie netminder with a backhander through the five-hole.

John Albert ended Skapski’s night with a fifth St. John’s goal at 9:41.  Skapski stopped a shot and had two opportunities to cover the puck, but was unable to do so, and Albert flicked it in.

Jason Missiaen took over in the Hartford net at that point, and the Wolf Pack finally got on the scoreboard only 2:14 later, on Malone’s fourth goal of the season.  A Michael Kostka shot from the blue line was deflected on goal by Marek Hrivik, and the rebound came to Malone at the left side of the slot, and Malone easily fired it home, ending Hellebuyck’s shutout bid.

St. John’s took only 24 seconds to restore the five-goal margin, though, with Jaffray scoring at 12:19.  Ryan Parent threw the puck at the net from the left point, and Missiaen could not find the rebound, allowing Jaffray to jam it inside the post to Missiaen’s right.

Mueller got one back for the Wolf Pack on a power play at 14:59, off a feed from Dylan McIlrath.  McIlrath handed the puck to Mueller on the left-wing side, and Mueller buried in behind Hellebuyck.

Down 6-2 going into the third period, the Wolf Pack briefly cut it to a three-goal margin at 17:25 of the third, as Bourque knocked his own rebound past Hellebuyck after Oscar Lindberg passed the puck out of the right-wing corner.  After the Pack pulled Missiaen for an extra attacker, however, Jaffray hit the open net at 18:20, making the final 7-3.

The Wolf Pack’s next game is back at the XL Center this Friday night, January 9, a 7:00 PM battle with the Syracuse Crunch.  All Friday-night Wolf Pack home games feature $1 hot dogs and $2 beers through the start of the second period.

Tickets for all 2014-15 Wolf Pack home games are now on sale at the XL Center ticket office, 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 Wolf Pack representative about season or group tickets, or any of the Wolf Pack’s many ticketing options, call (855) 762-6451, or click here to request more info.

St. John’s IceCaps 7 at Hartford Wolf Pack 3
Saturday, January 3, 2015 – XL Center

St. John’s 3 3 1 – 7
Hartford 0 2 1 – 3

1st Period-1, St. John’s, Sauve 1 (O’Neill, Balisy), 5:54 (PP). 2, St. John’s, Kosmachuk 5 (O’Dell), 8:16 (PP). 3, St. John’s, Klingberg 10 (O’Neill), 14:52 (PP). Penalties-Crabb Hfd (cross-checking), 3:53; McIlrath Hfd (cross-checking), 4:32; Malone Hfd (hooking), 6:30; Albert Stj (hooking), 12:06; Malone Hfd (hooking), 13:18; Lipon Stj (interference), 15:43.

2nd Period-4, St. John’s, Kosmachuk 6   2:33. 5, St. John’s, Albert 10 (Jaffray, O’Neill), 9:41. 6, Hartford, Malone 4 (Hrivik, Kostka), 11:55. 7, St. John’s, Jaffray 4 (Parent, Albert), 12:19. 8, Hartford, Mueller 3 (McIlrath, C. Bourque), 14:59 (PP). Penalties-Parent Stj (hooking), 5:37; Melchiori Stj (hooking), 13:44.

3rd Period-9, Hartford, C. Bourque 14 (Lindberg, Crabb), 17:25. 10, St. John’s, Jaffray 5 (Fredheim, Hellebuyck), 18:20 (EN). Penalties-Riley Stj (fighting), 10:45; Allen Hfd (unsportsmanlike conduct), 10:45; McIlrath Hfd (fighting), 10:45; Lipon Stj (fighting), 18:30; O’Donnell Hfd (unsportsmanlike conduct, fighting), 18:30.

Shots on Goal-St. John’s 13-9-10-32. Hartford 15-17-10-42.
Power Play Opportunities-St. John’s 3 / 6; Hartford 1 / 4.
Goalies-St. John’s, Hellebuyck 13-9-0 (42 shots-39 saves). Hartford, Skapski 8-7-1 (19 shots-14 saves); Missiaen 1-2-0 (12 shots-11 saves).
A-3,659
Referees-Chris Brown (86).
Linesmen-Paul Simeon (66), Derek Wahl (46).

By Zack Grenier

Hartford, CT, January 2, 2015 – A shorthanded goal by Tommy Hughes started a Hartford Wolf Pack comeback from a 2-0 deficit Friday night at the XL Center against the St. John’s IceCaps, and fellow defenseman Conor Allen scored the third-period game-winner in a 4-2 Hartford victory.

Michael Kostka added an empty-net goal and an assist for the Wolf Pack, and Chad Nehring also scored.  Mackenzie Skapski made 18 saves.  Scott Kosmachuk and Kyle MacKinnon scored for the IceCaps, and Peter Budaj made 27 saves.

It was the first-ever home victory for the Wolf Pack over St. John’s in the four-year history of the IceCaps franchise.  Hartford had been 0-5-1 in six previous home games in the all-time series.

The IceCaps struck first, on a power play at 14:36 of the first period, when Chase Balisy sent a blind backhand pass across the crease to Kosmachuk for his fourth goal of the season.

The next goal didn’t come until there was only 2:26 left in the second period.  It was MacKinnon who gave the IceCaps a 2-0 lead, when he came in on a two-on-one and beat Skapski on a straight shot over his blocker.

“We started slow, taking a lot of penalties which doesn’t help our team game,” said Nehring.  “We got that late goal in the second and it gave us a little bit of life and we just came out in the third and took over the game like we should have.”

That late shorthanded goal came with just 5.1 seconds remaining in the second period.  Chris Bourque turned his back to the defenseman and left the puck for Hughes, who was trailing the play, and Hughes fired the puck at the net.  The shot beat Budaj five-hole to cut the IceCaps lead to just one.

“Good strong shot, just putting it on net,” said Hartford coach Ken Gernander.  “I think that was good.  It gave us a little bit of a boost and some momentum going in to the third.”

Nehring was the man who tied the game up for the Pack in the third.  The puck bounced in to the right-wing corner and Nehring just threw the puck at the net.  His shot caromed off of Budaj’s skates and bounced in at 2:53, for Nehring’s third goal of the season.

“When that line scores for us good things are going to happen,” said Allen.  “I thought that line had a great night.  (Chad) Nehring, (Dallas) Jackson, and (Shawn) O’Donnell played really hard for us.  Yeah, that was a big goal and it just kind of got the momentum going right away in the third, and we just took it from there.”

At the 8:42 mark, Allen fired a slapshot at the net with traffic in front.  The shot went straight over Budaj’s glove to give the Pack their first lead of the game at 3-2.

“We took a lot of penalties and it was kind of disrupting how we want to play hockey,” said Nehring.  “We play fast in 5-on-5 hockey, and when we stayed out of the box in the third we got our chances, and we capitalized on them and got a big two points.”

The Pack added another goal to the lead when Kostka fired a full rink slap shot at an empty net with 15.9 seconds left in the game.

The Wolf Pack and IceCaps tangle again at the XL Center Saturday night, with faceoff at 7:00 PM.  The first 2,000 fans into the game will receive a free Wolf Pack 2015 calendar, presented by LAZ Parking.

Tickets for all 2014-15 Wolf Pack home games are now on sale at the XL Center ticket office, 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 Wolf Pack representative about season or group tickets, or any of the Wolf Pack’s many ticketing options, call (855) 762-6451, or click here to request more info.

St. John’s IceCaps 2 at Hartford Wolf Pack 4
Friday, January 2, 2015 – XL Center

St. John’s 1 1 0 – 2
Hartford 0 1 3 – 4

1st Period-1, St. John’s, Kosmachuk 4 (Balisy, O’Dell), 14:36 (PP). Penalties-Haggerty Hfd (hooking), 2:08; O’Neill Stj (tripping), 9:34; Malone Hfd (cross-checking), 9:54; Crabb Hfd (holding), 13:23; Lipon Stj (instigating, fighting, misconduct – instigating), 17:25; Hughes Hfd (interference, fighting), 17:25; Melchiori Stj (interference), 18:18.

2nd Period-2, St. John’s, MacKinnon 2 (Riley, O’Neill), 17:34. 3, Hartford, Hughes 1 (C. Bourque, Hrivik), 19:54 (SH). Penalties-Melchiori Stj (cross-checking), 3:47; Cornell Stj (roughing), 5:34; McIlrath Hfd (interference), 9:30; Lindberg Hfd (hooking), 12:41; Bodie Hfd (cross-checking), 15:12; Olsen Stj (roughing), 18:46; Mueller Hfd (tripping, roughing), 18:46.

3rd Period-4, Hartford, Nehring 3 (Jackson, Kostka), 2:53. 5, Hartford, Allen 5 (Kristo, R. Bourque), 11:18. 6, Hartford, Kostka 3   19:44 (EN). Penalties-Brassard Stj (slashing), 3:32; O’Dell Stj (holding), 13:15.

Shots on Goal-St. John’s 9-6-5-20. Hartford 8-14-9-31.
Power Play Opportunities-St. John’s 1 / 7; Hartford 0 / 6.
Goalies-St. John’s, Budaj 0-6-1 (30 shots-27 saves). Hartford, Skapski 8-6-1 (20 shots-18 saves).
A-4,248
Referees-Olivier Gouin (66).
Linesmen-Brent Colby (7), Luke Galvin (2).

HARTFORD, January 1, 2015: Hartford Wolf Pack general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that the Wolf Pack has signed goaltender Yann Danis to a Professional Tryout (PTO) agreement.

Danis, 33, who is in his 11th season of pro hockey, played 11 AHL games earlier this season with the Norfolk Admirals, posting a 5-6-0 record with a 2.72 goals-against average and a 91.4% save percentage. Two of his five victories were by shutout, including a 35-save effort against the Wolf Pack November 28 at the XL Center, in a 2-0 Norfolk win.

Danis spent last season with the Adirondack Phantoms, suiting up for 31 games and going 9-11-4, with a 3.01 GAA, an 89.7% save percentage and two shutouts.

A 6-0, 185-pound native of Lafontaine, Que., Danis has seen action in 53 career NHL games with the Montreal Canadiens, New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils and Edmonton Oilers, compiling a record of 17-21-4, with a 2.75 GAA, a 91.0% save percentage and three shutouts.

Danis’ AHL career has included 318 total games, with the Hamilton Bulldogs, Bridgeport Sound Tigers, Oklahoma City Barons, Phantoms and Admirals. His cumulative AHL record is 154-116-30, with a 2.65 GAA, 91.0% save percentage and 18 shutouts. Danis won the Baz Bastien Memorial Award as the AHL’s top goaltender in 2011-12, when he was 26-14-2 with a 2.07 GAA, a 92.4% save percentage and five shutouts with Oklahoma City. He also won a Calder Cup championship in 2006-07 with Hamilton.

Danis was originally signed as a free agent by Montreal March 19, 2004, after a four-year career at Brown University.

The next action for the Wolf Pack is tomorrow night, Friday, January 2, with the St. John’s IceCaps visiting the XL Center for a 7:00 game.  All Friday-night Wolf Pack home games feature $1 hot dogs and $2 beers through the start of the second period.

Tickets for all 2014-15 Wolf Pack home games are now on sale at the XL Center ticket office, 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 Wolf Pack representative about season or group tickets, or any of the Wolf Pack’s many ticketing options, call (855) 762-6451, or click here to request more info.

Portland, ME, December 31, 2014 – A second-period power-play goal by Brendan Shinnimin stood up as the game-winner Wednesday night at the Cross Insurance Arena, in a 3-1 victory by the Portland Pirates over the Hartford Wolf Pack.

Chris Bourque scored the only Wolf Pack goal, increasing his team-leading total to 13, and Mackenzie Skapski made 27 saves, but Eric Selleck also scored for Portland, Lucas Lessio added an empty-net goal, and Andrew Campbell assisted on all three Pirate scores.

Mike McKenna stopped 22 out of 23 shots in the Portland net, handing the Wolf Pack (17-11-2-2, 38 pts.) only its second regulation loss in the last ten games (6-2-0-2).

“Through the first two periods we only had 13 shots,” Bourque said. “We had a lot of (offensive) zone time, but not too many shots at the net. You’re not going to score too many goals when you don’t have many shot attempts. In the third I thought we did a better job of getting the puck towards the net, and we’ve just got to keep on working on doing the ‘dirty’ things, little things that add up to goals.”

After a scoreless first period, Portland would build a 2-1 lead in a second period in which they outshot the Wolf Pack 13-8.

Selleck gave the Pirates the game’s first lead at 7:34, converting on a two-on-one with Campbell. Corey Trivino started the play, and Skapski got a piece of Selleck’s shot from the left circle, but could not keep it out of the net.

The Wolf Pack answered back only 1:44 later, at 9:18, as Bourque broke over the blue line and headed up the slot, beating McKenna to the stick side with a shot from about 35 feet out.

“I just put the puck toward the net,” Bourque said of the goal, which ended a five-game drought without a point for the Wolf Pack’s leading scorer (13-14-27). “It was good location, and luckily it went in.”

The Portland power play capitalized at 11:57 to put the Pirates on top to stay, with Tommy Hughes in the penalty box for slashing. Shinnimin capped furious Portland pressure by rapping a shot through Skapski from the right circle, for the eventual game-winner.

The third frame was a standoff, with shots even at ten apiece, and the Wolf Pack’s comeback effort was hampered by a hooking penalty called against Mat Bodie with 1:43 left. Hartford pulled Skapski while shorthanded and had some decent pressure, but Lessio was credited with an open-net goal at 19:55, when Conor Allen broke Lessio’s stick with a slash, after Lessio had stepped past the Wolf Pack defenseman.

The next action for the Wolf Pack is back home at the XL Center this Friday, January 2, with the St. John’s IceCaps visiting for a 7:00 game. All Friday-night Wolf Pack home games feature $1 hot dogs and $2 beers through the start of the second period.

Tickets for all 2014-15 Wolf Pack home games are now on sale at the XL Center ticket office, 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 Wolf Pack representative about season or group tickets, or any of the Wolf Pack’s many ticketing options, call (855) 762-6451, or click here to request more info.

Hartford Wolf Pack 1 at Portland Pirates 3
Wednesday, December 31, 2014 – Cross Insurance Arena

Hartford 0 1 0 – 1
Portland 0 2 1 – 3

1st Period- No Scoring.Penalties-O’Donoghue Por (interference), 3:07; Crabb Hfd (roughing), 7:15; Szwarz Por (roughing), 7:15; Oberg Por (tripping), 13:32; Spinell Hfd (tripping), 19:00.

2nd Period-1, Portland, Selleck 4 (Campbell, Trivino), 7:34. 2, Hartford, C. Bourque 13 (Hrivik), 9:18. 3, Portland, Shinnimin 6 (Campbell, Oberg), 11:57 (PP). Penalties-Hughes Hfd (slashing), 10:19; Bodie Hfd (slashing), 18:24.

3rd Period-4, Portland, Lessio 8 (Campbell, McKenna), 19:55 (PP EN). Penalties-H. Samuelsson Por (interference), 1:35; Kristo Hfd (roughing), 15:37; Campbell Por (roughing), 15:37; Bodie Hfd (hooking), 18:17.

Shots on Goal-Hartford 5-8-10-23. Portland 7-13-10-30.
Power Play Opportunities-Hartford 0 / 3; Portland 2 / 4.
Goalies-Hartford, Skapski 7-6-1 (29 shots-27 saves). Portland, McKenna 12-12-0 (23 shots-22 saves).
A-4,686
Referees-Michael Mullen (18).
Linesmen-Joe Andrews (32), Jack Millea (23).

By Zack Grenier

Hartford, CT, December 27, 2014 – Shawn O’Donnell had a goal and an assist, and Mackenzie Skapski made 26 saves, Saturday night at the XL Center, as the Hartford Wolf Pack defeated the Portland Pirates by a score of 3-1.

O’Donnell’s two-point game was the first multiple-point effort of his AHL career, and the Wolf Pack also got goals from Joey Crabb and Mat Bodie.  Jordan Martinook scored the only Portland goal, foiling Skapski’s shutout bid 36 seconds into the third period.  Mike McKenna made 24 saves in the Pirate net.

The Wolf Pack drew first blood at 9:14 of the first period, when Crabb made an instant impact in his first game back with the team after battling the mumps.  It was Michael Kostka who fired the puck on net from the blue line that lead to Crabb digging out a rebound.  Crabb’s first shot was blocked, but he stuck with it and kicked the puck back to himself and beat McKenna to give the Pack a 1-0 lead.

“We wanted to have more traffic and we wanted to put some pressure on our forwards to crash that net and get some rebounds, second and third chances,” said Hartford coach Ken Gernander.

With 14:30 left in the second period, Bodie was able to extend the Wolf Pack lead to two.  O’Donnell left the puck for a trailing Bodie, who then fired a slap shot at McKenna.  McKenna did knock the puck down, but it still trickled past him to give the Pack a 2-0 lead.

“It was a good pass by ‘Odie’ (O’Donnell),” said Gernander.  “I think our bench gave him a little help to let him know that ‘Bodes’ (Bodie) was coming late.  We really didn’t have a lot of offense the prior three games.  You start looking to make plays or pass pucks, instead of just keeping it simple and just put that puck on net.”

Not long after, Ryan Bourque was at the side of the left faceoff circle and sent the puck to the net.  O’Donnell, breaking towards the net, deflected the pass out of the air and into the net, for his first goal of the season at 8:54.

“It’s awesome to see a guy like that get rewarded,” said Bodie.  “One of the harder workers on the team and making simple plays, going to the net hard and being able to get a stick on it.”

Just 34 seconds in to the third period, Martinook scored a similar goal to O’Donnell’s, to get Portland on the scoreboard. Justin Hodgman threaded a pass across the slot to find Martinook on the right side for an easy finish, making it a 3-1 game.

“I thought we were good systematically,” said O’Donnell.  “We really paid attention to detail, and when you have all five guys working as a cohesive unit it makes for an easier game.”

The Wolf Pack’s next action is also against the Pirates, a trip to Portland this Wednesday night, New Year’s Eve.  That game faces off at 7:00 PM, and all of 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 next home action for the Wolf Pack is this Friday, January 2, with the St. John’s IceCaps visiting the XL Center for a 7:00 game.  All Friday-night Wolf Pack home games feature $1 hot dogs and $2 beers through the start of the second period.

Tickets for all 2014-15 Wolf Pack home games are now on sale at the XL Center ticket office, 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 Wolf Pack representative about season or group tickets, or any of the Wolf Pack’s many ticketing options, call (855) 762-6451, or click here to request more info.

Portland Pirates 1 at Hartford Wolf Pack 3
Saturday, December 27, 2014 – XL Center

Portland 0 0 1 – 1
Hartford 1 2 0 – 3

1st Period-1, Hartford, Crabb 4 (Kostka, Lindberg), 9:14. Penalties-Louis Por (hooking), 12:28; Shinnimin Por (boarding), 14:50.

2nd Period-2, Hartford, Bodie 3 (O’Donnell, Kristo), 5:30. 3, Hartford, O’Donnell 1 (R. Bourque, Mueller), 8:54. Penalties-Lindberg Hfd (closing hand on puck), 2:24; Spinell Hfd (holding), 11:24; Malone Hfd (hooking), 18:31.

3rd Period-4, Portland, Martinook 6 (Hodgman, H. Samuelsson), 0:36. Penalties-No Penalties

Shots on Goal-Portland 8-8-11-27. Hartford 12-8-7-27.
Power Play Opportunities-Portland 0 / 3; Hartford 0 / 2.
Goalies-Portland, McKenna 10-12-0 (27 shots-24 saves). Hartford, Skapski 7-5-1 (27 shots-26 saves).
A-3,987
Referees-David Banfield (77).
Linesmen-Luke Galvin (2), Brent Colby (7).

HARTFORD, December 27, 2014: Hartford Wolf Pack general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that the parent New York Rangers have reassigned goaltender Jason Missiaen to the Wolf Pack from its ECHL affiliate, the Greenville Road Warriors.

Missiaen, who was reassigned to Greenville October 28, has appeared in four games with the Wolf Pack this season, going 1-2-1 with a 3.78 goals-against average and an 88.1% save percentage. The 6-8, 220-pound fourth-year pro has won his last five ECHL decisions, including a pair of shutouts, and is 6-0-1 in his last seven. All told, Missiaen is 8-4-1 in 13 appearances with the Road Warriors, with a 2.66 GAA, a 91.5% save percentage and two shutouts.

Missiaen, signed as a free agent by the Rangers March 24, 2011, is 13-21-4 in 43 career AHL appearances, with a 3.39 GAA, an 89.1% save percentage and two shutouts. In 79 career ECHL games, the 24-year-old Chatham, Ontario native is 48-24-5 with a 2.72 GAA, a 91.7% save percentage and six shutouts.

The Wolf Pack are in home-ice action at the XL Center tonight, hosting the Portland Pirates in a 7:00 PM game. Fans are encouraged to bring their skates to that game, as there will be a free postgame skate on the XL Center ice.

Tickets for all 2014-15 Wolf Pack home games are now on sale at the XL Center ticket office, 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 Wolf Pack representative about season or group tickets, or any of the Wolf Pack’s many ticketing options, call (855) 762-6451, or click here to request more info.

By Zack Grenier

Hartford, CT, December 26, 2014 – Anton Forsberg made 28 saves in regulation and overtime Friday night at the XL Center, and was a perfect 3-for-3 in the shootout, as the Springfield Falcons defeated the Hartford Wolf Pack, 2-1.

T.J. Tynan scored the only goal of the shootout, and Marko Dano had Springfield’s goal in regulation. Ryan Malone scored the only Wolf Pack goal. Cedrick Desjardins started the game in net for Hartford, but was injured at 6:44 of the second period. Mackenzie Skapski relieved Desjardins and stopped all 24 shots that he faced, and went 2-for-3 in the shootout.

After Malone scored the game winner in the last game that the Pack had before the team’s Christmas break, he was the first to strike in this one, scoring at 4:33 of the first period. Mat Bodie put a wrist shot on net from the blue line and Malone was able to show off his good hands and deflect the shot to give the Pack an early 1-0 lead.

“He’s (Forsberg) a good goaltender, he’s playing well, and if that’s the case we’re going to have to do more to generate in-game, and certainly create more problems for him in terms of traffic and second and third chances,” said Hartford coach Ken Gernander. “Really we didn’t have much for rebound chances, and I think only one or two, outside of the goal, where we got good traffic and a good screen and tip.”

With just 12.1 seconds left in the first period, Dano was able to tie the game at one. The Pack won a defensive-zone faceoff, and Dylan McIlrath attempted to send the puck around the boards behind Desjardins. Ryan Craig deflected it to Dano in the high slot, from where Dano turned and fired in his sixth goal of the season.

“That’s coming off a faceoff win, and I think we executed,” said Gernander. “We made a bad play on the wall. We have to be stronger on the wall. That puck has either got to be out in to the neutral zone or at the very least there has to be a fight for possession, but that wasn’t the case.”

At the 6:44 mark of the second period, a Pack defender slid in to Desjardins, which led to his departure from the contest. Skapski (24 saves) came in in relief for the injured Desjardins.

“I don’t find a problem with that (coming off the bench,” said Skapski. “It’s something you have to kind of expect and prepare for. I stepped in there like I would any other game and was calm, cool, relaxed and I didn’t really get nervous.”

The game would remain tied at one all the way to a shootout, in which only one puck crossed the goal line. Forsberg stopped Chris Bourque, Danny Kristo and Malone, and Tynan connected on Springfield’s second attempt.

“That’s the frustrating part is, I usually don’t get beat in the shootout, and when I do it’s really disappointing,” said Skapski. “He’s (Forsberg) a pretty good goalie, and he’s had two pretty good shootouts against us.”

The Wolf Pack are right back at the XL Center Saturday night, hosting the Portland Pirates in a 7:00 PM game. Fans are encouraged to bring their skates to that game, as there will be a free postgame skate on the XL Center ice.

Tickets for all 2014-15 Wolf Pack home games are now on sale at the XL Center ticket office, 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 Wolf Pack representative about season or group tickets, or any of the Wolf Pack’s many ticketing options, call (855) 762-6451, or click here to request more info.

Springfield Falcons 2 (SO) at Hartford Wolf Pack 1
Friday, December 26, 2014 – XL Center

Springfield 1 0 0 0 – 2
Hartford 1 0 0 0 – 1

1st Period-1, Hartford, Malone 3 (Bodie, Lindberg), 4:33. 2, Springfield, Dano 6 (Craig, Madaisky), 19:47. Penalties-McIlrath Hfd (elbowing), 6:52; Kostka Hfd (hooking), 11:05; Allen Hfd (delay of game), 16:25.

2nd Period- No Scoring. Penalties-Dano Spr (hooking), 0:34; Labrie Spr (kneeing), 2:14; served by Rychel Spr (bench minor – too many men), 11:48; Allen Hfd (cross-checking), 14:40; Lindberg Hfd (hooking), 16:17.

3rd Period- No Scoring. Penalties-Malone Hfd (hooking), 2:24; Tynan Spr (hooking), 5:17; Labrie Spr (boarding), 11:42; Dano Spr (diving/embellishment), 18:56; Allen Hfd (holding), 18:56.

OT Period- No Scoring. Penalties-No Penalties

Shootout – Springfield 1 (Rychel NG, Tynan G, Dano NG), Hartford 0 (Bourque NG, Kristo NG, Malone NG).
Shots on Goal-Springfield 11-12-12-2-1-38. Hartford 5-13-7-4-0-29.
Power Play Opportunities-Springfield 0 / 6; Hartford 0 / 5.
Goalies-Springfield, Forsberg 14-3-0 (29 shots-28 saves). Hartford, Desjardins 8-3-1 (13 shots-12 saves); Skapski 6-5-1 (24 shots-24 saves).
A-4,072
Referees-Terry Koharski (10), Ryan Hersey (8).
Linesmen-Brent Colby (7), Paul Simeon (66).

Hartford, CT, December 20, 2014 – Ryan Malone’s three-on-three overtime goal lifted the Hartford Wolf Pack to a 2-1 win over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms Saturday at the XL Center.

Malone jammed in the rebound of an Oscar Lindberg bid at 4:56 of the OT to secure the win. Chad Nehring scored the other Hartford goal, and Cedrick Desjardins made 25 saves. Zack Stortini scored the only Phantom goal, and Anthony Stolarz stopped 24 shots in the Lehigh Valley net.

Hartford assistant coach Jeff Beukeboom said of Desjardins’ performance, “I thought that was probably his best outing of this year as far as how solid he was, how he came up with all the saves when he needed to. I thought we weren’t very good early and he made some big saves.”

Just as the first period was wrapping up, Stortini gave the Phantoms a 1-0 lead. It was Nick Cousins who was digging for the puck in the right-wing corner when he found Stortini, who beat Desjardins from in front for his tenth point of the season.

Near the halfway point of the second period, Nehring tied the game at one. It was Conor Allen battling for the puck along the boards and throwing it to the front of the net. Nehring was battling for position and was able to get a stick on the puck to tip it over Stolarz’s shoulder.

“We have a tendency sometimes to look for the easy game. We have a skilled team so I think we got our nose dirty there,” said Malone.

On the overtime winner, Malone was able to bang the puck past Stolarz from the side of the crease. Mat Bodie sent the puck over to Oscar Lindberg, who fired the puck on net from the right circle. Malone was there and kept throwing the rebound at the net until it finally crossed the goal line.

“I think we’re starting to figure it out, jell a little bit, and making sure all five guys on the ice are on the same page and it’s all about continually doing the little things right,” said Malone. “A lot of games that we lost are really taking a lot of bad penalties or turnovers, and really beat ourselves. So we’re trying to eliminate that and we’re getting results.”

The Wolf Pack’s next game is this Friday night, December 26, as the Pack host the Springfield Falcons at the XL Center. Faceoff is 7:00 PM, and Fridays mean $1 hot dogs and $2 beers through the start of the second period.

Tickets for all 2014-15 Wolf Pack home games are now on sale at the XL Center ticket office, 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 Wolf Pack representative about season or group tickets, or any of the Wolf Pack’s many ticketing options, call (855) 762-6451.

Lehigh Valley Phantoms 1 at Hartford Wolf Pack 2 (OT)
Saturday, December 20, 2014 – XL Center

Lehigh Valley 1 0 0 0 – 1
Hartford 0 1 0 1 – 2

1st Period-1, Lehigh Valley, Stortini 4 (Cousins, Leier), 19:39. Penalties-Alt Lv (tripping), 4:15.

2nd Period-2, Hartford, Nehring 2 (Allen, O’Donnell), 10:06. Penalties-Lindberg Hfd (holding), 1:35; Stortini Lv (slashing), 2:57; Nehring Hfd (hooking), 14:11; Rosehill Lv (tripping), 17:42.

3rd Period- No Scoring. Penalties-Allen Hfd (tripping), 4:09; Hagg Lv (hooking), 6:28.

OT Period-3, Hartford, Malone 2 (Lindberg, Bodie), 4:56. Penalties-Powe Lv (roughing), 3:10; Kostka Hfd (roughing), 3:10.

Shots on Goal-Lehigh Valley 10-7-5-4-26. Hartford 8-9-6-3-26.
Power Play Opportunities-Lehigh Valley 0 / 3; Hartford 0 / 4.
Goalies-Lehigh Valley, Stolarz 5-5-0 (26 shots-24 saves). Hartford, Desjardins 8-3-1 (26 shots-25 saves).
A-3,562
Referees-Evgeny Romasko (6).
Linesmen-Mike Baker (11), Glen Cooke (6).