HARTFORD, March 15, 2014:  Hartford Wolf Pack general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that the parent New York Rangers have reassigned forwards Josh Nicholls to the Wolf Pack from its ECHL affiliate, the Greenville Road Warriors.

Nicholls, a rookie out of the Western Hockey League, played four AHL games during a previous stint with the Wolf Pack, going scoreless with six shots on goal.  In 51 games with Greenville, the former Saskatoon Blade has 14 goals and 18 assists for 32 points, good for fifth on the team, along with 14 penalty minutes.  Nicholls is currently riding a ten-game ECHL point-scoring streak, with seven goals and seven assists for 14 points over that span.

Nicholls, who was a seventh-round selection (182^nd overall) by Toronto in the 2010 NHL Draft, was signed as a free agent by the Rangers March 5, 2013.

The Wolf Pack travel to Albany tonight for a Northeast Division game, taking on the Devils at 5:00 PM at the Times Union Center.  All of the action of that battle 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 this Wednesday, March 19, a 7:00 PM contest against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.  That’s a Wolf Pack “Winning Wednesday”, meaning that if the Wolf Pack win, each fan can get a free ticket to the next Wolf Pack home game, which is Friday night, March 21 against the St. John’s IceCaps.

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.

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

Hartford, CT, March 14, 2014 – Dov Grumet-Morris made 24 saves, and went five-for-five in the shootout, Friday night at the XL Center, helping the Hartford Wolf Pack to a 2-1 shootout win over the Adirondack Phantoms.

The victory, the Wolf Pack’s seventh in their last nine games, lifted them to 26-28-0-6 for 58 points and into a third-place tie in the Northeast Division with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, who lost 7-0 in Manchester.

Hartford trailed Friday’s game 1-0 until late in the third period, when a Danny Syvret power-play goal tied the game, and Danny Kristo had the only goal of the shootout.  Chris VandeVelde scored the only Adirondack goal, and Yann Danis made 32 saves.

“It was a good win, obviously it took all sixty minutes-plus to win the game but we played hard, had some good chances and eventually we prevailed,” Kristo said.

The Wolf Pack outshot the visitors 10-3 in the first period, but the Phantoms got the only goal of the frame, a VandeVelde tally at 5:36.  Jason Akeson was able to thread the puck from below the goal line to VandeVelde at the left side of the slot, and VandeVelde fought off a check and flicked a shot past Grumet-Morris on the far side.

That was the only goal of the game until only 3:44 remained in the third period, when Syvret finally pulled the Wolf Pack into a tie.

With Akeson in the penalty box for hooking, Syvret unleashed a shot from the middle of the blue line that went through a screen, set by Ryan Bourque and Jesper Fast, and flew high into the net behind Danis.

After a scoreless overtime, the goaltenders dominated the shootout.  Danis stopped J.T. Miller, Fast, Marek Hrivik and T.J. Hensick in the first four rounds, while Grumet-Morris denied Akeson, VandeVelde Tye McGinn and Nick Cousins.  Then Kristo, the Wolf Pack’s fifth shooter, was able to snap a low shot underneath Danis, and Grumet-Morris, who is now 11-1-1 in his last 13 decisions, stopped Kyle Flanagan, with a pad save, for the win.

The Wolf Pack travel to Albany on Saturday for another Northeast Division game, taking on the Devils at 5:00 PM at the Times Union Center.  All of the action of that battle 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 this Wednesday, March 19, a 7:00 PM contest against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.  That’s a Wolf Pack “Winning Wednesday”, meaning that if the Wolf Pack win, each fan can get a free ticket to the next Wolf Pack home game, which is Friday night, March 21 against the St. John’s IceCaps.

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.

Adirondack Phantoms 1 at Hartford Wolf Pack 2 (SO)
Friday, March 14, 2014 – XL Center

Adirondack 1 0 0 0 – 1
Hartford 0 0 1 0 – 2

1st Period-1, Adirondack, VandeVelde 10 (Akeson, McGinn), 5:36. Penalties-Powe Hfd (boarding), 0:21; Delisle Adk (boarding), 15:13.

2nd Period- No Scoring. Penalties-Syvret Hfd (interference), 6:58; Alderson Adk (tripping), 14:12.

3rd Period-2, Hartford, Syvret 8 (Miller), 16:16 (PP). Penalties-Mathers Adk (cross-checking), 3:07; Akeson Adk (hooking), 15:41; Delisle Adk (boarding), 17:23.

OT Period- No Scoring. Penalties-No Penalties

Shootout – Adirondack 0 (Akeson NG, VandeVelde NG, McGinn NG, Cousins NG, Flanagan NG), Hartford 1 (Miller NG, Fast NG, Hrivik NG, Hensick NG, Kristo G).
Shots on Goal-Adirondack 3-9-11-2-0-25. Hartford 10-6-16-1-1-34.
Power Play Opportunities-Adirondack 0 / 2; Hartford 1 / 5.
Goalies-Adirondack, Danis 8-10-4 (33 shots-32 saves). Hartford, Grumet-Morris 14-11-5 (25 shots-24 saves).
A-3,826
Referees-Geno Binda (22).
Linesmen-Brent Colby (7), Paul Simeon (66).

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

By Bob Crawford

Hartford Wolf Pack rookie defenseman Tommy Hughes had three years of Major Junior hockey experience prior to joining the Wolf Pack this season, but this year’s Wolf Pack campaign marks the first time Hughes has actually lived away from home.

A native of London, Ontario, Hughes played his entire Ontario Hockey League career with his hometown London Knights, living at home with his parents, Brian and Laurie, instead of with a “billet” family, the usual living situation for a Junior player in a locale away from his hometown.

“It was a pretty unique experience,” Hughes said this week of staying home to play Junior.  “Not a lot of guys can live with their parents when they’re at home, but they obviously take good care of me, and they treated me like they were kind of billeting me, like with having meals prepared and things like that.  It was different, but at the same time, it was kind of the same as a billet family, in a sense.”

Nutrition and training meals are such a huge part of the regimen at the higher levels of hockey these days, and Hughes’ mom and dad were right on board as far as making sure his diet conformed to what he was expected to be fueling himself with.

“They’d buy all the chickens and all the pastas,” Hughes said.  “I gave them the input and they got the stuff I needed, so that worked out nicely.”

Seems like an enviable arrangement, considering most of his teammates saw their folks only once in a while and didn’t get to keep all their stuff in their boyhood bedrooms.  There was no jealousy on the part of the rest of the team, though, Hughes is quick to assert.

“They liked coming over for home-cooked meals,” he said with a chuckle, “and the year before last year, we had four guys who were from London that lived at home.  So it wasn’t popular, but there were a few guys in the same position.

Playing with the Knights also afforded Hughes the chance to fulfill a dream of sorts, as he got a chance to wear the colors of a team he cheered hard for growing up.

“I followed them a bunch, we had season tickets, and I watched [current Wolf Pack teammate, and fellow former Knight, Danny Syvret] out there, winning the Memorial Cup,” Hughes said.  “It was a huge hockey town, and all the fans were really into it, so it was a great honor to actually wear the jersey when I was old enough.”

The Knights have enjoyed tremendous success under President/Head Coach Dale Hunter and his brother, Vice-President/General Manager Mark Hunter, both former NHL players.  Last season, in Hughes’ last year, the team won its third OHL championship in the past nine seasons, and the 2004-05 club that Syvret played on won the Memorial Cup, the championship of all of Canadian Major Junior hockey.  The Knights have not had a sub-.500 record since 2001-02, but Hughes did not feel all that success generated an inordinate amount of pressure, even on the “local boy”.

“It wasn’t unbearable or anything,” he said.  “Just like any team, their fans are pretty loyal, so they want results.  And if you don’t perform, then they’re not going to be too happy, but I think we gave them what they needed and made them happy.”

Playing for the Hunters, too, was a boon for Hughes and his fellow Knights, given the braintrust’s knowledge of what it takes to get to, and have a good career in, the NHL.

“They’re great guys to have leading the organization,” Hughes said.  “They obviously are experienced enough to guide us in the right direction, and it’s just a first-class organization, through and through.  A lot of great experiences from them.”

Now, however, the Junior days are in the rear-view mirror, and Hughes is truly on his own for the first time.  Through camaraderie with his Wolf Pack teammates, though, and solid life skills he learned from his parents, he has weathered the transition with no problem.

“There’s changes, but I haven’t been overwhelmed by them at all,” Hughes said.  “So I think they trained me well.

“A lot of the teammates pitch in and do meals together, so I haven’t found it too bad.  I think I was well trained growing up with my parents.  I was pretty active in the kitchen at some points, so I think that’s helped.  I’ve kind of welcomed the experience and change.

“You’re not used to playing with guys that are in their thirties or whatnot, so that’s a bit of an adjustment, but they’ve been great.”

While the Wolf Pack roster does sport some grizzled (compared to Hughes, anyway), over-30 veterans, there is also a large cadre of youngsters, single guys just starting out in the pro game.  The majority of those young guns live under the same roof in downtown Hartford, in the “Hartford 21” apartment tower right above the XL Center, and that situation has been excellent for team togetherness.

“That’s really nice, having a bunch of guys in the same building,” Hughes said.  “We do meals together and go to watch movies, or just hang out basically the whole day.  So that’s really nice, to have guys that you can go to and just hang out with.”

So even though Mom and Dad aren’t as close as the next room any more, Hughes is hardly alone as he faces his first venture outside the family home.  Overall, he is upbeat about how it has worked out.

“I guess it’s a lot of responsibility, but I’ve welcomed the change,” he said.  “And I wouldn’t say I’ve really missed home, the change has been nice.  And I’ll be back there in the summer, so we’ll catch up then.”

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

photo credit: chris rutsch

HARTFORD, March 12, 2014:  Global Spectrum, operators of the XL Center and Hartford Wolf Pack, have announced an exciting new benefit for Wolf Pack season seat-holders, the Wolf Pack “Mug Club”.

Starting with next year’s Wolf Pack season, the 2014-15 AHL campaign, all Wolf Pack full season seat subscribers will receive their own exclusive mug, with which they can take advantage of a season ticket-holder- only beverage discount.

By bringing their personal 16-ounce Mug Club mug to Wolf Pack home games in 2014-15, season ticket-holders can enjoy $2 sodas and $4 beers at every home contest.

For information on all of the many advantages of purchasing Wolf Pack season seats, call (855) 762-6451 to speak with a representative.

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

By Bob Crawford

Even with their 3-2 loss Sunday in Manchester, the Hartford Wolf Pack have played better than .650 hockey over a span of 19 games (12-6-0-1), exactly a quarter of an AHL season, and no single factor has been more responsible for that run than the goaltending of Dov Grumet-Morris.

With his 33-save performance in the Wolf Pack’s 4-3 win over the Albany Devils Saturday at the XL Center, Grumet-Morris improved to 10-1-1 in his last 12 decisions, dating back to January 24.  In 22 total appearances since being acquired by the Wolf Pack from the San Antonio Rampage December 13, the ninth-year pro is 12-5-4, with a 2.32 goals-against average and a fine 92.5% save percentage.

Before Sunday’s game, in which he backed up David LeNeveu, Grumet-Morris spoke about the team’s recent surge, which has taken the Pack from last overall in the AHL to within two points of 11^th place in the Eastern Conference standings.

“I think that this game is about momentum, both within a game itself, in between periods or during periods, and then also within a season,” the recently-turned-32-year-old said.  “You can see the power of the negative, downward momentum, and I think that’s what happened to the team in November, and now you see the effects of the positive, upward momentum.  Right now we’re not really focused on the points, we’re focused on appreciating and enjoying the process, because points happen when you take the proper steps.  And when you focus on the steps, the points usually just come.”

Saturday’s game against Albany featured several momentum swings, the most abrupt of which came in the seventh minute of the third period.  After giving up the first goal of the game in the second period, the Wolf Pack had countered with two quick ones, and then made it a 3-1 lead with a tally by J.T. Miller only 2:02 into the third.  Shortly after that, though, the Devils struck for a pair of scores only 28 seconds apart, starting at the 6:29 mark.  The Wolf Pack ended up shrugging off that punch in the gut, and got a goal from Ryan Bourque at 12:25 that would hold up as the game-winner.  From an outsider’s perspective, the team’s recovery from those two rapid-fire goals-against seemed significant, but the always-analytical Grumet-Morris dismisses that notion.

“Goals happen, both for and against,” he said.  “The fact that they could score quickly is not really indicative of anything, that’s just the way the game went.  There were two quick goals in 30 seconds, that’s not ideal, but it’s not really that unusual, especially in this league, and it doesn’t matter.  We just continued to play after that, they had some chances, we had some chances, and we ended up scoring and they didn’t.  And at the end of the day, what does it matter if they score one in the first, one in the second and one in the third?  It’s still three goals. 

“People fixate sometimes on the number of seconds between goals, but it’s essentially irrelevant, if you, again, are focusing on each individual step, focusing on the process, because we scored four and they scored three.  I don’t think they gained any victory whatsoever over the fact that they tied the game three to three.  It doesn’t matter, they’re still [angry] about losing four to three.

“I don’t really focus on that, and I try to play my game accordingly.  Sometimes people say, ‘Oh, well you settled down after that,’ it has nothing to do with settling, it just has to do with playing.  What does it matter if I had made the save before?  I still have to make the next save.  So I don’t really focus on that.”

Similarly, Grumet-Morris is not about to turn handsprings over the record he has put together in a Wolf Pack uniform, even as compared to the 1-6-1 slate he compiled in his eight appearances with San Antonio prior to the trade.  In considering that point, he had some interesting things to say about the significance, or lack thereof, of individual goaltending statistics. 

“If you want to digest blocks of the season, I started in San Antonio 1-6-1,” Grumet-Morris said.  “In my six losses, five of those games I had either zero or one goal scored-for, and in only one game did we have more than one goal.  So you can’t win games 1-0.  You can win one a year, maybe two. 

“If my team had scored four goals each and every one of those games, I would have been 6-1-1.  Would that mean that I was playing better hockey because my team was scoring four goals?  No, it means that offensively we were clicking, and when I was there we weren’t.  And that’s just part of hockey.  I don’t blame anyone, it’s not my responsibility to worry about goal-scoring, and that’s why the record was 1-6-1.  And then you come here, and maybe you’re struggling one night but your team scores six goals, and you win 6-3.  Great, OK, good job, does that mean that it was a better game than the previous game that you lost 2-1, but maybe statistically you had a better game? 

“It really doesn’t matter, I think people get fixated because it’s hard to watch every individual game, and every individual save, and analyze it down if you’re not doing it for your living.  I don’t really worry about the stats in that sense, I worry about the process and I worry about doing the right thing all the time.”

The team as a whole has seemed to feed off of that approach, and Grumet-Morris feels that the entire group is in a good collective rhythm at this point.

“It helps that we’re playing some home games, because we get the crowd behind us and we’re sleeping in our own beds and we’re just a little more comfortable, so that’s nice,” he said.  “And overall I think our team has been just much more consistent from day to day, and even from shift to shift.  So we’re getting better, it’s a process but we’re real excited, we’re making a great push right now.  We have to continue that, we understand, but we are excited.”

Grumet-Morris’ own situation has stabilized considerably as well, now that he has moved his wife, Rachel, and their two daughters, Gabriella and Leah, from San Antonio out to Connecticut.  Rachel was still pregnant with Leah when Grumet-Morris was traded, and Leah did not arrive until January 19.  Shortly thereafter, the three ladies relocated north to rejoin their favorite goaltender, who had made several trips back and forth to Texas prior to Leah’s birth.

“It’s great,” said Grumet-Morris of having the whole brood back under the same roof.  “It certainly is chaotic with a family, and it’s very difficult when you’re trying to move a whole crew and all your stuff, especially the toys, but it’s been great and I appreciate having my family here.  And I do think it makes a difference, and I think it helps.”

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

photo credit: chris rutsch

Manchester, NH, March 9, 2014 – The Hartford Wolf Pack fell behind the AHL’s top team, the Manchester Monarchs, 3-0 in the first period Sunday at Verizon Wireless Arena and nearly recovered, but ended up on the short end of a 3-2 score.

A pair of T.J. Hensick goals closed the final to a one-goal margin, after Colin Fraser, Andrew Campbell and Jordan Weal scored for the Monarchs in the first.

“It just seems the first period is our Achilles heel right now,” Hensick said.  “We’ve had strong thirds lately, but we’ve got to find a way to have better starts.  We give up three goals early and it’s a tough battle to climb back, especially against the best team in the league.  They’re the best team in the league for a reason, and if you spot them three goals early, they’re going to shut it down defensively pretty solid.”

The loss broke a two-game Wolf Pack win streak, and cost the Pack (25-28-0-6, 56 pts.) a chance to move into a tie with idle Bridgeport in the Northeast Division standings.  The win improved the Monarchs’ league-best record to 39-16-2-6 for 86 points.

Manchester outshot the Wolf Pack 11-4 in the first period, and jumped on top on a power play at 9:14, with Tommy Hughes in the penalty box for tripping.  Linden Vey carried the puck down the right side in the Wolf Pack zone and dropped it off to Fraser, whose snapshot beat Hartford goaltender David LeNeveu (22 saves) over the catching glove.

Campbell, a veteran defenseman and Manchester’s captain, scored his third goal in 62 games on the year at 12:54 to make it a 2-0 Monarch lead.  Wolf Pack defenseman Conor Allen skated in front of LeNeveu just as Campbell fired the puck from the top of the right circle, and the shot got by LeNeveu and into the top shelf.

A four-on-four goal upped the Manchester lead to 3-0 at 16:53.  A shot from the blue line by Andrew Bodnarchuk went wide, but Zach O’Brien jumped on the carom behind the net and fed it in front to Weal, who shot it past LeNeveu from point-blank range.

That would be it for the Monarch offense, though, and the Wolf Pack got on the scoreboard with only 22.6 seconds remaining in the period.  Allen stopped an attempted Monarch breakout just inside the Manchester blue line, and found Hensick all alone in front of Manchester goaltender J.F. Berube (18 saves).  Hensick had time to put a fake on Berube, and Hensick slipped his eighth goal of the year through the pads.

The second period was nearly dead even, with neither team scoring, despite both enjoying two-man advantages, the Monarchs a five-on-three of 1:19 and the Wolf Pack one of 49 seconds.  Shots on goal were eight apiece in the middle frame.

It was nearly a scoreless standoff in the third as well, but the Wolf Pack were finally able to cut the lead to one with 58.2 seconds remaining.  With LeNeveu on the bench for an extra attacker, Ryan Bourque worked the puck out of a scrum to J.T. Miller in the slot, and Miller passed to the right-wing side to Hensick, who whipped the puck behind a sliding Berube.

The Wolf Pack were able to pull LeNeveu successfully again, but Berube and the Monarchs held on, dropping the Wolf Pack to 14 points out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Wolf Pack’s next action is a home game at the XL Center this Friday, March 14, a 7:00 PM contest against the Adirondack Phantoms.  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 2 at Manchester Monarchs 3
Sunday, March 9, 2014 – Verizon Wireless Arena

Hartford 1 0 1 – 2
Manchester 3 0 0 – 3

1st Period-1, Manchester, Fraser 3 (Vey, McNabb), 9:14 (PP). 2, Manchester, Campbell 3 (Shore, O'Brien), 12:54. 3, Manchester, Weal 16 (O'Brien, Bodnarchuk), 16:53. 4, Hartford, Hensick 8 (Allen, Kristo), 19:37. Penalties-Fast Hfd (hooking), 2:12; Hughes Hfd (tripping), 7:40; McIlrath Hfd (fighting), 11:16; Sabourin Mch (fighting), 11:16; Beach Hfd (delay of game), 15:44; McNabb Mch (checking to the head), 16:29; Shore Mch (hooking), 19:44.

2nd Period- No Scoring. Penalties-Miller Hfd (slashing), 8:53; Powe Hfd (cross-checking), 9:34; Livingston Mch (slashing), 12:24; Campbell Mch (hooking), 13:35.

3rd Period-5, Hartford, Hensick 9 (Miller, Bourque), 19:01. Penalties-LoVerde Mch (holding), 3:02; Johnson Hfd (roughing), 8:21; Sabourin Mch (goaltender interference), 8:21; Sabourin Mch (tripping), 11:46.

Shots on Goal-Hartford 4-8-7-19. Manchester 11-8-6-25.
Power Play Opportunities-Hartford 0 / 6; Manchester 1 / 5.
Goalies-Hartford, LeNeveu 4-8-0 (25 shots-22 saves). Manchester, Berube 22-14-2 (19 shots-17 saves).
A-4,996
Referees-Jon McIsaac (45), Jarrod Ragusin (54).
Linesmen-Ed Boyle (81), Joe Ross (92).

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.