HARTFORD, October 8, 2014:  Global Spectrum, operators of the XL Center and Hartford Wolf Pack, announced today an opportunity for fans to participate in the painting of the XL Center ice markings this Sunday, October 12, starting at 11:00 AM.

All those interested in taking part in, or simply getting a glimpse of, the ice-painting process, are asked to go to the XL Center atrium at 11:00 AM on Sunday.  Wolf Pack staff will escort all those assembled to ice level, where they will have a chance to take paint brush in hand and apply a portion of the special “Jet Ice” paint to one of the rink lines.

“We want to extend the opportunity to our fans to take part in the creation of the ice-building process. It will give our fans a sense of pride and belonging,” said Global Spectrum’s Chris Lawrence, General Manager of the XL Center and Hartford Wolf Pack Business Operations.   “We are obviously excited about all of the XL Center renovations these past few months, and this is a great event for fans to take a look at the changes before the home opener on October 18^th.”

The Pack open the home portion of their 2014-15 AHL regular season Saturday, October 18 at the XL Center, hosting the Portland Pirates at 7:00 PM.  Tickets for that game, and 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, October 8, 2014: Hartford Wolf Pack general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that the Wolf Pack has welcomed three new additions to its hockey staff.

Brian Fairbrother is the Wolf Pack’s new athletic trainer, Paul Secola joins the team as Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach and Shawn Roche has been hired as Video Coordinator.

Fairbrother comes to the Wolf Pack from Quinnipiac University, where he has worked in sports medicine for eight years. The 32-year-old native of Littleton, NH provided medical services for the Bobcats’ Men’s Ice Hockey program, and also served as an approved clinical instructor and lecturer for Quinnipiac’s Athletic Training Program.

Fairbrother holds a Master’s degree in Recreation and Sports Science from Ohio University, where he worked for a year as a graduate assistant athletic trainer, focusing his efforts on the football, women’s lacrosse and track and field teams. He also has experience working with the football program at Harvard University, and did his undergraduate work at Northeastern University, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Athletic Training in 2005.

Secola, 24, who hails from Brookfield, CT, has a Master’s Degree in Exercise Science, and a Bachelor’s in Strength and Conditioning, from the University of Connecticut. While at UConn, he worked with the Football, Men’s and Women’s Track and Field, and Field Hockey programs, and conducted, and participated in, research studies under his major advisor, Dr. William Kraemer. Prior to joining the Wolf Pack, Secola worked at Edwin O. Smith High School in Storrs, CT, where he served as Strength and Conditioning Coach for the hockey and baseball teams. Secola also coordinated the school’s weight room, designing and implementing training programs for both teams and individual athletes.

Roche has been a video coordinator and video coach for the Canisius College Men’s Hockey program in his hometown of Buffalo, NY for the past two years. The 29-year-old Roche earned a Master’s degree in Adult Education from the University of Phoenix, after graduating from Bowling Green State University with a Bachelor’s in Sports Management. He also did graduate work at the University of Toledo, serving as a graduate assistant coach and video coordinator for the football program, and at Bowling Green Roche worked as a student coach for the Falcon football team. He has also assisted the Buffalo Bills with their training camp operation.

The Wolf Pack begin regular-season play this Sunday, October 12, traveling to Syracuse to battle the Crunch in a 5:00 PM game. The Pack open the home portion of their 2014-15 AHL regular season Saturday, October 18 at the XL Center, hosting the Portland Pirates at 7:00 PM. Tickets for that game, and 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.

NEW YORK, October 7, 2014 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the team has reassigned Chris Mueller to the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL).

The Rangers have 23 players on their active roster. The roster breakdown is listed below:

Forwards (14)*: Derick Brassard, Anthony Duclair, Jesper Fast, Tanner Glass, Carl Hagelin, *Kevin Hayes (injured), Chris Kreider, Ryan Malone, J.T. Miller, Dominic Moore, Rick Nash, Martin St. Louis, Lee Stempniak, Mats Zuccarello

Defensemen (7): Dan Boyle, Dan Girardi, Matt Hunwick, Kevin Klein, Ryan McDonagh, John Moore, Marc Staal

Goaltenders (2): Henrik Lundqvist, Cam Talbot

*Derek Stepan is on long-term injured reserve

HARTFORD, October 6, 2014:  Hartford Wolf Pack general manager Jim Schoenfeld today announced the following changes to the Wolf Pack’s roster:

Reassigned by the New York Rangers from the Wolf Pack to Greenville (ECHL):

Forwards (1):         Michael St. Croix

Loaned by the Wolf Pack to Greenville (ECHL):

Forwards (1):         Vinny Saponari

Goaltenders (1):     Jeff Malcolm

Released from training camp tryouts and joining Greenville (ECHL):

Forwards (3):         Tyler Brown, Kyle Jean, Pat Mullane

Defensemen (3):    Sean Escobedo, Andrew Himelson, Dallas Jackson

Reassigned by the New York Rangers from the Wolf Pack to Erie (OHL):

Defensemen (1):    Troy Donnay

Released from training camp tryout and joining Fort Wayne (ECHL):

Defensemen (1):    Mikael Tam

Released from training camp tryout and joining Rapid City (CHL):

Defensemen (1):    Brandon Martell

With those moves, the Wolf Pack training camp roster now stands at 24 players:

Goal (2): Cedrick Desjardins, Jason Missiaen

Defense (7):  Conor Allen, Mat Bodie, Tommy Hughes, Mike Kostka, Dylan McIlrath, Sam Noreau, Steve Spinell

Forwards (15):   Chris Bourque, Ryan Bourque, Joey Crabb, Ryan Haggerty, Marek Hrivik, Michael Kantor, Danny Kristo, Oscar Lindberg, Matthew Lombardi, Chris McCarthy, Richard Nejezchleb, Shawn O’Donnell, Ryan Potulny, Nick Tarnasky, Justin Vaive

The Wolf Pack begin regular-season play this Sunday, October 12, traveling to Syracuse to battle the Crunch in a 5:00 PM game.  The Pack open the home portion of their 2014-15 AHL regular season Saturday, October 18 at the XL Center, hosting the Portland Pirates at 7:00 PM.  Tickets for that game, and 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.

NEW YORK, October 6, 2014 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the team has reassigned eight players from its training camp roster to the Hartford Wolf Pack.

The players who were reassigned are: Cedrick Desjardins, Ryan Haggerty, Marek Hrivik, Steven Kampfer, Michael Kostka, Oscar Lindberg, Matthew Lombardi, and Dylan McIlrath.

The Rangers have 25 players remaining on their roster. The roster breakdown is listed below:

Forwards (16): Derick Brassard, Anthony Duclair, Jesper Fast, Tanner Glass, Carl Hagelin, Kevin Hayes, Chris Kreider, Ryan Malone, J.T. Miller, Dominic Moore, Chris Mueller, Rick Nash, Martin St. Louis, Lee Stempniak, Derek Stepan, Mats Zuccarello

Defensemen (7): Dan Boyle, Dan Girardi, Matt Hunwick, Kevin Klein, Ryan McDonagh, John Moore, Marc Staal

Goaltenders (2): Henrik Lundqvist, Cam Talbot

Springfield, MA, October 5, 2014 – Shawn O’Donnell scored a pair of goals to bring the Hartford Wolf Pack back from a 2-0 deficit Sunday afternoon at the MassMutual Center, but the Springfield Falcons prevailed 3-2 in a shootout, in the Wolf Pack’s preseason finale.

Mike Hoeffel and Hubert Labrie scored in regulation for Springfield, and T.J. Tynan scored the only goal of the shootout. Anton Forsberg made 24 saves in the Springfield net and went three-for-three in the shootout. Jason Missiaen started in goal for the Wolf Pack and stopped nine of the ten shots that he faced, and Jeff Malcolm allowed one goal on 22 shots.

After a scoreless first period, Springfield jumped on top 3:29 into the second. Hoeffel skated down left wing and snapped a shot through a screen past Missiaen, up under the crossbar.

The Falcons struck again at 11:34, just 1:20 after the Wolf Pack made a goaltending change, replacing Missiaen Malcolm. Labrie took a drop pass from Trent Vogelhuber and fired the puck past Malcolm’s catching glove, from just inside the left faceoff dot.

The Wolf Pack got on the scoreboard with 3:57 remaining in the period, on O’Donnell’s first of the game. Nick Tarnasky, a former Falcon, slid the puck across the slot from the left side of the goalmouth, and O’Donnell poked it past Forsberg.

O’Donnell scored again at 11:26 of the third period to lift the Wolf Pack into a tie, off a setup by Andrew Yogan. Yogan played the puck out of the right-wing corner to O’Donnell in the circle, and O’Donnell beat Forsberg with a high shot.

That sent the game to overtime, and the extra session never got to the new three-on-three segment, as there wasn’t a single stoppage after the three-minute mark.

In the shootout, Tynan scored on a backhand shot into the top shelf on Springfield’s first attempt, and that would turn out to be all the Falcons needed. Forsberg stopped Ryan Bourque and O’Donnell, and Mat Bodie hit the post on the stick side.

The Wolf Pack, who finished the preseason 1-1-0-2, begin regular-season play on Sunday, October 12, traveling to Syracuse to battle the Crunch in a 5:00 PM game. The Pack open the home portion of their 2014-15 AHL regular season Saturday, October 18 at the XL Center, hosting the Portland Pirates at 7:00 PM. Tickets for that game, and 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.

Hartford, CT, October 4, 2014 – Matt Tennyson had two goals and an assist, and Evan Trupp scored twice, to lead the Worcester Sharks to a 6-2 win over the Hartford Wolf Pack Saturday night at Trinity College’s Koeppel Community Sports Center, in the Wolf Pack’s last of three home preseason games.

Daniil Tarasov and Jeremy Langlois also scored for Worcester, and Bryan Lerg had two assists. Brothers Chris and Ryan Bourque scored the Wolf Pack goals, and Mat Bodie assisted on both.

The game was scoreless until 16.6 seconds remained in the first period, when Chris Bourque scored a power-play goal, with the Sharks’ Gus Young in the penalty box for interference.

Bodie fed a cross-ice pass from the left circle to Bourque at the right faceoff dot, and Worcester goaltender Troy Grosenick (20 saves) had no chance on Bourque’s one-timer.

The Sharks would dominate the second period, though, outshooting the Wolf Pack 17-2 and scoring three times.

Trupp evened the score at one at 5:24, clicking off of a faceoff. The draw was to the right of Hartford goaltender Jason Missiaen (33 saves), and Trupp found the puck right after the drop and slipped it between Missiaen’s pads.

Worcester then scored twice on a three-minute major power play, created by a five-minute interference penalty against Shawn O’Donnell, who spilled Bryan Lerg as Lerg headed toward the Shark bench door. O’Donnell then was challenged to a fight by Worcester defenseman Konrad Abeltshauser, which earned Abeltshauser an instigating penalty and a misconduct.

Tarasov put Worcester ahead 17 seconds after the power play began, scoring from the left side of the slot after Tennyson set him up from the center point.

Then, just 42 seconds later, at 9:13, Tennyson scored from virtually the same spot that he fed Tarasov, as Tennyson’s snap shot from the middle of the blue line hit Missiaen and trickled into the net.

The Sharks stretched their lead to 4-1 at 5:33 of the third, on Trupp’s second of the game. Dylan DeMelo snapped the puck from high in the slot, and Trupp re-directed it past Missiaen.

The Worcester power play cashed in for its third score of the game at 11:03, with Tennyson scoring his second of the night. Seconds after a two-man advantage expired, Tennyson skated to the top of the circles and fired a shot up under the crossbar.

The Wolf Pack man-advantage unit answered that goal at 14:47, with Trupp off for hooking. Bodie set up Ryan Bourque at the right faceoff dot, and Bourque’s one-timer cleanly beat Grosenick, cutting the lead to 5-2.

The Pack lost track of Jeremy Langlois, though, at 16:37, and Langlois broke in alone and banged the puck off the post and in, to increase it to a 6-2 margin.

The Wolf Pack wrap up their preseason schedule Sunday, October 5, traveling to Springfield to take on the Falcons in a 3:00 PM game. The Pack open the home portion of their 2014-15 AHL regular season Saturday, October 18 at the XL Center, hosting the Portland Pirates at 7:00 PM. Tickets for that game, and 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.

Worcester Sharks 6 at Hartford Wolf Pack 2
Saturday, October 4, 2014 – Koeppel Community Sports Center

Worcester 0 3 3 – 6
Hartford 1 0 1 – 2

1st Period-1, Hartford, Bourque 1 (Bodie), 19:43 (PP). Penalties-Tarasov Wor (fighting), 4:06; Tam Hfd (fighting), 4:06; Potulny Hfd (closing hand on puck), 6:41; Young Wor (interference), 19:36.

2nd Period-2, Worcester, Trupp 1 (Lerg), 5:24. 3, Worcester, Tarasov 1 (Tennyson, Hamilton), 8:31 (PP). 4, Worcester, Tennyson 1 (Oleksuk), 9:13 (PP). Penalties-Abeltshauser Wor (instigating, fighting, misconduct – instigating), 6:14; O’Donnell Hfd (major – interference, fighting, game misconduct – interference), 6:14; Haley Wor (high-sticking), 10:47; Young Wor (high-sticking, high-sticking), 14:25; Allen Hfd (boarding), 17:00.

3rd Period-5, Worcester, Trupp 2 (Demelo, Lerg), 5:33. 6, Worcester, Tennyson 2 (Oleksuk, Taormina), 11:03 (PP). 7, Hartford, Bourque 2 (Bodie, Allen), 14:47 (PP). 8, Worcester, Langlois 3 16:37. Penalties-Haley Wor (boarding), 1:53; served by Yogan Hfd (bench minor – unsportsmanlike conduct), 8:55; Bourque Hfd (tripping), 9:48; Trupp Wor (hooking), 13:53.

Shots on Goal-Worcester 14-17-8-39. Hartford 10-2-10-22.
Power Play Opportunities-Worcester 3 / 7; Hartford 2 / 6.
Goalies-Worcester, Grosenick 1-0-0 (22 shots-20 saves). Hartford, Missiaen 1-4-1 (39 shots-33 saves).
A-0
Referees-Dave Lewis (16), Michael Mullen (18).
Linesmen-Brent Colby (7), Jim Briggs (83).

HARTFORD, October 3, 2014:  Hartford Wolf Pack general manager Jim Schoenfeld today announced the following changes to the Wolf Pack’s roster:

Reassigned by the New York Rangers from the Wolf Pack to Greenville (ECHL):

Goaltenders (1):     Mackenzie Skapski

Forwards (1):         Josh Nicholls

Released from training camp tryouts and joining Greenville (ECHL):

Forwards (4):         Mike Catenacci, Emerson Clark, Chad Nehring, Trevor Parkes

Released from training camp tryouts:

Defensemen (1):    Nick Crawford

Forwards (3):         Nick Latta, Paxton Leroux, Logan Nelson

With those moves, the Wolf Pack training camp roster now stands at 29 players:

Goal (2):           Jeff Malcolm, Jason Missiaen

Defense (11):    Conor Allen, Mat Bodie, Troy Donnay, Sean Escobedo, Andrew Himelson, Tommy Hughes, Dallas Jackson, Brandon Martell, Sam Noreau, Steve Spinell, Mikael Tam

Forwards (16):   Chris Bourque, Ryan Bourque, Tyler Brown, Kyle Jean, Michael Kantor, Danny Kristo, Chris McCarthy, Pat Mullane, Richard Nejezchleb, Shawn O’Donnell, Ryan Potulny, Michael St. Croix, Vinny Saponari, Nick Tarnasky, Justin Vaive, Andrew Yogan

The Wolf Pack’s last of three home preseason games is tomorrow night, Saturday, October 4, at the Koeppel Community Sports Center at Trinity College.  The Wolf Pack and Worcester Sharks face off at 7:00 PM on Saturday, and donations will be accepted at the door in lieu of an admission charge, benefitting the Ryan Gordon/Hartford Wolf Pack Community Scholars Fund.  The fund memorializes young fan Ryan Gordon, who passed away in 2006 and asked that a portion of the monies set aside for his college education be donated to the Hartford Wolf Pack Community Foundation.  Suggested donation is $5 per person.  The Koeppel Community Sports Center is located at 175 New Britain Ave. in Hartford.

The Wolf Pack will open the home portion of their 2014-15 AHL regular season Saturday, October 18 at the XL Center, hosting the Portland Pirates at 7:00 PM.  Tickets for that game, and 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.

Hamden, CT, October 2, 2014 – A three-goal Worcester Shark comeback in the third period boosted Worcester to a 5-4 shootout win over the Hartford Wolf Pack Thursday night, at Quinnipiac University’s TD Bank Sports Center, in AHL preseason action.

Ryan Potulny and Danny Kristo had a goal and an assist apiece for the Wolf Pack, but former Quinnipiac Bobcat Jeremy Langlois scored twice, including the third-period tying goal, in his old college home for the Sharks, and Konrad Abeltshauser added a goal and an assist.

It took most of the first period for any offense to be generated, but three goals went up on the board in the last 4:40 of the session.

Sean Escobedo gave the Wolf Pack the game’s first lead at the 15:20 mark, beating Worcester starting netminder J.P. Anderson (three goals against on ten shots) under his left arm, after Petter Emanuelsson had blocked an Escobedo shot right back to him.

The Wolf Pack upped the lead to 2-0 on a power-play 1:31 later, at 16:51, with Vladyslav Gavrik in the penalty box for interference.  Kristo stickhandled to the top of the circles and fed a pass to Potulny, who one-timed a shot from near the right-wing boards, below the hash mark, past Anderson on the short side.

The Sharks, though, got on the scoreboard at 18:39, with Langlois scoring his first of the game.  Langlois forced Mike Catenacci into a turnover in the slot in the Wolf Pack end, and then worked a give-and-go with Jimmy Bonneau before putting a shot past Hartford goaltender Mackenzie Skapski’s glove side.

The Wolf Pack got that one back 3:47 into the second, scoring directly off of a faceoff.  Potulny won a draw from Langlois in the right circle and drew the puck back to Kristo, whose quick shot eluded a surprised Anderson.

Then, after Worcester changed goaltenders at the 12:59 mark, Chris McCarthy upped the Wolf Pack’s lead to 4-1 with a shorthanded breakaway goal at 18:36.

With Chad Nehring off for slashing, McCarthy worked the puck loose near the center line and sped in alone on relief goalie Aaron Dell.  McCarthy made a move to his forehand and put the puck between Dell’s legs for a three-goal advantage.

The Sharks dominated the third from the outset, however, and quickly turned the game around.

Abeltshauser cut the Hartford lead to 4-2 at 3:53, with a shot from the left circle.  Abeltshauser’s drive beat Skapski (31 saves) high to the stick side, after Kyle Bigos had fed the puck across the slot.

The Sharks then moved to within one just 1:46 later, at 5:39, on a power-play goal by Melker Karlsson.  Conor Allen partially fanned on a clearing attempt, allowing former Wolf Pack Micheal Haley to put a feed from the high slot on to the stick of Karlsson, alone in front of Skapski.  Karlsson faked Skapski to the ice before putting a backhander into the net.

Langlois then tied the score at four with his second of the game at 11:26, capping strong pressuring shift by the Sharks.  Abeltshauser’s pass found Langlois in the left circle, and his shot went off of Skapski and found its way into the net.

The 4-4 tie held up throughout the rest of regulation, and the new AHL overtime format, which features three minutes of four-on-four play followed by four minutes of three-on-three, failed to produce a goal.

In the best-of-three shootout, Worcester’s Bryan Lerg was the only shooter to score, coming in slowly on Skapski and connecting on a backhand move on the Sharks’ second attempt.  Dell (one goal-against on 13 shots) stopped Potulny and Kristo, and then McCarthy had the puck get away from him on the Wolf Pack’s third chance, giving Worcester the 5-4 win and running the Wolf Pack’s preseason record to 1-0-0-1.

The Wolf Pack’s last of three home preseason games is this Saturday night, October 4, at the Koeppel Community Center at Trinity College.  The Wolf Pack and Sharks rematch at 7:00 PM on Saturday, and donations will be accepted at the door in lieu of an admission charge, benefitting the Ryan Gordon/Hartford Wolf Pack Community Scholars Fund.  The fund memorializes young fan Ryan Gordon, who passed away in 2006 and asked that a portion of the monies set aside for his college education be donated to the Hartford Wolf Pack Community Foundation.  Suggested donation is $5 per person.  The Koeppel Community Sports Center is located at 175 New Britain Ave. in Hartford.

The Wolf Pack will open the home portion of their 2014-15 AHL regular season Saturday, October 18 at the XL Center, hosting the Portland Pirates at 7:00 PM.  Tickets for that game, and 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.

Worcester Sharks 5 (SO) at Hartford Wolf Pack 4
Thursday, October 2, 2014 – TD Bank Sports Center

Worcester 1 0 3 0 – 5
Hartford 2 2 0 0 – 4

1st Period-1, Hartford, Escobedo 1   15:20. 2, Hartford, Potulny 2 (Kristo, Allen), 16:51 (PP). 3, Worcester, Langlois 1 (Bonneau), 18:39. Penalties-Ellis Wor (roughing), 10:02; Ferriero Wor (cross-checking), 10:02; Leroux Hfd (roughing), 10:02; Gavrik Wor (interference), 16:06.

2nd Period-4, Hartford, Kristo 2 (Potulny), 3:47. 5, Hartford, McCarthy 1   18:36 (SH). Penalties-Noreau Hfd (cross-checking), 5:27; Bonneau Wor (roughing), 8:10; Abeltshauser Wor (tripping), 8:52; Haley Wor (roughing), 13:26; Nehring Hfd (slashing), 16:52.

3rd Period-6, Worcester, Abeltshauser 3 (Bigos, Gavrik), 3:53. 7, Worcester, Karlsson 1 (Haley, Emanuelsson), 5:39 (PP). 8, Worcester, Langlois 2 (Abeltshauser, Deblois), 11:26. Penalties-Nehring Hfd (hooking), 4:39; Leroux Hfd (slashing), 7:52; Karlsson Wor (boarding), 16:48; Spinell Hfd (boarding), 16:48; Bigos Wor (fighting), 19:16; Nehring Hfd (fighting), 19:16.

OT Period- No Scoring. Penalties-Mullane Hfd (tripping), 1:33; Young Wor (hooking), 4:53; Allen Hfd (roughing), 4:53.

Shootout – Worcester 1 (Langlois NG, Lerg G), Hartford 0 (Potulny NG, Kristo NG, McCarthy NG).
Shots on Goal-Worcester 10-7-13-5-1-36. Hartford 5-8-9-1-0-23.
Power Play Opportunities-Worcester 1 / 5; Hartford 1 / 5.
Goalies-Worcester, Anderson 0-0-0 (10 shots-7 saves); Dell 1-0-0 (13 shots-12 saves). Hartford, Skapski 0-0-1 (35 shots-31 saves).
A-0
Referees-Jamie Koharski (84).
Linesmen-Paul Simeon (66), Derek Wahl (46).

Cromwell, CT, October 1, 2014 – Michael St. Croix scored the third-period game-winning goal, and Jeff Malcolm stopped 28 out of 29 shots, as the Hartford Wolf Pack defeated the Albany Devils 3-1 Wednesday night at Champions Skating Center, in the AHL preseason opener for both teams.

Andrew Yogan also scored for the Wolf Pack, and Nick Crawford added an empty-net goal.  Paul Thompson tallied the only Albany goal, on a penalty shot, and Maxime Clermont made 19 saves.

After the two goaltenders kept the game scoreless for more than 37 minutes, the clubs combined for a pair of goals in 16 seconds late in the second period.

The Devils’ Thompson finally broke the 0-0 deadlock at 17:23.  He was awarded a penalty-shot opportunity after he blocked a Brandon Martell shot from the left point and Martell tripped him from behind after Thompson broke away.  Thompson came in slowly on the penalty shot attempt and beat Malcolm with a forehand shot.

The Wolf Pack came back to tie the score almost immediately, though, as Mike Catenacci stole the puck on the left-wing side and passed across the slot to Yogan, who one-timed it into the net behind a helpless Clermont at 17:39.

The Wolf Pack then took the lead at 9:45 of the third period.  Pat Mullane poked the puck off of an Albany stick just outside the Devil blue line, allowing St. Croix to get a step on the Albany defense.  St. Croix cut across the slot from left to right and slipped the puck inside the post to Clermont’s left.

Crawford made the final 3-1 by scoring into an open goal, on a shot from the left point, with 42.4 seconds left.

The Wolf Pack are right back in preseason action Thursday, October 2, hosting the Worcester Sharks at the TD Bank Sports Center at Quinnipiac University.  Faceoff is 7:00 PM, and the TD Bank Sports Center is located at 275 Mt. Carmel Ave. in Hamden, CT.  Tickets for the game are available through the TD Bank Sports Center ticket office, as well as by phone at (203) 582-3905.  The on-line address to purchase tickets is www.quinnipiacbobcats.com.  Proceeds from the game will benefit Gaylord Specialty Healthcare of Wallingford, CT.

The Wolf Pack will open the home portion of their 2014-15 AHL regular season Saturday, October 18 at the XL Center, hosting the Portland Pirates at 7:00 PM.  Tickets for that game, and 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.

Albany Devils 1 at Hartford Wolf Pack 3
Wednesday, October 1, 2014 – Champions Skating Center

Albany 0 1 0 – 1
Hartford 0 1 2 – 3

1st Period- No Scoring. Penalties-Timmins Alb (delay of game), 1:38; Martell Hfd (delay of game), 6:56; Clark Hfd (hooking), 14:58; Wohlberg Alb (cross-checking), 18:50.

2nd Period-1, Albany, Thompson 4   17:23 (PS). 2, Hartford, Yogan 2 (Catenacci), 17:39. Penalties-Scarlett Alb (interference), 2:41; Kelly Alb (boarding, roughing), 3:22; Yogan Hfd (roughing), 3:22; Clark Hfd (misconduct – unsportsmanlike conduct), 10:03; Burlon Alb (unsportsmanlike conduct), 12:47.

3rd Period-3, Hartford, St. Croix 2 (Mullane), 9:45. 4, Hartford, Crawford 3   19:17 (EN). Penalties-Kelly Alb (fighting), 0:15; Vaive Hfd (fighting), 0:15; Carrier Alb (fighting), 3:36; Zajac Alb (fighting), 3:36; O’Donnell Hfd (cross-checking, fighting, misconduct – instigating), 3:36; Spinell Hfd (fighting), 3:36; Thompson Alb (fighting), 4:59; Tam Hfd (fighting), 4:59; Spinell Hfd (slashing), 12:08.

Shots on Goal-Albany 8-7-14-29. Hartford 5-13-4-22.
Power Play Opportunities-Albany 0 / 4; Hartford 0 / 5.
Goalies-Albany, Clermont 1-1-0 (21 shots-19 saves). Hartford, Malcolm 2-0-0 (29 shots-28 saves).
A-0
Referees-Terry Koharski (10).
Linesmen-Kevin Redding (16), Luke Galvin (2).