Paw Prints – The Daily UConn Roundup – 1/29

UConn Huskies Daily Roundup

Paw Prints is our daily look at the happenings for the UConn Huskies football, men's basketball and women's basketball teams as well as the other sports the student-athletes engage in. We will do our best to bring you the links from all of the media that covers the Huskies on a daily basis. As always, links can be found by clicking on the read more button below if you're on the home page.

Thank you for stopping by and making SOX & Dawgs your home for UConn Huskies news.

To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click

UConn Women's Basketball links

UConn's Stewart Shoots Down Owls in 93-56 Win [sox & dawgs]

Stewart shows the way for Huskies [carl adamec – snyuconn.com]

Hartley adds double-double to UConn resume [carl adamec – snyuconn.com]

UConn’s Feb. 9 game with Louisville sold out [carl adamec – snyuconn.com]

Stewart Chasing Down 1,000th Point [john altavilla – hartford courant]

American Adminstrator Offers Insight On Hardship Waiver [john altavilla – hartford courant]

It’s Been Quite The Two Weeks For Bria Hartley [john altavilla – hartford courant]

Stewart’s Feat Ranks 8th All-Time At UConn [john altavilla – hartford courant]

No Postgame Health Issues For Dolson [rich elliott – ct post]

Stewart Dropped 37 On Temple With Ease [rich elliott – ct post]

Hartley Finally Seeing Double For The First Time [rich elliott – ct post]

Stewart erupts for career-high 37 in UConn win [jim fuller – new haven register]

Finally a double-double for UConn's Hartley [jim fuller – new haven register]

Game report: Stewart scores career-high 37 to lift UConn [ct post]

Off-day conversation with Auriemma pays off for Stewart [ct post]

Stewart Steals The Show As UConn Beats Temple, 93-56 [hartford courant]

Stewart Closing In On 1,000 Points [hartford courant]

Stewart's 37 points lead UConn over Temple [new haven register]

Geno Overtime: What it takes to be a leader [snyuconn.com]

The Geno Auriemma Show: Husky Heritage Sports Museum tour [snyuconn.com]

UConn Men's Basketball links

Injured Daniels misses practice [gavin keefe – the day]

Video: Huskies at the RAC: The Final Showdown [uconn huskies youtube]

Shabazz Napier to get his number retired at Charlestown [boston herald]

MVPG goes to UConn's Napier [ct post]

UConn Football links

Pair of UConn commits named to Big 33 Classic [jim fuller – new haven register]

With no UConn offer, N.J. tackle weighing his options [jim fuller – new haven register]

Two Recruits in Big 33 game [john silver – snyuconn.com]

Meet The Coaches: Vincent Brown [uconnhuskies.com]

Lawley’s journey from Abby to N.J. prep school yields NCAA D-1 career with UConn Huskies [the province]

Other UConn related links

M. Ice Hockey. Coach Cavanaugh Featured on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio [uconnhuskies.com]

W. Ice Hockey. Women's Hockey Holds Annual Skating Strides Clinic [uconnhuskies.com]

M. Ice Hockey. Huskies Head West to Face Air Force [uconnhuskies.com]

UConn Huskies to welcome new dog in town [wfsb]

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

UConn’s Stewart Shoots Down Owls in 93-56 Win

UConn Huskies forward Breanna Stewart (30) shoots a jump shot over the defense of Temple Owls guard Tyonna Williams (23)

When Breanna Stewart gets on a roll making shots, you might as well sit back and enjoy the show.

And it was quite the performance she put on in head coach Geno Auriemma's backyard.

Behind Stewart's career-high 37 points, the UConn Huskies women's basketball team beat the Temple Owls 93-56 in front of 2,030 at McGonigle Hall in Philadelphia, PA on Tuesday night.

The crowd of 2,030 at McGonigle Hall was a Temple women's basketball record and if I had to guess, I'd say most of them were Auriemma's relatives (kidding).

UConn improves to 22-0 (9-0 American) while Temple falls to 10-10 (4-5).

Stewart got her 37 points on 15-of-19 shooting, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc and 4-for-4 at the charity stripe. She also had five rebounds, two assist and two steals.

Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis had 18 points and six rebounds. Bria Hartley and Stefanie Dolson both had double-doubles for the Huskies. Hartley had 16 points and 11 assists while Dolson had 11 points and 13 rebounds. Moriah Jefferson led the Huskies with 12 assists while Kiah Stokes had four blocked shots.

Rateska Brown was only member of the Owls to hit double figures with 13 points. Shi-Heria Shipp had nine points while Taylor Robinson had eight points. Natasha Thames had seven points and a team-high six rebounds.

With the score tied 4-4 two minutes into the game, the Huskies went on a 14-0 run over the next two plus minutes to open a lead. However after the first media timeout, things started to a little south for the Huskies.

Temple went on a 19-4 run of their own to take a 23-22 lead on a Robinson layup with just under eight minutes to go. The Owls would stay close for the next few minutes but UConn closed out the half on a 22-6 run to enjoy 49-37 lead at the break.

It was all Huskies in the second half as former assistant coach Tonya Cardoza's Temple squad  never mounted a challenge.

When Stewart's on, it is fun to watch. It's not like they were feeding her the ball either. Her 37 points came in the flow of UConn's offense and that's what you want to see.

Had they not, I'm sure Auriemma would have let her/them know.

The Huskies are off until Saturday when they'll face another former assistant and player in Jamelle Elliott's Cincinnati Bearcats squad in the Queen City. Tip is scheduled for 2 p.m.

UConn Huskies @ Temple Owls 1/28/14 box score

Here is UConn head coach Geno Auriemma's press conference video.

Here is Temple head coach Tonya Cardoza's press conference video.

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

photo credit: howard smith- usa today sports

Paw Prints – The Daily UConn Roundup – 1/28

UConn Huskies Daily Roundup

Paw Prints is our daily look at the happenings for the UConn Huskies football, men's basketball and women's basketball teams as well as the other sports the student-athletes engage in. We will do our best to bring you the links from all of the media that covers the Huskies on a daily basis. As always, links can be found by clicking on the read more button below if you're on the home page.

Thank you for stopping by and making SOX & Dawgs your home for UConn Huskies news.

It's game day for the UConn Huskies women's basketball team as they are in the City of Brotherly Love for a matchup with the Temple Owls. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be broadcast locally in Connecticut on SNY. The game will be available online at WatchESPN outside of SNY's footprint. You can also listen to the game on the UConn IMG Sports Radio Network with Bob Joyce and Debbie Fiske.

To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click

UConn Women's Basketball links

Hartley’s end game better than ever [carl adamec – snyuconn.com]

Banks Could Be Back For Temple [john altavilla – hartford courant]

Nap Time Will Precede This Season’s 1st and 2nd Round Games [john altavilla – hartford courant]

Auriemma Again Returning To His Roots [rich elliott – ct post]

Banks Returns To Practice Today [rich elliott – ct post]

Hartley Again Playing Like An All-American [rich elliott – ct post]

Auriemma Looking For Huskies To Be Better Rebounders [rich elliott – ct post]

Banks returns to practice for UConn [jim fuller – new haven register]

Trip down memory lane for UConn's Auriemma [jim fuller – new haven register]

UConn experimenting with three-post lineup [jim fuller- new haven register]

John Altavilla on UConn Women's Basketball [the uconn blog]

No. 1 UConn Hits the Road for Tuesday Game at Temple [uconnhuskies.com]

UConn's Hartley again playing like an All-American [ct post]

Kiah Stokes Becoming More Important To UConn's Future [hartford courant]

Huskies focused on being better rebounding team [new haven register]

Hartley has found her shooting touch [the day]

For Engeln, it was about finding her way [the day]

Auriemma returns to Norristown with Huskies team to offer them a ‘Taste of Home' [times herald]

Placing Connecticut Huskies in bracket is tricky business  [espn.com]

UConn Men's Basketball links

UConn's Shabazz Napier Named American Athletic Conference Player of the Week [sox & dawgs]

AAC week in review: Bearcats stay hot, Napier quiets RAC and Josh Pastner is a funny guy [william paxton – ct post]

Giving Back: Ray Allen's Fight For A Cure Against Diabetes [uconn huskies basketball]

UConn Football links

Once again plenty of questions surround UConn's offensive line [jim fuller – new haven register]

UConn commit changes schools – high schools that is [jim fuller – new haven register]

Huskies lose three players [john silver – snyuconn.com]

Thoughts on the offensive line [john silver – snyuconn.com]

Football. Meet The Coaches: Kevin Wolthausen [uconnhuskies.com]

3 players leave UConn football program [ct post]

3 Football Players Out At UConn; All Had Academic Issues [hartford courant]

Three Huskies no longer enrolled at school [new haven register]

Other UConn related links

W. Ice Hockey. Elaine Chuli Garners Defensive Player Of The Week Nod [uconnhuskies.com]

W. Tennis. Women's Tennis Welcomes Two New Huskies [uconnhuskies.com]

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

Video: David Ortiz Could Move On If Not Offered Long-Term Extension

During interview that aired on WBZ in Boston on Sunday night, Boston Red Sox DH David Ortiz said if he wasn't offered a long-term extension that he could move on to another team.

Ortiz is in the second year of a two-year deal worth $26 million. He did state though that he prefers to retire as a member of the Red Sox.

So folks, do you think he deserves an extension? I do.

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

UConn’s Shabazz Napier Named American Athletic Conference Player of the Week

For the third time this season, UConn Huskies PG Shabazz Napier has been named the American Athletic Conference Player of the Week.

Connecticut Huskies guard Shabazz Napier (13) scored 15 points in the first half against Temple at the XL Center.He was previously named the AAC Player of the Week for the week ending November 24, 2013 and December 8, 2013.

Napier carried UConn to a pair of American Athletic Conference wins as he averaged a league-high 26.5 points to go with 5.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He shot 50 percent from the field (16 of 32), 46.7 percent from 3-point range (7 of 15) and 93.3 percent from the free throw line (14 of 15).

He scored 27 points with seven rebounds and six assists in a 90-66 win against Temple and added 26 points — including 20 in the second half — with three rebounds, four assists, two blocks and three steals in an 82-71 win at Rutgers.

The UConn men are back in action on Thursday night when they'll seek revenge as they host the Houston Cougars at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, CT. Tip is scheduled for 9 p.m.

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

photo credit: john woike – hartford courant

Paw Prints – The Daily UConn Roundup – 1/27

UConn Huskies Daily Roundup

Paw Prints is our daily look at the happenings for the UConn Huskies football, men's basketball and women's basketball teams as well as the other sports the student-athletes engage in. We will do our best to bring you the links from all of the media that covers the Huskies on a daily basis. As always, links can be found by clicking on the read more button below if you're on the home page.

Thank you for stopping by and making SOX & Dawgs your home for UConn Huskies news.

To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click

UConn Women's Basketball links

Again With Six, UConn Women Trounce USF, 81-53 [sox & dawgs]

Hartley, Stewart lead UConn past USF [carl adamec – snyuconn.com]

Notebook: Huskies ‘count’ on Stewart [carl adamec – snyuconn.com]

Auriemma Was Surprised Chong Too Sick To Play [john altavilla – hartford courant]

Tuck’s New Rule: Practice Makes Perfect – Just Ask Geno [john altavilla – hartford courant]

Illness Keeps Chong Benched Vs. South Florida [rich elliott – ct post]

Banks Sits Out With Ankle Injury, Could Practice Monday [rich elliott – ct post]

Brianna Banks could return for UConn tomorrow [jim fuller – new haven register]

Stewart, Hartley deliver for UConn [jim fuller – new haven register]

Hartley, Stewart Pack a One-Two Punch [uconnhuskies.com]

Top-ranked UConn women blast South Florida [ct post]

Rising to the occasion [ct post]

Even With A Short Bench, UConn Makes It Happen [hartford courant]

Ankle Swelling Keeps Brianna Banks Out [hartford courant]

Huskies hit 14 3-pointers in win over USF [new haven register]

UConn Men's Basketball links

When In Doubt, Find Shabazz Napier [hartford courant]

UConn Football links

Size a priority for new UConn staff [jim fuller – new haven register]

Other UConn related links

W. Ice Hockey. UConn Stopped by Providence, 1-0, On Sunday [uconnhuskies.com]

M. Swimming. UConn Men's Swimming And Diving Defeats Seton Hall, 175-116 [uconnhuskies.com]

W. Swimming. UConn Swimming and Diving Defeats Seton Hall, 174.5-116.5 [uconnhuskies.com]

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

Wolf Pack Rally For 6-3 Win Over Phantoms

Glens Falls, NY, January 26, 2014 – Jesper Fast had his second straight two-goal game, and J.T. Miller had three assists, Sunday at the Glens Falls Civic Center, as the Hartford Wolf Pack scored the last five goals of the game after falling behind 3-1, and defeated the Adirondack Phantoms by a score of 6-3.

Hartford Wolf PackHartford trailed 3-2 going into the third period, but got goals from Kyle Beach and Fast to move into the lead, and Danny Syvret and Dylan McIlrath both scored empty-netters.

“It was a big come-from-behind win,” Wolf Pack head coach Ken Gernander said.  “We started the season as a third-period kind of team, and as of late we’ve been having to play a lot of catch-up, but today we were actually able to tie the game, and then win it, in the third.  So it was a good character win for our guys.”

Marek Hrivik scored a late-second period goal to bring the Wolf Pack to within 3-2, Hartford’s second power-play goal in two opportunities.  Aaron Johnson made a slap pass from the left point through to Hrivik at the opposite post, and Hrivik put a quick shot past Adirondack goaltender Cal Heeter (23 saves) with 1:39 left in the second.

Beach then tied it at 5:11 of the third period, with his first goal in 17 games since joining the Wolf Pack.  Heeter stopped Micheal Haley’s shot from the right side of the slot, but the rebound came right to Beach at the hash marks, and he was able to slap it under Heeter’s pads.

The tie lasted until the 15:19 mark, when Fast capped off a great shift with linemates Miller and Ryan Bourque by scoring his fifth goal in the last three games.  Bourque had a shot blocked, but Fast grabbed the rebound at the right side of the slot.  He carried across the top of the goalmouth and knifed a hard backhand that Heeter got a big piece of but could not keep out of the net.

Adirondack got a power play at 17:08 on a cross-checking call against McIlrath, but after the Phantoms pulled Heeter, Syvret hit the empty net at 18:28, after slapping the puck away from the front of his own goal and all the way down the ice.

The Phantoms went with an extra attacker again later in the power play, but it backfired once more, as Miller found McIlrath coming out of the penalty box with a pass, and McIlrath had an unimpeded path to the open net for a goal at 19:15.

Adirondack jumped on top on the game’s first shot, just 42 seconds in.  Ben Holmstrom fed the puck from the middle of the ice, just inside the Wolf Pack line, to Tye McGinn, who broke down right wing and got around McIlrath, before snapping a shot into the net past Dov Grumet-Morris’ catching glove.

That early goal was the first of two in the game for McGinn.

Phantom leading scorer Jason Akeson made it a 2-0 Adirondack at 12:12, with his 15th of the season.  Marc-Andre Bourdon’s shot from the left side hit traffic in front of the net and deflected right to Akeson at the bottom of the right circle.  Grumet-Morris (26 saves) was down, and had no chance to stop Akeson’s shot into the top shelf.

The Wolf Pack got a quick start in the second period, scoring 26 seconds in on a power play that carried over from the first.  Miller fed a pass from the right-wing side to Fast in the left circle, and Fast one-timed it, while on the move, through Heeter from just above the faceoff dot.

McGinn would restore the two-goal lead, however, at 8:39, off of a perfect cross-slot pass from Brandon Manning.  An attempted breakout pass got through Fast along the boards, and Manning sent the puck from the right point to McGinn in the left circle, and McGinn’s high shot found the net on Grumet-Morris’ stick side.         

The Wolf Pack and Phantoms rematch at the XL Center this Wednesday, January 29, with faceoff at 7:00 PM.  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 this Friday night, January 31 against the Providence Bruins.

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 6 at Adirondack Phantoms 3
Sunday, January 26, 2014 – Glens Falls Civic Center

Hartford 0 2 4 – 6
Adirondack 2 1 0 – 3

1st Period-1, Adirondack, McGinn 9 (Holmstrom, Newbury), 0:42. 2, Adirondack, Akeson 15 (Bourdon, Straka), 12:12. Penalties-Miller Hfd (fighting), 8:34; Manning Adk (fighting), 8:34; McIlrath Hfd (roughing), 12:34; Haley Hfd (unsportsmanlike conduct, misconduct – abuse of officials), 15:28; Lindberg Hfd (misconduct – unsportsmanlike conduct), 15:28; Vaive Hfd (misconduct – continuing altercation), 18:39; Bourdon Adk (misconduct – continuing altercation), 18:39; Delisle Adk (roughing), 18:39.

2nd Period-3, Hartford, Fast 7 (Miller, Syvret), 0:26 (PP). 4, Adirondack, McGinn 10 (Manning), 8:39. 5, Hartford, Hrivik 5 (Johnson, Hensick), 18:21 (PP). Penalties-Yogan Hfd (tripping), 5:04; Newbury Adk (tripping), 16:58.

3rd Period-6, Hartford, Beach 5 (Haley, Lindberg), 5:11. 7, Hartford, Fast 8 (Bourque, Miller), 15:19. 8, Hartford, Syvret 4   18:28 (SH EN). 9, Hartford, McIlrath 4 (Miller), 19:15 (EN). Penalties-McIlrath Hfd (cross-checking), 17:08; Syvret Hfd (misconduct – unsportsmanlike conduct), 18:28; Newbury Adk (misconduct – unsportsmanlike conduct), 18:28.

Shots on Goal-Hartford 8-9-12-29. Adirondack 8-9-12-29.
Power Play Opportunities-Hartford 2 / 2; Adirondack 0 / 4.
Goalies-Hartford, Grumet-Morris 5-10-4 (29 shots-26 saves). Adirondack, Heeter 14-14-0 (27 shots-23 saves).
A-3,154
Referees-Geno Binda (22).
Linesmen-Mike Emanatian (69), Steeve Lemay (64).

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

Again With Six, UConn Women Trounce USF, 81-53

No one is ever going to feel sorry for Geno Auriemma and the UConn Huskies women's basketball team when they have to play shorthanded. With Morgan Tuck, Brianna Banks and Saniya Chong missing the game, UConn was once again down to six scholarship players.

And like earlier in the season, it really didn't matter.

 Breanna Stewart, at center, stretches for the ball during the first half of the game. Breanna Stewart tied her career-high with 29 points and had seven rebounds as UConn went on to rout the South Florida Bulls 81-53 in front of the largest crowd this season, 13,207, at the XL Center in Hartford, CT on Sunday afternoon.

The Huskies improve to 21-0 (8-0 American) while the Bulls fall to 10-9 (5-3).

Bria Hartley's hot streak continued as she had 26 points and six assists. Moriah Jefferson had a nice game with 11 points, five rebounds, seven assists and three steals along with Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis who had eight points, five rebounds and six assists.

Courtney Williams was the only member of the Bulls to hit double figures as she had  23 points and tied Alisia Jenkins with a team-high eight rebounds. Jenkins also had six points and five assists while Akila McDonald had nine points.

Based on the final score, you wouldn't have thought that USF would hold a 13-11 lead with 13:23 to go in the first half. A Stewart three would give the Huskies the lead for good at 14-13 but the Bulls would stick around for the next few minutes.

Then an 8-0 run by UConn increased the lead to 10 at 30-20. The Huskies would outscore the Bulls 15-7 to enjoy an 18 point lead at the half.

USF never challenged UConn in the second half and it was on the to the 27th straight win for the Huskies.

Hopefully the Huskies will get Banks and Chong back for their next game. This will allow Auriemma to get some rest for his players as all five starters played at 33 minutes in a blowout win. In years past, they'd be out with 10 minutes to go.

But it's a long season and there's a reason why Auriemma is one of the greatest coaches around. So in reality, no sense to worry.

It's quick turnaround though for the Huskies as they head to Auriemma's stomping grounds for a matchup against former assistant Tanya Cardoza and the Temple Owls on Tuesday night. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m.

South Florida Bulls @ UConn Huskies 1/26/14 box score

Here are UConn's postgame quotes.

Here are UConn's postgame notes.

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

photo credit: rick hartford – hartford courant

Paw Prints – The Daily UConn Roundup – 1/26

UConn Huskies Daily Roundup

Paw Prints is our daily look at the happenings for the UConn Huskies football, men's basketball and women's basketball teams as well as the other sports the student-athletes engage in. We will do our best to bring you the links from all of the media that covers the Huskies on a daily basis. As always, links can be found by clicking on the read more button below if you're on the home page.

Thank you for stopping by and making SOX & Dawgs your home for UConn Huskies news.

To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click

UConn Women's Basketball links

Tuck to have knee surgery, will apply for redshirt [carl adamec – snyuconn.com]

Geno’s First Game At UConn Was Against A Coaching Legend [john altavilla – hartford courant]

Auriemma On The [Possible] Battle Of Unbeatens [john altavilla – hartford courant]

New-look USF team coming to town [jim fuller – new haven register]

UConn's Tuck facing more knee surgery, ending her season [ct post]

Morgan Tuck Will Have Season-Ending Surgery [hartford courant]

UConn sophomore Morgan Tuck to have season-ending surgery [new haven register]

Blocking, steals are forte for UConn women's basketball [bristol press]

UConn Men's Basketball links

Video: UConn Slip Past Rutgers, 82-71 [sox & dawgs]

Wrapping Things Up From The RAC [dom amore – hartford courant]

Notes 'n Quotes for One Final Time from the RAC [david borges – new haven register]

Post-game breakdown, video: Rutgers [gavin keefe – the day]

‘He’s an assassin’ [neill ostrout – journal inquirer]

Report card: Napier sizzles at RAC; Calhoun sits 1 out [william paxton – ct post]

Overcoming Adversity [uconn huskies basketball]

Napier's strong second half leads UConn past Rutgers [ct post]

Return of Daniels vital to UConn's success [ct post]

UConn Tops Rutgers, 82-71 [hartford courant]

Injury Bug Hits Huskies [hartford courant]

Daniels Shows His Toughness After Ankle Injury [hartford courant]

Huskies' win over Rutgers another 'minor' victory [new haven register]

Napier's big second half ignites UConn [the day]

 

UConn Football links

UConn's Stephen has two tackles in Senior Bowl [jim fuller – new haven register]

UConn commit named state MVP [jim fuller – new haven register]

Other UConn related links

W. Ice Hockey. Chuli Shines As UConn Tips Providence, 3-1 [uconnhuskies.com]

M. Soccer. Houston Dynamo acquire Former Husky Tony Cascio [uconnhuskies.com]

W. Track. Emily Durgin Performs Well at Cherry & Silver Invite [uconnhuskies.com]

M. Track. Senior Captains Lead Men's Track & Field at Terrier Classic [uconnhuskies.com]

M. Ice Hockey. Huskies Sweep Season Series with AIC with 2-1 Win [uconnhuskies.com]

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

IceCaps Beat the Wolf Pack 6-2

Hartford, CT, January 25, 2014 – Kael Mouillierat scored a hat trick and added an assist Saturday night at the XL Center, to lead the St. John’s IceCaps to a 6-2 win over the Hartford Wolf Pack.

Hartford Wolf PackJason Jaffray also added a goal and two assists for St. John’s.  Jesper Fast had both Wolf Pack goals, both on power plays.

“I expected us to come out with the same energy we had last night and we just didn’t,” a disappointed Wolf Pack head coach Ken Germander said, in reference to Friday night’s 5-2 Hartford win over the Springfield Falcons.

After having jumped in front only seven seconds into Friday night’s victory, the Wolf Pack fell behind after only 1:09 of Saturday’s game.

Jaffray gave the IceCaps the early lead with his 11th goal of the season, off of a pass from behind the net by Mouillierat.  Mouillierat found Jaffray at the left side of the slot, and Jaffray fanned on his first attempt, but on second effort was able to snap a shot past the stick side of Wolf Pack goaltender David LeNeveu (21 saves).

The Wolf Pack killed a 44-second two-man advantage later in the period, but the momentum created by the IceCaps on that power play led to a second St. John’s goal at 12:46.

LeNeveu made a sharp save on a good chance for Kyle MacKinnon, but Adam Lowry jumped on the rebound and ripped a high shot into the net from the left circle.

The IceCaps ended up with a 13-6 shots on goal advantage in the first frame, and the Wolf Pack needed a great save by LeNeveu on an Andrew Gordon chance in the dying seconds of the period to avoid falling into a 3-0 hole.

St. John’s continued controlling the action early in the second period, and Mouillierat scored twice in a span of 53 seconds starting at 6:05, to stretch the IceCaps’ lead to 4-0.

Mouillierat’s first of those two goals was a shorthander, coming with two seconds left in a tripping penalty to Patrice Cormier.  Hartford’s Conor Allen lost control of the puck in the neutral zone, and Mouillierat broke in alone down the right side.  Mouillierat cut toward the front of the goal, slowed down and then flicked a backhander under the crossbar behind LeNeveu.

Mouillierat scored again at 6:58, after Jaffray sent him and Cormier on a two-on-one.  LeNeveu stopped Cormier’s shot, but Mouillierat was unchecked as he jumped on the rebound, and he beat a helpless LeNeveu.

The Wolf Pack got on the board at 17:36 of the second, with Mouillierat in the penalty box for holding.  Danny Syvret’s point shot was stopped by IceCap goaltender Michael Hutchinson (24 saves), but Oscar Lindberg worked the rebound to Fast in the left circle, and he ripped a quick shot home.

Then Hartford cut the lead to 4-2 only 38 seconds into the third period, after a Will O’Neill high-sticking penalty carried over from the second frame.  Again it was Lindberg setting up Fast, as Lindberg passed from below the goal line, and Fast one-timed it past Hutchinson from the right side of the slot.

The Wolf Pack got into penalty trouble shortly thereafter, though, with Dylan McIlrath taking a tripping minor at 1:29 and Aaron Johnson clearing the puck out of play for a delay of game infraction only eight seconds later.

On the ensuing five-on-three, Jerome Samson whipped a shot from the left-wing faceoff dot over LeNeveu’s right arm at 2:24, increasing St. John’s’ lead to 5-2.

Mouillierat completed his hat trick at 6:02 for a 6-2 final.  Mouillierat’s one-timer off of a Jaffray feed got by LeNeveu’s left pad.

The Wolf Pack are right back in action Sunday afternoon, traveling to Adirondack to visit the Phantoms for a 3:00 game.  All 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 Friday, January 31, a 7:00 PM contest against the Providence Bruins.  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.

St. John's IceCaps 6 at Hartford Wolf Pack 2
Saturday, January 25, 2014 – XL Center

St. John's 2 2 2 – 6
Hartford 0 1 1 – 2

1st Period-1, St. John's, Jaffray 11 (Mouillierat, Fredheim), 1:09. 2, St. John's, Lowry 6 (MacKinnon, Kichton), 12:46. Penalties-Hill Stj (interference), 2:37; Kristo Hfd (hooking), 3:24; Johnson Hfd (interference), 8:59; Allen Hfd (delay of game), 10:15; O'Neill Stj (high-sticking), 13:41; Lindberg Hfd (slashing), 13:54.

2nd Period-3, St. John's, Mouillierat 10   6:05 (SH). 4, St. John's, Mouillierat 11 (Cormier, Jaffray), 6:58. 5, Hartford, Fast 5 (Lindberg, Syvret), 17:36 (PP). Penalties-Cormier Stj (tripping), 4:07; Mouillierat Stj (holding), 16:16; O'Neill Stj (high-sticking), 19:16.

3rd Period-6, Hartford, Fast 6 (Lindberg, Miller), 0:38 (PP). 7, St. John's, Samson 14 (Kichton, O'Neill), 2:24 (PP). 8, St. John's, Mouillierat 12 (Jaffray), 6:02. Penalties-McIlrath Hfd (tripping), 1:29; Johnson Hfd (delay of game), 1:37; Schnell Stj (fighting), 10:24; Beach Hfd (fighting), 10:24.

Shots on Goal-St. John's 13-8-6-27. Hartford 6-13-7-26.
Power Play Opportunities-St. John's 1 / 6; Hartford 2 / 5.
Goalies-St. John's, Hutchinson 3-1-0 (26 shots-24 saves). Hartford, LeNeveu 1-3-0 (27 shots-21 saves).
A-5,063
Referees-Geoff Miller (28).
Linesmen-Mike Baker (11), Luke Galvin (2).

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