Wolf Pack Top T-Birds in OT

                                                                                                            

By Chris Kohler                                                               Photos courtesy Chris Rutsch/Hartford Wolf Pack

Pavel Buchnevich (89) scored two goals—including the game-winner in
OT—to give the Wolf Pack a 4-3 victory over the Springfield Thunderbirds.

HARTFORD – Pavel Buchnevich’s second goal of the game—a power-play strike with 16.4 seconds left in overtime—gave the Hartford Wolf Pack a 4-3 victory over the Springfield Thunderbirds before 1,788 fans at the XL Center on Wednesday night. Brandon Halverson made 26 saves in the Hartford net to get the win, and Matt Carey and Dan Catenacci also scored for the Wolf Pack.  Steven Kampfer had three assists. Chase Balisy tied the game for the Thunderbirds with 19.4 seconds remaining in regulation, and Dryden Hunt and Jace Hawryluk had the other Springfield goals.  Reto Berra made 34 saves.

Springfield opened the scoring 4:51 into the contest.  Hunt fired a shot that Halverson managed to reject. Hunt, however, was able to follow his shot and convert on the rebound opportunity to make the score 1-0. Hartford responded just 33 seconds later, at 5:24, as Carey chased down a rebound of a shot off the stick of Kampfer, and flung it towards the goal to beat Berra and even the score at one.

With a minute remaining in the period, the puck made its way to Marek Hrivik, who deposited it into the back of the Springfield net. Unfortunately for the Wolf Pack, the referees determined that defenseman Ryan Graves was guilty of a hand pass that discredited the goal.

After a scoreless second period, the Wolf Pack offense displayed some beautiful chemistry 1:49 into the third. Nicklas Jensen found Buchnevich, who then passed to the newly-acquired Catenacci for the goal, to make the score 2-1 in favor of Hartford. At 5:13, the Pack opened up a two-goal advantage when Jensen and Buchnevich teamed up again. Jensen skated the puck down the left side of the ice before firing a cross-slot pass that made its way to Buchnevich, who easily netted the puck.

The T-Birds stopped the hemorrhaging with a tally of their own less than two minutes later. Hawryluk buried his sixth goal of the season from the left circle, with the assist credited to winger Anthony Greco at 7:00, cutting the Hartford lead to 3-2.

Springfield pulled Berra late in the third period and the strategy paid off when, after Mackenzie Weegar threw the puck at the net from the right-wing boards, Balisy deflected it past Halverson at 19:40, tying the game at 3-3 as time expired after regulation.

In the extra session, Balisy turned from hero to goat when he picked up a tripping penalty at 3:14. Buchnevich, who was tripped by Balisy, ended matters soon thereafter when he fired the game-winner high into the net from the right side of the slot, beating Berra to the short side at 4:43.

“We’re happy with the way it went today,” said Jensen after the game. “Obviously we would’ve liked to win in regulation, but we got the win and that’s all that matters.”

Catenacci, who was acquired by the Rangers from Buffalo Tuesday, in exchange for Wolf Pack captain Mat Bodie, said, “The guys, the coaches, and the whole staff have been first class and made me feel like part of the team already. They made it very easy for me to adjust quickly.”

Next up for the Wolf Pack will a date with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, the top minor league affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers, who will visit the XL Center on Saturday afternoon. First puck drops at 3 p.m., and the first 3,000 fans through the turnstiles will receive a special Wolf Pack Mark Twain bobblehead, presented by XFINITY. Saturday is also “Military Appreciation Day,” with the Wolf Pack wearing special military-themed jerseys that will be auctioned off. Proceeds will benefit military-related charities.

Buchnevich Recalled

Back in the New York groove: Pavel Buchnevich.

On Thursday, New York Rangers general manager Jeff Gorton announced that Buchnevich has been recalled. The 21-year-old forward had been assigned to Hartford on Feb. 28, and has recorded five points (three goals, two assists) and a plus-two rating in four games with Hartford this season.

The 6-2, 193-pounder has skated in 26 games with the Rangers this season, registering six goals and nine assists for 15 points, along with a plus-four rating and 13 penalty minutes. He recorded his first career NHL assist/point while making his NHL debut on Oct. 13 against the New York Islanders, and he registered his first career NHL goal on Nov. 5 at Boston.