P-Bruins Stomp on Sound Tigers

Mike Sislo of the Sound Tigers (16) advances the puck vs. Providence.
The Sound Tigers prevailed, 6-1, over the P-Bruins.

PROVIDENCE—The Bridgeport Sound allowed a season-high four goals in the second period on Sunday and suffered a 6-1 loss to the Providence Bruins before 7,988 fans at the Dunkin' Donuts Center on Sunday. Cameron Hughes recorded his first professional hat trick and Zach Senyshyn also scored twice for the Bruins, while Seth Helgeson netted the Sound Tigers' lone tally.

It was Bridgeport's fifth straight setback in Rhode Island dating back to Feb. 16, 2017. The loss also snapped Bridgeport's two-game win streak and Christopher Gibson's personal three-game win streak overall.

Providence scored four straight goals to begin the game with two in the first 16 minutes, including Senyshyn's first of the afternoon (on the power play) that opened the scoring at the 1:40 mark. Following an interference minor to Connor Jones just 23 seconds into the contest, Senyshyn grabbed a pass from Hughes in the neutral zone and wheeled down the right wing. He skated through the circle and drove the net before filtering a shot between Gibson's legs for his third tally of the season.

Trent Frederic doubled the Bruins' lead at 15:01 of the first period with his third goal in the last two games against Bridgeport. Emil Johansson and Anton Blidh created space and set up Frederic on the right wing, where the rookie forward wristed a shot on target that clipped the post and found its way past Gibson's blocker.

The Sound Tigers nearly got one back at 2:20 of the middle frame when Helgeson lofted a shot from the right point that was deflected past goaltender Dan Vladar. Travis St. Denis was camped out in the slot and got his stick on it, but the third-year forward was called for a high stick and the contest remained 2-0. Instead, Providence went up by three at the 3:39 mark when Jones broke his stick on a clearing attempt, and Jan Kovar found Hughes in front for a back-door tap in.

Hughes' second of the game and third of the season came nearly three minutes later when the Bruins won several battles in a row to maintain heavy pressure in the offensive zone. The Sound Tigers failed to clear and Colby Cave forced the puck to Austin Fyten, who set up Hughes at the 6:41 mark. That goal chased Gibson from the crease and Jeremy Smith entered the contest in relief.

Helgeson made it 4-1 at 12:12 of the second period with his first goal of the season. Parker Wotherspoon played the puck along the blue line where Helgeson settled it at the right point and lifted a long, parameter shot that angled off the left point and banked in past Vladar's right arm. Jeff Kubiak also earned a helper on the goal.

Hughes polished off his three-goal and four-point performance at 12:43 of the second period on a penalty shot of all things. The University of Wisconsin product stole the puck in the neutral zone and charged ahead on a breakaway, before he was hooked by Yannick Rathgeb from behind while getting a shot off in the low slot. Hughes stayed on the forehand during his first pro penalty shot and beat Jeremy Smith glove side to make it 5-1. All four of Hughes' goals this season have come against the Sound Tigers.

Senyshyn finished the scoring at 19:00 of the second period to complete the 6-1 final - Bridgeport's first five-goal loss since a 5-0 setback to the Springfield Thunderbirds last March. Wotherspoon and Blidh got tangled up in the Providence zone and the Bruins rushed ahead before Cave backhanded a shot that Smith turned back, but the rebound hit Senyshyn while standing at the left post and went in.

The Sound Tigers finished the game 0-for-6 on the power play and 3-for-4 on the penalty kill. Gibson (3-3-0) made 14 saves on 18 shots in 26:41 of playing time, while Smith turned back 18 of the 20 chances he faced in 33:19 of relief. Vladar (1-2-1) earned his first win of the year with 28 saves for the Bruins.

Providence outshot Bridgeport 38-29. The game also included one fight when tempers spilled over midway through the second period, resulting in a tilt between St. Denis and Cody Goloubef at the 10:36 mark.

With the win, the P-Bruins improved to 3-5-1-0, while the Sound Tigers fall to 4-4-1-0. The Sound Tigers conclude a three-game road trip next Friday with a 7:05 p.m. matchup against the Springfield Thunderbirds at MassMutual Center. It will be their first of 10 meetings this season. Fans can follow all of the live action via AHLTV and the Sound Tigers Radio Network, beginning with the pre-game show at 6:45 p.m.

Promotions Galore

The Sound Tigers will boast an extensive promotional lineup for the 2018-19 season. Upcoming promotions include:

• Hockey and Hops (Nov. 23 and Mar. 17)
• Military Appreciation (Jan. 12)
• Star Wars Night (Jan. 19)
• Princess Night (Mar. 30)
• Hockey Weekend in Connecticut (Feb. 23-24)
• Holiday Gift Weekend (Dec. 15-16)
• A Revamped Teddy Bear Toss (Nov. 23)

For a complete listing of 2018-19 Sound Tigers promotions, click HERE. For additional details or to reserve a group outing for any giveaway or theme night, please call the Sound Tigers' front office at (203) 345-2300 ext 7. For further information on ticket or sponsorship opportunities, call ‘(203) 345-2300 or e-mail info@soundtigers.com.

—Staff Reports

Tigers Tame Wolf Pack, 5-4

The Bridgeport Sound Tigers came away from Hartford with a 5-4
victory, thanks to Steve Bernier's third-period power play goal. (Photo
Courtesy Hartford Wolf Pack)

By Philip Oliver

HARTFORD—Steve Bernier’s third-period power-play goal was the winner for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in a 5-4 victory over the Wolf Pack at the XL Center on Saturday night. The Wolf Pack led 4-3 after two periods of the see-saw battle, but Travis St. Denis tied the score for Bridgeport before Bernier’s winner.

“We played a well-fought game and battled hard,” Wolf Pack head coach Keith McCambridge said.  “But poorly-timed penalties, and the inability to hold the lead going into the third, was the downfall.”

The Wolf Pack had successfully killed five Sound Tiger power plays before Bernier connected on the sixth Bridgeport man advantage.

Former Wolf Pack captain Ryan Bourque scored twice in the first period for the Sound Tigers, but the Wolf Pack came back twice from a goal down.

Bourque opened the scoring at 4:30 with an unassisted goal, working the puck away from Wolf Pack defenseman Chris Bigras and putting a shot past Marek Mazanec from the left side.

Steven Fogarty got that goal back only 2:20 later, at 6:50, increasing his team-leading goal total to five.

Bourque scored again only 50 seconds after that, deflecting in a try from the left point by Mitch Vande Sompel at 7:40.

That lead lasted until there were only 36.3 seconds left in the first, when Michael Lindqvist scored on a Wolf Pack power play.  With Parker Wotherspoon in the box for slashing, a Lias Andersson shot went off of Bridgeport netminder Christopher Gibson and trickled behind him.  Lindqvist reached toward the goal line and knocked it in.

The Wolf Pack took the lead for the first time with 7:08 left in the second period, on Shawn O’Donnell’s third goal in two games.  Brandon Crawley played the puck towards the net from the right-wing boards, and O’Donnell re-directed it through Gibson.

Connor Jones tied it back up for Bridgeport, on a deflection of his own, at 16:30.  Wotherspoon took a shot from the left point, and Jones reached out and tipped it in from in front.

Then, for a second straight period, Hartford scored inside the final minute.  At 19:36, Ville Meskanen put the Wolf Pack up 4-3, connecting on a 2-on-1 with Gabriel Fontaine.

St. Denis evened the score just 3:41 into the third, though, receiving a pass from Sebastian Aho along the goal line on the right-wing side and one-timing it into the net.

Then, a holding penalty to Bobby Butler at 5:41 led to Bernier’s game-winner.  Again, it was a deflection, as Mitch Vande Sompel’s shot from the top of the right circle hit Bernier and got by Mazanec, at 6:26.

The Wolf Pack’s next home game is Saturday, Nov. 10, a 7 p.m. contest vs. the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.  That is “Country Night” at the XL Center, and tickets for all 2018-19 Wolf Pack home games are on sale now at the Agera Energy Ticket Office at the XL Center, on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com and by phone at (877) 522-8499.  Tickets purchased in advance for kids 12 or younger start at just $13 each, and all tickets will have a $3 day-of-game increase.

Season ticket information for the Wolf Pack’s 2018-19 AHL season can be found on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com.  To speak with a representative about all of the Wolf Pack’s many attractive ticketing options, call (855) 762-6451, or click here to request more info.

Huskies Stumble … Again

By Bob Phillips

UConn wideout Keyion Dixon (23) busts a move vs. UMass. It wasn't
enough, however, as the Huskies fell to the Minutement, 22-17. (Photo
courtesy Andrew Hamilton/UConn Athletic Dept.)

EAST HARTFORD—“In the middle of the journey of our life I found myself within a dark woods where the straight way was lost,” wrote great Italian poet, Dante, in his classic work, Inferno. Although authored in the 14^th Century, one has to wonder if the Middle Age master had a premonition of this horrific 2018 UConn football season—nearly 700 years in the future—in mind. Case in point: With a nor’easter whaling in the background, the Huskies continued their slow decent into hell, dropping a 22-17 decision, this time to the UMass Minutemen, before an announced crowd of 24,150 fans at soggy Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field on Saturday.

The Huskies have been getting crushed by FBS (Football Subdivision, formerly known as D1) opponents this season. They were hopeful their fortunes would reverse vs. UMass, a FCS (Football Championship Subdivision, formerly known as D1A) foe.

No such luck. As has often be the case this wretched season, the Huskies started off on the right foot. This week, UConn scored on their first possession when tailback Kevin Mensah capped a seven-play, 82-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run just 3:36 into the contest. On the defensive side of the line, the Husky D played a solid first half, holding the Minutemen to just three points in the first half. ell in the first half by only allowing three points to the Minutemen. Indeed, when UConn entered the locker room leading 7-3 at intermission, it represented just the second time this season that the Huskies had led at halftime.

And the second half started off strong for the Huskies as well, as quarterback David Pindell scampered for a 24-yard touchdown run to extend the Connecticut advantage to 14-7 at 3:43 into the third period. Pindell, who finished the game with 120 yards rushing, eclipsed the 100-yard mark for the fourth time this season, breaking Pete Petrillo’s single-season standard for rushing yards in a single season (sent in 1967 with 676 yards). Pindell, the senior signal caller from Columbia, MD, now has 784 yards rushing this season.

Things continued to go UConn’s way after intermission. With the Huskies leading 14-3 late in the third period, defensive lineman Kevin Murphy recorded his first career interception to keep the Minutemen off the board. But then the storm set in… After the turnover, the Minutemen outscored (the Huskies 19-3 to come back and win 22-17.

"We had too many missed opportunities today that we didn't take advantage of, offensively and defensively and special teams,” said Husky head coach Randy Edsall after the game in a familiar refrain. “We had opportunities there that we just didn't finish the game out at the end."

The Minutemen improve to 3-6, while the loss dropped the Huskies to 1-7. UConn now will head to Oklahoma where they will take on the Tulsa Golden Hurricane on Saturday. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m., and the game will be televised nationally (God bless ‘em) on the CBS Sports Network.

—With Staff Reports

Yale Ices Brown in Season Opener

Yale celebrates their season-opening victory over Ivy League rival Brown.

By Steven A. Conn
YALE UNIVERSITY
Associate Athletics Director
Director of Sports Publicity

PROVIDENCE—It was the fastest goal ever scored by an ECAC Hockey team in its season opener. Just 14 seconds into the 2018-19 campaign, Joe Snively unleashed a wrist shot that sailed into the top corner of the net. The first of his two goals sent the Yale Men’s Hockey Team on the way to a 3-2 conference win over Brown at Meehan Auditorium on Friday.

Snively took a pass on the left side from rookie Curtis Hall and skated into the top of the circle before sending a rocket over Luke Kania’s glove. It was the 14^th fastest goal for an NCAA men’s Division I season opener.

After Brown evened things, Snively put the visitors on top again by taking the puck away from Kania behind the Bears’ net and then winning the race with the goalie to the crease for a wrap-around tally, the 45^th goal of his career at 17:36 of the first.

Both sides found the net in the middle frame, but the second one turned out to be the winner. Evan Smith sent a shot from the point toward traffic in the slot. The 6-foot-4, 212-pound body of teammate Luke Stevens was screening the goalie, and the Yale forward’s stick re-directed the puck past Kania with 4:59 left to make it 3-2.

“I tried to get out front to screen him [goalie],” said Stevens. “Evan made a good shot, and I just tipped it.”

The Bulldogs outshot the Bears 22-9 over the first 40 minutes, but the home squad tilted the ice in the third period trying to find the equalizer. Yale junior goalie Corbin Kaczperski came up huge in the final period with 13 saves, including a few quality chances, to earn the victory.

“There were a lot of blocks out front, and I was glad to help them out with a couple of saves at the end,” said Kaczperski.

Bulldog head coach Keith Allain was happy with the win, but certainly not satisfied.

“It was hard fought game and we played fast. It’s hard to simulate the pace of play in practice. As I told the guys after the game, there is still a lot of work to do and I’m excited about moving forward,” said Allain.

Katie Lou Named to Ann Meyers Drysdale Watch List

UConn senior Katie Lou Samuelson is one of 20 players named to the
2019 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award watch list.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass.—UConn senior Katie Lou Samuelson was named to the 20-player watch list for the 2019 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, as announced by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and Women's Basketball Coaches Association. In its second year, the Meyers Drysdale Award honors the top shooting guard in women's NCAA Division I college basketball.

Samuelson was a finalist for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award in its inaugural season. The Huntington Beach, Calif., native earned WBCA Coaches', AP and USBWA First Team All-America honors in 2018 for the second straight year. She is also a two-time American Athletic Conference Player of the Year and was tabbed the league's preseason player of the year for the upcoming season. Samuelson led the Huskies with 17.4 points per game last season while also leading the nation with a 47.5 three-point field goal percentage.

The Selection Committee for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award is composed of top women's college basketball personnel including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers. By mid-February, the watch list of 20 players for the 2019 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award will be narrowed to just 10. In March, five finalists will be presented to Ms. Drysdale and the Hall of Fame's selection committee. Fans will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite finalist at www.hoophallawards.com.

The winner of the 2019 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award will be revealed on an ESPN platform during the 2019 Women's Final Four in Tampa, Florida. Additional awards being presented and recognized at the WBCA Convention include the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard Award, the Cheryl Miller Small Forward Award, the Katrina McClain Power Forward Award, and the Lisa Leslie Center Award. Also being awarded is the Wade Trophy, the sport's oldest and most prestigious national player of the year award which is presented annually by the WBCA's community of coaches to the best player in college women's basketball.

2019 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Candidates
Chloe Jackson                  Baylor
Darby Maggard               Belmont
Katie Lou Samuelson     Connecticut
Candice White                 Fresno St.
Dionna White                  Georgetown
Shakyla Hill                       Grambling St.
Mikayla Ferenz                Idaho
Maci Morris                     Kentucky
Asia Durr                          Louisville
Allazia Blockton               Marquette
Destiny Pitts                     Minnesota
Arike Ogunbowale          Notre Dame
Teniya Page                      Penn St.
Jovana Nogic                    Providence
Kitija Laksa                       South Florida
Jessica Kovatch                St. Francis
Kiana Williams                 Stanford
Kennedy Burke                UCLA
Aliyah Mazyck                  USC
Amber Melgoza               Washington

—staff reports

Husky Booters Overcome Catamounts

UConn defender Dylan Greenberg dribbles the ball upfield
vs. Vermont. The No. 16 Huskies came from behind to
defeat the Catamounts, 3-2.

STORRS—Wrapping up the non-conference portion of its schedule, the University of Connecticut Huskies, behind two second-half goals, staved off Vermont's upset bid, 3-2, on Tuesday. The Huskies remain undefeated at Morrone Stadium, and improve to 10-2-2 on the season.

 

Vermont jumped out to an early 1-0 lead at 10:42 after Jon Bryant's header from just outside the six-yard box dropped into the right corner of the net. The Catamounts continued to apply pressure, dominating the ball for much of the first half – with one minute left in the first half, UVM held a 4-1 shot advantage over the Huskies.

 

UConn snatched a bit of the momentum back just before the half. With eight seconds to go in the half (44:52), Abdou Mbacke Thiam was able to clear the ball out of a crowded area and send a pass to Blaise N'Gague, who dropped the ball into the bottom-left corner of the net and tie the score at 1-1 heading into the break.

 

The Catamounts regained a one-goal advantage in the 56^th minute. Off a throw-in, Trevor Colazzo got the ball to Geo Alves—who was behind the defense—and Alves placed the ball into the right-corner of the net to give Vermont a 2-1 lead.

 

The lead didn't last long for Vermont, however. Just like they've done in several games this year, the battle-tested Huskies powered through the adversity and showed their resiliency once again, finding the equalizer in the 64^th minute. Dayonn Harris sent a cross to the left side of the field that was initially deflected by Vermont's keeper Aron Runarsson, but the ball ricocheted off the keeper's fingertips right over to Abdou Mbacke Thiam—who perfectly timed his jump and put the ball in the back of the net to knot the score at 2-2.

 

Vermont launched some late attacks and again were knocking on the door, but Austin Aviza denied entry, making two huge stops—a diving save and a deflection—to keep the game tied heading into the last 10 minutes. It looked as if the game was headed into overtime, but a stroke of déjà vu occurred in the final minute of regulation.

 

With the game-clock winding down and the Huskies on the attack, Abdou Mbacke Thiam launched another high-arching shot—similar to the one Saturday night against Temple—In an attempt to win the game. Mbacke Thiam's shot hit the crossbar, but the ball bounced out to Dayonn Harris, who capitalized on the rebound and fired the ball into the back of the net to give No. 16 UConn a 3-2 win over Vermont.

 

"They're resilient," said Huskies’ head coach Ray Reid. “This is the toughest group of kids in [my] 22 years at UConn." .

 

Game Notes:

• Blaise N'Gague scored his first goal of the season, while Dayonn Harris and Abdou Mbacke Thiam connected on the other two goals.
• UConn's win improves its record to 9-0-1 at Morrone Stadium, and pushes its unbeaten streak to ten games.

On Deck: .

UConn welcomes SMU to Morrone Stadium for a high-stakes, inter-conference matchup Saturday night at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the American Digital Network. It will be Senior Day. UConn’s seniors will be recognized for their accomplishments and contributions and off the field. After the game, the UConn men's and women's soccer teams will celebrate the “sun-setting” of Morrone Stadium. Fans are invited to join in for a brief postgame ceremony and some dairy bar ice cream.

                                                                                                                                                                              —Staff Reports

Sound Tigers foil Phantoms in OT

The Sound Tigers ended their three-in-three weekend on a positive note,
stopping the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, 4-3.

By Bob Phillips

BRIDGEPORT—Powered by a two goal outburst from Steve Bernier, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers concluded a successful three-in-three weekend with a 4-3 overtime victory over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms before 3,888 fans at the Webster Bank Arena on Sunday. Bridgeport previously split a home-and-home series with the Providence Bruins, winning 4-3 at the WBA on Friday, and dropping a 5-2 decision at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center on Saturday.

On Sunday, the Phantoms, the AHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers, jumped out to a 2-0 lead at the first turn with two early power play tallies. David Kase scored just 2:53 into the contest, finishing the play after the Phantoms dug the puck on in the corner. German Rubstov and Phil Verone picked up assists on Kase’s second goal of the season.

Lehigh Valley doubled the lead when Valone jammed the puck past Bridgeport netminder Christopher Gibson (2-2-0, 29 saves) at the right post with left than a minute remaining in the first frame. Greg Carey and T.J. Brennan picked up helpers on Valone’s third goal of the young season.

Devon Toews opened the floodgates for Bridgeport and cut its deficit in half midway through the second period. Ben Holmstrom entered the zone and fed Toews along the left wing, and in one motion, he both caught and snapped a quick shot below Hart’s blocker to make it 2-1 at the 10:03 mark.

Toews’ goal was his first of the season and is his sixth point in as many games, dating back to Oct. 7 at Hershey. Jeff Kubiak, who was recalled to the Sound Tigers from Worcester today, also picked the secondary assist on the play.

The Sound Tigers followed that up less than six minutes later and tied the game at 2-2 in the closing seconds of another power play. Bernier was on the receiving end of some puck luck after Josh Ho-Sang centered a pass from the left side that hit a Phantoms defenseman. The puck landed in the crease, right in front of Bernier, who made no mistake banging home his third of the season at 15:53.

Bernier broke the stalemate at 17:15 of the third period to give Bridgeport its first lead of the afternoon. Kieffer Bellows took a shot that was blocked by a Phantoms defenseman, but he regathered the puck in the slot and fired another quick snapshot that hit Bernier and bounced past Hart.

However, 38 seconds later, the Phantoms sucked the life out of the building when Brennan wired home a one-timer off a D-to-D pass from the point - his team-leading 10th point of the season.

For the third time in four games Bridgeport went to overtime, but this time the Sound Tigers had to kill off a penalty after Bourque was called for slashing. Despite heavy pressure from Lehigh Valley, Gibson stood tall and stopped every opportunity thrown his way to take the game into a shootout.

In the Sound Tigers’ first shootout this season, Bourque scored the only goal with a nifty shot over Hart’s glove, off the bar and in. On the other end, Gibson was a perfect 3-for-3 against Phantoms shooters and denied Kase to seal the win for Bridgeport.

The Sound Tigers went 1-for-3 on the power play and 3-for-5 on the penalty kill.

“I was really happy with the work ethic,” Sound Tigers’ head coach Brent Thompson told Michael Fornabaio of The Connecticut Post. “That’s the hardest thing—the second effort, the third effort, the willingness to engage physically. It didn’t seem like a three-in-three game. It was intense; physical. [It was] a hard fought two points.”

Wang Passes

It was announced before the game that Charles Wang, the Sound Tigers’ co-owner, had passed away. Wang, who purchased the Islanders in 2000—the year before the Sound Tigers came into existence—was 74. He was honored in a pre-game ceremony.

—with staff reports

Marlies Pop Pack, 3-2

The Toronto Marlies topped the Hartford Wolf Pack,wrapping up
three-game swing through the Great White North for the Pack.

TORONTO—The Hartford Wolf Pack fell behind early in the game and were never able to quite dig themselves out of the hole, dropping a 3-2 decision to the defending AHL-champion Toronto Marlies before 4,233 fans at Coca-Cola Coliseum on Saturday. Trevor Moore scored twice inside the first eight minutes of the game for the Marlies, and Carl Grundstrom’s second-period power-play goal was the game-winner. Cole Schneider scored on a power-play for the Wolf Pack, and Rob O’Gara added a late shorthanded marker.

“I thought they did a real good job putting us on our heels, and we had to spend too much time defending,” Wolf Pack head coach Keith McCambridge said. “Obviously when you come into this building, against the defending Calder Cup champions, to go down 1-0, and shooting ourselves in the foot for the first two goals, doesn’t give you a recipe for success.”

Moore gave Toronto the jump only 55 seconds in, on the game’s first shot.  Grundstrom’s feed went off of Josh Jooris and came to Moore between the hash marks, and he turned to his forehand and snapped a shot into the top corner on the stick side of Wolf Pack goaltender Alexandar Georgiev (32 saves).

Moore struck again at 7:31, after Mason Marchment knocked the puck away from Wolf Pack defenseman Libor Hajek at the center red line and moved into the Hartford zone on the right side.  Marchment then fed over on the opposite wing to Moore, whose high shot beat a helpless Georgiev.

The Wolf Pack got an opportunity to get back into the game when the Marlies’ Griffen Molino was called for tripping at 17:59, and Calle Rosen for cross-checking 54 seconds later.

On the ensuing 5-on-3, Schneider got the Wolf Pack on the board with 45.9 seconds left in the period, snapping the puck up under the crossbar behind Marlie netminder Jeff Glass (22 saves), after he had stopped a Peter Holland bid.

The only goal of the second period came ten seconds into Toronto’s first power play of the game, after Hajek was called for tripping at 6:04. Chris Mueller worked the puck from the top of the right circle to Grundstrom at the side of the goal mouth, and he tried to pass to the front of the goal.  O’Gara, attempting to block the feed, had it go off of his skate and into the net.

That goal turned out to be the difference, as O’Gara brought the Wolf Pack back to within one with 2:45 left in the third, scoring his first Wolf Pack goal shorthanded.  With Vince Pedrie in the penalty box for tripping, Lias Andersson stickhandled into the Toronto zone on right wing, and ended up dropping the puck off for O’Gara, who was trailing the play. O’Gara made a move past the Marlies’ Jeremy Bracco, and then beat Glass with a high blast to the stick side.

The Pack were unable to use that momentum to get the equalizer, though, and fell to 4-3-1-0 on the season. It also wrapped up a three-game Canadian road trip for Hartford.

The Wolf Pack are back on home ice at the XL Center this Wednesday when they will entertain the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. First puck drops at 7 p.m. Fans are invited to take advantage of the Wolf Pack’s “Click It or Ticket Family Value Pack”—two tickets, two sodas and two hot dogs for $40.

Tickets for all 2018-19 Wolf Pack home games are on sale at the Agera Energy Ticket Office at the XL Center, on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com and by phone at (877) 522-8499.  Tickets purchased in advance for kids 12 or younger start at $13. All tickets will have a $3 day-of-game increase. Season ticket information for the Wolf Pack’s 2018-19 AHL season can be found on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com.  To speak with a representative about all of the Wolf Pack’s ticketing options, call (855) 762-6451, or click here to request more info.

—staff reports

Yale Keeps Ivy Hopes Alive With Win Over Penn

By Steven A. Conn,

Yale Associate Athletics Director and Director of Sports Publicity

Yale wideout Reed Klubnik busts a move on Penn Friday night. The
Bulldogs stopped the Quakers 23-10 to keep their hopes alive for
an Ivy League championship. (Photo Courtesy Yale Athletics Dept.)

PHILADELPHIA—In what was basically an elimination game in the race for the 2018 Ivy League Championship, and Yale emerged victories defeating Penn, 23-10, before 10,126 fans at Franklin Field on a clear, crisp fall Friday evening in Philly.

This one was won at the line of scrimmage: The Bulldogs ran for 244 yards while holding Penn to just 14 yards rushing. Yale junior running back Alan Lamar rushed for 179 yards and two touchdowns.

While the Elis moved the ball up and down the field behind its powerful offensive line, the Bulldog defense had its best outing of the season. First-year linebacker Noah Pope had a team-best 10 overall tackles and a sack. The Elis registered three sacks and broke up six passes on the night.

"We were just physical. We were physical to the ball, being the more physical team, and you could see that,” said Pope, who had five solo stops in the best game of his young career. “I just happened to be in the right spot at the right time to make big plays. Honestly, we were just the more physical team up front and it allowed us to be able to mix our plays... This a defense where we just love playing with each other and getting after it."

Yale junior quarterback Kurt Rawlings had a productive day (11-for-14, 137 yards, no TDs, no Ints) cut short by a third-quarter injury that brought sophomore Jimmy Check off the sideline. Check completed five of eight passes and ran for 10 yards to help the visitors close out the win.

"It's always a great feeling to win, especially in the Ivy League, since every game is like a playoff here,” said Lamar, who ended up a yard shy of his career best output. “To come here and pull out a win and further our chances in the Ivy League race is a great feeling."

With the win, Yale improves to 4-2 overall and 2-1 in Ivy League play while the Quakers fall to 4-2, 1-2. The Bulldogs next travel to New York where they will challenge 3-3, 0-3 Columbia on Saturday. Kickoff at Robert K. Kraft Field at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium will be at 1 p.m., and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+.