Wilkes-Barre, PA, February 25, 2009: In what most Sports betting sites didn’t predict, Matt Zaba made 39 saves, and Greg Moore scored a pair of goals, to lead the Hartford Wolf Pack to their season-high fourth straight victory Wednesday, a 5-1 win over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at the Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza.
The Wolf Pack were outshot 40-25 in the game. Patrick Rissmiller also contributed a goal and an assist for Hartford, and Corey Potter and Bobby Sanguinetti had two assists each. Sean Avery and Jordan Owens scored the other Wolf Pack goals. The Pack equaled a franchise record with two shorthanded goals in the game.
The Wolf Pack were outshot 16-6 in the first period but came out of it with a 1-1 tie. Alex Goligoski scored the game’s first goal on a Penguin power play at 5:57. Former Wolf Pack Jeff Taffe found Goligoski coming down the weak side, and Goligoski beat Zaba from the left-wing side of the crease.
Avery got the Wolf Pack back to even at 16:57, with his first goal in a Pack uniform. Avery fought off a Penguin checker on left wing and drove a rolling puck past Wilkes-Barre/Scranton netminder John Curry.
The Wolf Pack took the lead with the only goal of the second period, scored 1:44 in by Owens. Mike Ouellette partially fanned on an attempted backhand, but was able to push the puck to Owens in front of the net. Owens, who had missed the previous eight games due to injury, snapped the puck past the stick side of Curry for his 10th goal of the season.
The Wolf Pack broke the game open with three special teams goals in the third period, on only five total shots.
Moore beat Curry to the glove side for a shorthanded goal at 1:24, and then Rissmiller scored shorthanded at 10:53, stealing the puck from Goligoski and putting it off the post and in behind Curry. Moore struck again at 13:36, completing the scoring on a power-play deflection of a shot by Potter.
It was the first multiple-goal game of the season for the Hartford captain Moore, and the victory improved the Wolf Pack’s record to a season-best eight games above .500 (31-23-2-3, 67 points).
Hartford Wolf Pack 5 at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 1
Feb 25, 2009 – Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza
Hartford 1 1 3 – 5
W-B/Scranton 1 0 0 – 1
1st Period-1, W-B/Scranton, Goligoski 2 (Taffe, Caputi), 5:57 (pp). 2, Hartford, Avery 1 (Sanguinetti, Potter), 16:57. Penalties-Rissmiller Hfd (hooking), 4:24; Dupont Hfd (fighting), 8:31; Engelland Wbs (fighting), 8:31; Bissonnette Wbs (hooking), 12:40; Potter Hfd (hooking), 12:55.
2nd Period-3, Hartford, Owens 10 (Ouellette, Pyatt), 1:44. Penalties-Sanguinetti Hfd (tripping), 4:04; Fahey Hfd (hooking), 19:32; Dupont Hfd (roughing, roughing), 19:56; Richmond Wbs (roughing), 19:56; Taffe Wbs (roughing), 19:56.
3rd Period-4, Hartford, Moore 17 (Anisimov, Sanguinetti), 1:24 (sh). 5, Hartford, Rissmiller 8 10:53 (sh). 6, Hartford, Moore 18 (Potter, Rissmiller), 13:36 (pp). Penalties-DiDiomete Hfd (slashing), 4:45; Owens Hfd (slashing), 9:53; Engelland Wbs (cross-checking), 12:16; Goligoski Wbs (hooking), 13:36; Sugden Hfd (fighting), 13:37; Weise Hfd (unsportsmanlike conduct), 13:37; Bissonnette Wbs (fighting), 13:37; Parenteau Hfd (slashing), 15:17.
Shots on Goal-Hartford 6-14-5-25. W-B/Scranton 16-13-11-40.
Power-play opportunities-Hartford 1 of 3; W-B/Scranton 1 of 9.
Goalies-Hartford, Zaba 15-8-0 (40 shots-39 saves). W-B/Scranton, Curry 22-9-0 (25 shots-20 saves).
A-6,047
Referees-Nygel Pelletier (41).
Linesmen-Matt McNulty (26), Richard Leonard (2).