Hartford, CT, January 21, 2017 – Second-period goals by Daniel Muzito-Bagenda and Justin Bailey wiped out a 1-0 Hartford Wolf Pack lead Saturday night at the XL Center, in a 3-1 Rochester Americans victory.
Tim Kennedy added an empty-net goal for Rochester, and Linus Ullmark made 25 saves in the Americans’ net. Marek Hrivik scored the only Wolf Pack goal, and Brandon Halverson stopped 26 shots.
Hartford took the game’s first lead at the 11:03 mark of the first, after Nicklas Jensen fired a pass across the ice to Hrivik, who swiftly deposited the puck on the far side of Ullmark.
In the latter stages of the period, winger Justin Fontaine was penalized twice to give Rochester their first man advantages of the night. Halverson and the Wolf Pack defense remained strong and kept the score 1-0 in their favor.
Rochester controlled the action in the second period, outshooting the Wolf Pack 16-6, and the Americans broke through at 9:13. Muzito-Bagenda scored on a second-effort wraparound to tie the game.
At 18:36, Rochester got the eventual game-winner from Bailey, who took a pass from Cole Schneider and broke down the right side, before firing a shot in off of Halverson’s catching glove.
Ullmark made a fine save on Ryan Graves late in the third, and Wolf Pack head coach Ken Gernander pulled Halverson for an extra attacker with just under two minutes remaining.
Kennedy foiled the strategy when he worked the puck away from Hrivik in front of the vacated cage and put it in with 1:02 remaining.
“Our goalies gave us a chance to win tonight, and we have to get more than one goal, especially playing at home,” Hrivik said.
Gernander added, “We didn’t do the same things in the second and third period that made us successful in the first.”