MARLBORO, Mass. — Despite a significant lead in shots, the Providence Bruins fell to the Hartford Wolf Pack in overtime on Monday afternoon, ending the team’s three-game win streak.
The game was physical throughout, with the teams accounting for 61 penalty minutes combined. The Wolf Pack were desperate to get a victory and gain some ground within the Atlantic Division, and they took this desperation into the opening shift. Winger Tim Gettinger dumped the puck in the Providence zone, and goalie Dan Vladar controlled the puck along the boards. Vladar tried to pass it off to his own team, but got his pass intercepted by Gettinger, who passed to forward Anthony Greco behind the net. Greco one touched the pass from Gettinger towards the slot and onto the stick of forward Jonny Brodzinski, who fired the puck past Vladar to give the Wolf Pack an early 1-0 lead.
About a minute later, P-Bruins defenseman Ian McKinnon dropped the gloves with Wolf Pack defenseman Mason Geertson and the two engaged in a fight worth talking about. Instead of words, here is a video of the fight.
bombs https://t.co/kbGIQ9oXS1 pic.twitter.com/NMLKXCJkez
— Spoked Z (@SpokedZ) March 8, 2021
Some nasty haymakers were thrown, and the energy intensified on each side due to the tilt.
Moving back towards the offensive production, Hartford was able to keep the P-Bruins off of the scoresheet for much of the period, with most credit going towards Wolf Pack goaltender Tyler Wall. But a shorthanded opportunity occurring after a shot from P-Bruins winger Zach Senyshyn was saved by Wall, but a rebound popped out to center Cameron Hughes, who slammed it into the back of the net for the game-tying goal. The 1-1 score would last until the end of the period, but the P-Bruins held a significant 17-6 shot advantage.
The score held for the beginning stages of the second period. Around the midpoint of the frame, Providence’s power play led to a nice passing play between Hughes, defenseman Jack Ahcan and winger Robert Lantosi, who wired a one-timer blast that beat Wall and gave Providence a 2-1 lead. This lead would stand for the remainder of the period, and the shot advantage was now 28-13 in favor of Providence.
Heading into the third period, the Wolf Pack knew that they needed to ramp up the pace. While they generated fewer shots than their counterparts, they managed to have quality opportunities, which nearly led to them taking the game in regulation if it weren’t for strong play from Vladar. However, three minutes into the period, the Wolf Pack tied the game up when Brodzinski beat Vladar with a low, blocker side shot from the right face-off dot. Despite numerous chances for both teams, this 2-2 score would last throughout the third period and lead the teams for the first overtime of the season for the Atlantic Division.
The play was quick and productive from the very start, but it was the Wolf Pack who got the last laugh when forward Morgan Barron sniped home the game-winner from the hash marks to give the Wolf Pack a much-needed win.
Wall stopped 38 of 40 shots, while Vladar went 21 for 24. Providence (7-3-1) plays again Wednesday against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (2-5-0), while the Wolf Pack (3-4-0) is off until Friday when they take on the P-Bruins again. Both games are slated to start at 1:00 p.m. E.T.
