Brett Berard strikes twice as Wolf Pack beat Islanders 5-4 in overtime
Bo Groulx and Brett Berard put on an offensive show on Saturday night at the XL Center in Hartford. Groulx collected his first two goals as a member of the Wolf Pack, part of a four-point outburst for the forward. Berard, meanwhile, scored twice as the Wolf Pack knocked off the rival Bridgeport Islanders 5-4 in overtime.
As regulation expired, Marc Gatcomb was assessed a two-minute minor for boarding, setting the Wolf Pack up with their seventh powerplay of the game entering overtime. 98 seconds into the overtime period, Berard blasted a shot from the right-wing circle by Marcus Hogberg to give the Wolf Pack the dramatic victory.
The goal was Berard’s second of the night and team-leading fourth of the season. It was also his second game-winning goal of the campaign.
Groulx got the scoring started 14:13 into the hockey game, potting his first as a member of the Wolf Pack. Following a turnover, Alex Belzile fired a puck towards the net that clipped the leg of defenseman Marshall Warren. The puck came right to Groulx, who slammed home his first goal in the AHL since April 8, 2023, as a member of the San Diego Gulls.
Just 37 seconds later, however, the Islanders countered. Matthew Maggio found Liam Foudy in the neutral zone, who quickly tapped a pass ahead to Fredrik Karlström. Karlström split the defense, created a breakaway, and beat Dylan Garand by the blocker for his first as an Islander at 14:50.
The Wolf Pack were awarded a late power play, but Hogberg stood tall, keeping it a 1-1 game through 20 minutes.
The Islanders took their first lead of the game 11:39 into the middle frame, as Wyatt Newpower potted his first goal as a member of the Islanders. Newpower cut down the right wing and powered his way to the goal, where he tucked in a backhander.
The lead only lasted 47 seconds, however, as it was the Wolf Pack’s turn for a quick response. On their fifth power play of the night, Casey Fitzgerald fired a puck that hit the leg of Newpower and came right to Groulx. For the second time on the night, Groulx was in the right spot at the right time as he collected the loose puck and beat Hogberg for his second goal of the season at 12:26.
Berard restored the Wolf Pack’s lead at 15:53, scoring for the third consecutive game. After a sustained shift in the offensive zone, Berard wrapped around the puck and banked a backhander off Calle Odelius and Hogberg and into the net.
Alex Jefferies evened the tilt with the Islanders’ second power play goal of the season 12:58 into the third period, firing a shot from the high slot that beat Garand. The goal was the second of the season for Jefferies, with Chris Terry and Grant Hutton picking up the assists.
Adam Sýkora responded exactly a minute later for the Wolf Pack, however, finding his first goal of the season at 13:58. After Groulx’s shot was denied by Hogberg, Sýkora beat Odelius to a loose puck in the crease and jammed home the club’s third five-on-five goal of the contest.
The Islanders would not quit, however, and found another equalizer late in regulation time. Maggio entered the zone on the right wing with speed, eventually driving down the wall. From there, he fired a perfect pass to Karlström, who snuck in behind the defense. The veteran forward labeled his second goal of the night by Garand at 17:48 to force overtime and give the club their first point of the season.
In overtime, Berard would play the role of hero, propelling the Wolf Pack to their second victory in less than 24 hours.
The Wolf Pack wrap their three-in-three weekend up with the second installment of the ‘Battle of Connecticut’ this season against the Islanders at 3:00 p.m. tomorrow at Total Mortgage Arena.
‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ with Alex Thomas starts at 2:45 p.m. on AHLTV on FloHockey and Mixlr.
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