By: Ryan Kelsey

On March 12, the National Hockey League decided to put a halt on the season as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. However, the NHL and Commissioner Gary Bettman are discussing possible ways to resume the season sooner rather than later.

The NHL and Commissioner Gary Bettman are looking at multiple ways to resume the season with one of the most recent ideas being having four NHL arenas host three games each per day. Although this could be a way to start up the season once again, this scenario being discussed would still not allow fans to attend the games. 

On the other hand, the idea that has been ruled out is playing in non-NHL arenas like college ice rinks. This idea is being eliminated because Commissioner Bettman feels that the NHL arenas are best equipped to handle the essential needs required to resume the season.

Commissioner Bettman stated, “We can’t play in a small college rink in the middle of a smaller community, because if we’re going to be centralized, we need the back of the house that NHL arenas provide, whether it’s multiple locker rooms, whether it’s the technology, the procedures, the boards and glass, the video replay, the broadcasting facilities…”

Despite the fact that having four NHL arenas host three games per day is an idea that is being strongly considered, this idea still comes with concerns. One of the biggest concerns that Commissioner Bettman noted was the fact that there needs to be strict safety measures and precautions such as ways to move teams in and out of the arenas. 

Although Commissioner Bettman is focused on resuming the season, the locations of the arenas has not been decided yet. Likewise, Commissioner Bettman made it known that even though the goal is to resume the season at some point, there is no rush in doing so.

Rather in fact, the final decision is ultimately up to medical and government authorities as Bettman states “We’re not going to do anything that’s crazy. We’re going to try and do something, under the circumstances at the time, that is sensible.”

For now, fans and players alike must remain positive, and hopeful that the season resumes by summer time.

By: Ryan Kelsey

Across the American Hockey League multiple teams have made an effort to not only provide materials for healthcare centers during this COVID-19 pandemic, but have also been active on social media platforms and staying connected to their fan base. Some of the ways that teams have been active on social media platforms is by reaching out to hockey fans, making engaging posts, and providing words of encouragement in this time of need. 

One team in particular who has been posting numerous photos and videos on their instagram account is the Hartford Wolf Pack. On April 10, Fan Appreciation Day, the Pack posted a video on their instagram account of forward, Ty Ronning. Ronning can be seen talking about his favorite memory of the season, the Teddy Bear Toss, while also telling Wolf Pack fans to stay safe and healthy. 

The Pack also posted a montage of photos of their fans supporting the team and cheering them on during gameday. The team posted the montage with the caption which stated “We have the greatest fans in the league. Thank You for all of the support and energy you bring to every game!”

Wolf Pack goalie JF Berube, and forward Tim Gettinger have also been featured on the instagram account as both players can be viewed providing words of encouragement. Berube talked about how he misses playing in front of the fans, acknowledging the fact that keeping away from family and friends is hard, and that despite these hard times everybody is going through this together, and in a way, are all on the same team. Meanwhile, Gettinger expressed how he hopes everybody is staying safe by following safety measures, and still remains hopeful that the Pack can resume play in front of the fans soon. 

Additionally, the Wolf Pack have been posting creative photos on their stories in order to lighten the mood while engaging their audience and followers through games of trivia. For example, on April 4 the Pack decided to post a story of “The Office Night” in which fans had to guess which characters in the television show “The Office” said the following quotes that were posted.    

On the other hand, the Atlantic Division leaders, the Providence Bruins, have also been busy utilizing their social media platforms as well. On instagram, the team released a video on “#SloMoMonday” of forward Jakub Lauko almost scoring his second goal during a matchup against the Belleville Senators. In the video Lauko fires a slapshot at goalie, Filip Gustavsson in which the puck slides underneath Gustavsson’s legs. However, with an athletic heads up play, defensmen Max Lajoie knocked the puck away just as the puck was about to cross the red goal line. 

Although it still remains unknown if the hockey season will once again resume, the hockey community and the teams around the American Hockey League have made it known that regardless of being away from the ice rink or not, both the fans and the players are still thinking about one another.  

By: Ryan Kelsey

Prior to the Coronavirus, better known as COVID-19 the National Hockey League regular season was supposed to end on April 4, with the Stanley Cup Playoffs set to start the week of April 6. 

The NHL however was not the only hockey league to put their season on hold as the American Hockey League announced the stoppage of play until further notice along with the three leagues in the Canadian Hockey League: the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, the Ontario Hockey League and the Western Hockey League. The United States Hockey League also put a halt to their season as well.

However, despite the various hockey seasons coming to a sudden pause, the hockey community has put their rivalries to the side and have made efforts to help assist in this nationwide pandemic.

One team that has stepped up in this time of need is the Syracuse Crunch who are members of the North Division in the AHL. The team received a call from Upstate Hospital Dr. Robert Corona who wanted information about Sani Sport, a disinfectant machine that teams use to sanitize gear, uniforms and even entire rooms. However, instead of just providing information about the Sani Sport machines, Syracuse team Owner Howard Dolgon decided to go a step further by loading up trucks and sending the hospital with the teams machines.

Not only have the Crunch provided their generosity, but other teams in the North Division have put their rivalries on hold too. For example, the Utica Comets, Binghamton Devils and Rochester Americans along with the Crunch have partnered with the American Red Cross to announce the New York Hockey Gives Blood initiative. The blood drive will take place on Friday, April 17 from 12 to 6 p.m.

Although these times are hard and the end of this pandemic remains unknown, reading about how teams are putting their rivalries to the side while working together and joining forces demonstrates just how strong this nation is and how united together, we can get through this crisis.

By: Ryan Kelsey

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has hit the United States and has put what seems to be life on hold, the American Hockey League and the National Hockey League have both decided to suspend play until further notice.

According to the American Hockey League website, the AHL has informed its clubs that game play will not continue before May. The AHL website also announced that the league is recommending that players relocate back to their primary households.  

On March 15, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended against large gatherings (50-people or more) for a period of eight weeks. Consequently, this left the AHL and the NHL in a position where they needed to delay the season in order to put the players, officials, staff, and fans health and safety first.

Although it remains unknown if the hockey season will start back up again, the NHL website announced that assuming events are progressing positively and there are no setbacks, the NHL hopes to be able to begin reopening club training camps roughly 45 days into the eight week social distancing period.

As of now, there have been four NHL players who have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. Two of these four players are on the Ottawa Senators, and had experienced mild symptoms. Meanwhile, a player on the Colorado Avalanche had also tested positive, and on March 28, the Avalanche announced that another player on the team had tested positive for the virus as well. The first player from the Avalanche has recovered from the symptoms and the other players with the virus remain at home in isolation according to the NHL website. The names of these players have not been identified.

The NHL has instructed players from around the league to self-quarantine until April 4 unless they need to self-quarantine for a longer period of time based on their recent travel. Although the NHL has instructed players to self-quarantine, the NHL and their medical staff is not requiring players to get tested for this virus based on the fact that there are not enough testing kits, and that other health professionals are not recommending testing. At the end of the self-quarantine period the NHL will consider opening Club facilities to small groups of players for voluntary training and care if there are no new updates in regards to the COVID-19 virus. 

As of now the decision has not been made in regards to whether or not the regular season will continue, but the decision has been made that the 2020 Draft and Combine will be postponed with details coming out at a later date. Both players and fans however can be assured that if the NHL season does resume and if the playoffs extend to the mid to late summer, the 2020-2021 season will not be impacted. 

Despite the uncertainty that surrounds both the NHL and AHL, players and fans will have to sit tight and be patient until more updates are released.  

By: Ryan Kelsey

The Hartford Wolf Pack look to get back on track tonight against the Providence Bruins after losing four games in a row. The Wolf Pack who are currently in third place of the Atlantic Division with 73 points, will have a tough match up as they take on the hot Bruins who are just one point behind the Hershey Bears (81 points) and have won their past 10 games. 

The Wolf Pack will have to play solid defense tonight if they want to snap their losing streak and get a win in front of the home crowd. One player in particular that the Wolf Pack will have to try and slow down will be Bruins goal-scoring leader Jack Studnicka who has earned at least one point in six straight games. However, slowing down Studnicka will be a challenge for the Wolf Pack especially after the team lost defenseman Mason Geertsen to suspension. Geertsen will not be playing in the Wolf Packs next three games after joining in a fight during the loss to the Springfield Thunderbirds, 4-1, on March 8th.

With the loss of key players on the Wolf Pack, the team will have to play with the “next man up” mentality. After the Thunderbirds took down the Pack, Hartford head coach Kris Knoblauch said “The guys that played, and their replacements, really stepped up.” Knoblauch continued and stated, “The defense, I was happy with them, those five guys played pretty well.  And some guys, like (Ryan) Gropp, (Greg) Chase, I thought they elevated their games.”

On the offensive side of the ice, the Wolf Pack will play tonight’s game short-handed and will have to work together to keep up with the high scoring Bruins. Scoring goals has been an issue lately for the Wolf Pack as the team has scored just four goals combined during their four-game losing streak.

This is not an encouraging sign for the Hartford Wolf Pack and they will need other players on the team to step up tonight as well. The team will be without forward Vinni Lettieri, and forward Matt Beleskey as both players were also suspended for their involvement during the Thunderbirds game. Two players that the Wolf Pack will no doubt look to lean on tonight for offensive production will have to be forwards Patrick Newell, and Ryan Dmowski. 

Tonight’s game is a huge one for the Wolf Pack as they look to keep their playoff chances alive. After being neck and neck with the Hershey Bears, the Wolf Pack have slowly dropped all the way to third place. The Wolf Pack are now eight points behind the Hershey Bears and are seven points behind the Providence Bruins. If the team can pull off the upset against the Bruins then the Pack can close the gap to just 5 points on the Bruins and can extend their slim two point lead over the Charlotte Checkers to four.

Puck drop is set for 7:00 pm at the XL Center. 

By: Ryan Kelsey

The Hartford Wolf Pack returned to action where they hosted the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a hard-hitting, defensive battle at the XL Center.

The game started off with intensity as both teams played solid defense with each team checking the opposing players into the boards. There was a sense of urgency for both teams as there was a lot of passing in order to avoid contact from the defensemen. With solid play from both defenses, both the Wolf Pack and the Penguins only allowed seven shots on goal each in the first period. Both teams had multiple opportunities to score goals early like Wolf Pack right wing, Vinni Lettieri who had a chance to score a goal six minutes into the first period but sent the puck wide right.  

However, it was Pierre-Olivier Joseph of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins who scored the game’s first goal (his second goal of the season) with just 1.6 seconds remaining in the first period. Thanks to assists by Myles Powell, and Kevin Roy, the Penguins were able to capitalize on the opportunity and took an early 1-0 lead heading into the second period. It was goalie Adam Huska from the Hartford Wolf Pack who allowed the goal. Thus far this season, Adam Huska has allowed just 3.16 goals a game.

The Wolf Pack wasted no time coming back from the break as left wing Ryan Dmowski scored a goal on an assist by Vincent LoVerde, and Shawn McBride on a slap shot from the blue line. The goal came just 2.08 minutes into the second period, and it was Ryan Dmowki’s third goal of the season. 

With the game tied 1-1, both teams continued to have opportunities to take the lead and the Wolf Pack had the first power play opportunity after a Delay of Game call on Penguins Jake Lucchini but the Pack failed to capitalize. Later on in the second period, the Wolf Pack had another chance to take the lead but Joey Keane tried to get fancy with the Penguins goalie, Casey DeSmith by attempting to juke him out, but in the process Keane shot the puck wide.

Although it seemed as if the Wolf Pack would eventually take the lead sometime in the second period as the Pack had multiple scoring opportunities, that time never came as the Penguins defense was able to shut the Wolf Pack and their offense down for the rest of the game. 

Instead, it was Pierre-Olivier Joseph who scored his second goal of the game, and that was all that was needed as the goal put the Penguins ahead for good, 2-1. Pierre-Olivier Joseph had scored just one goal this season coming into tonight’s game, but after putting the Penguins back in the lead, Joseph now has three goals for the season.

With tonight’s loss the Hartford Wolf Pack will see their 12-consecutive home win streak shattered, and instead will continue a streak that the Wolf Pack surely do not want to continue at this point in the season; having a streak of three losses in a row. Not only will this be the Wolf Pack’s third consecutive loss, but this will also ensure that the Hershey Bears will remain in first place of the Atlantic Division as the playoffs near.

The Hartford Wolf Pack look to snap their three-game losing streak when they play Laval Rocket on Valentine’s Day at the XL Center. 

The Hartford Wolf Pack are looking for their 13th consecutive win at home this season. The Hartford Wolf Pack play the Wilkes Barre / Scranton Penguins tonight. The Wolf Pack are trying to get a win tonight after coming off of a two-game losing streak in their previous two games. The two previous losses were to the Charlotte Checkers. One of these losses was a regulation loss and the other loss was a shutout.

In the previous matchup with the Wolf Pack against the Penguins, the Wolf Pack are 0-1 against the Penguins this season. This previous loss was a 3-0 shutout with the Penguins goalie Casey Smith making 25 saves that night on January 11^th.

A win for the Wolf Pack is needed tonight with their two previous losses dropping them in the standings from 1^st place to 2^nd place. The Wolf Pack now are 3 points back of first place in the standings with a win tonight possibly putting them in 1^st.

The Wilkes Barre Penguins are coming into tonight’s game with two previous losses as well. The Penguins have a strong record coming into tonight’s game with six wins in there last 8 games which could be a problem for the Wolf Pack. One of the top scorers on the Penguins Kevin Roy is looking for his 10^th goal of season in tonight’s game. Kevin Roy’s 9^thgoal of the season last game was his 5^th goal in 22 games this season being acquired by the Penguins organization in early December. 

The Wolf Pack’s Patrick Newell is looking to net another goal tonight with 2 goals in his past three games with the Wolf Pack .Next, one of the Top AHL rookie defensemen’s Joey Keene had one goal last game and is looking to capitalize in tonight’s game with a good performance on defense and get a goal for Hartford.

This matchup tonight of the Hartford Wolf Pack versus Wilkes Barre Penguins should be a great game. Hartford’s strong offense should be able to get many goals tonight. Their defense needs to be great with having a strong forecheck and being tough in the battles for the puck. The Penguins also have a good offense and defense as well which should make it a great game tonight.  My prediction for tonight’s game is a 3-2 win for the Hartford Wolfpack.