CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Hartford Wolf Pack are still alive after an overtime playoff victory against the Charlotte Checkers on Saturday afternoon.
The two teams will face off on Sunday at 4 p.m. at Bojangles Coliseum in a winner-take-all Game 3 to decide who advances to the next round of the 2024 Calder Cup Playoffs. The Wolf Pack highlighted the game in a release after the win.
Hartford defeated Charlotte on Saturday by a score of 3-2 following Alex Belzile’s overtime goal. It was Belzile’s first game-winner as a member of the Wolf Pack and his first goal of the playoffs.
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Gerry Mayhew of Charlotte started the scoring 4:42 into the first period with his 10th career Calder Cup Playoff goal coming off an assist from Cameron Morrison. Mayhew shot the puck past Wolf Pack goalie Dylan Garand, and the Checkers jumped out to the early advantage.
The lead held into the second period when the Wolf Pack struck late on a power play. Hartford’s Ryder Korczak passed the puck to teammate Nic Petan, who beat Charlotte goalie Spencer Knight with a shot at the 8:21 mark of the second period.
The goal was Petan’s second career goal in the Calder Cup Playoffs, and the assist was the first of the playoffs for Korczak. It was also the first assist for Garand, who was awarded with a secondary assist on the play.
Later in the period, the Checkers responded with a goal from Justin Sourdif, his first of the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Korczak struck back for the Wolf Pack just over three minutes into the third period with a goal of his own, evening the score at 2. The assist came from Brennan Othmann on a cross-ice pass.
After the goaltenders battled down the stretch, the game advanced into overtime, where Belzile’s goal ensured the Wolf Pack would live to see another day.
The Wolf Pack will have an opportunity to move on in the playoffs during Sunday’s win-or-go-home Game 3 at the Coliseum.
Wolf Pack pregame starts at 3:45 p.m. on AHLTV and Mixlr. For more playoff information, one can visit this link.
The Hartford Wolf Pack are the American Hockey League affiliate of the National Hockey League’s New York Rangers. The Charlotte Checkers are the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Florida Panthers.
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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