Reunanen, Barron add assists as Wolf Pack lose 4-2 to Providence

Tarmo Reunanen and Morgan Barron each had an assist and  Patrick Newell scored his third goal of the season as the Hartford Wolf Pack dropped  4-2 decision to the Providence Bruins on Saturday afternoon.   Reunanen and Barron are two of the New York Rangers’ top prospects playing in Hartford and are among the top scorers on the team.

The Wolf Pack jumped out to a 1-0 lead on Newell’s goal, assisted by Reunanen and Barron.  In the video you see the pass from Reunanen to Newell for the one timer.  The lead didn’t last long as  Providence answered six minutes later.  The game was tied 1-1 going into  the third period when the Bruins took a 3-1  lead on a a power play goal from Jack Ahcan and and even strength tally by Jakub Lauko.

A little over a minute after Lauko’s goal, Alex Whelan of the Pack scored on assists by Darren Raddysh and Paul Thompson to make it a one goal game, but the Bruins scored a empty net goal to seal the win.

Here are all of the goals from the game with Whelan’s goal at the 1:18 minute mark.

Adam Huska got the start in goal for the Wolf Pack and had 28 saves.  It was his first start of the season for Hartford.  With Keith Kinkaid moved up to the taxi squad, Huska was backed up by Dylan Garand.

Who scored

Patrick Newell is a center signed by the Rangers as an undrafted free agent. He had a breakout senior year at St. Cloud State, scoring 21 goals and 47 points in 39 games, earning him a contract with the Rangers.  St. Cloud State was the top NCAA team in the country in his senior year.

He played last season with the Wolf Pack, scoring six goals and 13 points in 57 games. He already has three goals and four points in five games this season so he has shown some of the offensive prowess that he displayed in college.

Reunanen came over from Finland after a solid half season in Liiga and the Mestis league and he is second in points per game among AHL defensemen.

Barron is one of the most highly regarded forward prospects in the organization after a career at Cornell University. He is tied with Newell for second in scoring among forwards with four points (Jonny Brodzinski leads with six points).   Barron has two goals and two assists.

The other Wolf Pack goal scorer was Alex Whelan who was signed by  Hartford after four years at Quinnipiac University.  It was the first point as a pro for the right winger.

The Wolf Pack season

The loss dropped Hartford’s record to 2-3 and they have now lost three in a row after winning their first two games of the season.   Their next game is Tuesday afternoon, again versus the Providence Bruins.