Fortescue Pots First Pro Goal as Wolf Pack Beat Crunch 3-2 in OT

The Hartford Wolf Pack continued their season-long eight game road trip on Saturday night. They visited the Syracuse Crunch for the only time this season as they aimed to get into the win column to end the week.

The teams played a tight battle, and 60 minutes wouldn't be enough to decide a winner. In the bonus frame, the Wolf Pack came away with the extra point, knocking off the Crunch by a 3-2 final score.

Baur Down

The Wolf Pack broke the ice just over nine minutes into the game. Bryce McConnell-Barker picked up a loose puck behind the Syracuse net and fed Justin Nachbaur above the right circle. Nachbaur sent a shot through traffic that beat Olivier Rodrigue to give the Wolf Pack the game's first lead.

The goal was Nachbaur's first as a member of the Wolf Pack and came just one day after he recorded his first point with Hartford.

The Crunch would respond just under the 12 minute mark in the period. Jakob Pelletier capitalized off a turnover and beat Callum Tung through the five hole to draw the teams even. The score remained 1-1 heading into the first intermission.

Before the horn, however, Nachbaur dropped the gloves with Cooper Flinton for an entertaining tilt. Nachbaur has six fights so far as a member of the Wolf Pack, and has recorded a Gordie Howe hat trick in his last two periods of action, tallying an assist in the third period of last night's game.

Just Find Justin

A communication breakdown early in the second period allowed Lucas Mercuri to nail an empty Hartford net, giving the Crunch their first lead of the night just over three minutes into the frame.

However, the Wolf Pack would battle back and tie the contest once more. Liam Greentree skied a puck into neutral ice, and it skipped away from Matteo Pietroniro. Carey Terrance corralled the puck and sent a cross-ice feed to Justin Dowling, who buried it to knot the score at two.

The goal was Dowling's third of the season, and the score remained 2-2 heading into the second intermission.

Holding Down the Fort

The sides played a competitive third period, but neither could pull ahead. Both teams got two big penalty kills in the frame to eventually secure each of them a point and send the game to overtime.

The two traded chances early, but the Wolf Pack eventually got the best look of the extra session. Taylor Raddysh knocked Jansen Harkins off the puck and got it to Drew Fortescue. The rookie blueliner sped into the Syracuse zone on an odd-man rush with Juuso Pärssinen. Fortescue elected to shoot and ripped a shot by the blocker of Rodrigue to deliver the win and the extra point to the Wolf Pack.

The goal was Fortescue's first of his professional career.

The Wolf Pack are 3-3-1-0 on their eight-game road trip thus far and will have an opportunity to finish it at .500 on Tuesday.

Up Next

The Wolf Pack visit the Springfield Thunderbirds on Tuesday for round two of the I-91 Rivalry this season, capping off their eight game road trip. Puck drop is set for 10:35 am.