Key Rangers prospects stand out, but Wolf Pack lose opener in shootout 4-3
Brett Berard and Brennan Othmann had strong season debuts, but the key New York Rangers prospects couldn’t quite lead the Hartford Wolf Pack to victory in their first game of 2024-25. The Rangers’ affiliate in the American Hockey League lost their season opener to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, 4-3 in a shootout Saturday in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Berard scored the first goal of the game and of the Wolf Pack season at 17:56 of the first period. The 22-year-old forward made a slight toe drag before wiring a shot past the glove of Phantoms goalie Alexei Kolosov for a power-play goal.
Othmann set the goal up by retrieving a loose puck that was lost in the offensive zone by defenseman Casey Fitzgerald. The 21-year-old forward zipped a cross-ice pass to Berard, who finished the scoring play.
Late in the game, Othmann assisted on the game-tying goal by Fitzgerald with 1:05 remaining in regulation. Othmann had two assists, four shots on goal and three minor penalties in his season debut. However, he failed on his shootout attempt, and the Wolf Pack lost skills competition 2-1.
Berard, though, did score in the first round of the shootout. He tied Othmann for the team lead with four shots on goal and also took a minor penalty in the loss.
Last season, Berard and Othmann stood out as rookie pros with Hartford. Berard, a 2020 fifth-round pick, led the Wolf Pack with 25 goals, second-most among AHL rookies. Othmann, New York’s top pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, was second on the team with 21 goals.
Each young forward had his moments in training camp with the Rangers the previous few weeks. Berard received high praise from Rangers coach Peter Laviolette and was among their final cuts. Othmann had four points (one goal, three assists) in six preseason games.
Related: Top 10 Rangers prospects in 2024-25
Rangers’ top minor league affiliate loses 2024-25 season opener in shootout
Veteran goalie Louis Domingue made 45 saves over 65 minutes for Hartford. He stopped one of three shots in the shootout. Hartford was outshot 49-25 in regulation and overtime, including 17-7 in both the second and third periods.
The Wolf Pack did score a pair of shorthanded goals. But they allowed the Phantoms to score each of their three goals on the man advantage.
The only even-strength goal for either team was scored by Hartford forward Anton Blidh 5:05 into the third period, that tied the game 2-2 at the time. Rangers forward prospect Adam Sykora picked up an assist on Blidh’s goal.
New Hartford coach Grant Potulny will go for his first AHL win when the Wolf Pack play their home opener Friday against Springfield.
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