Chicago Wolves Game Notes CHICAGO at SAN ANTONIO OCTOBER 12, 2019 7 P.M
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2019-20 Chicago Wolves Game Notes CHICAGO AT SAN ANTONIO OCTOBER 12, 2019 7 p.m. AHLTV SLOW STARTS AREN’T FATAL 2019-20 In 2004-05, the Chicago Wolves lost their first two games...and they wound up rolling all the way to TALE OF THE TAPE the Calder Cup Finals. In 2009-10, the Wolves got off to an 0-3 start...and won the West Division. In 2011-12, the Wolves lost their first four games...and won the Midwest Division. In 2016-17, the Wolves REGULAR-SEASON SERIES 1-0-0-0 San Antonio | 0-1-0-0 Chicago lost their first three games while scoring just four goals...and went on to win the Central Division. In 2017-18, Rocky Thompson’s first year at the helm, the Wolves lost their first two games and went on LAST MEETING to win the Central again. Oct. 11, 2019 Get the picture? While it’s not exactly an official strategy to lose a few early in order to win a lot late, everyone in the American Hockey League (and in the Wolves locker room) understands it can be a process. This year’s edition of the Wolves doesn’t have as many proven players up and down its 3-0-0-0 0-2-0-0 lineup, which means it might take a little longer to build. TOP SCORERS As an example, seven of the 22 skaters on Chicago’s roster have never scored a point at the American SAN ANTONIO CHICAGO Hockey League level and an eighth (defenseman Olivier Galipeau) owns one assist. The Wolves’ lineup Skater G A Pts Skater G A Pts for Friday night’s 3-0 loss at San Antonio featured six rookies while the Rampage’s lineup featured Walker 4 1 5 Elvenes 1 3 4 just one. Four of the rookies who played Friday -- Paul Cotter, Lucas Elvenes, Jake Leschyshyn and Nastasiuk 2 1 3 Quinney 1 1 2 Brayden Pachal -- aren’t old enough to drink in the United States. Mikkola 1 2 3 Coghlan 0 2 2 Kostin 0 3 3 THREE tied 1 0 1 THAT SAID, HELP IS ON THE WAY SERIES GAME-BY-GAME The Vegas Golden Knights, the Wolves’ NHL partner, had tough decisions to make when it came to Date Location Result SF-SA PP PK setting their 23-man roster for the NHL season that started Oct. 2. In the end, a few ill-timed injuries Oct. 11 AT&T Center 0-3 26-27 0-6 4-6 for the Golden Knights enabled them to keep a few players who might otherwise have been with the Oct. 12 AT&T Center 7 p.m. - - - Wolves from the start. Nov. 19 Allstate Arena 7 p.m. - - - Dec. 17 Allstate Arena 11 a.m. - - - Jan. 10 AT&T Center 7 p.m. - - - With at least one Vegas forward getting healthier, the Golden Knights reassigned center Nicolas Roy Jan. 11 AT&T Center 7 p.m. - - - on loan to the Wolves midway through Friday’s game. Roy will join the Wolves for tonight’s game and March 13 Allstate Arena 7 p.m. - - - he’ll be a valuable addition -- especially if he plays at the level he displayed during the 2019 Calder March 26 Allstate Arena 7 p.m. - - - Cup Finals. ALL-TIME RECORD BREAKDOWN Roy contributed three goals and one assist in five games as the Charlotte Checkers defeated the Seasons Home Road Overall Wolves for the Calder Cup. Roy’s ability to score, win faceoffs and otherwise control play made a big 2009-19 11-12-2-2 12-12-3-1 23-24-5-3 impression on the Wolves and the Golden Knights brass, which helps to explain why Vegas acquired him in June (alongside with a conditional fifth-round draft pick) for Erik Haula. WE ARE THE WOLVES Roy joins forces again with new Wolves center Patrick Brown, who captained the Checkers for the Darren Haydar is one of the Chicago Wolves’ all-time last three seasons. Brown signed with Vegas as a free agent after leading Charlotte to the Cup. greats -- and now he officially will be known as one of the American Hockey League’s all-time greats. LAST TWO GAMES The AHL announced Thursday that Haydar will be one FRIDAY, OCT. 11 (AT) SAN ANTONIO 3, CHICAGO 0 of four inductees in the American Hockey League’s • Former Wolves goaltender Ville Husso stopped all 26 shots he faced to lead the Rampage to the Hall of Fame Class of 2020. victory at AT&T Center. • San Antonio scored a pair of power-play goals (by Nathan Walker and Derrick Pouliot) while The sublime Haydar spent more time with the Wolves Walker added an empty-net goal with 1:31 left. The Wolves went 0 for 6 on the power play. than any other AHL team and racked up 128 goals and • Goaltender Garret Sparks stopped 24 of 26 shots. 240 assists in 342 regular-season games along with 26 goals and 33 assists in 44 Calder Cup games for SATURDAY, OCT. 5 GRAND RAPIDS 8, (AT) CHICAGO 5 Chicago. • In the second highest-scoring opener in Wolves history, the Griffins and Wolves combined for 13 goals -- five on the power play -- to light the lamps early and often at Allstate Arena. Haydar captained the 2008 Calder Cup championship • Forwards Gage Quinney, Lucas Elvenes, Patrick Brown, Tye McGinn and Curtis McKenzie squad, set the AHL point streak record when he scored goals while Elvenes added three assists in his North American professional debut. scored in each of the first 39 games of the 2006-07 • Goaltender Oscar Dansk posted 18 saves. season and set the league marks for postseason goals (63) and points (143). 2019-20 Chicago Wolves Game Notes 2019-20 BY THE NUMBERS HOME-ROAD CONTRASTS Regular Season Home Away Difference Three players wore the “A” for the Wolves in Saturday’s opener -- and their identities were no Goals For 5.00 0.00 5.00 surprise to anyone. Curtis McKenzie, who had been the Texas Stars’ captain prior to joining Goals Against 8.00 3.00 5.00 3 the Wolves last season, wore the “A” throughout the 2018-19 campaign. Newcomers Patrick Brown and Jaycob Megna served as the captain for the Charlotte Checkers and San Diego Gulls, RECORD BY DIVISION respectively, last season. The Wolves encountered Brown’s and Megna’s leadership skills during the final two rounds of the 2019 Calder Cup Playoffs. “I think we have the league’s three best captains Record Win % Atlantic 0-0-0-0 .000 from last year,” said Wolves head coach Rocky Thompson. “That’s a very positive thing.” Central 0-2-0-0 .000 North 0-0-0-0 .000 When the Wolves captured the Central Division title last April, they became the seventh Pacific 0-0-0-0 .000 organization in the American Hockey League’s 83-year history to win back-to-back-to- 7 back division crowns. They joined the company of Toronto (2012-14), Rochester (1999-2001), RECORD BY MONTH Philadelphia (1997-99), Hershey (1967-69), Quebec (1964-66) and Springfield (1960-62). If the Wolves Record Win % win the Central Division this year, they’ll become the first AHL franchise to win four straight titles. October 0-2-0-0 .000 November 0-0-0-0 .000 Fifteen players have made their Wolves debuts in the first two games this season. In December 0-0-0-0 .000 Friday’s 3-0 loss at San Antonio, forwards Jermaine Loewen and Brett McKenzie and January 0-0-0-0 .000 15 defensemen Olivier Galipeau and Jimmy Schuldt and goaltender Garret Sparks February 0-0-0-0 .000 played their first game for Chicago. For Loewen, it marked his first professional game while Schuldt March 0-0-0-0 .000 April 0-0-0-0 .000 made his second pro appearance. Five more rookies (forwards Paul Cotter, Lucas Elvenes, Ben Jones and Jonas Røndbjerg and defenseman Brayden Pachal) played their first professional game in North America on Oct. 5 against Grand Rapids. IN OVERTIME (0-0) Goaltender Saves-Shots SV% Last season, the Wolves scored at least two goals in each of their first 33 games -- and Oscar Dansk (0-0) 0-0 .000 didn’t suffer their first shutout until Game No. 36. Oddly enough, that shutout also came Garret Sparks (0-0) 0-0 .000 36 against San Antonio as former Wolves goaltender Jordan Binnington took advantage of an injury to Ville Husso to seize control of the San Antonio net. Binnington blanked the Wolves 3-0 on IN THE SHOOTOUT (0-0) Jan. 4 at Allstate Arena, then got recalled from loan by the St. Louis Blues later that night -- never to return to the AHL as he went on to backstop the Blues to their first Stanley Cup triumph. Shooter Goals-Chances SH% When Garret Sparks made his Wolves debut on Friday night -- stopping 24 of 26 shots -- Goaltender Saves-Shots SV% he became the 56th player in franchise history to pull on the pads and play goaltender. Oscar Dansk (0-0) 0-0 .000 56 Sparks also became the 39th Wolves goaltender who also boasts NHL experience, which Garret Sparks (0-0) 0-0 .000 works out to a 69.6 percent success rate. RECORD BREAKDOWN The Wolves are slated to play their 1,000th regular-season home game When the Wolves... Record on Nov. 19, 2019, against the San Antonio Rampage. The franchise boasts score four or more goals 0-1-0-0 1,000 a 585-301-9-35-62 record at Allstate Arena, which breaks down as a .642 allow two or fewer goals 0-0-0-0 winning percentage.