2018-19 Chicago Wolves Game Notes SAN ANTONIO AT CHICAGO MARCH 16, 2019 7 p.m. CW50 2018-19 WHEN LAST WE MET... The Chicago Wolves’ eight-game home winning streak came to a close Friday night with a 3-2 loss to TALE OF THE TAPE Cleveland at Allstate Arena. It marked the Wolves’ first home loss since Jan. 20 -- a stretch of 54 days. REGULAR-SEASON SERIES 4-1-0-0 San Antonio | 1-3-0-1 Chicago Had the Wolves earned the victory, they would have tied for the league’s second-longest home win- ning streak all season with Hershey (Jan. 13 to Feb. 23). Only tonight’s opponent, the San Antonio Rampage, own a longer streak this season as head coach Drew Bannister’s team won 12 in a row at AT&T Center from Dec. 8, 2018, through Jan. 25, 2019. Speaking of the AT&T Center, the Wolves were there 11 days ago and one of this season’s defining moments occurred early in the third period of the Wolves’ 2-1 shootout loss to the Rampage. Shortly 27-30-6-0 36-19-5-2 after Chicago forward Daniel Carr, the AHL’s leader in goals and points, passed the puck ahead as LEADING SCORERS IN SERIES he reached the Wolves blue line, San Antonio forward Jordan Nolan left his feet and delivered a high blow that sent Carr to the ice. SAN ANTONIO CHICAGO Skater G A Pts Skater G A Pts Unpunished by the game’s officials, Nolan was handed a two-game suspension by the league for Reinke 2 2 4 Quinney 1 2 3 x MacEachern 3 0 3 Hyka 1 2 3 charging. He served it last week and played in San Antonio’s 6-3 loss Friday night at Iowa. Carr, mean- x Kyrou 2 1 3 x Brannstrom 1 2 3 while, suffered an upper-body injury that will keep him off the ice for weeks (if not months) to come. Wotherspoon 1 2 3 x Pirri 1 2 3 Despite losing Carr’s services, the Wolves have maintained their spot atop the Central Division by tak- ing three games in three days last weekend. Chicago has changed its identity from an offensive jug- SERIES GAME-BY-GAME gernaut -- which it was throughout the first half of the season -- into a defensive powerhouse. Since Date Location Result SF-SA PP PK the All-Star Break, goaltenders Max Lagace and Oscar Dansk have allowed just 36 goals in 18 games. Oct. 28 AT&T Center L, 2-3 27-20 1-4 4-7 Dec. 1 Allstate Arena L, 3-5 22-15 1-3 3-3 Jan. 4 Allstate Arena L, 0-3 31-22 0-3 3-3 A RARE MISSTEP Jan. 5 Allstate Arena W, 3-1 23-23 1-6 4-5 Befitting a team that entered Friday’s game with a .735 winning percentage since the All-Star Break March 5 AT&T Center SOL, 1-2 17-17 0-6 3-4 -- and the Western Conference’s second-best winning percentage (.648) over the whole season -- the March 16 Allstate Arena 7 p.m. Wolves have set a certain standard in their locker room. March 23 AT&T Center 7 p.m. March 26 AT&T Center 7 p.m. That’s why Friday’s 3-2 loss wasn’t written off as just one of those nights that happen during a 76- game season -- especially after the team regained the services of injured forwards Tomas Hyka and THROWING IT BACK TO 2013 Keegan Kolesar. Hyka missed 12 games while Kolesar sat out two. Six years ago on St. Patrick’s Day, the green jersey-clad Wolves teamed up with the Rockford “I was really, really disappointed in our team effort,” Wolves head coach Rocky Thompson said after- IceHogs for an epic fight. In the waning seconds of ward. “I thought last weekend, guys really stepped up and unified. I thought tonight, guys just said, a 2-1 loss, a fracas broke out in front of (and on) the ‘Hyka’s in, “Koley” is in,’ and they just let off the gas as a team. That was the result you get. You get Rockford bench. A total of 142 penalty minutes were dominated in your own building. We’ve responded the right way all year. That what I would anticipate handed out with four seconds to go as 11 players will happen tomorrow.” either went to the penalty box or the showers. What else was happening in the world at the time? • On March 17, the moon developed a new crater about LAST TWO 20 yards across. Scientists speculate a basket- FRIDAY, MARCH 15 CLEVELAND 3, (at) CHICAGO 2 ball-sized rock caused the crater after slamming • The Monsters scored three goals during the first 10 minutes of the second period to overturn an into the moon at a much faster speed than a rifle early deficit and snap the Wolves’ eight-game home winning streak. can fire a bullet. • Forward T.J. Tynan and rookie defensemen Dylan Coghlan scored while forward Brooks Macek • Near Duluth, Minnesota, the northern sky stayed handed out two assists. with the day’s theme and delivered a spectacular green aurora. • Goaltender Max Lagace stopped 34 shots. • The Billboard’s Hot 100 continued to list Baauer’s SUNDAY, MARCH 10 (at) CHICAGO 2, MILWAUKEE 1 (OT) “Harlem Shake” as the nation’s No. 1 song, but Mack- • Forward Tye McGinn scored 1:43 into the overtime frame to lift the Wolves over the Admirals, lemore, Bruno Mars and Taylor Swift were lurking. extending the home winning streak to eight games while widening the team’s lead over the Central Division to three points. ALL-TIME RECORD BREAKDOWN • Forward Curtis McKenzie tallied the Wolves’ game-tying goal in the second period. Seasons Home Road Overall • Goaltender Oscar Dansk recorded 16 saves. 2009-2018 10-12-2-2 10-11-3-1 20-23-5-3 2018-19 Chicago Wolves Game Notes 2018-19 HOME-ROAD CONTRASTS BY THE NUMBERS Regular Season Home Away Difference The Wolves’ prowess during even-strength play shows up in the league’s plus/minus rat- Goals For 3.19 3.40 0.21 Goals Against 2.72 2.60 0.12 ings as Chicago owns the top three spots and four of the top five. CenterGage Quinney and 3 former linemate Daniel Carr share the league lead at +35. Rookie defensemen Zach Whitecloud ranks third at +33. Bakersfield forward Patrick Russell ranks fourth (+28) while rooke RECORD BY DIVISION defenseman Nic Hague holds fifth at +27. Record Win % Central 29-17-4-2 .615 San Antonio’s roster features seven players who suited up for the Wolves during the years North 2-1-1-0 .625 when the franchise had a partnership with the St. Louis Blues: Forwards Mark Cooper, Adam Pacific 5-1-0-0 .833 7 Musil and Conner Bleackley, defensemen Jordan Schmaltz, Chris Butler and Jake Walman and goaltender Ville Husso. Two others -- forward Tanner Kaspick and goaltender Evan Fitzpatrick -- spent time on the roster but did not appear in any Wolves games. RECORD BY MONTH Record Win % October 6-2-0-1 .722 Right wing Tomas Hyka returned to the Wolves lineup Friday night after missing 12 November 4-5-2-0 .455 games due to injury. He suffered the injury on Feb. 13 at Manitoba, which robbed the December 10-3-1-0 .750 12 Wolves of one of their leading scorers as Hyka owns 28 points (10G, 18A) in 30 games this January 4-4-2-0 .500 season and 76 points in 80 Wolves games since the start of last season. He fired two shots in his February 8-3-0-0 .727 return to the ice. March 4-2-0-1 .643 April 0-0-0-0 .000 Heading into tonight’s matchup, the Wolves need just 16 points in 14 remaining games to clinch the franchise’s 20th playoff berth in 25 years. Only Bakersfield (10) has a lower IN OVERTIME (8-5) 16 number in the Western Conference. The magic number is reduced each time the Wolves earn points, as well as each time teams outside the playoff picture fail to earn points. Goaltender Saves-Shots SV% Oscar Dansk (4-2) 7-9 .778 Max Lagace (4-3) 7-10 .700 The Wolves are outscoring their opponents by 39 goals this season (204-165), which trails only Syracuse and Bakersfield for the best goal differential in the AHL. Most of IN THE SHOOTOUT (0-2) 39 that advantage has been piled up during the first period, when Chicago has out- scored its foes 70-43. Nobody in the AHL is close to that +27 margin. Shooter Goals-Chances SH% T.J. Tynan 1-2 .500 When T.J. Tynan scored in the third period Saturday night, the Wolves became Erik Brännström 0-1 .000 the first Western Conference team to reach the 200-goal mark this season Daniel Carr 0-1 .000 and the fourth AHL team overall. The Wolves are on pace to score 250 goals Reid Duke 0-1 .000 200 Brooks Macek 0-1 .000 during the 76-game regular season, which is just one goal off the pace of the 2016-17 Central Division Stefan Matteau 0-1 .000 champions. Brandon Pirri 0-1 .000 Gage Quinney 0-1 .000 If you’ve suited up for the Wolves, chances are better than 50/50 that you’ve also played in the National Hockey League.