Sparks Anchors Bounce-Back Win in Hartford, 4-0

HARTFORD, Conn. -  The Springfield Thunderbirds (33-23-2-5) responded magnificently to get the better of the Hartford Wolf Pack (27-25-4-7) on Saturday night in a 4-0 win at the XL Center.

For the first time in five games, the T-Birds were able to find the scoreboard in the opening 20 minutes, as Scott Perunovich made a smart read to jump into a rush in the neutral zone, creating a 2-on-1. From there, Perunovich feathered a perfectly placed saucer pass to the backhand of Nikita Alexandrov, who ramped the feed over the arm of Dylan Garand and into the top shelf to make it 1-0 at 14:14.

Making his second start as a T-Bird, Garret Sparks held the fort in a busy first period in the Springfield goal, denying 10 Hartford shots to keep the Wolf Pack off the scoresheet following the Pack's four-goal explosion in the final period on Friday.

The two squads played penalty-free hockey through the opening period and for much of period two. After both teams rang the goalpost on multiple occasions, Springfield finally found twine to extend the lead. On a 2-on-1 rush, Mathias Laferriere elected to shoot from the left circle. While Garand made the first save, he left a rebound in the blue paint, where a crashing Adam Gaudette backhanded the puck into a gaping net at 10:32 to make it 2-0.

Hartford then put Springfield's explosive power play to work for the first time less than a minute later, and Laferriere cashed in on a diagonal feed from the left corner to the front of the net by Matthew Highmore. Laferriere's second point in a 66-second stretch made it 3-0 at 11:38. The T-Birds outshot Hartford 11-5 in the middle frame, but Sparks was there for the scarce scoring chances Hartford produced. 

Sparks made sure the Wolf Pack never would get a taste of the scoreboard, making two fantastic glove saves off of Turner Elson and Tanner Fritz in the opening stages of the third. Then the offense rewarded him with another 2-on-1 tally, as Hugh McGing labeled a shot into the top shelf on a setup from Bitten at 14:44 to round out the scoring. 

Sparks completed the T-Birds' fifth shutout as a team behind a 21-save night. It was the veteran's 99th career AHL win and his 18th AHL shutout. 

Springfield's magic number to clinch a playoff berth now rests at 10, and the T-Birds next fly down to Charlotte for three straight matchups at Bojangles' Coliseum against the Checkers on Wednesday, March 29 (7:00 p.m.); Friday, March 31 (7:00 p.m.); and Saturday, April 1 (6:00 p.m.). 

Thunderbirds fans can reserve their seats for upcoming games by calling (413) 739-GOAL (4625) or visiting www.SpringfieldThunderbirds.com.