Hartford outlasts Springfield 3-1 behind Tung, sharp special teams

Hartford did not need volume to beat Springfield. It needed structure, a timely finish and Callum Tung refusing to blink, and that was enough for a 3-1 Wolf Pack win despite getting outshot 37-20 at the MassMutual Center.

The game turned in a first-period burst that told the whole story. Anton Blidh opened the scoring at 7:58, Brendan Brisson made it 2-0 on Hartford’s lone power play at 9:01, and Scott Morrow ripped one in 39 seconds later to turn a tense rivalry game into a three-goal hole before Springfield had settled in. Hugh McGing finally answered at 13:28, but the Thunderbirds never got the response they needed from a lineup that kept pressing and kept missing the finish.

That mismatch between territory and results was the night in a nutshell. Springfield spent long stretches driving play and generating looks, but Tung stopped 36 of 37 shots and made the Wolf Pack’s defensive shape look even tighter than the shot count suggested. Hartford’s other edge came on special teams, where it went 1-for-1 on the power play and held Springfield scoreless on all six of its chances. In a game that featured a sellout crowd of 6,793 and carried Braman I-91 Rivalry Series weight, those small margins became the decisive ones.

The supporting cast made Hartford’s efficiency matter even more. Bryce McConnell-Barker and Dylan Roobroeck picked up assists on Blidh’s goal, giving the Wolf Pack enough secondary offense to cash in early. Morrow’s blue-line strike added another layer, the kind of shot that can punish a team that is forcing play and chasing from behind. Springfield starter Vadim Zherenko stopped 17 of 20, but the Thunderbirds’ problem was not simply goaltending. It was the inability to turn 37 attempts into anything close to enough damage.

The loss left Springfield stuck on a seven-game skid and, by its own math, still needing four points to clinch a playoff spot with four regular-season games left. The Thunderbirds also had to turn around for Providence the next day in a 3-in-3 stretch, which made this one sting all the more. Hartford had already been eliminated from Calder Cup contention on Friday night, but it still left Springfield paying for every missed chance the hard way.