SPRINGFIELD, Mass – Conor Allen’s 3-on-3 goal at 5:09 of overtime secured a 2-1 win for the Hartford Wolf Pack over the Springfield Falcons Friday night at the MassMutual Center.
Allen took a cross-slot pass from Ryan Bourque and one-timed the puck at the net from the right-wing circle. The shot went past a Falcon defender attempting to block it, hit the catching glove of Springfield goaltender Scott Munroe and deflected into the net, for Allen’s tenth goal of the season and his first career pro overtime tally. 
“There’s just so much ice in the three-on-three that someone’s going to get open eventually,” Allen said. “We just had a good three-on-two (into the offensive zone), we executed perfectly. I don’t have the best one-timer on the team, but they don’t ask how, they ask how many. Just get it to the net and good things happen. We need two points right now and we stuck with it all the way for 65 minutes. I think the team should be proud of our effort.”
The win snapped a six-game losing streak (0-5-1-0) for the Wolf Pack (31-21-5-3, 70 pts.), who moved to within one point of the Falcons for the eighth and last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Justin Vaive had the other Wolf Pack goal, on a first-period power play, and Yann Danis made 26 saves to get the win in net. T.J. Tynan scored the only Springfield goal, and Munroe stopped 30 shots.
The Wolf Pack had three power plays and the Falcons two in the first period, but neither team could convert until the Wolf Pack got a goal on the last of those three man advantages, at 18:45.
Danny Kristo fanned on a shot from high in the slot, but the puck carried through to Ryan Haggerty, whose shot was stopped by Munroe. Vaive jumped on the rebound, though, and rapped it past Munroe for a 1-0 Hartford lead.
The Falcons then got the only goal of the second period, with Tynan tying the score at 4:45. Frederic St. Denis worked the puck out of the left-wing corner to Sean Collins covering the point. Collins put it at the net and it deflected off the inside of the goal post to Danis’ left. It slid right to Tynan at the right side of the goal mouth, and he had an open net to shoot at, with Danis unaware of where the puck had gone.
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