Igor Shesterkin headlined a 3-1 Wolf Pack victory over the Binghamton Devils with a brilliant 29-save performance, and Tim Gettinger had the game-winning goal and an assist, Wednesday night at the XL Center.
The victory extended a Wolf Pack win streak to four games.
“He’s a very smart player,” said Wolf Pack head coach Kris Knoblauch after the game about Shesterkin. “One thing he does so well is puck movement. He makes a save, and instead of blowing the whistle, he tries to move the puck.”
“He’s been a rock for us all year,” added Gettinger, “all around, just some key saves for us.”
After a scoreless first period, Boo Nieves scored the first goal of the night for the Wolf Pack at 4:55 of the second, with assists from Vincent LoVerde and Gettinger. LoVerde created the scoring opportunity by putting the puck on net from the point. Gettinger tipped the shot perfectly to create the rebound for Nieves to put home.
“Perfect example of deflecting and getting a rebound,” commented Knoblauch, who was pleased with his team’s effort. “We got off to a good start. We had lot of possession time in the first period. Each game we’ve found different ways to win, tonight was one of those.”
The Wolf Pack entered the third period looking to build on their 10-0-1-2 record when entering the final frame with a lead, and they did just that. Defenseman Nick Ebert’s rebound found Gettinger right in the slot, while he didn’t hesitate to rip it past Binghamton netminder Gilles Senn (26 saves) with 5:02 remaining, giving the Wolf Pack a two-goal cushion.
“Gettinger played really well tonight, he looks healthier and stronger,” noted Knoblauch.
Gettinger’s goal turned out to be the difference, as the Devils denied Shesterkin the shutout with a power-play goal at 17:49 by Kelly Summers, with Senn on the bench for a sixth skater.
Nick Jones put the game away, though, with an open-net goal with 38.3 seconds left.
“From the start of the game I thought we were moving our feet and playing well,” mentioned Gettinger. “We were forechecking good. We stuck with it defensively, and it was a good team win for us.”
By Bryce Grundy
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