That was more like it for the Wolves, and not just on the Allstate Arena scoreboard.
“We were just working harder,” head coach Ryan Warsofsky said following an excellent Game 2 performance that produced a 6-2 win on Monday. “Played harder, played with our structure, more details in our game.”
The goals followed that hard work and detail in Chicago’s game. Following the Wolves’ 5-4 overtime loss in Game 1, Warsofsky adjusted his Game 2 lineup. In came Griffin Mendel for Cavan Fitzgerald on the Chicago blue line, and forward Noel Gunler came out in favor of CJ Smith.
For Mendel, it was his first playoff appearance as a pro. The 23-year-old joined the Wolves in March after five seasons of college play with Quinnipiac and Denver.
Warsofsky marveled at another impressive night from forward Josh Leivo, whose 13 goals and 24 points lead the AHL in these playoffs; Leivo has a point in all but one game this spring, and 30 points in his last 19 games dating back to the regular season.
“He was unbelievable tonight,” Warsofsky said. “Unbelievable. He can score. When he’s engaged, he’s the best player on the ice. When he’s moving his feet, he’s a difference maker. He scores big goals after big goals, and he’s a good leader for us on the ice, off the ice. He does it the right way.”
The Thunderbirds departed Chicago with a series split and a valuable lesson following their Game 2 loss.
“We just gave them too much space and a little bit too much respect,” Springfield head coach Drew Bannister said following Game 2. “I didn’t think we played tight enough. We weren’t on our toes. They were able to skate through us and [gain] a lot of opportunities.”
That extra space allowed Chicago’s relentless attack to put the Thunderbirds in a 4-0 hole in the opening 10:12 of Monday’s contest. Eventually the Wolves put 41 shots, 15 of them in the first period, on goaltender Joel Hofer, who was making his first start after Charlie Lindgren had played the previous two games.
Slowing the Chicago attack will not be an easy task for the Thunderbirds, just as it was not for the three teams that the Wolves have already eliminated ― Rockford, Milwaukee, and Stockton. But as the Thunderbirds prepare for the upcoming three games on home ice, Bannister will have an area of emphasis for dealing with Chicago.
“We’ve got to be better defensively,” Bannister said. “Just eliminating their speed and their time with the puck.”
― Patrick Williams
