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Chicago Wolves enjoy reunion with Bakersfield

In the teams’ first meeting since 2018, the Chicago Wolves trounced the Bakersfield Condors 7-3 on Saturday night at Allstate Arena.

Nick Swaney had 2 goals and 2 assists, Bradly Nadeau scored twice, Danny Katic had a goal and 2 assists and Nikita Pavlychev and Josiah Slavin also tallied to help the Wolves snap a four-game losing skid with a season-high 7 goals. Ryan Suzuki and Scott Morrow each chipped in 2 assists in the first of back-to-back games between the foes.

In the opening period, the Wolves jumped on top with the first of Nadeau’s scores. With Chicago on the power play, Suzuki sent a backhand, cross-ice pass to Nadeau and the rookie ripped a one-timer from the left dot that sailed past Bakersfield netminder Olivier Rodrigue to the stick side.

The Condors answered just under a minute later on a goal by Connor Carrick.

Nadeau struck again in a similar fashion late in the first. With the teams skating at full strength, Suzuki’s pass across the ice found Nadeau in the left circle and he fired another one-timer by Rodrigue’s stick. Suzuki and Domenick Fensore earned assists on Nadeau’s team-leading 10th goal of the season that gave the Wolves a 2-1 advantage after one period.

Early in the second, Swaney’s goal gave the Wolves a 2-goal advantage. The veteran forward took a feed from Katic, stepped into the Bakersfield zone and unleashed a wrist shot from the top of the left circle that beat Rodrigue to the glove side. Katic and Morrow had the assists on the score.

After Bakersfield’s Cam Dineen tallied to cut the Wolves’ lead to a 3-2, Chicago scored again on the power play. This time, Pavlychev flipped in a rebound of a Morrow shot from the point for the forward’s third goal of the season. Morrow and Felix Unger Sorum recorded assists.

Midway through the third, the Wolves went up 5-2 on Swaney’s second of the game. Katic found his teammate streaking into the slot, put the puck on his tape and Swaney didn’t miss with a rocket over Rodrigue’s right shoulder. Katic and Justin Robidas picked up assists on Swaney’s third of the season.

Connor Corcoran scored on the power play to pull the Condors to within 5-3 before Slavin tallied an empty-netter. Swaney and goaltender Spencer Martin had assists.

Katic wrapped the scoring in the waning seconds with his first American Hockey League goal, assisted by Swaney.

Martin (24 saves) earned the win in goal for the Wolves while Rodrigue (21 saves) took the loss for the Condors.

Chicago upped its record to 18-14-2-0 on the season while Bakersfield dropped to 15-14-4-1.

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