SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — The Springfield Thunderbirds (24-19-2-3) returned to the win column with a 5-3 effort over the Hartford Wolf Pack (20-24-5-1) on Wednesday night inside the MassMutual Center.

The Springfield power play had been struggling against their I-91 foes, going 3-for-26 over the prior eight meetings. However, that percentage rose heavily in the opening 20 minutes, beginning just 89 seconds into the game when Nikita Alexandrov fielded a pass in the middle of the ice on a give-and-go with Alek Kaskimaki, drove the net, and faked out Louis Domingue before tucking home a backhand goal to give the T-Birds the 1-0 edge. Alexandrov's goal marked his 10th point over his current seven-game point streak, the second-longest stretch by a Springfield skater this season.

Hartford pushed back in a period that saw them outshoot Springfield 16-8, and Anton Blidh evened the score as he chipped a Nate Sucese centering pass over Vadim Zherenko on the stick side at 14:20. 

Still, the T-Birds power play had another retort. With time dwindling on their second man-advantage, Kaskimaki blistered a one-timer through Domingue at 18:48 after a perfect set of tic-tac-toe passes from Otto Stenberg and MacKenzie MacEachern. The T-Birds carried their 2-1 lead into the intermission.

After a scoreless first half of the middle stanza, captain Matthew Peca announced his presence as he filled the center lane and patiently waited as Alexandrov and Matt Luff combined to locate him on a centering pass. Peca snapped home his 19th goal of the season, and with the primary helper, Luff picked up his 200th career AHL point.

Hartford's power play exacted a payback jab at 15:33 when Connor Mackey flipped a wrister in behind a screened Zherenko to bring the game back to within a single goal heading into the final period.

Alexandrov's exploits continued as the third began. With Springfield on a third power play, Alexandrov attempted to make a pass through the middle of the ice, but good fortune followed as it glanced off a Hartford stick and found its way into the top shelf, extending the lead to 4-2 at 6:26. 

Still unwilling to throw in the towel, the Wolf Pack created tremendous pressure, but Zherenko stood tall on several challenges, including a brilliant in-close save on Dylan Roobroeck late on a Hartford power play. Alex Belzile finally solved Zherenko with 2:30 to play, cutting the Springfield lead back down to 4-3. 

Despite their desperation, the Wolf Pack would not find the equalizer, and Alexandrov capped off his four-point evening with an assist as Luff camped in the neutral zone to skate in and hit an empty net with 1:24 to play, finishing his own three-point evening in the process.

Zherenko earned his second win against Hartford during the season behind a strong 37-save performance.

The T-Birds welcome another sellout crowd on Saturday night inside the Thunderdome as they play host to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for the annual Military Appreciation Night presented by King Gray Coach Lines. Puck drop is set for 7:05 that evening.

Fans can get their Thunderbirds tickets today by calling (413) 739-GOAL (4625) or by visiting www.SpringfieldThunderbirds.com.