SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — The Springfield Thunderbirds (13-14-2-1) fell in a New Year's Eve matinee against the Hartford Wolf Pack (14-13-2-1) on Tuesday afternoon by a final score of 7-0 inside the MassMutual Center.

The Wolf Pack power play got the visitors off on the right foot when Adam Sykora deflected a Matthew Robertson shot in behind Vadim Zherenko at 11:09 of the first period to give Hartford a 1-0 lead.

The Hartford attack carried the momentum over at even strength, as Blade Jenkins and Anton Blidh followed with two straight net-crashing goals at 12:19 and 14:19, respectively, handing the road team a 3-0 lead into the first intermission. 

Things did not improve for the Thunderbirds in the middle stanza, as Jenkins launched a one-timer that squeezed through Zherenko into the blue paint, where Blake Hillman cleaned it up at 10:22 of period two to make it 4-0. Hartford made it 5-0 just two minutes later on a mini-breakaway tally by Brennan Othmann.

Sykora's second goal of the night on a breakaway at 4:58 of the final period brought Zherenko's night to an early conclusion. Will Cranley entered, but the Wolf Pack were not finished as Dylan Roobroeck added one more for good measure from the right circle at 13:52 to round out the scoring.

The T-Birds start the 2025 portion of their schedule on Friday as they welcome the Rochester Americans for their only visit to the Thunderdome this season at 7:05 p.m.

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