By BRUCE BERLET, Courant Staff Writer
ALBANY -- Experimenting two weeks before the playoffs isn't ideal, but the Wolf Pack have been forced to.
Team MVP Jarkko Immonen (70 points) and second team All-Star defenseman Thomas Pock are with the Rangers. And center Martin Sonnenberg and defenseman Ivan Baranka are injured. So the Pack are mixing and matching more than ever.
Despite the revolving door, especially up front, the Pack got late second-period goals from Hugh Jessiman and Dwight Helminen for a 3-2 victory over the Albany River Rats.
Goalie Al Montoya had 31 saves, including point-blank stops on Petr Vrana (twice) and Barry Tallackson after he allowed a bad first goal on Tuomas Pihlman's 50-foot flip from the boards. Pihlman's goal came 11 seconds after the Pack's Lee Falardeau scored on a turnaround backhander 4:46 into the game.
"Monty played good," Pack coach Jim Schoenfeld said. "The first goal was bad, so it was really good to see he fought back. That's a real good sign because we're going to need good goaltending to go anywhere in the playoffs, which is something you need whether you're in pee wee or the NHL."
The Pack (46-24-2-6) finished 6-0 against the River Rats and reached 100 points for the third consecutive season and the fourth time in their nine-year history. The Rats (23-47-4-5) are 0-11-1-1 since March 11 and will miss the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season.
Immonen and Pock are with the Rangers because Steve Rucchin, Tom Poti and Marek Malik are injured. Defenseman Dave Liffiton made his NHL debut Tuesday but returned Wednesday. Pock could be back for the last two regular season games Friday at Providence and Saturday against Bridgeport, which clinched a playoff spot when Binghamton lost to Norfolk, 2-0.
"Everything is predicated on the Rangers' needs," Schoenfeld said. "We'd like to have a set lineup, but you have to deal with reality. We're here as a developmental team, and we're really thrilled when kids get a chance to go up. Jarkko and Thomas have made an impact, so we're glad.
"We'll weather the storm. We hope to get them back, but if New York needs them, that's where they should be."
The Pack often look disjointed, and it started with Helminen being the only center. He played between Alexandre Giroux and Brad Smyth, who had been flanking Immonen. Helminen's usual right wing, Colby Genoway, moved to center and played mostly between newcomer Dane Byers and Nigel Dawes, who went from left to right wing. Lauri Korpikoski, another newcomer who set up Jessiman's goal, played center instead of left wing and was flanked mostly by Chad Wiseman and Craig Weller.
Jessiman and Falardeau were the extra forwards but got lots of ice time. Byers and Jessiman killed penalties, and defenseman Martin Grenier got time on the point on the power play, where Pock is the Pack's top threat.
"We gave everybody every opportunity in every situation," Schoenfeld said. "We had guys killing penalties and power-play units that won't be together in the playoffs, when we go with what's best for our better players."
The Rangers signed Korpikoski, Byers and Greg Moore to pro contracts. Moore, a right wing, likely will make his debut this weekend after his career at Maine ended Thursday with a loss in the Frozen Four semifinals to eventual champion Wisconsin.
