Chris Turner saw his former team and his present one grab a deserved point each in front of Hartlepool's biggest crowd for 13 years.
It looked as if Wednesday would end the home team's year-long unbeaten League run after they were in the lead for most of the second half, but a late goal saved Pool in their biggest game of the season so far.
The better chances in a tense, goalless first half went Hartlepool's way, and they might have been a couple of goals up by the break.
Wednesday keeper David Lucas saved well early on from a free-kick by Gavin Strachan and needed two attempts to save the follow-up shot from Michael Nelson.
On 36 minutes Hartlepool were inches from the lead when Strachan's corner was played back for Richie Humphreys to curl his long-range shot against the angle of post and bar.
Wednesday strikers Lloyd Owusu and Grant Holt sent their shots straight at home keeper Jim Provett when they managed to break out to create chances.
But Lucas had the last word in the final minute of the first half when he made a brilliant one-handed save to keep out a powerful 15-yard shot from Darrell Clarke that was heading for the corner.
The main talking point in the first half concerned Holt, who was booked for a foul on Provett on eight minutes and was lucky to escape red two minutes later for a two-footed challenge on Nelson that earned only a lecture.
Wednesday took the lead two minutes after the break when Nelson made a rare mistake when his back-pass fell short and Owusu nipped in to lob the ball over Provett for a gift goal.
The rest of the game saw Wednesday's defence hold firm as the home team tried to battle back, but seven minutes from the end Mark Robinson's cross from the left found Marco Gabbiadini at the far post and his looping header earned a point.
Wednesday boss Turner was happy with a draw and said: "It was a difficult game, but we coped well.
"With better finishing we might have nicked it, but a point is a good one here." Neale Cooper, the Hartlepool manager, added: "The point's a good one against a good side.
"We needed to be patient, and we got what we deserved."