BY: Ray Schmitt, Voice of the Greenville Road Warriors

Tonight the Greenville Road Warriors continue their five-game road trip by facing the Reading Royals. It marks Greenville’s first visit to the Sovereign Center this season.

The Road Warriors (32-19-4, 68 pts.) visit Reading (25-23-7, 57 pts.) today for the fifth of six meetings between the clubs. Fans can follow the action by watching live on America One or listening at GreenvilleRoadWarriors.com. The Road Warriors and Royals are meeting up for the first time in Reading this season with the Road Warriors looking for some retribution after Reading took all four games at the BI-LO Center . Greenville is 1-1-0 in its history in Reading with a shootout win and a regulation loss to the Royals in back-to-back games last January. The Road Warriors and Royals have been lighting up the scoreboard when they’ve met this season. Twice the teams have combined to score 10 goals in a game and they are averaging a combined 7.5 goals per game.

Who: Greenville Road Warriors at Reading Royals
What: Away Game #28, Season Game #56
When: 7:05 p.m.
Where: Sovereign Center, 700 Penn St., Reading, PA 19602

NOTEWORTHY:

• The Road Warriors are tied for the most wins in the Eastern Conference with Elmira at 32. Reading’s 25 are the most for a team not currently in the top eight in the East.
• Bretton Cameron played in his 100th ECHL game on Wednesday. He has 12 points (3G, 9A) in 14 games with Greenville.
• Jason Missiaen has started 10 of 11 games for Greenville in February. He is 6-3-1 over that span, including four-game win streak from 2/11 to 2/17/12.
• Greenville has the top road power play in the league at 27 percent. The Road Warriors are 10-for-26 (38%) on the power play in their last eight away games.
• Greenville has the third most first period goals in the ECHL with 59. Reading is tied with Greenville there, but the Road Warriors have given up 12 fewer first period goals (46 to 58).

Click here for Game Notes Page 1
Click here for Game Notes Page 2
Click here for Road Warriors player info
Click here for Royals player info

Mark your calendars! The Road Warriors return home on Friday, March 2, 2012 to take on the South Carolina Stingrays at 7:35. Join the Road Warriors for their second-annual Pink in the Rink presented by Greenville Hospital System to benefit the Mary Kay Foundation. The Road Warriors will be wearing pink-themed jerseys, skating on pink ice, and doing much more to raise money and awareness in the fight against breast cancer. Book your group of 10 or more in advance to get discounts off the box office price and preferred seating based on availability. Call 864-674-PUCK (7825) to book your group outing. Also, please note that the Road Warriors game scheduled for March 1 has been moved to Saturday, March 3 at 7:05 p.m. at the BI-LO Center. Visit GreenvilleRoadWarriors.com for more information.

BY: Bob Crawford, Voice of the Connecticut Whale

Connecticut Whale general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that the parent New York Rangers have reassigned defenseman Blake Parlett from the Whale to its ECHL affiliate, the Greenville Road Warriors.

Parlett, a second-year pro, has skated in 50 games this year with the Whale, scoring four goals and adding 10 assists for 14 points, with 34 penalty minutes.  He signed with the Rangers as a free agent June 2, 2011, after playing last season with the Whale on an AHL contract.

The Whale are back in action tonight, visiting the Springfield Falcons for a 7:00 game.  All the “Rockin’ Hockey” action can be heard on “The Rock”, 106.9 WCCC-FM and on-line at CTWhale.com.  The Whale’s next home game is this Tuesday, February 28 vs. the Worcester Sharks, with a special school-day morning-start time of 11:00 AM.  Tickets can be purchased on the day of the game for only $10 each Tuesday at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center.

Tickets to all 2011-12 Whale home games are on sale now at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, as well as on-line at CTWhale.com and through TicketMaster Charge-by-phone at 1-800-745-3000.

Save on your tickets, and get the best seats, with a ticket plan for the Whale’s 2011-12 AHL campaign, which are on sale now. For information on season seats and mini plans, visit CTWhale.com, or call the CT Whale ticket office at (860) 728-3366 to talk with an account executive today.

The AHL’s Connecticut Whale is operated by Whalers Sports and Entertainment, a Hartford-based sports marketing and event firm founded by Howard Baldwin and Howard Baldwin, Jr..  The team is the top player-development affiliate of the NHL’s New York Rangers.

Since 1972, the CT Lottery has generated nearly $21.4 billion in sales and has transferred more than $7.2 billion to the state’s General Fund. Prizes have exceeded $12.3 billion. Purchasers must be 18 years or older. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-346-6238. For more information about the Connecticut Lottery Corporation, visit ctlottery.org.

     VERSUS      

BY: Ray Schmitt, Voice of the Greenville Road Warriors

The Greenville Road Warriors made their first ever visit to the Sun National Bank Center a memorable one as they defeated the Trenton Titans 5-2 on Friday night. The win improved Greenville to 32-19-4 on the season.

Click here for tonight’s box score.

Greenville put Trenton in a two-goal hole early on thanks to strikes on the power play and at even strength. The Titans spotted the Road Warriors a lengthy 5-on-3 power play in the second minute of the game and they were able to cash in with Justin Bowers netting his 17th goal of the season 2:10 into the game. Brandon Wong built the lead to two by hammering a rebound past Trenton starter Dan Meyers at 6:26. That prompted a goaltending change by the Titans and Brad Phillips came on in relief. The change sparked some momentum for Trenton as Andy Bombach scored on Jason Missiaen just past the midpoint of the frame. That was the only one of six Trenton shots in the first to elude Missiaen as Greenville took the lead into the break.

Trenton would find the tying goal early in the second period with Bombach scoring a power play goal thanks to a deflection in front that left Missiaen unable to reach Bombach’s bid. Missiaen slammed the door on the remaining 13 Trenton shots in the period and a power play goal by Jyri Niemi restored the Road Warriors’ lead. The goal was Niemi’s ninth of the season and sixth in the month of February alone. Bretton Cameron helped the puck elude Phillips by providing a screen in front.

The Road Warriors asserted their control of the game in the third period with a pair of goals and coasted to the win down the home stretch. Marc-Olivier Vallerand finished off a flashy passing play by Wong and Bretton Cameron just 1:19 into the frame to push the lead to two. The goal was Vallerand’s team-leading 27th of the season and leaves him one shy of his team record 28 from last season. Sean Berkstresser added his second goal in as many nights with help from Francis Meilleur and Jeremy Gouchie with 3:35 to play and pushed Greenville’s lead to a comfortable three. Missiaen kept Trenton off the board in the third with 10 saves.

With 28 saves on the night, Missiaen earned his 14th win of the season. Greenville was 2-for-6 on the power play and 6-for-7 on the penalty kill.

     VERSUS    

BY: Bruce Berlet

Special teams often are the difference at all levels of hockey these days, and the Connecticut Whale proved that again Friday night against the Portland Pirates.

Andre Deveaux and Brendan Bell scored the game’s first two goals with the man advantage, then the Whale got three tallies from secondary sources in a 5-1 victory before 4,722 at the XL Center.

“It was a good team effort,” said center Kelsey Tessier, who set up Andreas Thuresson’s goal with a clearing pass off a Pirates defender’s neck and capped the scoring off a brilliant centering pass by Tommy Grant. “All the lines came out hard, and it’s good to have everyone contributing. Grant has been stepping up his game, and his confidence is up so we just have to give him the puck as often as we can because he’s hot the last three games (four assists, including two Friday night). And (Scott) Tanski has been grinding it real well, which makes my job easier.”

Tessier also cited goalie Chad Johnson (26 saves), who returned after missing most of the previous three games with an injury and excelled early when the Pirates had the better jump.

“Chad gave us momentum,” Tessier said. “It wasn’t our best start, but Chad was there for us and stood on his head. Even the start of the third period wasn’t good, but Chad was there. And I give our defense a lot of credit for moving the puck so well.”

Coach Ken Gernander also lauded Johnson and the hustling Tessier, Grant, Tanski, Jordan Owens and Thuresson, who comprise most of the third and fourth lines but were major contributors this night.

“The power play got things started, and it’s always good if you can keep that special teams’ differential,” Gernander said, alluding to the Whale being 2-for-4 with the man advantage and 4-for-4 on the penalty kill. “We got goals from a lot of different sources, which was important because the more sources the harder it is shut down a team. We were pretty good defensively, and I really liked Johnner’s game, especially at the start on the power play.

“Goaltenders are often judged on the ones you let in, not always the ones you save. But if a guy is having a good night, you remember the good saves he made early to keep you in it or to preserve the lead late. When he’s a bit off, you’ll remember that third one that never should have got in. But the bottom line is winning games, and his play has been very good and very important for us of late.”

Johnson is 6-1-0 in February as the Whale (27-17-5-5) rebounded from a 4-3 loss at Providence on Sunday that ended an eight-game point streak (7-0-1-0). They have now split four games with the Pirates and increased their Northeast Division lead to two points over the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, who lost 2-1 to the host Springfield Falcons in a shootout.

“They have some pretty skilled forwards in (Patrick) O’Sullivan and (Andy) Miele who move the puck really well and find seams all over the ice,” Johnson said. “We expected them to come out strong on the road, and there were some bounces where they made some good plays, but I think we were in good position so when I do make a save, the guys were there to clear the rebounds. There weren’t a lot of second opportunities, so it makes it easier on everybody.

“The power play is kind of our identity, but we also got two goals from guys who don’t always contribute (goals) but work hard and do the little things. It’s always good to have guys get rewarded for their hard work. The Tessier line with Grant and Tanski battles all the time so for them to get a goal was awesome.”

The Pirates (24-24-3-3) have lost three in a row, six of seven (1-5-1-0) and nine of 12 (3-8-1-0) since a four-game winning streak in late January. They have allowed the second-most goals in the league (181) and were missing four of their top defensemen, including captain Dean Arsene, who started his AHL career in Hartford. It forced the Pirates to sign defensemen Corey Syvret and Mark Louis, who made his pro debut.

The Pirates had the best scoring chances early, but Johnson denied Brett MacLean at the doorstep at 7:23 during the game’s first power play and then made rapid-fire saves on O’Sullivan and Mathieu Brodeur off a 3-on-2 with 8:57 left in the first period.

The Whale then had a golden opportunity to take the lead on a 5-on-3 power play for 1:12 after Nick Ross was called for hooking at 14:41 and Eckford for interference at 15:29. The Whale failed to get a shot on Justin Pogge for the first 1:05 of the two-man advantage before Deveaux slammed in All-Star Mats Zuccarello’s goal-line pass off a setup by Tim Erixon. It was Deveaux’s 18^th goal and 13^th on the power play, tying him for the league lead with the Hershey Bears’ Jacob Micflikier and Falcons’ All-Star rookie right wing Cam Atkinson, a Greenwich native who starred at Avon Old Farms and Boston College and was called up by the Columbus Blue Jackets earlier in the day.

“Two bad penalties, and you can’t give those guys a 5-on-3,” Pirates coach Ray Edwards said. “I thought we did really well killing it off for 45 seconds, but you can’t play two men down against those guys.”

The Pirates nearly tied it early in the second period, but Johnson flicked out his left pad to stop Ross’ screen shot from the left point at 31 seconds and got his right pad on Matt Watkins’ rush down right wing at 2:52. The Whale then took a 2-0 lead on their third power play thanks to a fortuitous bounce. Zuccarello’s pass off the left boards into the slot found Bell, who half-whiffed on a backhander, but Evan Bloodoff inadvertently poked the puck into his own net at 4:04. It was Bell’s seventh goal, most among Whale defenseman.

“It’s all about angles,” said a smiling Bell, who also beat the Pirates 3-2 on a breakaway goal at 3:29 of overtime on Nov. 23. “Zucc said he was going to put it in anyway.”

The Pirates then had an golden opportunity to get on the board when they got a 5-on-3 for 1:12 but managed only one shot on Johnson, who was plenty alert to stop MacLean’s point-blank deflection of O’Sullivan’s pass at 6:32.

The Whale then increased their lead off another unlucky bounce for the Pirates. Tessier’s clearing pass hit Eckford in the neck, and as the defenseman lay on the ice in the neutral zone, Thuresson picked up a loose puck, broke in on a 2-on-1 and beat Pogge high to the glove side for his 12^th goal at 7:59.

“I was quite lucky (to get an assist), but I felt bad for (Eckford) because I was just trying to dump the puck and he was right in my way,” said Tessier, who missed one game in December after taking a puck to the face in practice. “Obviously it was good for us, but I went over, gave him a tap and said I was sorry. There was no cut, so I was happy he got right up.”

“Last month we probably wouldn’t have got that break,” Johnson said, alluding to the Whale suffering through an 11-game winless streak (0-6-3-2) in January. “It’s funny how things happen when you’re working hard. You get those lucky breaks, and it’s weird how you can get chances sometimes and other times it just doesn’t go for you.”

Pogge (19 saves) kept the Pirates in the game as he denied Tessier’s close-in deflection with 9:10 left in the period and robbed a wide-open Ryan Bourque in front after a nifty three-way passing play with All-Star Jonathan Audy-Marchessault and Casey Wellman. But the Whale continued to press and padded their lead when Chris McKelvie raced down left wing and fired a shot wide left, the carom going to Owens for a quick stuff into the right side of the net for his fifth goal with 1:08 left.

The Pirates finally broke through at 5:32 of the third period on a sixth-attacker goal during a delayed penalty on Sam Klassen as Miele got the puck to Marc-Antoine Pouliot, who circled into the slot and beat Johnson high to the stick side for his seventh goal.

The goal energized the Pirates, but Johnson made two strong stops and Miele hit the post with 7:08 left during Portland’s fourth power play. Tessier then capped the scoring when he jammed in Grant’s centering pass off a setup by Tanski with 3:45 left.

JOHNSON, BELL RETURN

Johnson and Bell returned to the Whale lineup from injuries. Johnson, who started every game in the Whale’s eight-game point streak, was pulled after the first period of a 6-3 victory over the Falcons last Friday night and then sat out a 3-1 win over Worcester and a 4-3 loss at Providence on Sunday. Cam Talbot remained the Whale’s other goalie as Jason Missiaen was reassigned to Greenville of the ECHL on Wednesday. Bell missed the last two games after being injured when charged into by Falcons center Cody Bass, who received a three-game suspension and had to miss games against Bridgeport on Friday night, the Whale on Saturday night and at Portland on Sunday. Bell replaced Blake Parlett and was paired with Pavel Valentenko. The Whale’s other scratches were left wing Sean Avery and injured wings Francois Bouchard and Chad Kolarik.

Watkins rejoined the Pirates lineup after being reassigned by the Phoenix Coyotes on Thursday following his NHL debut in a 1-0 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night after getting nine goals and 18 assists in 48 games with Portland. But with the defensive corps depleted, the Pirates signed Louis (one goal, one assist in 27 games with St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia) and Syvret (four goals, four assists in 50 games with the ECHL’s Trenton Titans), the younger brother of Peoria Rivermen defenseman Danny Syvret. Louis was signed to an amateur tryout contract and Syvret to a professional tryout contract. The Pirates needed Louis and Syvret because Michael Stone and David Rundblad were on recall to the Coyotes and injuries to Maxim Goncharov and Arsene, who started his AHL career with the Hartford Wolf Pack but had to sit out what would have been his 498^th AHL game over 10 seasons because of an upper-body injury sustained in a 5-3 loss to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Monday. The Pirates also scratched injured center Brock Trotter, their leading scorer with 14 goals and 24 assists, center Colin Long and former Wolf Pack wing Ryan Hollweg, who had surgery this week to repair a torn ACL in his left knee. Forward Alex Bolduc also was on recall to the Coyotes.

The crowd again included Craig Patrick, senior advisor of hockey operations for the Blue Jackets, who have the biggest remaining prize before Monday’s 3 p.m. trade deadline, All-Star left wing Rick Nash. The Rangers are among the finalists for Nash’s services.

WHALE VISIT SPRINGFIELD SAT. – ATKINSON CALLED UP

The Whale completes this weekend’s play Saturday night at Springfield (25-25-2-2), which they’ve beaten in their last two meetings and are 7-2-0-1 against in their 12-game series this season. Audy-Marchessault has a staggering 19 points (six goals, 13 assists) in 10 games against the Falcons, while veteran center Kris Newbury has 10 points (five goals, five assists) in only six games.

Center Martin St. Pierre (10, 38) leads the Falcons in scoring, followed by Atkinson (29, 16), and former Wolf Pack wings Alexander Giroux (18, 22) and captain Dane Byers (13, 14). Atkinson leads the Falcons in scoring against the Whale with nine points (six goals, three assists), while Byers has four goals, including in a 6-3 loss last Friday night. But the Whale won’t have to worry about Atkinson after he was recalled after the Blue Jackets traded centers Antoine Vermette and Jeff Carter to the Coyotes and Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday and Thursday. Atkinson was tied for the AHL lead in power play goals (13) and ranked second in goals and was fourth among AHL rookies in points, three behind Audy-Marchessault. Atkinson had played in five games with the Blue Jackets earlier this season and scored his first NHL goal Oct. 10 against Vancouver. The Blue Jackets host Nashville on Saturday night. To replace Atkinson, the Falcons called up wing Chris D’Alvise from the ECHL’s Stockton Thunder, where he had two goals and four assists in seven games after missing most of the season because of a concussion sustained in training camp. Veteran Manny Legace, 39, the Hartford Whalers’ eighth-round pick in 1993 with an 11-17-1 record, 2.74 GAA and .875 save percentage, and rookie Paul Dainton out of UMass (7-4-0, 2.98, .893) are doing the goaltending now. Dainton had 26 saves and stopped four of six shots in the shootout as the Falcons rallied for the much-needed win Friday night.

The Whale is off Sunday and Monday before hosting Worcester on Tuesday at 11 a.m. Fans can purchase tickets on game day for $10 at the Public Power ticket office at the XL Center. … The Whale is hosting its first Hockey ’n Heels Ladies Night on Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Russian Lady in Hartford. Appetizers and drink specials will be available as several Whale players will be on hand to offer insight on hockey. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m., and $35 tickets will include a ticket to the Whale game against the Sound Tigers on March 9, a picture with the players and a Hockey ’n Heels T-shirt. Fans must be at least 18 years old, and tickets must be ordered by Monday. For more information or to order tickets, contact Ashley Ford at 860-728-3366 or Ashley.ford@ctwhale.com. … The starting time for the home game against Providence on April 1 has been moved from 3 p.m. to 2 p.m. And that’s no April Fool’s Day joke.

DIFFERENT LOOK FOR SOUND TIGERS, ISLANDERS

The Sound Tigers and parent New York Islanders had different looks Friday night when they played the Falcons and Rangers.

The Islanders recalled AHL All-Star center Casey Cizikas from Bridgeport to replace Josh Bailey (back spasms), removed defenseman Travis Hamonic from injured reserve after needing surgery for a broken nose that sidelined him nine games and returned defensemen Ty Wishart and rookie Aaron Ness and goalie Kevin Poulin, who had filled in for flu-ridden Evgeny Nabokov. Cizikas led the Sound Tigers in assists (29), points (44) and plus/minus (plus-25) thanks to getting nine goals and 15 assists and being plus-19 as the Sound Tigers went 16-1-0-1 since Jan. 1 as he was named Reebok/AHL Player of the month for January. The Sound Tigers also recalled defenseman Benn Olson from Greenville of the ECHL, released defenseman Wes Cunningham from his professional tryout contract and reassigned him to the Road Warriors and signed forwards Scott Howes, Blair Riley and Kael Mouillierat and defensemen Steve Oleksy and Jon Landry to AHL contracts after they had been on PTOs. The Sound Tigers will be without wing Tomas Marcinko, suspended three games for a boarding penalty in a 3-0 victory over Albany on Monday, and wing Rhett Rakshani, injured in a 2-1 shootout win over Hershey on Sunday. Finally, the Tampa Bay Lightning claimed right wing Tim Wallace off waivers after he had one assist in 31 games with the Islanders and nine goals and 11 assists in 24 games with the Sound Tigers.

The new-look Islanders blew a pair of two-goal leads but beat the Rangers 4-3 in a shootout as former Wolf Pack wing P.A. Parenteau had two goals and linemate Matt Moulson got the winner in the shootout against former Islanders goalie Martin Biron. Parenteau has 56 points, three more than his previous career high last season. Marion Gaborik scored the Rangers’ second goal and assisted on Derek Stepan’s tying tally with 3:20 left in the second period. Nabokov had 33 saves and stopped three of four shots in the shootout. Despite their third loss in four games, the Rangers increased their Atlantic Division lead to eight points over the idle Boston Bruins. They had won their last three starts against the Islanders by a combined 11-4 score.

Stu Bickel, who started the season with the Whale, moved back to defense from right wing, replacing Steve Eminger as wing Ruslan Fedotenko returned to the lineup after missing six games with a suspected concussion. Eminger and Anton Stralman were benched in the third period of a 2-0 loss at Pittsburgh on Tuesday night. Left wing Wojtek Wolski and defenseman Jeff Woywitka remained healthy scratches after two-week conditioning assignments with the Whale. Bickel, who has had his share of scraps with the Whale and Rangers, played despite receiving a nasty cut across the bridge of his nose in the dressing room after the morning skate when a skate was inadvertently knocked off its hook at a locker stall and fell into Bickel’s face. After a quick trip to the trainer’s room and a few chuckles about the incident, Bickel was OK – minus the blood on his nose.

When asked about picking Bickel over Eminger, Rangers coach John Tortorella said, “I don’t think we’ve been consistent enough (on defense). Stralman’s in. I wasn’t crazy about his game (Tuesday) night. Emmy sits, and we’ll see where it goes from there. We’ll give Bic a chance to play defense and not just at forward.”

Andrew Gross of The Record and Herald News in New Jersey jokingly asked Tortorella if he had to remind Bickel to stay near the blue line. One of the Rangers’ best scoring chances Tuesday night came when Bickel skated down low with center Brian Boyle cocking his stick for a point slap shot even though he was being used as a defenseman on the shift.

“He thought he was a forward when we put him out there on defense, it was pretty scary,” said Tortorella, who often can’t contain his enthusiasm for Bickel’s gritty game and the affection he seems to have for the guy as a player. “He almost scored, but he wasn’t supposed to be there. Boyle’s played defense, maybe that confused him.”

Bickel also laughed about the play and said it would have been great had Boyle taken a slap shot that he deflected in off him for his first NHL goal. He added, again with a laugh, that it wouldn’t be confusing to him which position he was suppose to play Friday night. He also is supposed to scrap, and he did just that with Mike Martin only 2:24 into the game.

     VERSUS    

NEW YORK RANGERS POST-GAME NOTES
February 24, 2012 (Game 59, Away Game 31)
Nassau Coliseum — Uniondale, NY

                                                  1st   2nd   3rd   OT(SO)   Final
New York Rangers                 1      2        0       0              3
New York Islanders              2      1         0       0(1)         4

Team Notes:

• The Rangers were defeated by the New York Islanders, 4-3, in the shootout tonight at Nassau Coliseum, and have now registered at least one point in 11 of their last 14 games (9-3-2).
• New York has posted a record of 38-15-6 (82 pts) on the season, including a 19-8-4 mark on the road.
• The Rangers have registered a point in eight of their last 10 games against the Islanders, posting a record of 7-2-1 over the span.
• The Rangers have registered at least a point in 10 of their last 12 road games (8-2-2 over the span), and are 14-4-2 in their last 20 games away from MSG.
• New York currently holds a seven-point lead over Boston for first place in the Eastern Conference standings, and own an eight-point lead over New Jersey for first in the Atlantic Division.  The Rangers are four-points shy of Vancouver for first in the league overall.
• The Blueshirts tallied two power play goals in five attempts (4:49), and have now notched seven power play goals in the last eight games (7-30, 23.3%).
• The Rangers out-hit the Islanders, 37-24, including four players who were credited with four or more hits.  17 of 18 Rangers’ skaters registered at least one hit in the contest.

Player Notes:

Marian Gaborik notched one goal, added a power play assist and converted his shootout attempt to earn second star honors. He has tallied 18 points (five goals, 13 assists) in the last 17 games, and is now one game shy of 700 career NHL appearances.

Martin Biron stopped 24 of 27 shots through regulation and overtime, and turned aside two of four shootout attempts.  He is now 10-3-2 overall, including a 5-2-2 mark on the road.

Marc Staal tallied the Rangers’ first goal of the game with a power play goal at 12:47 of the first period, and logged 21:39 of ice time.  He has now registered three points (two goals, one assist) in the last six games.

Derek Stepan notched a power play goal at 16:40 of the second period to tie the game at three goals apiece.  He also registered two hits and logged 21:01 of ice time in the contest.  Stepan has now recorded eight points (three goals, five assists) in the last 10 games, including two goals in the last three games.

Ryan Callahan tallied a power play assist and tied for the team-high with five hits in 20:02 of ice time.  He has now recorded eight points (six goals, two assists) in the last eight games.

Anton Stralman recorded the primary assist on Staal’s power play goal and registered three shots on goal in the contest.  He has now tallied four assists in the last eight games.

John Mitchell tallied a power play assist and logged 10:52 of ice time while skating in his 200th career NHL contest.  He has now recorded two assists in the last three games.

Artem Anisimov registered an assist and was credited with two blocked shots in 15:56 of ice time.  He has now tallied eight points (four goals, four assists) in the last 10 games.

Stu Bickel recorded an assist and was credited with four hits in the contest.

Ryan McDonagh was credited with four hits and tied for the game-high with three blocked shots in 29:14 of ice time.

Brandon Dubinsky tied for the team-high with five hits and logged 17:51 of ice time.

Dan Girardi registered three shots on goal and logged a game-high, 30:04 of ice time.  It is the ninth game this season, and 13th time in his career, Girardi has logged 30:00+ of ice time.

Team Schedule:

-       The Rangers will return to action when they face-off against the Buffalo Sabres tomorrow, Feb. 25, at Madison Square Garden (7:00 p.m.), to close out their back-to-back set.  The game will be televised live on MSG Network and can be heard on 1050 ESPN Radio.

BY: Ray Schmitt, Voice of the Greenville Road Warriors

The Greenville Road Warriors announced today that defenseman Wes Cunningham has been returned to the team by the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the American Hockey League. Also, defenseman Benn Olson has been recalled from his loan to Greenville by Bridgeport, and the Road Warriors have signed forward Tim Coffman to an amateur tryout.

Cunningham returns to Greenville after making his second trip to Bridgeport this season. He played three games with the Sound Tigers from February 18 to February 20 and earned a +1 rating with six shots on goal and two penalty minutes. The fourth-year pro has played five total games with Bridgeport this season and is a -1 with two penalty minutes.

Cunningham is the top-scoring defenseman for the Road Warriors this season with 22 points (2G, 20A) through 38 games. Last season, he tied for the league lead among defensemen with 36 assists and was named to the All-ECHL First Team.

Coffman, 24, joins the Road Warriors after completing his four-year career at NCAA D-III Utica College. He ended his senior season with 33 points (11G, 22A) to finish second on the Pioneers in scoring. He was the team’s leading scorer each of the three previous seasons and compiled 139 points (58G, 81A) over 98 games. Coffman is listed as a 5-11, 180 pound forward.

Olson was recalled by Bridgeport without having played a game with the Road Warriors. The 6-4, 215 pound defenseman was loaned to Greenville by the Sound Tigers on February 22, but had to serve one remaining game on a suspension incurred while playing for the ECHL’s Alaska Aces. He sat out Greenville’s game that night against the Elmira Jackals and is now eligible to play in the ECHL again.

Cunningham and Coffman are expected to be available to play when the Road Warriors take on the Trenton Titans at Sun National Bank Center tonight.

Mark your calendars! The Road Warriors return home on Friday, March 2, 2012 to take on the South Carolina Stingrays at 7:35. Join the Road Warriors for their second-annual Pink in the Rink presented by Greenville Hospital System to benefit the Mary Kay Foundation. The Road Warriors will be wearing pink-themed jerseys, skating on pink ice, and doing much more to raise money and awareness in the fight against breast cancer. Book your group of 10 or more in advance to get discounts off the box office price and preferred seating based on availability. Call 864-674-PUCK (7825) to book your group outing. Also, please note that the Road Warriors game scheduled for March 1 has been moved to Saturday, March 3 at 7:05 p.m. at the BI-LO Center. Visit GreenvilleRoadWarriors.com for more information.

START TIME CHANGED FOR WHALE’S HOME GAME APRIL 1

*           *           *           *

Sunday Faceoff with Providence will now be 2:00 PM

HARTFORD, February 24, 2012:  Whalers Sports & Entertainment president and COO Howard Baldwin, Jr. announced today that the faceoff time for the Connecticut Whale’s home game Sunday, April 1 vs. the Providence Bruins at the XL Center has been changed to 2:00 PM.

The game was originally scheduled to be a 3:00 PM start.

Tickets to that game, all 2011-12 Whale home games, are on sale now at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, as well as on-line at CTWhale.com and through TicketMaster Charge-by-phone at 1-800-745-3000.

Save on your tickets, and get the best seats, with a ticket plan for the Whale’s 2011-12 AHL campaign, which are on sale now. For information on season seats and mini plans, visit CTWhale.com, or call the CT Whale ticket office at (860) 728-3366 to talk with an account executive today.

The AHL’s Connecticut Whale is operated by Whalers Sports and Entertainment, a Hartford-based sports marketing and event firm founded by Howard Baldwin and Howard Baldwin, Jr..  The team is the top player-development affiliate of the NHL’s New York Rangers.

Since 1972, the CT Lottery has generated nearly $21.4 billion in sales and has transferred more than $7.2 billion to the state’s General Fund. Prizes have exceeded $12.3 billion. Purchasers must be 18 years or older. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-346-6238. For more information about the Connecticut Lottery Corporation, visit ctlottery.org.

BY: Ray Schmitt, Voice of the Greenville Road Warriors

Tonight the Greenville Road Warriors invade the capital city of New Jersey looking for the first win of their five-game northern road trip.

The Road Warriors (31-19-4, 66 pts.) visit Trenton (18-27-8, 44 pts.) today for the first of two meetings between the clubs this season. Fans can follow the action by watching live on America One or listening at GreenvilleRoadWarriors.com. The Road Warriors and Titans are meeting up for the first time since Trenton, then playing as the Devils, visited Greenville on March 4, 2011. The Road Warriors skated away with a 3-2 overtime win behind 26 saves by Nic Riopel. Tonight is Greenville’s first ever appearance at Sun National Bank Center, but it is a homecoming, of sorts, for winger Jeff Prough. It will be his first game in Trenton as a visitor after playing 171 games for the Trenton Devils from 2008 to 2011. Prough had 42 goals over three seasons at home for the Devils.

Who: Greenville Road Warriors at Trenton Titans
What: Away Game #27, Season Game #55
When: 7:00 p.m.
Where: Sun National Bank Center, 81 Hamilton Ave., Trenton, NJ 08611

NOTEWORTHY:

The Road Warriors are tied for the most wins in the Eastern Conference with Elmira at 31. Trenton, meanwhile, has won the fewest at 18.

Bretton Cameron played in his 100th ECHL game on Wednesday. He has 10 points (3G, 7A) in 13 games with Greenville.

Jason Missiaen has started nine of 10 games for Greenville in February. He is 5-3-1 over that span, including four-game win streak from 2/11 to 2/17/12.

Greenville has the top road power play in the league at 26.6 percent. The Road Warriors are 8-for-20 (40%) on the power play in their last seven away games.

Greenville has the fourth most first period goals in the ECHL with 57. Trenton, meanwhile, has given up the most first period goals with 58.

Click here for Game Notes Page 1
Click here for Game Notes Page 2
Click here for Road Warriors player info
Click here for Titans player info

Mark your calendars! The Road Warriors return home on Friday, March 2, 2012 to take on the South Carolina Stingrays at 7:35. Join the Road Warriors for their second-annual Pink in the Rink presented by Greenville Hospital System to benefit the Mary Kay Foundation. The Road Warriors will be wearing pink-themed jerseys, skating on pink ice, and doing much more to raise money and awareness in the fight against breast cancer. Book your group of 10 or more in advance to get discounts off the box office price and preferred seating based on availability. Call 864-674-PUCK (7825) to book your group outing. Also, please note that the Road Warriors game scheduled for March 1 has been moved to Saturday, March 3 at 7:05 p.m. at the BI-LO Center. Visit Greenvilleroadwarriors.com for more information.

NY RANGERS at NY ISLANDERS

All information through NHL games on Feb. 22

TONIGHT’S GAME

• The Rangers will face-off against the New York Islanders at Nassau Coliseum (7:00 p.m.; TV: MSG Network; Radio: 1050 ESPN Radio), in the first game of a back-to-back set. The Blueshirts currently sit atop the Eastern Conference standings, and rank third in the league overall, with a record of 38-15-5 (81 pts). The Rangers enter the contest having been defeated by the Pittsburgh Penguins, 2-0, on Tuesday at CONSOL Energy Center, and are now 9-3-1 in their last 13 games. The Blueshirts are 21-7-1 in their last 29 contests, dating back to Dec. 17, and have registered at least one point in 38 of their last 50 games since Oct. 29 (35-12-3) after beginning the season with a 3-3-2 mark. The Islanders enter the contest with a 25-27-8 (58 pts) record to rank 13th in the Eastern Conference, and have lost three of their last four games. Following the contest, the Rangers will face-off against the Buffalo Sabres tomorrow, Feb. 25, at Madison Square Garden (7:00 p.m.), to close out their back-to-back set.

RANGERS vs. ISLANDERS:

• All-Time: 115-99-19-5 overall (67-37-11-4 at home; 48-62-8-1 on the road)
• 2011-12: Tonight is the fifth of six meetings this season, and the third and final on the road. The Rangers are 3-1-0 overall (2-0-0 at home; 1-1-0 on the road), following a 3-0 win on Dec. 26 at Madison Square Garden. Brandon Dubinsky (one goal, three assists) and Ryan Callahan (one goal, three assists) are tied for the team-high in scoring with four points apiece, while Marian Gaborik has notched a team-high, three goals. Henrik Lundqvist is 2-1-0 with a 1.68 GAA, .947 Sv% and one shutout in three games, and Martin Biron is 1-0-0 with a 2.01 GAA and .923 SV% in one game.
• Last Season: New York was 4-2-0 overall (3-0-0 at home; 1-2-0 on the road). The Rangers averaged 4.5 goals per contest, and converted 9-28 on the power play for a 32.1% success rate in the season series. Marian Gaborik led all skaters with six goals and 10 points in six games, while Brandon Dubinsky tallied a team-high six assists in the season series.
• The Rangers have won seven of their last nine games against the Islanders, having out-scored the Islanders, 36-24, over the span
• New York ranks second with a 19-8-3 (41 pts) record on the road; Long Island ranks 28th with a 13-14-5 (31 pts) mark at home
• The Rangers are 11-4-1 vs. the Atlantic Division; the Islanders are 4-8-2 vs. the Atlantic Division
• New York lists two former Islanders on their roster: Martin Biron (2009-10); Ruslan Fedotenko (2007-08)
• Long Island lists two former Rangers on their roster: Mike Mottau (2000-01 – 2001-02); P.A. Parenteau (2009-10)

INDIVIDUAL CAREER LEADERS vs. ISLANDERS:

• Henrik Lundqvist — 40 GP, 23-11-5, 2.17 GAA, 4 SO
• Martin Biron — 27 GP, 21-4-1, 2.00 GAA, 2 SO
• Brad Richards — 34 GP, 11-19-30
• Marian Gaborik — 25 GP, 17-12-29
• Brandon Dubinsky — 31 GP, 7-19-26
• Michael Del Zotto — 13 GP, 3-5-8

SPECIAL TEAMS:

• The Rangers have tallied five power play goals in the last seven games, posting a 20.0% success rate over the span (5-25). The Blueshirts penalty kill has held opponents scoreless in four of the last six games (14-16, 87.5%), and 18 of the last 25 games (61-68, 89.7% over the span). The Rangers are tied for fourth in the NHL with seven shorthanded goals. The Blueshirts have posted a record of 19-1-2 in games when tallying a power play goal, and are 27-7-2 when not allowing a power play goal.
• Power Play: The Rangers did not tally a goal in three power play attempts (5:19) on Tuesday at Pittsburgh. New York ranks 27th overall (28-201, 13.9%) and 25th on the road (12-93, 12.9%). The Rangers are 2-13 (10:23) in five-on-three situations (last – 2/19 vs. CBJ), and 1-6 (8:52) when four-on-three (last – 2/1 at BUF). Shorthanded goals allowed (3): 12/5 vs. TOR (Steckel); 12/8 vs. TBL (Moore); 12/17 at PHX (Korpikoski).
• Penalty Killing: The Blueshirts surrendered one goal to the Penguins in two shorthanded situations (2:58) on Tuesday at Pittsburgh. New York ranks fourth overall (163-188, 86.7%) and fifth on the road (90-103, 87.4%). The Rangers are 8-9 (4:34) in three-on-five situations (last – 2/16 vs. CHI), and 2-3 (2:24) when three-on-four (last – 2/16 vs. CHI). Shorthanded goals for (7): 10/20 at CGY (Prust); 12/8 vs. TBL (Anisimov); 12/10 at BUF (Hagelin); 12/10 at BUF (Callahan); 12/20 at NJD (Hagelin); 1/6 at PIT (Dubinsky); 2/12 vs. WSH (Prust).
• Four-on-Four: New York did not tally/yield a goal in one four-on-four situation (0:41) on Tuesday at Pittsburgh. The Rangers are plus-seven in 60 four-on-four situations (107:33), and even in one three-on-three situation (0:01). Four-on-four goals for (8): 10/18 at VAN (Gaborik); 10/20 at CGY (McDonagh); 10/27 vs. TOR (Girardi); 1/2 vs. FLA (Gaborik); 2/9 vs. TBL (Stepan); 2/9 vs. TBL (Richards); 2/14 at BOS (Anisimov); 2/19 vs. CBJ (Stepan). Four-on-four goals allowed (1): 2/9 vs. TBL (Lecavalier).

BACK-TO-BACKS

• The Rangers will begin their 10th of 14 scheduled back-to-back sets this season tonight against the New York Islanders at Nassau Coliseum. New York has posted a record of 7-0-2 (3-0-0 at home, 4-0-2 on the road) in the first game of the set, and are 7-1-1 (5-0-0 at home, 2-1-1 on the road) in the second game. Since 2009-10, New York is 28-9-3 in the second game of back-to-backs, with a 14-3-1 mark at MSG and 14-6-2 on the road over the span. Henrik Lundqvist has started on consecutive days 57 times in his career, posting a record of 36-14-7 with a 1.82 GAA, .935 Sv% and six shutouts in the second game. The Rangers will conclude their back-to-back set tomorrow against the Buffalo Sabres at Madison Square Garden.

FAMILIAR FOE

The Rangers are 11-4-1 against Atlantic Division opponents this season, including a nine-game winning streak from Nov. 15 – Jan. 6. New York has out-scored their opponent, 47-32, in divisional play.

ROAD WARRIORS

• The Blueshirts have won eight of their last 11 road games (8-2-1 over the span), and are 14-4-1 in their last 19 games away from MSG.

PLACE IN HISTORY

• The Rangers’ .698 win% through 58 games is the team’s best start in 39 years, when the 1972-73 Blueshirts began the season with a 38-15-5 record (.698 win%), and is tied as the second best start in franchise history. *courtesy of the Elias Sports Bureau

BENCH BOSS

• Head Coach John Tortorella registered his 132nd victory as Rangers’ head coach with a 3-2 overtime win on Sunday vs. Columbus to move past Herb Brooks into sole possession of sixth place on the Rangers’ all-time coaching wins list.

MEASURING UP

The Rangers rank among the NHL leaders in several statistical categories…

• 3rd in points (81)
• 1st in win% (.698)
• T-2nd in wins (38)
• 1st in regulation/overtime wins (35)
• 1st in fewest regulation losses (15)
• 1st in fewest goals against (114)
• 2nd in GAA (1.97)
• 1st in hits (1,733)
• 4th in blocked shots (970)
• T-3rd in +/- rating (plus-41)
• 4th in goal differential (plus-43)

QUICK HITS:

• This is the latest the Rangers have been in first place of the Eastern Conference standings since the 1995-96 season, when New York held the top position through games played on Mar. 15, 1996 (NYR game #68). *courtesy of the Elias Sports Bureau
• New York has registered at least one point in 38 of their last 50 games (35-12-3), dating back to Oct. 29, after beginning the season with a 3-3-2 mark
• New York is 14-1-2 when leading after the first period and 24-0-2 when leading after the second
• The Rangers rank fourth in the league with a .250 win% when trailing after two periods (4-11-1), and their four third period comeback victories are tied for ninth in the NHL; New York has trailed entering the third period in 16 games this season, which is the fewest in the league
• New York leads the NHL with a .769 win% when out-shooting their opponent (20-6-0)
• The Rangers lead the league when scoring first, posting a 28-1-2 mark (.903 win%) in those contests; Their 28 wins rank third in the NHL

THE HOT LIST:

• Henrik Lundqvist is 8-2-0 with a 1.29 GAA, .953 Sv% and three shutouts in his last 10 games
• Ryan Callahan has tallied seven points (six goals, one assist) in the last seven games
• Ryan McDonagh has tallied three points (two goals, one assist) in the last five games
• Marian Gaborik has tallied 16 points (four goals, 12 assists) in the last 16 games
• Brad Richards has tallied six points (two goals, four assists) in the last seven games
• Derek Stepan has tallied seven points (two goals, five assists) in the last nine games
• Michael Del Zotto has tallied nine points (two goals, seven assists) in the last 12 games, including six assists in the last seven contests
• Artem Anisimov has tallied seven points (four goals, three assists) in the last nine games
• Carl Hagelin has tallied 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in the last 15 games

MILESTONES APPROACHING:

• Ryan Callahan: 1 goal from 100 NHL career
• Steve Eminger: 4 points from 100 NHL career
• Marian Gaborik: 2 games from 700 NHL career
• Ryan McDonagh: 2 games from 100 NHL career
• John Mitchell: 1 game from 200 NHL career

INJURIES:

• Michael Sauer (concussion, 12/5) — 34
• Ruslan Fedotenko (injured, 2/9) — 6

Total Man-Games Lost: 176