FROM THE CREASE with Bruce Berlet 

The Hartford Wolf Pack might not have won a lot of games recently, but they proved major winners in the community again Sunday.

Wolf Pack players spent more than five hours at AMF Silver Lanes rolling bowling balls and offering good cheer to hundreds as they raised more than $32,000 in their ninth annual bowl-a-thon to benefit the Eastern Chapter of Special Olympics Connecticut.

“The players had a lot of fun, and it’s always fun watching the Special Olympic kids bowl,” said Wolf Pack center Kris Newbury, who participated in his first bowl-a-thon while watched by his wife and two children. “When I was in Grand Rapids, we did a skate-a-thon where every guy would go for an hour for 24 hours straight. But I think the kids were happy that we were here, and the lights went out for some glow-in-the-dark bowling, so it was a good time.”

Even Russian defenseman Pavel Valentenko was smiling despite earning the worst bowler award for his 63, which would be a good score on a golf course but not a bowling alley. But everyone had to cut Valentenko some slack because it was only the second time he had ever bowled and the first since 2004.

“I like billiards,” Valentenko said, pointing at a nearby table. “But I’m not really into bowling.”

But Linn Lamitie of Middle Haddam immediately got into her first bowl-a-thon with the Wolf Pack and pledged not to miss another one as part of a new “family tree” activity. Lamitie was encouraged to attend by her sister-in-law Marie Meister of Coventry, a participant for the second time Sunday. Meister had got involved thanks to her daughter, Sarah from Rocky Hill, who started bowling with the Wolf Pack in 2005.

“We all do a lot for whatever we can,” Lamitie said. “I’m a hospice volunteer and an emergence medical technician, and nothing has been more fun than this. You’re having a great time and helping people. It’s the first time that I met the players, and it’s really nice of them to come out and do this. I’m surprised by how into this they are, and when I’ve talked to some of the players, they say how much fun it is for them, which is great.

“I’m very surprised by how much they’re enjoying themselves, but this won’t be our last time. We’re going to come every year. It’s nothing like working the hospice and the EMT calls. I love this. It’s the most fun that you can have helping people.”

Marie Meister concurred.

“This is so much fun, just awesome,” Meister said. “The guys have been really, really good, and we want to do again next year and for years after that.”

Lamitie, her husband John and daughter Eva comprised most of the team that bowled with Wolf Pack defenseman Jared Nightingale, who was participating for the first time since he had been with the ECHL’s Charlotte Checkers the last two seasons when the fundraiser was held.

“I was surprised to see this many people come out, but to raise more than $30,000 for Special Olympics is pretty amazing,” said Nightingale, one the team’s most consistent bowlers who shot 149 and 175 in his two games. “Obviously the guys have a lot of things to do like going to the movies, just hanging out or watching games on TV, but I think this is something that we might be coming back to do a little more often.

“And bowling is definitely something that’s pretty common in college to kill time on Sunday,” added Nightingale, who played at Michigan State. “We used to go out at least a couple of times each season and have a fundraiser.”

When asked if the players like to display their competitiveness on the lanes and enjoy a little friendly wagering, Nightingale smiled and said, “It would have got interesting if we had been on the same lanes, for sure. But since we were spread out, there wasn’t much chirping and making fun of other guys and they’re horrible form.”

Goalie Chad Johnson, who bowled on the lane next to Nightingale and had his fair share of strikes, enjoyed the camaraderie with the fans and the chance for more bonding with teammates.

“It’s a nice to give back to the community and a lot of people who put a lot of time into the team,” said Johnson, who doubled as a “bartender” during a break between two sessions. “And it’s for a good cause. It’s neat for us to meet (the Special Olympians) and for them to meet us, so it goes both ways. It means a lot for the guys to bowl and just interact with the Special Olympians and other people like high schoolers. The Special Olympic kids are inspiring, and it’s exciting because we don’t always have days where we can get out and do stuff because we’re so busy with hockey.

“It’s nice to get your mind off the game, and it’s like team bonding, too. The guys have games among themselves because of the natural competitive that guys have. You always wonder what score the other guys has, so you’re always looking at the guy next to you seeing what his score is. You want to say that you beat him.”

As for Valentenko winning the worst score award, Johnson smiled and said, “You don’t want to be there.”

Though no official top scorer was announced, rumor that it that center Ryan Garlock was No. 1 with scores approaching 200. But scores really were meaningless on a day like this. The biggest number was the amount of money raised, and the more than $32,000 hauled in Sunday made it nearly $242,000 that the Wolf Pack has raised since the event began in 2001.

And the team plans to continue the tradition even after it is re-branded as the Connecticut Whale on Nov. 27 for a game at the XL Center in Hartford against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

That brings a smile to the face of Jackie Turro, the director of development for the benefactor, whose second-largest fundraiser of the year is the bowl-a-thon. Four-person teams had to raise at least $200 in order to bowl with the only professional team in Hartford.

“It was great to get our name out there and bring in all the Wolf Pack fans,” Turro said. “I know the players really seem to enjoy it, and I think it’s great to be able to have our athletes involved with pro hockey players and get to do things that they’re great at. We have a lot of our bowlers here who raise money and come out just for a chance to bowl with the Wolf Pack. They look forward to it every year, and I think it’s a great way for the Wolf Pack to get involved in the community. We can work together to get our name out there and have a great event.”

Josh Cohen of Windsor is one of the Special Olympic bowlers who have participated in the event for years. He has been so involved that he won the Spirit of Life Award in 2007 for being the leading fundraiser and the go-to person for the project.

“This is really special because it helps raise money to cover the cost of school buses, uniforms and dinner after the state bowling tournament,” Cohen said. “Doing this with the Wolf Pack is fun and good for leadership and community service. It’s a chance for us to meet them and for them to get to know the community.

“I really enjoy raising money and getting team loyalty. It makes people feel like they’re on their level because some people can’t skate. But at least on a bowling alley, we feel like we’re on the same playing field. I think the Wolf Pack really do a good job marketing and really stepped up. When the Whalers decided to disappear, we had a team back within nine months.”

Another Tough Loss for the Wolf Pack

Besides bowling, Sunday was a day off for the Wolf Pack (4-9-2-1), who lost a shootout to the Springfield Falcons on Saturday night when former captain Dane Byers, traded 48 hours earlier, scored the clinching goal when his shot trickled in off goalie Cameron Talbot.

The victory gave the Falcons (8-5-0-1) a 4-1-0-1 record in their last six games as David LeNeveu (21 saves) beat the Wolf Pack (4-9-2-2) for the third time this season. Talbot had 24 saves for the Wolf Pack, who is 1-8-2-2 in their last 13 games.

The game capped a tumultuous two days for Byers and Chad Kolarik, whom the Rangers acquired in the trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday and scored in his first game against his former team.

“It was different coming into Hartford on the bus, but my blood obviously started to boil once I got here,” said Byers, the Wolf Pack’s fifth captain who is still living in Manchester with his girlfriend. “I was excited to get it going.”

The Wolf Pack earned a point when they twice rallied from a goal behind, only to lose a one-goal lead when Mike Bluden redirected Byers’ pass past Talbot with 4:35 left in regulation. After neither team got a shot in five-minute overtime, Tomas Kubalik put a backhander past Talbot and Byers got the clincher as LeNeveu, a constant nemesis for the Wolf Pack, stopped all four shots, including one by Kolarik.

“It was a high-intensity game where we played hard for the most part, but it’s a 60-minute game,” said Wolf Pack coach Ken Gernander, the leading vote-getter for the All-Wolf Pack Team that was announced before the game. “When you’ve got a lead with five minutes to go in the game, you have to protect it.” … Before beating the Falcons 4-2 on Sunday, the Manchester Monarchs (8-6-1-1) had lost three consecutive games for the first time this season and one shy of the franchise record set three times. The Monarchs, who were 1-for-10 on the power play compared to 0-for-2 for the Falcons, host the Wolf Pack on Wednesday at 11 a.m. … Providence captain Jeremy Reich scored the 99^th and 100^th goals as a pro as the Bruins defeated the Abbotsford Heat 5-4 in a shootout Sunday. … Milford native Jonathan Quick has been a major reason that the Monarchs’ parent club, the Los Angeles Kings (12-3-0-0), have won a franchise-record eight consecutive games at the Staples Center to start the season and are tied for the second-most points in the NHL with 24, one behind the Washington Capitals. Quick, a member of the silver medal-winning United States in the Winter Olympics in February is 10-1 with a 1.52 goals-against average and .944 save percentage, both of which rank third in the NHL. And his 10 wins is tops in the league.