WHALE WEEKLY: Dec. 27, 2010 – Jan. 2, 2011 

The Whale (15-12-2-5, 37 pts.) moved into a second-place tie in the Atlantic Division this past week, by gaining three out of a possible four points in a pair of divisional games.  The Whale saw a 4-0 second-period lead slip away in a 5-4 shootout loss at division-leading Manchester Tuesday, but rebounded to shut out their GEICO Connecticut Cup rivals the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, 4-0, Sunday in Bridgeport.  Chad Kolarik led the way offensively with three goals in the two games, and Chad Johnson posted his first shutout of the season, and the fourth of his pro career, with 22 saves in Sunday’s contest.  The Whale now have at least a standings point in 12 of their last 13 games (9-1-0-3) and 14 of their last 16 (11-2-0-3).

This week:

The Whale celebrate the New Year this week with a four-games-in-five-days stretch that starts this Wednesday, December 29 and includes three home contests.  Head Coach Kevin Dineen and the Portland Pirates make their first visit of the season to the XL Center on Wednesday for a 7:00 PM game, and the Whale and Pirates finish off a home-and-home in Portland on New Year’s Eve Friday.  That game faces off at 5:30.  New Year’s Day, Saturday, finds the Whale back at home to battle the Providence Bruins at 5:00, and then the division-leading Manchester Monarchs invade the XL Center for a 3:00 game on Sunday.

Wednesday, December 29 vs. Portland at the XL Center, 7:00 PM

· This is the first meeting of the year between the Whale and Head Coach Kevin Dineen’s Pirates, and Dineen’s first trip to the XL Center since the re-branding to the Whale of the Hartford Wolf Pack.

· The first 3,000 fans into this game will receive a poster commemorating the 1986-87 Adams Division-champion Hartford Whalers squad, and former Whaler and New York Ranger fan favorite, and ex-Hartford Wolf Pack assistant coach, Nick Fotiu will be signing autographs in the XL Center atrium from 6:00-7:00 PM.

· The Whale enter the week tied for second place in the Atlantic Division with the Pirates (17-10-2-1, 37 pts.), who are 4-7-1-1 in their last 13 games after a 13-3-1-0 start.

· Pirate leading scorer Mark Mancari is tied for tenth in the AHL in points, with 12-18-30 in 27 games.

· This is the first of eight battles on the year between the Pirates and Whale.  The Wolf Pack were 1-4-1-0 in six games against Portland last season, 1-1-1-0 at the XL Center.

· Radio – live with Bob Crawford in HD on WTIC’s 96.5 HD 2 and on-line at www.CTwhale.com and www.wtic.com.

Friday, December 31 at Portland (Cumberland County Civic Center), 5:30 PM

· The Pirates are 0-2-1-1 in their last four home games, after going 9-0-1-0 in their first ten at home.

· This is the first of four visits on the season for the Whale to Portland, where the Wolf Pack were 0-3-0-0 last year.

· Radio – live with Bob Crawford in HD on WTIC’s 96.5 HD 2 and on-line at www.CTwhale.com and www.wtic.com.

Saturday, January 1 vs. Providence at the XL Center, 5:00 PM

· Start time for this game has been changed to 5:00 PM from its originally-scheduled 7:00 puck drop, to avoid conflicting with the UConn Football Team’s 8:30 PM Fiesta Bowl game.

· This is the P-Bruins’ first of five visits on the year to the XL Center.  The Whale and Bruins have already met twice in Providence, with the Whale winning both games, 3-0 on October 17 and 3-1 December 3.

· The Bruins currently sit in last place in the Atlantic Division with a record of 13-14-2-1 for 29 points, but sport a stellar 9-3-1-0 road record, as opposed to a 4-11-1-1 home slate.

· Providence forward Kirk MacDonald comes into the week riding a three-game goal-scoring streak (3-0-3).

· Radio – live with Bob Crawford in HD on WTIC’s 96.5 HD 2 and on-line at www.CTwhale.com and www.wtic.com.

Sunday, January 2 vs. Manchester at the XL Center, 3:00 PM

· Fans are encouraged to bring their skates to this game, as there will be a free postgame skate on the XL Center ice.

· The Monarchs (21-11-1-1, 44 pts.) enter the week on a four-game winning streak, and are seven points ahead of the Whale and Portland for the Atlantic Division lead.

· The Whale have won only one of five meetings between themselves and Manchester this year (1-3-0-1), but that one win was a convincing 5-1 triumph in the last encounter in Hartford, December 11.

· Oscar Moller struck for two goals and an assist in the Monarchs’ come-from-behind, 5-4 shootout win over the Whale Tuesday in Manchester.  That gave Moller at least a point in 11 out of his last 12 AHL games (8-8-16).

· This game will be aired live on WTIC NewsTalk 1080, the 50,000-watt AM powerhouse. WTIC NewsTalk 1080’s Scott Gray will join Bob Crawford and Mark Bailey on the broadcast team. The action can also be heard live on WTIC’s 96.5 HD 2 and on-line at www.wtic.com.

Recent Transactions:

Mats Zuccarello – recalled from the Whale by the New York Rangers December 22, returned December 23 and recalled again December 26.

Jason Williams – signed by the Whale to a Professional Tryout (PTO) agreement December 26.

Whale Tales:

Individual game tickets for the February 19, 2011 outdoor AHL game between the Whale and the Providence Bruins are on sale now at www.ticketmaster.com.  Tickets for the AHL game, which begins at 7:00 PM at Rentschler Field, also include the Hartford Whalers legends vs. Boston Bruins legends game at 4:00 PM that day.  The two games comprise the February 19 “Harvest-Properties.com Whale Bowl”, the featured event of the two-week outdoor Whalers Hockey Fest spectacular that will feature numerous collegiate, high school, prep school and youth hockey games.   Additional teams and events are still being added to the schedule, which can be found at www.ctwhale.com.  Ticket prices range from $20 to $85 and tickets can be purchased on-line via Ticketmaster or by calling the Connecticut Whale at 860-728-3366.  Tickets purchased on-line can be printed immediately (via Ticketmaster).

Individual tickets for Whale home games are on sale now at the XL Center ticket office and all Ticketmaster locations. Tickets may also be charged by phone at 1-800-745-3000 or online at www.CTwhale.com.  Tickets start at $7 each at the XL Center ticket office on game day.

For information on Whale ticket packages, group sales and VIP packages, call (860) 728-3366

Give the gift of Whale hockey this holiday season, with a Whale Holiday Pack.  A package of six dark green-section undated flex tickets, plus a heritage Connecticut Whale hat, is just $122, a savings of $38.  And a yellow-section package of six undated flex tickets and a hat is only $74, a $14 savings.  Holiday Packs are available at the Fan Center behind section 101 at Whale home games, or by calling the Whale at 860-728-3366.

The merchandise stands at the XL Center are carrying a full selection of Whale items, including hats, t-shirts, hoodies, jackets, pucks, mini-sticks and even plush toy whales.  Whale merchandise is also available at the Whale Pro Shop in the Hartford Holiday Store, which is located at 45 Pratt St. in downtown Hartford and is open 10 AM to 4 PM Monday through Saturday, and two hours before every home game.  Fans preferring to shop on the web can check out the Whale selection on-line at www.ctwhaleshop.com.

Once again this season, the Whale are partnering with WTIC Radio to air Whale hockey action.  All of the Whale’s regular-season and playoff games will air on 96.5 WTIC-FM’s HD 2 channel and will be streamed on-line at www.wtic.com. Select games will be carried live on the 50,000-watt AM powerhouse, WTIC NewsTalk 1080.

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

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