The Whale (20-14-2-5, 47 pts.) hit the halfway point of their season last week, and won two out of the week’s three road games. The Whale posted its fourth shutout of the season Wednesday in Worcester, with Chad Johnson making 27 saves in a 2-0 win, before splitting a pair of contests in Norfolk. The Admirals scored three third-period goals in 1:08 Friday and defeated the Whale, 5-2, but the Whale broke back with a 3-2 overtime triumph, their league-best fifth OT victory, on Saturday. Jeremy Williams netted his second extra-time winner of the year in that one with his 20th goal of the season, moving him back into a tie for the league lead in goal-scoring.
This week:
After completing a run of four straight road games with a visit to Portland Friday night (7:00 PM faceoff), the Whale return to the XL Center to battle the Providence Bruins Saturday night (7:00) and the league-leading Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Sunday (3:00).
Friday, Jan. 14 at Portland (Cumberland County Civic Center), 7PM
· Portland has won three straight games to move into a second-place tie with the Whale in the Atlantic Division, at 21-11-4-1 for 47 points.
· This is the third game on the year between the Whale and Head Coach Kevin Dineen’s Pirates, and Connecticut’s second trip to Portland. The Whale swept a home-and-home series with the Pirates, with a pair of overtime wins, December 29 in Hartford (2-1) and New Year’s Eve in Portland (5-4).
· The Pirates are 12-2-3-1 on home ice for a winning percentage of .778, second-best in the AHL.
· Rookie forward Maxime Legault (8-3-11 in 35 GP), scored in all three of Portland’s wins last week (4-0-4), after tallying a total of only four goals in his first 32 games of the 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 15 vs. Providence at the XL Center, 7:00 PM
· Former Boston Bruin greats Rick Middleton and Reggie Lemelin will be making a special appearance at this game, to promote the February 19 Harvest-Properties.com “Whale Bowl” at Rentschler Field. Middleton and Lemelin will be meeting and greeting fans, and signing autographs, in the XL Center atrium from 6:00-7:00 PM and will also drop a ceremonial first puck.
· There will also be a “town hall meeting” prior to this game, starting at 6:00 PM in the atrium, during which fans are encouraged to ask questions of, and make suggestions to, Whalers Sports & Entertainment president and COO Howard Baldwin, Jr.
· The Whale are 3-0-0-0 on the season against their arch-rivals the Bruins, and triumphed in the only previous meeting at the XL Center, 6-2, on New Year’s Night.
· Providence brings up the rear in the Atlantic Division with a 15-18-3-1 record for 34 points, six points in back of sixth-place Springfield, but the Bruins are four games above .500 on the road, 10-6-2-0.
· Jordan Caron, a 2009 first-round Boston pick who played 20 games (3-4-7) earlier this year with the parent club, scored his first career AHL goal January 1 against the Whale and struck for two goals and an assist in Providence’s 5-3 home loss to Binghamton Sunday.
· 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, Jan.16 vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at the XL Center, 3PM
· Fans are encouraged to bring their skates to this game, as there will be a free postgame skate on the XL Center ice.
· The Penguins have won 30 of their first 38 games of the year and already have 60 points (30-8-0-0), seven points more than the Peoria Rivermen, the next most-successful team in the AHL, and 13 points better than Norfolk and Charlotte, who are tied for second place in the East Division.
· Corey Potter, the third all-time leading scorer among defensemen in Hartford Wolf Pack history (21-81-102 in 246 games), currently leads Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s blueliners in points with 17 assists in 35 games.
· This is the first of two tangles on the season between the Whale and Penguins. The Wolf Pack split a pair of games with the Penguins last season, winning 5-3 in Hartford November 19 and dropping a 4-1 decision in Wilkes-Barre Dec. 5.
· This is a Guida’s Family Value Day at the XL Center. Family Value packages start as low as $48 and include three tickets, three hot dogs or pizza slices, three sodas and a Whale souvenir. Guida’s Family Value packs are available at the XL Center box office and on-line at www.CTwhale.com.
· 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.
Recent Transactions:
Michael Del Zotto – loaned to the Whale by the New York Rangers January 3.
Ryan McDonagh – recalled from the Whale by the New York Rangers Jan.3.
Kris Newbury – recalled from the Whale by the New York Rangers January 9.
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 Harvest-Properties.com 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, at the Bushnell box office from Monday through Friday, 12 noon-5:00 PM., 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
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, 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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