WHALE WEEKLY: January 24-30, 2011 

The Whale (22-17-2-5, 51 pts.) were in action twice this past week, hosting the North Division-leading Hamilton Bulldogs Friday at the XL Center before heading to Springfield to visit the Falcons on Saturday. Connecticut was defeated by the Bulldogs, 7-3, but rebounded the next night by handing their I-91 rivals a 5-1 loss. Evgeny Grachev recorded his first professional hat trick in that contest, Devin DiDiomete notched his first two-goal game in the AHL and Chad Johnson made 35 saves on the Falcons.

This week:

The Whale play three home games against Atlantic Division opponents to close out the month of January, as they host the Providence Bruins Tuesday night (7:00 PM faceoff), the Manchester Monarchs Friday (7:00 PM faceoff), on “Guida’s Family Value Night” and the first-place Portland Pirates on Saturday (7:00 PM faceoff).

Tuesday, January 25 vs. Providence at the XL Center, 7:00 PM

· This game features a special “Two for Tuesday” promotion.  Fans can purchase two upper-level $12 seats for the price of one.

· Providence (20-20-3-1, 44 pts.) has won five of its last six games (5-1-0-0) to close to within four points of fourth-place Worcester in the AHL’s Atlantic Division.

· Tuesday’s contest will be the fifth meeting of the season between the Whale and the Bruins, and the Whale have defeated Providence in three of four tilts this season.  The Bruins won the last clash, though, 3-2 on January 15 in Hartford.

· The Bruins hold a record of just 8-13-1-1 at home, but own a road record of 12-7-2-0 this season.

· Providence defeated the Manchester Monarchs, 2-1 in a shootout, in their last action on Sunday. Nolan Schaefer made 41 saves in goal and Joe Colborne recorded the Bruins’ lone goal in regulation.

· 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, January 28 vs. Manchester at the XL Center, 7:00 PM

· Being a Friday night, this is a “Guida’s Family Value Night”.  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 Night packs are available at the XL Center ticket office and on-line at www.CTwhale.com.

· There will be a special pre-game tribute to Karen DuCotey, a second-grade teacher from Lake Garda Elementary School in Burlington, CT who passed away suddenly in October of 2010.

· The Monarchs have dropped three straight games (0-2-0-1) for just the second time this season, falling a point behind the Portland Pirates for the Atlantic Division lead.

· This tilt will be the seventh of the season between the Monarchs and Whale, and Connecticut is 1-4-0-1 in the series thus far, 1-2-0 at the XL Center.

· Oscar Moller has gathered five points in four games against the Whale this season (2-3-5) and goaltender Martin Jones has posted three wins in three games, allowing a total of just three goals.

· Viatcheslav Voynov ranks second in scoring among all AHL defensemen with 32 points (9-23-32), one shy of league leader Paul Postma of Chicago.

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

· This game will feature a special appearance by Hall of Fame ex-NHL defenseman Brad Park, who will be signing autographs in the XL Center atrium from 6:00-7:00 PM and dropping a ceremonial first puck.  Park is also slated to be among the Boston Bruins legends who take the ice against Whalers legends February 19 at Rentschler Field in the Harvest-Properties.com “Whale Bowl”.

· This is also the occasion of the Whale’s annual “Scout Sleepover”.  Hundreds of boy scouts will be attending the game and camping out overnight in the XL Center’s Exhibition Hall.

· The Pirates have won three straight games, to overtake the Monarchs for first place in the Atlantic Division with a record of 27-13-1-4 and 59 points.

· The Whale and the Pirates have met three previous times this season.  Connecticut has taken two of the three, including the only earlier meeting in Hartford, a 2-1 overtime verdict December 29.

· Pirate scoring leader Mark Mancari earned Reebok/AHL Player of the Week honors for last week with eight goals and 10 points in four games, including back-to-back hat tricks Saturday against Providence and Sunday at Worcester.  Mancari sits third among league scorers with 51 points on the season (26-25-51), and has a goal and an assist against the Whale in three games.

· 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.

Sunday, January 30 and Monday, January 31 – The 2011 AHL All-Star Classic Presented by Capital BlueCross, at Giant Center in Hershey, PA

Jeremy Williams will represent the Whale on the Eastern Conference squad in the 2011 AHL All-Star Classic Presented by Capital BlueCross, this Sunday, January 30 and Monday, January 31 at Giant Center in Hershey, PA.  The event consists of the 2011 AHL All-Star Skills Competition at 3:00 PM on Sunday and the 2011 AHL All-Star Game at 7:00 PM on Monday.

Recent Transactions:

Sam Klassen – Reassigned by the New York Rangers from the Whale to Greenville (ECHL) January 19.

Chad Kolarik – Recalled from the Whale by the New York Rangers January 19.

Brodie Dupont – Recalled from the Whale by the New York Rangers January 19.

Pier-Olivier Pelletier – Signed by the Whale to a Professional Tryout (PTO) Agreement January 19.

Chris McKelvie – Recalled by the Whale from Greenville (ECHL) January 20.

Michael Del Zotto – Recalled from the Whale by the New York Rangers January 22.

Evgeny Grachev – Recalled from the Whale by the New York Rangers January 22.

Dale Weise – Returned to the Whale by the New York Rangers January 22.

Bretton Cameron – Signed by the Whale to a Professional Tryout (PTO) Agreement January 22.

Tyler Donati – Recalled by the Whale from Elmira (ECHL) January 24.

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.

Since 1972, the CT Lottery has generated more than $19.3 billion in sales and has transferred nearly $6.7 billion to the state’s General Fund.  Prizes have exceeded more than $11.1 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, call (860) 713-2000, or visit the CT Lottery web site at ctlottery.org.

CATCH THE WHALE AT WWW.CTWHALE.COM