WHALE WEEKLY: February 21-27, 2011 

The Whale (28-22-2-6, 64 pts.) are coming off of an eventful week, which included the historic Harvest-Properties.com Whale Bowl outdoor game at Rentschler Field Saturday night.  That game ended in a 5-4 shootout loss to the Providence Bruins in front of an AHL-record crowd of 21,673, but the Whale were victorious in their other two games on the week.  Friday saw Connecticut post a 2-1 shootout triumph at Adirondack, and the Whale upped their league-leading overtime win total to six on Monday afternoon in Portland, posting a 2-1 extra-time win over the Pirates on Wade Redden’s shorthanded goal.  That tally was set up by Tim Kennedy, who had two assists in that game, after scoring the first goal in Saturday’s outdoor game and also adding an assist.  With the 2-0-0-1 week, the Whale are now 4-0-0-1 in their last five games and have at least a standings point in seven of their last nine games (6-2-0-1).

This week:

The Whale makes its first-ever trip to Charlotte, NC, for a pair of games against the Checkers, a first-year AHL franchise.  The Whale and Checkers will tangle Thursday and Saturday nights, with both games facing off at 7:00 PM.

Thursday, February 24 at Charlotte (Time Warner Cable Arena), 7:00 PM

· The Checkers are 32-20-2-4 for 70 points through 58 games in their first season of AHL existence, good for third place in the East Division.  Prior to joining the AHL, the Checkers were the New York Rangers’ ECHL affiliate for 16 seasons.

· The first meeting of the year between the Whale and Checkers was the Whale’s season opener, October 9 at the XL Center.  The Whale, then still the Hartford Wolf Pack, defeated Charlotte that night by a score of 4-2.

· The Checkers, whose last game was a 5-0 blanking of the Hershey Bears Sunday in Hershey in which Mike Murphy made 20 saves, are led in scoring by Jerome Samson (26-28-54 in 53 GP), who is on recall to the parent Carolina Hurricanes.  The leading offensive producers currently on the Charlotte roster are Jacob Micflikier and Chris Terry, who have identical scoring numbers of 22-23-45.

· 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, February 26 at Charlotte (Time Warner Cable Arena), 7:00 PM

· The Checkers are 15-11-1-4 in 31 home games on the year.  The Whale’s road record stands at 16-9-0-4, and Connecticut has won four straight and six out of seven away from home.

· 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:

Pier-Olivier Pelletier – released by the Whale from a Professional Tryout (PTO) agreement February 15.

Lee Baldwin – reassigned by the New York Rangers to the Whale from Greenville (ECHL) February 16.

Blake Parlett – recalled by the Whale from Greenville (ECHL) February 17.

Kris Newbury – recalled by the New York Rangers from the Whale February 16, returned February 18 and recalled again February 20.

Francis Lemieux – signed by the Whale to a Professional Tryout (PTO) agreement February 20.

Alexandre Imbeault – signed by the Whale to a Professional Tryout (PTO) agreement February 21.

Cameron Talbot – reassigned by the New York Rangers from the Whale to Greenville (ECHL) February 21.

Whale Tales:

Individual tickets for XL Center 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