FROM THE CREASE with Bruce Berlet 

By Bruce Berlet

With their top four centers missing and their leading scorer and No. 1 offensive defenseman injured before the game was 25 minutes old, the Connecticut Whale desperately needed help from new sources Wednesday night against the Springfield Falcons.

Newcomer John Mitchell and defensive defenseman Stu Bickel stepped up when needed most as each got a goal and an assist in a dramatic and fortuitous come-from-behind 3-2 victory in the start of a home-and-home set with their I-91 rivals at the XL Center.

Mitchell scored the winner with 7.7 seconds left in his Whale debut, pouncing on defenseman Pavel Valentenko’s clear-in pass that hit a stanchion and bounced crazily into the slot.

“That does wonders for the confidence,” said Mitchell, acquired by the parent New York Rangers from the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday for a seventh-round pick in the 2012 NHL draft. “It makes you feel good that you can come to a team, a new guy with a whole bunch of new teammates, and show them what you can bring to the table, play well and eventually get that win because obviously we’re in a tight race. Springfield is right behind us, so we want to create a gap between them and us and being on the top end of it.”

Mitchell arrived in Hartford two weeks after returning from being sidelined 61/2 weeks with a knee injury sustained in practice Jan. 2. Despite having only the morning skate Wednesday with his new team, Mitchell was inserted on the No. 1 line between Evgeny Grachev and close friend and All-Star right wing Jeremy Williams, the Whale’s leader in goals (25) and points (44).

“(Williams) was one of the first people I called after the trade,” said Mitchell, who had requested a deal because of diminished ice time with the Toronto Marlies. “It was funny because I had spoken to Willie earlier in the week, and he had said, ‘We don’t have a lot of forwards here.’ I thought that was kind of funny that he mentioned that and that I had gotten traded here.

“I felt decent out there, but as the game was going on, my legs were getting tired. I definitely don’t think I’m up to snuff and played my best hockey because I’ve been off for so long, but hopefully in the next few weeks I’ll work on my conditioning, get lots of ice time and the legs will come back. But it was a nice change of pace. I’m happy for the change because it’s a great organization with the Rangers. And it’s obviously nice to come here and know somebody quite well because it’s an easy transition to come into the (dressing) room. But even if Willie wasn’t here, it seems like this is a good group of guys.”

Williams wasn’t around for most of Wednesday’s game after leaving on a stretcher and heading to St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center with 5:02 left in the first period after being hit in the head from behind by Kyle Neuber’s shoulder. No one on the Whale accused Neuber of a dirty hit, but it took about 10 minutes before Williams could be taken off after being examined by trainer Damien Hess and team doctor Brett Wesserhauf, an orthopedic surgeon.

Williams skated in part of Friday’s practice, got more treatment from Hess and is questionable for a rematch with the Falcons on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the MassMutual Center in Springfield.

“I felt a little different but just have to wait and take it day by day,” Williams said.

“There are no medical risks if he plays,” Hess said. “It’s what pain he can tolerate.”

But having at least a chance of playing is a lot better than the physical and mental anguish now being endured by defenseman Michael Del Zotto, who sustained a broken right index finger when hit by a Falcons shot at 4:42 of the second period and will be sidelined 4-to-6 weeks. It’s a capper to a difficult sophomore pro season in which Del Zotto struggled after being a member of the NHL all-rookie team. He was starting his third assignment to the Whale in hopes of continuing to try to rediscover his top form, but now he’ll be fortunate to make it back by the regular season finale April 10 against Norfolk.

“I’ve never had anything like this happen to me, but what can you do?” said Del Zotto, who also received treatment from Hess on Friday after visiting a hand specialist on Thursday. “It’s unfortunate, but it’s part of the game and just happens. (But) it’s just not the same. You want to be out there helping the team and having a good time with your teammates. But there’s not much I can do but hope it heals quickly so I can get back for the playoffs.”

Whale coach Ken Gernander felt Del Zotto’s pain.

“Obviously it’s an unfortunate situation for everybody involved,” Gernander said. “I’m sure he wants to play, he wants to show himself, and he’d be a big part of our team if he were healthy.”

Lee Baldwin will replace Del Zotto, who missed only two games with the Rangers last season because of a skate cut on his foot. With Del Zotto out, it means more responsibility for veteran defenseman Wade Redden, Jared Nightingale, Pavel Valentenko, Stu Bickel and Blake Parlett, who has been solid since his call-up from Greenville of the ECHL because of ailments to Tomas Kundratek and Jyri Niemi, likely to be out another month with a shoulder injury.

Bickel, acquired from the Anaheim Mighty Ducks/Syracuse Crunch for disgruntled defenseman Nigel Williams on Nov. 23, had the secondary assist on Mitchell’s winner after scoring his first goal of the season in his 36th game with the Whale to ignite a three-goal third period that wiped out a 1-0 deficit. The dramatic win enabled the Whale (29-24-2-6) to break a fourth-place tie with the Falcons (30-28-1-3) and vault past the idle Worcester Sharks (27-22-4-8) for the third and final guaranteed playoff spot in the Atlantic Division. The Sharks gained a share of third place with the Whale on Friday night when they lost to division-leading Manchester Monarchs 3-2 in overtime. The Whale and Falcons were idle.

“We definitely got the bounces (Wednesday night),” said Bickel, who had his first two-point and plus-3 game in the AHL. “But at the end of the day, it wasn’t like we got outplayed all game and just got a lucky bounce. The bench was shortened (by the injuries to Williams and Del Zotto), but guys definitely stepped up for us. Obviously Mitchell came up big at the end of the game, but I think all the new guys have meshed in well and did a really good job.”

The newcomers also included rugged right wing Derek Couture, who made his Whale debut this season after signing a professional tryout contract Tuesday after playing 25 games with Victoria of the ECHL. Center Francis Lemieux and right wing Alexandre Imbeault made their home debuts after being recalled a second time from Florida of the ECHL, though Imbeault was released from his professional tryout contract on Thursday. Goalie Dov Grumet-Morris, who signed an AHL contract Wednesday, played in only his 11^th game with the Whale and second in five weeks after being called up from Greenville of the ECHL, and Parlett was in only his sixth game with the Whale after his call-up.

The Whale have been bolstered by the return of center Kris Newbury, who was reassigned by the Rangers on Thursday. Newbury had one assist in 11 games in four stints with the Rangers, but he’s the Whale’s second-leading scorer with nine goals and team-high 33 assists in 51 games. But with centers Todd White and Ryan Garlock and wings Chad Kolarik and Chris McKelvie still sidelined, the Whale will need more contributions from different people in the rematch at the MassMutual Center, where the Falcons are 15-14-1-1 but have won five of their last six starts.

Like Del Zotto and Niemi, Kolarik has been sidelined long-term for the first time in his three-year pro career, though he is familiar with a torn hamstring, something he suffered while at the University of Michigan. He was injured in practice 21/2 weeks ago and would much prefer being on the ice than in the radio booth as a color commentator for play-by-play man Bob Crawford, especially with another game against his former team Saturday night. Kolarik was acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets/Falcons on Nov. 11 for former Wolf Pack captain Dane Byers, who was traded again Monday to the Phoenix Coyotes and assigned to the San Antonio Rampage on Thursday.

“Not playing is painful, just awful, especially mentally,” said Kolarik, who has 16 goals and 13 assists in 34 games with the Whale. “I’m just trying to get my strength and flexibility back. I can touch my toes and everything like that, but I have no strength on the ice pushing off or battling for pucks. When you tear your hamstring, you lose all your muscle, so you have to build it back up. When it happened in college, it took me four weeks to be back to full strength, so when it happened this time, I knew what I was getting into.”

Kolarik said he hopes to return next weekend when the Whale finally gets home after a brutal stretch of 10 road games in 12 starts, with one of the “home” games being a 5-4 shootout loss to Providence at Rentschler Field in East Hartford on Feb. 19 in the featured attraction of the historic “Harvest-Properties.com Whalers Hockey Fest 2011.” The Whale plays the defending Calder Cup champion Hershey Bears at the XL Center on Friday night before hosting Worcester on Saturday night and then facing the Sharks at the DCU Center on Sunday afternoon.

The Falcons are certain to be smarting from their third consecutive loss to the Whale in such a disheartening fashion, and they will be helped by the addition of right wing Petr Kalus, whom the Blue Jackets acquired from the Minnesota Wild on Monday for future considerations. Kalus, 23, a second-round pick of the Boston Bruins in 2005, was scoreless in two games with the Wild and had six goals, two assists and 68 penalty minutes in 34 games with the Houston Aeros. The Wild had acquired him from Bruins for goalie Manny Fernandez on July 1, 2007.

Kalus and former Wolf Pack captain Greg Moore, acquired Monday from the Philadelphia Flyers/Adirondack Phantoms, are expected to fill the void left by the trades of Byers and Tom Sestito. But the Falcons’ biggest threat is rookie Tomas Kubalik, who scored his 20^th goal and added his 22^nd assist Wednesday night.

After the rematch, the Whale travel to Worcester on Sunday for a 3 p.m. game against the Sharks. The Whale is 3-1-0-1 against the Sharks and has a victory and a shootout loss in their first two visits to the DCU Center.

The Sharks are led by All-Star right wing Jonathan Cheechoo (18 goals, 29 assists), a 56-goal scorer for the San Jose Sharks in the 2005-06 season. Other top scorers are center Michael Swift (17, 16), left wing T.J. “Whale Killer” Trevelyan (14, 19), defenseman Sean Sullivan (13, 17), right wing Dan DaSilva (12, 18) and center Andrew Desjardins (12, 16). No. 1 goalie Alex Stalock (19-17-4, 2.63 goals-against average, .907 save percentage, no shutouts) has been lost for the season with nerve damage in his lacerated left leg that required surgery, but Daren Machesney (1-2-1, 3.06, .889, one shutout) and Tyson Sexsmith (1-2-1, 2.95, .897) have held their own.

The Whale completes the tough road stretch Tuesday night when they visit the league-leading Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (44-17-0-0), who had won two in a row and eight of 10 before a 2-1 loss to the Marlies on Friday night. The Whale then play 10 of their final 16 regular-season games at the XL Center, starting March 11 against the Bears, who have won two in a row and trail the Penguins by eight points with the AHL’s second-best record (38-19-1-3).

MUSICAL GOALIES IN PROVIDENCE

The Boston Bruins reassigned goalie Michael Hutchinson to Providence from the ECHL’s Reading Royals and loaned veteran goalie Nolan Schaefer to the Hershey Bears. That helps make room for Anton Khudobin, who will be third on the goalie chain in Boston behind Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask while playing in Providence.

The 24-year-old Khudobin was acquired on Monday from the Wild for defenseman Jeff Penner, who was assigned to the Aeros, and the rights to left wing Mikko Lehtonen, who is playing in Europe. Khudobin was 19-12-1 with a 2.59 goals-against average and .911 save percentage with the Aeros this season and also had a 2-1-0 record with a 1.59 GAA and .940 save percentage and recorded his first NHL shutout in four games with the Wild. He made 25 saves in his P-Bruins debut Friday night and veteran center Trent Whitfield had two goals and an assist in a 4-2 victory over the Charlotte Checkers, who had earned a point in six straight games (4-0-0-2) and 11 of their last 13 (8-2-1-2).

The 21-year-old Hutchinson has split his first pro season between Reading and Providence, where he is 10-8-1 with a 3.13 goals-against average and one shutout in 23 games. The 31-year-old Schaefer was 9-16-1 with a 3.11 GAA in 30 games with the P-Bruins. He played three games for the Bears in the 2006-07 season.

Providence, which has never missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, entered the weekend nine points out of the Atlantic Division’s final guaranteed spot after missing the 2010 postseason. … After a horrid 4-26-1-1 start, Adirondack has points in nine of its last 10 games (5-1-1-3) to move out of last place in the East Division for the first time this season. … The last-place Bridgeport Sound Tigers have lost three in a row and now play six of their next six games on the road, including visits to Portland and Providence on Saturday and Sunday. The Sound Tigers, who have not been to Providence since Nov. 19, will battle the Bruins three times on the trip. … The AHL’s Clear Day deadline, when all 30 teams must submit their 22-man lists, is Monday at 3 p.m. Only those players listed on a Clear Day roster are eligible to play in the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs unless emergency conditions arise because of recall, injury or suspension. Teams also can add signed junior players or players on amateur tryout contracts, but only after their respective junior or college seasons are complete

JERSEY AUCTION TO BENEFIT MARCH OF DIMES

March 12 could be a hat trick of pleasure and benefit for Whale fans.

They not only can watch their favorites hopefully win just their second XL Center game since Feb. 6 in a key Atlantic Division game against Worcester, but they also can win players’ jerseys and help a great cause at the same time.

During the game, fans can bid on jerseys on display throughout the evening. Winners will be announced at the end of the game and invited on the ice to receive their jersey, meet the players and have photos taken. Proceeds will benefit the March of Dimes, which works to help develop stronger, healthier babies. The auction has raised nearly $20,000 in the first two years.

“The annual jersey auction has been a great event for our March of Dimes family and the hockey community,” said Deb Poudrier, executive director of the March of Dimes Greater Hartford Division. “The Whale organization has been an incredible supporter of the March of Dimes, not only with the jersey auction but as a March for Babies sponsor and team as well. They truly are a great community partner.”

The March of Dimes is the leading non-profit organization for pregnancy and baby health. With chapters nationwide, the March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. Visit www.marchofdimes.com or www.nacersano.org for the latest resources and information.

HOCKEY MINISTRIES NIGHT AT WHALE GAME

Hockey Ministries International Northeast is sponsoring 2011 Faith & Family Night at the Whale’s game against the Charlotte Checkers on March 25. Upper bowl seats are $10, and Scarlet Fade will perform a postgame concert. Group tickets should be ordered by Monday.

To order tickets, contact AHL Chapel Coordinator Rick Mitera at 860-817-6440 or rmitera@hockeyministries.org. When someone buys a ticket through Hockey Ministries, they receive a $2 coupon for parking. For more information on Hockey Ministries, visit www.hockeyministriesnortheast.org.

WHALE TO HONOR HOWE FAMILY ON MARCH 26

The Whale will host “Howe Family Night” at the XL Center on March 26 against the Sound Tigers. The No. 9 of “Mr. Hockey,” one of seven numbers in the XL Center rafters, will be lowered and then raised and re-retired as he and his sons, Mark and Marty, whom he played with for seven seasons in Houston and Hartford, look on. The matriarch of the family, Colleen Howe, who died in 2009, will be honored.

“That old (jersey) is a little worn,” Baldwin Jr. said. “I think we’ll have a big crowd. I’m not a morbid person at all. I love Ronnie Francis (the only Hall of Famer to play mostly with the Whalers), but Gordie is the one who put the team on the map. He needs to have the respect of the people coming out to see him, and it’ll be a great opportunity for it.”

Howe’s No. 9 is in the rafters with the Whalers’ No. 2 (Rick Ley), 5 (Ulf Samuelsson), 10 (Ron Francis), 11 (Dineen) and 19 (John McKenzie). Gernander’s No. 12 is the only number to be retired in the 14-year history of the AHL team.

The Howes played together for the first time with the Houston Aeros in 1973 before coming to Hartford and signing with the World Hockey Association’s New England Whalers in 1977. Howe ended his legendary 32-year career in the Whalers’ first NHL season (1979-80), when he had 15 goals and 26 assists and was named a NHL All-Star for the 23^rd time while helping the Whalers make the playoffs at 52 years old.

Fans who did not attend the Whale’s game against Providence at Rentschler Field in East Hartford because of the weather can redeem their tickets for one to “Howe Family Night” or another game of their choice. If fans want to redeem a ticket, they should contact Baldwin at hlb@whalerssports.com.