WHALE WEEKLY: March 14-20, 2011 

The Whale (33-26-2-6, 74 pts.) split four games over the past week, beginning with a 5-2 road win over the league-leading Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Tuesday. Connecticut then returned to the XL Center for a pair of games, as they were narrowly edged by the Hershey Bears, 2-1, on Friday, before defeating the Worcester Sharks, 4-2, on Saturday. The Whale wrapped up their weekend with their final game of the regular season against the Sharks at the DCU Center in Worcester on Sunday, falling by a 5-4 final.  Whale team scoring leader Kris Newbury (14-38-52 in 57 GP) paced the club in scoring during the week, with a total of four goals and three assists for seven points in the three games.

This week:

The Whale will be in action three times this week, beginning with Friday’s road tilt with the Manchester Monarchs at Verizon Wireless Arena (7:00 PM faceoff). Connecticut will then return home for the first pair of games of a five-game home-stand, as they host Providence on Saturday (7:00 PM faceoff), and then I-91 rival Springfield on Sunday afternoon (3:00 PM faceoff).

Friday, March 18 at Manchester (Verizon Wireless Arena), 7:00 PM

· Friday’s game with the Monarchs will be the eighth and final meeting between Manchester and Connecticut this season.

· The Atlantic Division-leading Monarchs own a decisive 6-1-0-0 record against the Whale to date, winning the last three meetings and taking all three previous tilts held in Manchester.

· The Monarchs currently lead the second-place Portland Pirates by one point in the Atlantic Division standings, with a record of 40-21-2-6, for 88 points.

· Manchester defeated Portland in their last action on Sunday, 4-2, their second straight win after going winless in three previous games (0-2-0-1). The Monarchs scored four unanswered goals in the win.

· Defenseman Viatcheslav Voynov had one assist in the win over Portland, and ranks in a tie for fourth among league defensemen with 45 points on the season (13-32-45).

· Bud Holloway notched his 24^th goal of the campaign Sunday and leads the team in scoring with 51 points (24-27-51).

· 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, March 19 vs. Providence at the XL Center, 7:00 PM

· 3,000 fans will receive a bobblehead of Whale mascot Pucky at this game, courtesy of Click It or Ticket.

· Saturday will feature the first annual “Guns and Hoses Cup”, as police and fire department personnel from numerous different Connecticut localities battle it out before the Whale-Bruins game.  The police-fire game faces off at 4:30, and tickets can be purchased at CTHeroescup.com for $20, with half of that going to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association.  Tickets for the benefit game are also good for the Whale-Bruins game, and Whale season seat-holders can receive free admission to the police-fire game by presenting their season ticket at the gate.

· Saturday’s contest will be the eighth of the season between the Atlantic Division arch-rivals, and the final visit of the campaign to the XL Center for the Bruins.

· Connecticut owns a record of 4-2-0-1 against Providence this season, however the Whale fell in the last meeting, 5-4, at the Harvest-Properties.com Whale Bowl held at Rentschler Field.

· Maxime Sauve has had the Whale’s number all season long, notching five goals in five games against Connecticut, as well as the shootout winner in the Bruins’ win in the Harvest-Properties.com Whale Bowl.

· The Bruins dropped their second straight game on Sunday afternoon, falling at home to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, 5-1. Providence had previously won four consecutive games.

· Jordan LaVallee-Smotherman recorded the only goal of Sunday’s contest for the Bruins, and he has gathered four of his 18 points this season during the month of March (2-2-4).

· 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, March 20 vs. Springfield 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, presented by Stone Academy.

· This is also a Guida’s Family Value game.  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 ticket office and on-line at www.CTwhale.com.

· This is the eighth of ten meetings on the season between the Whale and Falcons,  and Connecticut holds a record of 4-1-1-1 in seven previous matchups.

· The Whale have defeated Springfield in four consecutive games, coming away with a 2-1 overtime win at the MassMutual Center in Springfield in their last head-to-head tilt.

· Tomas Kubalik leads the Falcons in scoring against the Whale with five points this season (3-2-5).  Kubalik leads the Falcons in scoring, and is fourth among AHL rookies, with 44 points (21-23-44).

· Springfield has gone winless in seven straight games (0-6-1-0), their longest such stretch of the season.

· The Falcons were shut out at home by the Adirondack Phantoms in their last action on Sunday, 3-0, the third time that Springfield has been blanked this season.

· Saturday’s game with the Whale will be the second contest of a four-game Falcon road trip, which also takes them to Binghamton and Worcester.

· 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:

Oren Eizenman – Returned on loan by the Whale to the Elmira Jackals March 10.

Whale Tales:

The Whale’s home game Saturday, March 26 at the XL Center will feature a “Howe Family Night” celebration, honoring the great Gordie Howe, his sons, Marty and Mark, and late wife, Colleen.  The Whale take on the Bridgeport Sound Tigers that night in a 7:00 PM GEICO Connecticut Cup game.  A new banner saluting the Howes, “hockey’s first family,” will be raised to the XL Center rafters, and area hockey fans will have an opportunity to salute the entire Howe clan for their contributions to hockey in the Hartford market.

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.

Season tickets for the 2011-12 Whale season are available now, with a special early bird discount.  Call (860) 728-3366 for information on that, as well as all Whale ticket packages, group sales and VIP packages.

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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