WHALE WEEKLY: March 26 – April 1, 2012 

BY: Bob Crawford, Voice of the CTWhale

The Whale only managed one point out of three games this past weekend, but maintained a two-point lead over Bridgeport for first place in the Northeast Division.  The Whale fell to Portland, 4-1, on Friday night at home, then dropped a 3-2 decision to the P-Bruins the following night in Hartford. Connecticut gathered one point in a 4-3 overtime road defeat to the Sound Tigers to close out the weekend Sunday.  Kris Newbury and Jonathan Audy-Marchessault led the Whale offense with a goal and two assists each on the weekend.

This week:

• The Whale host three opponents in three days this weekend, starting with a date against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Friday night at the XL Center (7:00 PM faceoff). The next night, the Adirondack Phantoms come to town for their final Northeast Division clash of the season with the Whale (7:00), and the Whale close out the weekend’s action on Sunday with another tilt against the Providence Bruins.  That game faces off at a special time of 2:00 PM.

Friday, March 30 vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at the XL Center, 7:00 PM

• This is the third of four clashes on the campaign between the Whale and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
• As at every remaining Friday-night Whale home game in the regular season, fans can take advantage of a special meal combo deal at this game.  A hot dog and a 12-ounce soda is only $5.
• The Whale have split two meetings with the Penguins so far this season, winning once in a shootout in Wilkes-Barre before dropping a 3-2 overtime decision at the XL Center in their last head-to-head action on Jan. 27.
• Jonathan Audy-Marchessault has scored once against the Penguins this season, also tallying a shootout winning goal against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in just his second professional game on October 9.
• Former Whale Jason Williams has scored twice for the Penguins against his old club to pace Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
• The Penguins lost two out of three games this past weekend with defeats to Adirondack and St. John’s, but salvaged the weekend with a 5-3 win over Springfield on Sunday.
• Television – this game features the second of three live “Whale TV” telecasts on CPTV Sports, presented by Webster Bank, with Bob Crawford and Garry Swain at the mikes.  CPTV Sports is available on Comcast cable channels 185, 187 and 744 and on the Cox Communications cable system channel 144.
• Radio – CT Whale “Rockin’ Hockey”, live with Mark Bailey, on “The Rock” 106.9 WCCC-FM, and on-line at CTWhale.com.

Saturday, March 31 vs. Adirondack Phantoms at the XL Center, 7:00 PM

• There will be a Whale game-worn jersey auction at this game, to benefit the March of Dimes.  Green game-worn jerseys of Jonathan Audy-Marchessault, Lee Baldwin, Brendan Bell, Francois Bouchard, Tim Erixon, Chad Johnson, Jared Nightingale, Wade Redden, Andre Deveaux, Tommy Grant, Sam Klassen, Chris McKelvie, Kris Newbury, Jordan Owens, Blake Parlett, Cam Talbot, Scott Tanski, Kelsey Tessier, Andreas Thuresson, Pavel Valentenko and Aaron Voros will be up for bids.
• The Whale meet the Adirondack Phantoms Saturday night in their final meeting of four head-to-head tilts this season.
• Connecticut has taken two of three meetings with the Phantoms on the season, winning the last two since dropping the first game of the season to Adirondack in October.
• Kris Newbury tallied a hat trick in that first game, a 6-3 Whale loss October 8, and has added two assists for five points in action against the Phantoms. Denis Hamel has tallied four points (1-3-4) against Connecticut this season, with Mike Testwuide tallying two goals and an assist.
• The Phantoms have won three straight games after snapping a three-game losing streak, putting them two points behind the Syracuse Crunch for eighth place, the last playoff spot, in the Eastern Conference.
• Former Wolf Pack Matthew Ford tallied three goals and an assist for four points this weekend for the Phantoms. Rookie Jason Akeson leads the Phantoms in scoring with 49 points on the season (11-38-49).
• Radio – CT Whale “Rockin’ Hockey”, live with Bob Crawford, Garry Swain and Mark Bailey, on “The Rock” 106.9 WCCC-FM, and on-line at CTWhale.com.

Sunday, April 1 vs. Providence Bruins at the XL Center, 2:00 PM

• Faceoff time for this contest was moved up to 2:00 PM from its original scheduled start time of 3:00 PM.
• The Whale clash with the Providence Bruins on Sunday for the second time in eight days, looking to snap a four-game skid against the P-Bruins.
• Connecticut started the season series with three straight wins against Providence, but has dropped all four since (0-3-0-1), including last Saturday’s 3-2 decision.
• Kris Newbury has tallied seven points (3-4-7) against the Bruins this season, while Carter Camper has gathered four goals and two assists against the Whale for Providence.
• The Bruins ride a four-game winning-streak into this week’s action, having edged Portland, 2-1, in a shootout on Sunday to close out their weekend.
• Providence has closed to within two points of the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference, in a virtual tie with the Adirondack Phantoms.
• Radio – CT Whale “Rockin’ Hockey”, live with Bob Crawford, Garry Swain and Mark Bailey, on “The Rock” 106.9 WCCC-FM, and on-line at CTWhale.com

“Whale TV”, presented by Webster Bank:

The following special “Whale TV” selections are available this week to Comcast Xfinity on Demand customers throughout New England, in the “Get Local” folder of Comcast’s On Demand Service:

• Andrew Yogan Interview (Whale Special Events folder) – New York Ranger 2010 fourth-round draft pick Andrew Yogan, sits down with Bob Crawford, the voice of the Whale, to talk about being one of the latest additions to the Whale roster and Yogan’s excellent season in the Ontario Hockey League this year.
• Whale vs. Providence Game (Game of the Week folder) – an edited re-broadcast of the Whale’s XL Center battle with their arch-rivals the Providence Bruins from this past Saturday night.
• Every week, CPTV Sports will air an edited re-broadcast of a Whale game, on “Whale TV Replay”.  CPTV Sports is available on Comcast cable channels 185, 187 and 744 and on the Cox Communications cable system channel 144.
• This Tuesday night at 7:00 PM, Whale TV Replay will feature a re-broadcast of the energetic clash between the Whale and P-Bruins Saturday night.

Recent Transactions:

• Blake Parlett – Reassigned by the NY Rangers from the Whale to Greenville (ECHL) March 22
• Steve Moses – Signed by the Whale to an Amateur Tryout (ATO) agreement March 23
• Peter Ceresnak – Signed by the Whale to an Amateur Tryout (ATO) agreement March 21
• Andrew Yogan – Signed by the Whale to an Amateur Tryout (ATO) agreement March 21

Whale Tales:

• Fans can take advantage of multiple opportunities to put in auction bids on Whale game-worn jerseys this week.  White Whale game-worn jerseys of Sean Avery, Stu Bickel, Ryan Bourque, Erik Christensen, Carl Hagelin, John Mitchell, Wojtek Wolski, Jeff Woywitka and Mats Zuccarello are up for auction on E-bay through this Tuesday, March 27 at 12 noon.  Green game-worn jerseys of Jonathan Audy-Marchessault, Lee Baldwin, Brendan Bell, Francois Bouchard, Tim Erixon, Chad Johnson, Jared Nightingale, Wade Redden, Andre Deveaux, Tommy Grant, Sam Klassen, Chris McKelvie, Kris Newbury, Jordan Owens, Blake Parlett, Cam Talbot, Scott Tanski, Kelsey Tessier, Andreas Thuresson, Pavel Valentenko and Aaron Voros will be auctioned off at the Whale’s home game this Saturday, March 31 vs. Adirondack, to benefit the March of Dimes.
• The Whale will be hosting a “CT Whale Trail Pub Crawl” this Saturday, March 31, from 3:00 PM to the 7:00 PM faceoff of their game that night at the XL Center vs. the Adirondack Phantoms.  The Pub Crawl will go through five fine downtown Hartford establishments: the Federal Café, 84 Union Place; Pig’s Eye Pub, 356 Asylum St.; The Tavern Downtown, 100 Allyn St.;  The Russian Lady, 191 Ann Uccello St.; and McKinnon’s Irish Pub, 114 Asylum St., before ending at the XL Center for the Whale game.  The cost to join the Pub Crawl is $20 for the general public and $10 for Whale ticket plan holders, and that includes a ticket to the March 31 Whale game and a blue Whale-tail scarf.  There will be $2 Bud, Bud Light and Bud Light Platinum drink specials, and two Big Gig tickets, a Whale merchandise prize pack and a Budweiser prize pack will be raffled off at each Pub Crawl location.  A portion of the proceeds from the Pub Crawl will benefit the March of Dimes.  For Pub Crawl tickets, visit CTWhale.com or call the Whale office at (860) 728-3366.
• Whale season seat-holders who reserve their full-season 2012-13 Whale tickets by April 13 will receive access for four people to the luxurious CT Whale Director’s Suite at the XL Center, for one Whale 2012-13 home game.  This allows the opportunity to watch the game alongside Whale executive personnel and special guests, and to enjoy all of the high-end amenities of the Director’s Suite.  Additionally, all Whale full-season 2012-13 subscribers who purchase by April 13 will receive a custom-made, high-quality season ticket-holder jersey fleece.  The jersey fleece will be exclusive to Whale full-season ticket-holders, and will feature a “Season Ticket Holder 2012-13” patch that designates it as a unique item.  For more information on purchasing Whale season tickets, call (860) 728-3366, visit the Season Ticket Holder table behind Section 101 at a Whale home game or log on to CTWhale.com.
• College students can get discounted tickets to Whale weekday games with the Whale’s “Ditch the Dorms” deal.  For Monday through Friday home games, students who show a valid student ID at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center can get $2 off Upper Level tickets and $5 off Lower Level seats.
• Save on your tickets, and get the best seats, with a ticket plan for the Whale’s 2011-12 AHL campaign, which are on sale now. For information on season seats, mini plans and great group discounts, visit CTWhale.com, or call the CT Whale ticket office at (860) 728-3366 to talk with an account executive today.

The AHL’s Connecticut Whale is operated by Whalers Sports and Entertainment, a Hartford-based sports marketing and event firm founded by Howard Baldwin and Howard Baldwin, Jr.. The team is the top player-development affiliate of the NHL’s New York Rangers.

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