HARTFORD, April 27, 2012: Whalers Sports & Entertainment (WSE) announced today the schedule for the Whale’s Eastern Conference Semifinal playoff series, in which the Whale will battle the AHL’s regular-season champions, the Norfolk Admirals.
The first two games of the best-of-seven series will be at Norfolk Scope Arena, this Wednesday, May 2, with faceoff at 7:15 PM, and Friday, May 4, with faceoff at 7:30. The series then switches to the XL Center in Hartford for Games Three and Four, which will be next Sunday, May 6 and Monday, May 7, with faceoff at 7:00 both nights.
If a Game Five is necessary in the series, it will be a Whale home game, but due to scheduling conflicts at the XL Center, it will be played at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, CT on Wednesday, May 9, with faceoff at 7:00. Details on ticketing issues for that game will be announced soon.
“Scheduling is always a challenge this time of year, and happily for Hartford, the XL Center is extra busy this spring with premier events,” WSE president and COO Howard Baldwin, Jr. said. “We have worked hard with our partners at AEG and the XL Center to come up with the best possible schedule for this exciting matchup, and we appreciate them agreeing to have us move Game Five to Bridgeport in order to schedule the series in a way that works best for the teams and our fans.”
Chuck Steedman, XL Center Senior Vice President & General Manager said, “We can’t wait to get the Whale back on the ice for the second round games at the XL Center. We hope that fans will come out in big numbers to support the team as they continue their quest for the Calder Cup. In the event that a home game is played off site, we would encourage fans to cheer even harder so we can continue to host more playoff hockey at the XL Center.”
Games Six and Seven, should they be necessary, would be at Scope Friday, May 11 at 7:30 and Sunday, May 13 at 5:00.
The Whale defeated the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals in a three-game sweep. The Admirals, who finished first overall in the AHL during the regular season with a 55-18-1-2 record for 113 points, ousted the Manchester Monarchs in four games in their quarterfinal series. Norfolk took an AHL-record 28-game winning streak into the postseason, and it reached 29 before a 5-2 loss to the Monarchs in Game Two.
Tickets to Whale home games can be purchased at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, as well as on-line at www.ctwhale.com and through TicketMaster Charge-by-phone at 1-800-745-3000.
Playoff ticket packages are also available that include tickets to all possible home playoff games. To speak to a Whale account executive about a playoff ticket package, call (860) 728-3366. More information is available at www.ctwhale.com.
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