By Brian Ring

Hartford, CT, December 4, 2011 – The Connecticut Whale fell to the Binghamton Senators, 4-3, Sunday afternoon at the XL Center. Mats Zuccarello scored twice for the Whale, while Binghamton’s Andre Petersson also scored twice, including the game-winner, to stop Connecticut’s winning streak at four games.

Binghamton rallied from a 2-0 first period deficit eventually to take the lead for good in the third period.

“I thought the first period we played well, we had some guys step up physically,” said Whale head coach Ken Gernander. “The other guys didn’t respond to that.”

“We stopped playing and that’s not acceptable,” said Zuccarello. “This was a game we should have won for sure.”

The Whale had scored the first goal of the game at 12:57 of the first on the power-play, the sixth straight goal for Connecticut that came via the man advantage in their last two games. Zuccarello, foiled by the post in an early-period attempt against Senators goaltender Robin Lehner (23 saves), buried Kris Newbury’s pass for his sixth goal of the season.

Andreas Thuresson pushed the Whale lead to 2-0 just 19 seconds later, firing a shot from the high slot past Lehner. Thuresson took a pass from Ryan Bourque, whose assist gave him points in back-to-back games for the first time this season (1-1-2).

The Senators struck back at 6:01 of the second period, as Rob Klinkhammer gathered his third goal of the year off of a rebound from Whale goaltender Cam Talbot (30 saves). Klinkhammer’s goal was assisted by both Stephane Da Costa and Patrick Wiercioch.

Binghamton tied the game just moments later, as Petersson’s hard wrist-shot got past Talbot’s stick side at 7:20 for his sixth goal. Klinkhammer received his second point of the period with the primary assist.

Derek Grant gave the Senators the lead with their third unanswered goal at 15:35, deflecting Mike Bartlett’s shot past Talbot. The Whale were outshot by the visitors by a 19-5 margin in the second period.

The Whale managed to tie it on Zuccarello’s second goal of the night with 1:10 remaining in the second, as he corralled a loose puck and fired it over the sprawling Lehner for the equalizer. Andre Deveaux collected the assist, his third point in his last two games (2-1-3).

Petersson struck again at 8:07 of the third period, burying his second goal of the night on a slap shot from the left circle. The eventual game-winner was assisted on by Matt Carkner and Da Costa.

“We didn’t play our game at all,” said Zuccarello. “You can’t win games in this league when you don’t play 100 percent.”

The Whale are back in home action twice this coming weekend, taking on the Hershey Bears on Friday, Dec. 9 (7:00 PM), before hosting the Providence Bruins the next night, Saturday, Dec. 10, also a 7:00 PM start at the XL Center.

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Binghamton Senators 4 at Connecticut Whale 3
Sunday, December 4, 2011 – XL Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum

Binghamton 0 3 1 – 4
Connecticut 2 1 0 – 3

1st Period-1, Connecticut, Zuccarello 6 (Newbury, Bell), 12:57 (PP). 2, Connecticut, Thuresson 6 (Bourque), 13:16. Penalties-Carkner Bng (hooking), 12:50; Carkner Bng (fighting), 15:18; Bickel Ct (fighting), 15:18; Borowiecki Bng (fighting), 18:20; Nightingale Ct (fighting), 18:20.

2nd Period-3, Binghamton, Klinkhammer 3 (Da Costa, Wiercioch), 6:01. 4, Binghamton, Petersson 6 (Klinkhammer, Gryba), 7:20. 5, Binghamton, Grant 4 (Bartlett, Borowiecki), 15:35 (PP). 6, Connecticut, Zuccarello 7 (Deveaux), 18:50. Penalties-Thuresson Ct (interference), 14:14; Bell Ct (holding), 19:36.

3rd Period-7, Binghamton, Petersson 7 (Carkner, Da Costa), 8:07. Penalties-Valentenko Ct (major – boarding, game misconduct – boarding), 15:50; Klinkhammer Bng (high-sticking), 16:25; Carkner Bng (slashing), 18:00; Newbury Ct (unsportsmanlike conduct), 18:00; Bell Ct (tripping), 19:29.

Shots on Goal-Binghamton 8-19-7-34. Connecticut 10-5-11-26.
Power Play Opportunities-Binghamton 1 / 4; Connecticut 1 / 1.
Goalies-Binghamton, Lehner 6-8-1 (26 shots-23 saves). Connecticut, Talbot 6-4-0 (34 shots-30 saves).
A-2,669
Referees-Dan Dreger (51).
Linesmen-Derek Wahl (46), Luke Galvin (2).

By Brian Ring

Springfield, MA, December 3, 2011 – The Connecticut Whale defeated the Springfield Falcons, 6-3, Saturday night in Springfield, rallying from a two-goal deficit with the help of five power-play goals in the third period.

Andre Deveaux scored twice for the Whale, while Jonathan Audy-Marchessault collected a goal and two assists, helping to move the Whale’s winning streak to four straight games, and their record against the Falcons to 4-0-0-0. Chad Johnson made 39 saves for Connecticut in game that saw them heavily outshot, 41-26.

Dane Byers scored twice for Springfield.

“The power-play really cranked it up at the end there,” said Whale coach Ken Gernander. “There were a lot of players that had a big third…that stepped up in the third.”

“Even if we’re not playing our best hockey we find ways to win,” said Johnson. “Five minutes or one period can make the game.”

The Whale were outshot, 10-2, in the game’s opening period, a result of spending nearly half of the period killing penalties during a run of four straight infractions from 3:48-8:14. Brilliant penalty-killing work by Connecticut for the second straight night helped to keep the two teams scoreless headed into the first intermission.

Byers finally helped the Falcons break through with the man-advantage at 2:34 of the second period, putting Springfield ahead with the first goal of the game. Byers was left with an easy rebound stuff-in opportunity against Johnson, with the assists going to Alexandre Giroux and Nick Holden.

The Falcons extended their lead to two goals at the five minute mark, as Tim Spencer notched his first goal of the season, assisted by Wade MacLeod and Ryan Garlock.

Ryan Bourque got the Whale on the board at 8:09 of the second, his shot from the left-wing half-boards going through Falcons goaltender Allen York (21 saves).  Audy-Marchessault assisted on the goal, extending a personal points streak to six games, as did Wade Redden.

Byers put the Falcons ahead by two goals with his second of the night just 2:17 into the third period. That would be the end of the scoring for Springfield, who ended up taking 25 minutes worth of penalties in a wild third period.

The Whale began their comeback at 7:44, scoring their first of five power-play goals in the frame. A Pavel Valentenko slapshot from the point was tipped past York by Deveaux for his first of the night, getting the Whale within a goal at 3-2. Deveaux scored again less than four minutes later, tying the game up for Connecticut.

Audy-Marchessault netted the game-winner at 14:22, putting a Francois Bouchard rebound into an empty net for his eighth goal of the season.

The Falcons’ Adam Mair took a five-minute major and was ejected from the game for a high hit on Deveaux, which gave the Whale a power-play from 16:25 on.

The Whale went on to put the game out of reach, scoring another two goals, on Newbury’s seventh of the season, coming at 16:56 on a stuff-in chance, and Aaron Voros’ second of the year with just 59 seconds remaining in the final period.

Connecticut’s five power-play goals tied the team’s records for both power-play goals in one game and in a single period, while the Whale penalty kill successfully stopped six of seven Falcons opportunities.

“We just battled through it, battled through the penalties, killed them, just stayed the course and worked to the very end,” said Johnson.  “It was a big win and we have to focus on tomorrow now.”

The Whale, looking to make it five straight wins, returns home Sunday afternoon, when Connecticut will host former Wolf Pack forward Corey Locke and the defending Calder Cup champion Binghamton Senators at the XL Center (3:00 PM).

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Connecticut Whale 6 at Springfield Falcons 3
Saturday, December 3, 2011 – MassMutual Center

Connecticut 0 1 5 – 6
Springfield 0 2 1 – 3

1st Period- No Scoring. Penalties-Newbury Ct (hooking, unsportsmanlike conduct – disputing decision), 3:48; Nightingale Ct (hooking), 7:28; served by Voros Ct (bench minor – too many men), 8:14.

2nd Period-1, Springfield, Byers 5 (Giroux, Holden), 2:34 (PP). 2, Springfield, Spencer 1 (MacLeod, Garlock), 5:00. 3, Connecticut, Bourque 2 (Audy-Marchessault, Redden), 8:09. Penalties-Giroux Spr (hooking), 0:26; Redden Ct (tripping), 1:54; Ruth Spr (boarding), 5:36; Bickel Ct (tripping), 11:55; Atkinson Spr (hooking), 13:08; Deveaux Ct (unsportsmanlike conduct), 18:10; Garlock Spr (unsportsmanlike conduct), 18:10; served by Voros Ct (bench minor – delay of game), 20:00.

3rd Period-4, Springfield, Byers 6 (Calvert, Lebda), 2:17. 5, Connecticut, Deveaux 5 (Valentenko, Redden), 7:44 (PP). 6, Connecticut, Deveaux 6 (Audy-Marchessault, Zuccarello), 11:08 (PP). 7, Connecticut, Audy-Marchessault 8 (Bouchard, Valentenko), 14:22 (PP). 8, Connecticut, Newbury 7 (Zuccarello, Bell), 16:56 (PP). 9, Connecticut, Voros 2 (Tessier, Parlett), 19:41 (PP). Penalties-St. Pierre Spr (hooking), 6:01; Newbury Ct (roughing), 10:42; Giroux Spr (slashing, roughing), 10:42; Holden Spr (interference), 13:16; Holden Spr (slashing), 16:04; Mair Spr (major – interference, game misconduct – interference), 16:25.

Shots on Goal-Connecticut 2-8-17-27. Springfield 10-19-13-42.
Power Play Opportunities-Connecticut 5 / 9; Springfield 1 / 7.
Goalies-Connecticut, Johnson 8-3-2 (42 shots-39 saves). Springfield, York 1-1-0 (27 shots-21 saves).
A-3,523
Referees-Graham Skilliter (48).
Linesmen-Rich Patry (52), Kevin Redding (16).

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By Brian Ring

Providence, RI, December 2, 2011 – The Connecticut Whale defeated the Providence Bruins, 4-1, Friday night before 7,352 at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence.  Mats Zuccarello scored and added an assist for the Whale, while Jordan Owens and Jared Nightingale both had two assists. Scott Tanski collected his first professional goal in the game for Connecticut.

The win was the third straight for the Whale, who climbed to 29 points and remained in first place in the Northeast Division.

Tanski put the Whale ahead 1-0 at 6:13 of the first period, as he scored the first goal of his AHL career, getting his stick on a Nightingale shot that trickled through the pads of Providence goaltender Anton Khudobin (20 saves). Nightingale and Jordan Owens both assisted on Tanski’s goal, which just had enough momentum to cross the goal line for the Whale advantage.

“The Owens, Tanski, Tommy Grant line had two big goals to start the game for us… we’ll take them from any source,” said Whale head coach Ken Gernander.

The Whale extended their lead to 2-0 at 5:02 of the second period, as Grant cut up the slot in the Providence zone before wristing a shot past Khudobin. Owens recorded his second assist of the night on the goal, the third of the season for Grant.

Connecticut escaped the period with their 2-0 lead intact, despite the Bruins being afforded five straight power-plays, including a pair of odd-man opportunities in the second frame. The Whale were outshot, 22-14, through two periods.

The Whale would score again to make it 3-0 on the power-play at 5:23 of the third period, taking advantage of a five-on-three chance. Zuccarello dished the puck from the corner into the slot to Kris Newbury, who tipped the puck past Khudobin in his first game since serving a four-game suspension. Wade Redden also assisted on the goal.

Zach Hamill cut the Whale lead to 3-1 with a shorthanded goal less than a minute later, his shot beating Whale goaltender Chad Johnson (28 saves). The Bruins would not get any closer, however, as the Whale struck back with another five-on-three power-play tally, when Zuccarello scored at 15:46 to ice the game for Connecticut.

The Whale finished the night a perfect seven-for-seven on penalty kills, while also going two-for-five with the man advantage.

“A lot of times your best penalty killer is your goaltender,” said Gernander. “I thought Johnner (Johnson) had a good night tonight.

“Both special teams [had a good night], we had two power-play goals and several kills tonight, fortunately.  We don’t want to take so many penalties, though.”

The Whale are back in road action Saturday night in Springfield, as they take on the Falcons at MassMutual Center (7:00). Connecticut returns home to the XL Center on Sunday afternoon, as the Whale hosts the defending Calder Cup champion Binghamton Senators (3:00).

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Connecticut Whale 4 at Providence Bruins 1
Friday, December 2, 2011 – Dunkin’ Donuts Center

Connecticut 1 1 2 – 4
Providence 0 0 1 – 1

1st Period-1, Connecticut, Tanski 1 (Nightingale, Owens), 6:13. Penalties-Randell Pro (tripping), 2:47; Grant Ct (tripping), 14:04; Zuccarello Ct (slashing), 18:00; Bickel Ct (cross-checking), 19:37.

2nd Period-2, Connecticut, Grant 3 (Owens, Nightingale), 5:02. Penalties-Valentenko Ct (interference), 8:48; Audy-Marchessault Ct (interference), 13:17.

3rd Period-3, Connecticut, Newbury 6 (Zuccarello, Redden), 5:23 (PP). 4, Providence, Hamill 7 (Caron, Bodnarchuk), 6:13 (SH). 5, Connecticut, Zuccarello 5 (Audy-Marchessault), 15:46 (PP). Penalties-Deveaux Ct (fighting), 0:51; Miller Pro (fighting), 0:51; Whitfield Pro (tripping), 4:46; Cunningham Pro (holding), 5:05; Bouchard Ct (tripping), 7:10; Parlett Ct (tripping), 13:01; Bodnarchuk Pro (tripping), 14:51; Arniel Pro (high-sticking), 15:11.

Shots on Goal-Connecticut 9-5-12-26. Providence 11-11-7-29.
Power Play Opportunities-Connecticut 2 / 5; Providence 0 / 7.
Goalies-Connecticut, Johnson 7-3-2 (29 shots-28 saves). Providence, Khudobin 7-11-1 (26 shots-22 saves).
A-7,352
Referees-Tim Mayer (19).
Linesmen-Brian MacDonald (72), Bob Paquette (18)

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