By Wil Goldsholl

Hartford, CT, October 27, 2012 – Despite being outshot 40-23, the Connecticut Whale defeated the Providence Bruins 6-3 Saturday night at the XL Center.

The style of play reflected the geographical rivalry; the teams were grinding on the boards, finishing checks and peppering the goaltenders from the drop of the puck.

Kris Newbury led the way with a goal and two assists for the Whale, and Chris Kreider and Logan Pyett had a goal and an assist each.  Cam Talbot made 37 saves.

Two minutes and six seconds in, Providence’s Kyle MacKinnon fired a blind pass from the corner and Jamie Tardif was at the crease at the right time. The pass deflected off his skate and past Talbot, who earned his second start of the year in net after Friday night’s win over the Hershey Bears.

The teams continued to throw bodies through the first twenty minutes. Micheal Haley and Bobby Robins served major penalties for fighting six minutes in.

The Whale got on the board 7:52 in to the game when Chris Kreider slid a pass from the bottom of the circle to a breaking Ryan Bourque in the slot. At the 15-minute mark, another low-to-high feed landed on Bourque’s stick. Bruins goaltender Michael Hutchinson got a piece of the snapshot and it trickled behind him towards the goal line but did not cross. Forty-five seconds later, an almost identical near-miss happened in Talbot’s crease. Connecticut killed a power play when Andrew Yogan was sent off for roughing with 3:42 left, and the first stanza ended in a 1-1 draw.

The Whale came out swinging in the second period. Newbury fed the puck from the end boards to Blake Parlett at the point. Parlett’s slapper sailed wide of the net but banked around back to Chad Kolarik, who was in fortunate position. The goal came 94 seconds in to the period and was Kolarik’s second of the year.

The low-to-high pass worked for Connecticut again on the power play, when Kreider was grinding in the corner and got the puck to Newbury. Newbury found Mike Vernace at the point and it was Kreider who finished with 11:06 to play in the period. Coach Ken Gernander said of the goal, “If you look at a lot of our plays, there are opportunities we created and generally the hard way is the best way.”

Logan Pyett netted his first of 2011-12, when Kyle Jean delivered a pass while falling down. Pyett’s wrister from the right circle went bar down and with the score at 4-1, Michael Hutchinson was yanked from the game in favor of Niklas Svedberg.

Tommy Grant would also add a goal in the second before Jordan Caron tacked one on from Chris Bourque and Torey Krug with time winding in the period. Into the second intermission Connecticut led 5-2.

The Whale attack slowed in the third period and Talbot had to make a number of quality saves. Maxime Sauve cranked a slapshot passed Talbot with 17 minutes left to make things interesting, but Kris Newbury picked up an unassisted goal on a puck-handling flub by Svedberg, and that iced the game. 

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Providence Bruins 3 at Connecticut Whale 6
Saturday, October 27, 2012 – XL Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum

Providence 1 1 1 – 3
Connecticut 1 4 1 – 6

1st Period-1, Providence, Tardif 2 (MacKinnon, Cohen), 2:06. 2, Connecticut, Bourque 2 (Kreider, Pyett), 7:52. Penalties-Robins Pro (fighting), 6:00; Haley Ct (fighting), 6:00; Yogan Ct (roughing), 16:18; Robins Pro (interference), 18:54.

2nd Period-3, Connecticut, Kolarik 2 (Parlett, Newbury), 1:26. 4, Connecticut, Kreider 1 (Vernace, Newbury), 8:54 (PP). 5, Connecticut, Pyett 1 (Jean, Hrivik), 11:30. 6, Connecticut, Grant 3 (Thomas, Haley), 13:39. 7, Providence, Caron 4 (Bourque, Krug), 18:43 (PP). Penalties-MacKinnon Pro (interference), 7:07; Kolarik Ct (delay of game), 18:18.

3rd Period-8, Providence, Sauve 3 (Cunningham, Bourque), 3:00 (PP). 9, Connecticut, Newbury 4 8:07 (SH). Penalties-Parlett Ct (holding), 1:42; Klassen Ct (boarding), 5:36; Jean Ct (interference), 7:59; Parlett Ct (hooking), 11:33.

Shots on Goal-Providence 12-12-16-40. Connecticut 6-9-8-23.
Power Play Opportunities-Providence 2 / 6; Connecticut 1 / 2.
Goalies-Providence, Hutchinson 0-3-0 (13 shots-9 saves); Svedberg 2-1-0 (10 shots-8 saves). Connecticut, Talbot 2-0-0 (40 shots-37 saves).
A-3,535
Referees-Pierre Lambert (39), Geno Binda (22).
Linesmen-Luke Galvin (2), Paul Simeon (66).

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By Wil Goldsholl

Hartford, CT, October 26, 2012 – The Connecticut Whale improved to 2-3-1-0 Friday with a win over the Hershey Bears at the XL Center. Leaning on their strong first-period play, Connecticut posted a 3-1 victory over the visiting Bears. Whale netminder Cam Talbot picked up his first win of the season in his first appearance of 2012.

The Whale opened scoring against the Bears when Marek Hrivik snapped the puck out of the corner and found an unmarked Brandon Segal backdoor. The opening tally 4:25 into the first was Segal’s fourth goal in the last four games.

Exactly two minutes later, Hershey’s starting goaltender Dany Sabourin was left alone again. As the Whale cleared the defensive zone, Julien Brouillette could not corral a tricky bouncing puck.  Christian Thomas had momentum on his side and slid around Brouillette before swinging the puck across to Tommy Grant on the backdoor again. The goal was Grant’s second of the season.

Things looked grim for the Bears near the midway point of the first following Ryan Stoa’s tripping minor, but they survived the penalty kill without allowing any shots on goal.

With under five minutes to play in the first, Hershey generated a number of chances on broken plays but the Whale answered with a flurry of close range shots in the last two minutes. Sabourin stood strong and Connecticut took the 2-0 lead in to the break.

Hershey’s broken chances continued into the second period for several minutes before their attack stabilized.  Talbot maintained control of his crease though, saying he had no trouble with the long-range shots. “The first few [shots] were from the outside; that helped me get in the game and settle down. I just tried to not let up too many rebounds and help [the defense] as well,” Talbot said after the game.

With 4:15 to play in the second period, Blake Parlett was called for tripping, and the man advantage allowed the Bears several scoring opportunities. Thirty-seven seconds after Parlett’s minor expired, Mike Vernace was sent off for slashing. At the end of the second period, the Whale still held a 2-0 edge and they killed the remaining seconds on Vernace’s penalty at the start of the third.

Sixty seconds in to the third, Connecticut had one more power play chance on Zach Hamill’s slashing minor, but could not convert. With 8:18 to play, Parlett delivered a check on the nameplate that earned him a boarding minor; his second minor penalty of the night. Towards the end of Hershey’s five-on-four, Dmitry Orlov rifled one from the point around teammate Boyd Kane’s screen and over Talbot’s stick side shoulder. That goal cut the deficit in half, but Connecticut’s Ryan Bourque would seal the game with an empty-netter with 75 seconds left to play.

The offenses were well matched, with Connecticut outshooting Hershey 29-27. The extra shot made the difference as Sabourin stopped 26 of 28 and Talbot earned the first-star turning away 26 of the 27 he faced. The Whale face the Providence Bruins at home on Saturday at 7 P.M.  Tickets for that game, and all Whale regular season home games at the XL Center, are on sale now at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, through TicketMaster Charge-by-Phone at 1-800-745-3000 and on-line at www.ticketmaster.com.

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Hershey Bears 1 at Connecticut Whale 3
Friday, October 26, 2012 – XL Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum

Hershey 0 0 1 – 1
Connecticut 2 0 1 – 3

1st Period-1, Connecticut, Segal 4 (Hrivik, Jean), 4:25. 2, Connecticut, Grant 2 (Thomas, Pyett), 6:25. Penalties-Stoa Her (tripping), 9:37.

2nd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Parlett Ct (tripping), 15:45; Vernace Ct (slashing), 18:22.

3rd Period-3, Hershey, Orlov 1 (Kundratek, Sjogren), 13:25 (PP). 4, Connecticut, Bourque 1 (Gilroy), 18:45 (EN). Penalties-Hamill Her (slashing), 1:00; Parlett Ct (boarding), 11:42; Hamill Her (slashing), 16:03.

Shots on Goal-Hershey 9-8-10-27. Connecticut 12-10-7-29.
Power Play Opportunities-Hershey 1 / 3; Connecticut 0 / 3.
Goalies-Hershey, Sabourin 1-2-0 (28 shots-26 saves). Connecticut, Talbot 1-0-0 (27 shots-26 saves).
A-3,072
Referees-Geoff Miller (28).
Linesmen-Brent Colby (7), Mike Baker (11).

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Albany, NY, October 24, 2012 – The Connecticut Whale earned their first win in five games on the season Wednesday night at the Times Union Center, scoring five straight goals after giving up the first goal of the game, on the way to a 5-2 victory over the Albany Devils.

Brandon Segal had a goal and an assist to lead the Whale, J.T. Miller, Tommy Grant and Andrew Yogan all scored their first goals of the season, and Kyle Jean also scored.  Chad Kolarik had two assists, and Jason Missiaen made 31 saves to get his first career AHL win.  Mike Hoeffel and Jacob Josefson scored for Albany.

The Devils struck first, with a goal late in the first period.  Hoeffel fought off Sean Collins’ check in the slot and stuffed a loose puck past the stick side of Missiaen at 17:44, after Matt Anderson’s shot from near the blue line was blocked.

The Whale, however, would dominate the second period on the scoreboard, tallying three times against Devil goaltender Keith Kinkaid (21 saves).

The first two came in a span of 61 seconds, starting at 8:56 when Segal got his third of the season.  After intercepting an Albany pass in center ice, Segal tried to push his way past Albany defender Matthew Corrente to the front of the net off left wing.  The puck went off Segal’s stick, but slipped through Kinkaid’s pads and just over the goal line.

Then, at 9:57, Miller made a nice individual effort to score his first pro goal.  A pass by Kolarik sent Miller into the offensive zone and Miller made a slick move in the slot to get past Devil defenseman Adam Larsson, before beating Kinkaid with a deke to the forehand.

Grant made it 3-1 for the Whale at 18:46, capitalizing on a mistake by rookie Devil blueliner Raman Hrabarenka.  Hrabarenka fumbled the puck away in his own zone, allowing Grant to break in alone and beat Kinkaid through the legs.

Yogan scored on a power play at 9:18 at the third to up the margin to 4-1, taking a pass from Kolarik and putting a shot past Kinkaid’s catching glove from the top of the left circle.  The Whale’s fifth straight goal in the game was Jean’s team-leading fourth of the year, as he finished a nice three-way passing play at 12:11, after being set up by Marek Hrivik.

Albany got one goal back on a power play at 16:42, with Josefson connecting from the left circle off of a feed from Hrabarenka, but the Devils could get no closer, and the Whale improved to 1-3-1 on the year.

The Whale’s next action is on home ice at the XL Center this Friday, October 26 against the Hershey Bears.  Faceoff is 7:00 PM, and, as at all Friday home games this season, fans can enjoy $1 hot dogs and $2 beers until 8:00.  Also, as a special treat, all fans at this Friday’s game will receive a voucher for a free hot dog.  Tickets for that game, and all Whale regular season home games at the XL Center, are on sale now at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, through TicketMaster Charge-by-Phone at 1-800-745-3000 and on-line at www.ticketmaster.com.

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Connecticut Whale 5 at Albany Devils 2
Wednesday, October 24, 2012 – Times Union Center

Connecticut 0 3 2 – 5
Albany 1 0 1 – 2

1st Period-1, Albany, Hoeffel 2 (Anderson, Kelly), 17:44. Penalties-Newbury Ct (cross-checking, unsportsmanlike conduct, misconduct – abuse of officials), 0:38; Hoeffel Alb (interference), 9:46; Leach Alb (interference), 18:02.

2nd Period-2, Connecticut, Segal 3 8:56. 3, Connecticut, Miller 1 (Kolarik, Tessier), 9:57. 4, Connecticut, Grant 1 18:46. Penalties-Larsson Alb (tripping), 4:37; Hrivik Ct (holding), 14:27; Tedenby Alb (hooking), 14:27.

3rd Period-5, Connecticut, Yogan 1 (Kolarik, Pyett), 9:18 (PP). 6, Connecticut, Jean 4 (Hrivik, Segal), 12:11. 7, Albany, Josefson 3 (Hrabarenka, Tedenby), 16:42 (PP). Penalties-Larsson Alb (hooking), 0:22; Collins Ct (boarding), 3:09; Zalewski Alb (cross-checking), 8:24; served by Grant Ct (bench minor – too many men), 15:51.

Shots on Goal-Connecticut 10-11-5-26. Albany 12-9-12-33.
Power Play Opportunities-Connecticut 1 / 5; Albany 1 / 4.
Goalies-Connecticut, Missiaen 1-2-0 (33 shots-31 saves). Albany, Kinkaid 1-2-0 (26 shots-21 saves).
A-2,593
Referees-David Banfield (77).
Linesmen-Mike Emanatian (69), Steeve Lemay (64).

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HARTFORD, October 24, 2012:  Connecticut Whale general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that goaltender Scott Stajcer has been assigned from the Whale to its ECHL affiliate, the Greenville Road Warriors.

Stajcer, a rookie out of the Ontario Hockey League and a fifth-round draft pick (140^th overall) by the parent New York Rangers in 2009, was 0-2-0 in three appearances for the Whale this year in his first pro action, with 10 goals-against on 63 shots (a 4.32 goals-against average and an 84.1% save percentage).

The Whale return to action tonight, traveling to Albany to meet the Devils in a 7:00 PM game (“Beethoven Radio” AM 1290, www.wccc.com).  The Whale’s next home game at the XL Center is this Friday, October 26 against the Hershey Bears.  Faceoff is 7:00 PM, and, as at all Friday home games this season, fans can enjoy $1 hot dogs and $2 beers until 8:00.  Also, as a special treat, all fans at Friday’s game will receive a voucher for a free hot dog.

Tickets for all Whale regular season home games at the XL Center, are on sale now at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, through TicketMaster Charge-by-Phone at 1-800-745-3000 and on-line at www.ticketmaster.com.

Season tickets for the Whale’s 2012-13 AHL season are also available. For information on season seats, and all of the Whale’s many ticketing options, visit www.ctwhale.com, or call the CT Whale ticket office at (860) 548-2000 to talk with an account executive today.

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Norfolk, VA, October 20, 2012 – Special teams doomed the Connecticut Whale Saturday night at Scope Arena, in a 6-3 loss to the Norfolk Admirals, as Norfolk went 3/8 on the power-play and scored two shorthanded goals.

The defeat dropped the Whale to 0-3-1-0 on the year and gave the Admirals, who are 4-0-0-0, a sweep of a two-game series between the two clubs.  Norfolk knocked off Connecticut 5-4 in overtime on Friday night.

Kyle Palmieri had a goal and two assists for the Admirals, and Sami Vatanen, Chris Wagner and Troy Bodie had a goal and an assist each.  Kyle Jean, Christian Thomas and Chad Kolarik scored for the Whale, and Kris Newbury had two assists.

The Whale got two early power plays in the first period, but not only could they not convert, they gave up a shorthanded goal to Bodie on the second one.  With a penalty coming against Connecticut’s Blake Parlett, who impeded Bodie coming out of his own zone, Bodie continued down left wing into the Whale end, fought off Whale defenseman Mike Vernace and put a shot past Connecticut goaltender Scott Stajcer’s glove and into the top corner.

Norfolk made it a 2-0 lead at 8:03 on a five-on-three man advantage.  Vatanen, a defenseman who had three assists in the Admirals’ win Friday, scored his first North American pro goal on a one-timer from the right circle, off of a pass from Peter Holland.

The Whale got on the scoreboard at the 16:00 mark, as Jean continued his strong early-season production.  Brandon Segal worked the puck back to Sean Collins at the middle of the blue line, and Collins’ shot hit Jean in the slot and found its way past Norfolk goaltender Frederik Andersen (32 saves).  The goal was Jean’s third, and his sixth point, in four games in his rookie season.

The Whale started slowly again in the second frame, giving up a power-play goal to Ryan Lasch only 29 seconds in.  Corey Elkins, who completed a hat trick with the overtime game-winner Friday night, circled the Whale net before passing into the slot Lasch, whose goal was his first in the North American pro ranks.

Thomas got that goal back for the Whale at 5:31 with his first of the year.  Newbury picked off a pass from Gabe Guentzel in the neutral zone and broke two-on-one with Thomas.  Newbury drew the defender to him and found a wide-open Thomas to Andersen’s right.

Special teams victimized the Whale again, though, at 18:08, with another Admiral, Wagner, notching his first pro goal, and Norfolk’s second shorthander of the game.  Bodie broke up a Whale pass just inside his own zone and made his way down the right-wing boards in the Whale end, before passing into the middle to Wagner, who just beat Connecticut’s Chris Kreider up the slot.  Wagner was able to get a backhander into the top corner over Stajcer’s catching glove.

The Whale power play’s lone bright spot came 35 seconds into the third period, when Kolarik cut Norfolk’s lead back to one with his first goal of the season.  Logan Pyett set Kolarik up below the left-wing faceoff dot, and Kolarik, who missed all last season due to a knee injury, powered a shot over Andersen on the short side.

Connecticut was never able to get the equalizer, though, and the Admirals would tack on two more later in the third.

With another Norfolk five-on-three expiring, Patrick Maroon jammed the rebound of a Vatanen shot past Stajcer (25 saves) at 13:42.  Palmieri then completed the scoring with 45 seconds left, when the puck caromed to him from behind the net and he pushed it through the pads of a surprised Stajcer.

The Whale’s next action is on home ice at the XL Center this Friday, October 26 against the Hershey Bears.  Faceoff is 7:00 PM, and, as at all Friday home games this season, fans can enjoy $1 hot dogs and $2 beers until 8:00.  Tickets for that game, and all Whale regular season home games at the XL Center, are on sale now at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, through TicketMaster Charge-by-Phone at 1-800-745-3000 and on-line at www.ticketmaster.com.

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Connecticut Whale 3 at Norfolk Admirals 6
Saturday, October 20, 2012 – Norfolk Scope

Connecticut 1 1 1 – 3
Norfolk 2 2 2 – 6

1st Period-1, Norfolk, Bodie 2 (Wagner), 4:33 (SH). 2, Norfolk, Vatanen 1 (Holland, Palmieri), 8:03 (PP). 3, Connecticut, Jean 3 (Collins, Segal), 16:00. Penalties-Guentzel Nor (holding), 0:40; Hendry Nor (boarding), 2:44; Vernace Ct (interference), 6:11; Collins Ct (hooking), 6:58; McMillan Nor (slashing), 16:23; Newbury Ct (unsportsmanlike conduct), 17:20; Wagner Nor (unsportsmanlike conduct), 17:20; Miller Ct (cross-checking), 18:56.

2nd Period-4, Norfolk, Lasch 1 (Elkins, Lindholm), 0:29 (PP). 5, Connecticut, Thomas 1 (Newbury), 5:31. 6, Norfolk, Wagner 1 (Bodie, Guenin), 18:08 (SH). Penalties-Jean Ct (tripping), 1:24; Segal Ct (boarding), 5:57; Vernace Ct (fighting), 5:57; Bodie Nor (double minor – head-butting (attempt, fighting), fighting), 5:57; Newbury Ct (slashing), 7:01; Maroon Nor (cross-checking), 7:01; Yogan Ct (slashing), 9:36; Miller Ct (tripping), 15:35; Lindholm Nor (holding the stick), 16:40; Andersen Nor (interference), 19:53.

3rd Period-7, Connecticut, Kolarik 1 (Pyett, Newbury), 0:35 (PP). 8, Norfolk, Maroon 3 (Vatanen, Palmieri), 13:42 (PP). 9, Norfolk, Palmieri 2 (Holland, Guenin), 19:15. Penalties-Kreider Ct (high-sticking), 11:41; Gilroy Ct (slashing), 12:57; Bodie Nor (elbowing), 15:04.

Shots on Goal-Connecticut 14-16-5-35. Norfolk 10-12-9-31.
Power Play Opportunities-Connecticut 1 / 7; Norfolk 3 / 8.
Goalies-Connecticut, Stajcer 0-2-0 (31 shots-25 saves). Norfolk, Andersen 2-0-0 (35 shots-32 saves).
A-4,085
Referees-T.J. Luxmore (49).
Linesmen-Mark Hamlett (81), Luke Murray (92).

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Norfolk, VA, October 19, 2012 – The Connecticut Whale got its first point of the young season, courtesy of a third-period comeback, but remained winless on the season Friday, as Corey Elkins’ third goal of the game with 29.2 seconds remaining in overtime gave the Norfolk Admirals a 5-4 win at Scope Arena.

Brandon Segal, who won a Calder Cup with the Admirals last season, scored his first two Whale goals in the third period to wipe out a 4-2 Whale deficit, and Matt Gilroy also had his first two AHL goals for Connecticut.  Jay Rosehill and Peter Holland also scored for Norfolk, and defenseman Sami Vatanen had three assists.  Kris Newbury, Mike Vernace and Kyle Jean had two assists each for the Whale.

Friday’s game was the first of back-to-back meetings between the Whale and Admirals, who will face off again Saturday night at 7:15 PM (“The Rock” 106.9 WCCC-FM, www.wccc.com).

Elkins gave Norfolk the game’s first lead on the first shot of the night, only 1:02 in.  Elkins poked the puck away from Gilroy in the Whale zone and moved down the right-wing side before snapping a shot past the stick side of Connecticut goaltender Jason Missiaen (24 saves).

Gilroy got that goal back for the Whale on a power play only 1:53 later, Connecticut’s sixth power-play score in 14 opportunities on the year.  Chad Kolarik worked the puck back to Gilroy at the right point, and Gilroy’s slap shot went off of Norfolk netminder Igor Bobkov’s catching glove and into the net.

Elkins put the Admirals back in front in a four-on-four situation at 9:47, after Vatanen forechecked the puck away from the Whale’s Marek Hrivik.  Stationed at the top of the right circle, Vatanen sent a cross-slot feed to Elkins, who flipped a backhander just under the crossbar behind Missiaen.

Gilroy struck again, with another Whale power-play goal, to tie the game back up at 9:13 of the second.  Jean hit Gilroy with a pass at the top of the circles, and Gilroy’s hard snapshot beat Bobkov (26 saves) to the stick side.

Norfolk replied with a couple of quick goals shortly thereafter, though, starting at 12:02, when Rosehill scored his first of the year.  Linemate Chris Wagner corralled the puck behind the Whale net and found Rosehill between the hash marks with a pass, and Rosehill quickly put it past Missiaen for a 3-2 Admiral lead.

Holland then made it a two-goal advantage at 14:16, with a Norfolk power-play score.  With Micheal Haley off for kneeing, Vatanen made another good play to hold the puck in near the blue line, feeding to Kyle Palmieri, who found Holland for a forehand shot into the top shelf.

Segal then got an early one for the Whale in the third, cutting the lead to 4-3 at 4:03.  J.T. Miller had a try blocked, but the puck caromed to Segal at the right side of the slot, and he put a high shot past Bobkov.

The Whale remained down by one until the 18:24 mark, when Segal struck again.  Jean carried the puck into the Norfolk zone and dropped it to Segal along the left-wing boards.  Bobkov had traffic in front of him, and Segal’s sharp-angle shot got by the Norfolk goaltender for a tie score.

The Whale outshot the Admirals 4-2 in overtime, but had trouble breaking out of their own zone with time running down, and Ryan Lasch worked the puck to Vatanen on the left side.  Vatanen sent a perfect pass across the slot to a wide-open Elkins for the game-winning finish.

The Whale were returning Friday to the same rink where their playoff run ended last spring.  The eventual Calder Cup-champion Admirals ousted the Whale from the postseason with a 2-1 overtime win May 11, in Game Six of the teams’ Eastern Conference Semifinal series.

The Whale’s next home game is Friday, October 26 against the Hershey Bears.  Faceoff is 7:00 PM at the XL Center, and, as at all Friday home games this season, fans can enjoy $1 hot dogs and $2 beers until 8:00.  Tickets for that game, and all Whale regular season home games at the XL Center, are on sale now at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, through TicketMaster Charge-by-Phone at 1-800-745-3000 and on-line at www.ticketmaster.com.

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Connecticut Whale 4 at Norfolk Admirals 5 (OT)
Friday, October 19, 2012 – Norfolk Scope

Connecticut 1 1 2 0 – 4
Norfolk 2 2 0 1 – 5

1st Period-1, Norfolk, Elkins 1 1:02. 2, Connecticut, Gilroy 1 (Kolarik, Newbury), 2:55 (PP). 3, Norfolk, Elkins 2 (Vatanen, Guenin), 9:47. Penalties-Rosehill Nor (hooking), 2:32; Palmieri Nor (cross-checking), 8:57; Kolarik Ct (hooking), 9:01; McMillan Nor (tripping), 17:17.

2nd Period-4, Connecticut, Gilroy 2 (Jean, Newbury), 9:13 (PP). 5, Norfolk, Rosehill 1 (Wagner, Bodie), 12:02. 6, Norfolk, Holland 2 (Palmieri, Vatanen), 14:16 (PP). Penalties-Kreider Ct (major – boarding, game misconduct – boarding), 3:58; Vernace Ct (unsportsmanlike conduct), 3:58; Hendry Nor (unsportsmanlike conduct), 3:58; Bobkov Nor (delay of game – restricted area), 8:14; Parlett Ct (tripping), 9:49; Haley Ct (kneeing), 13:37; Mitchell Nor (holding the stick), 14:57.

3rd Period-7, Connecticut, Segal 1 (Miller, Vernace), 4:03. 8, Connecticut, Segal 2 (Jean, Vernace), 18:24. Penalties-Tessier Ct (interference), 2:04; Smith-Pelly Nor (interference), 2:46; Gilroy Ct (slashing), 7:39; Wagner Nor (tripping), 10:29.

OT Period-9, Norfolk, Elkins 3 (Vatanen, Lasch), 4:30. Penalties-No Penalties

Shots on Goal-Connecticut 6-13-8-3-30. Norfolk 11-6-9-3-29.
Power Play Opportunities-Connecticut 2 / 7; Norfolk 1 / 6.
Goalies-Connecticut, Missiaen 0-2-0 (29 shots-24 saves). Norfolk, Bobkov 2-0-0 (30 shots-26 saves).
A-3,511
Referees-T.J. Luxmore (49), Fred Leblanc (30).
Linesmen-Mark Hamlett (81), Luke Murray (92).

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HARTFORD, October 15, 2012:  Connecticut Whale general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that the team has released forwards Scott Pitt and Shayne Wiebe from their Professional Tryout (PTO) agreements.  Both players will join the Whale’s ECHL affiliate, the Greenville Road Warriors.

Pitt and Wiebe were both scoreless in one game in the Whale’s opening weekend of the season, and Pitt served one minor penalty.

The Whale are back in action this Friday night, October 19, when they begin a two-game trip to Norfolk to take on the defending Calder Cup-champion Admirals (7:30 PM faceoff, “Beethoven Radio” AM 1290, www.wccc.com).  The Whale’s next home game is next Friday, October 26 against the Hershey Bears.  Faceoff is 7:00 PM at the XL Center, and, as at all Friday home games this season, fans can enjoy $1 hot dogs and $2 beers until 8:00.

Tickets for all Whale regular season home games at the XL Center, are on sale now at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, through TicketMaster Charge-by-Phone at 1-800-745-3000 and on-line at www.ticketmaster.com.

Season tickets for the Whale’s 2012-13 AHL season are also available. For information on season seats, and all of the Whale’s many ticketing options, visit www.ctwhale.com, or call the CT Whale ticket office at (860) 548-2000 to talk with an account executive today.

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

By Brian Ring

Hartford, CT, October 14, 2012 – The Connecticut Whale were defeated by the St. John’s IceCaps, 3-2, Sunday afternoon at the XL Center. Spencer Machacek scored the game-winning goal for the IceCaps and also added an assist to lead St. John’s. Kris Newbury and Kyle Jean both scored for the Whale, who have now dropped their first two games of the season.

“There are things that we can correct,” said Newbury. “We just need to be a little smarter and stay out of the (penalty) box, and that will give us a better chance to win.”

Newbury opened the scoring for Connecticut 12:24 into the first period with a power-play goal, his third tally in the first two games of the season. Newbury received a pass in the left circle from Sean Collins before turning and firing on St. John’s goaltender Mark Dekanich (35 saves). Newbury’s bid kicked off the skate of a St. John’s defender before slipping through the five-hole of Dekanich. Chris Kreider also assisted on the goal.

The IceCaps would even the game up with 2:25 left to play in the first, as Maxime Macenauer buried his first goal of the season against Whale goaltender Scott Stajcer (22 saves), making his first start in net. After having an initial one-time bid denied, Macenauer recovered his rebound from Hunter Tremblay and scored. Will O’Neill recorded the secondary assist.

Jean put the Whale back on top, 2-1, with his second goal in as many games, burying a rebound opportunity over the glove of Dekanich. J.T. Miller’s shot was knocked back into the slot by Dekanich, enabling Jean to gather the second power-play goal of the night for Connecticut. Logan Pyett also recorded an assist on the play, his first point of the young season.

The IceCaps’ Zach Redmond, however, would knot the game up at two headed into the third period, with his first goal of the season, coming with just four seconds left in the period. Redmond’s goal was assisted by Machacek and Alex Burmistrov.

Machacek would hurt the Whale again 7:55 into the third period, as he tallied his first goal of the year and the eventual game-winner on a secondary attempt from the slot to put the IceCaps ahead for good, 3-2.

The Whale will now begin a three-game road trip to Norfolk and Albany before returning home to host the Hershey Bears on Fri., Oct. 26 at the XL Center (7:00 PM).

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St. John’s IceCaps 3 at Connecticut Whale 2
Sunday, October 14, 2012 – XL Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum

St. John’s 1 1 1 – 3
Connecticut 1 1 0 – 2

1st Period-1, Connecticut, Newbury 3 (Collins, Kreider), 12:24 (PP). 2, St. John’s, Macenauer 1 (Tremblay, Telegin), 17:35. Penalties-Macenauer Stj (hooking), 1:01; Pitt Ct (hooking), 4:37; Grant Ct (tripping), 7:27; Arsene Stj (holding), 10:39; Kreider Ct (interference), 15:17.

2nd Period-3, Connecticut, Jean 2 (Miller, Pyett), 5:14 (PP). 4, St. John’s, Redmond 1 (Machacek, Burmistrov), 19:56 (PP). Penalties-Chiarot Stj (delay of game), 4:25; Collins Ct (slashing), 18:58.

3rd Period-5, St. John’s, Machacek 1 (Tremblay, Burmistrov), 7:55 (PP). Penalties-Meech Stj (cross-checking), 2:28; Kreider Ct (tripping), 6:14; Redmond Stj (interference), 14:43.

Shots on Goal-St. John’s 9-5-11-25. Connecticut 10-15-12-37.
Power Play Opportunities-St. John’s 2 / 5; Connecticut 2 / 5.
Goalies-St. John’s, Dekanich 1-0-0 (37 shots-35 saves). Connecticut, Stajcer 0-1-0 (25 shots-22 saves).
A-2,081
Referees-Jean Hebert (43).
Linesmen-Jim Briggs (83), Marty Demers (79).

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By Brian Ring

Hartford, CT, October 12, 2012 – The Connecticut Whale were defeated by the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, 6-4, Friday night at the XL Center in their 2012-13 season opener.

The Sound Tigers scored five times in the second period and once in the third to defeat the Whale in their first meeting since the first-round of the 2011-12 Calder Cup Playoffs, which the Whale swept in three games.

Bridgeport’s Casey Cizikas scored twice, and Nino Niederreiter tallied three points with a goal and two assists to derail Connecticut. Kris Newbury scored twice for the Whale.

“There were some positives, but by and large we’ve got a lot of work to do,” said Whale head coach Ken Gernander. “I think it starts with a little more commitment to winning some one-on-one battles. I think we have to track pucks and pursue.”

The veteran Newbury tallied the first goal of the season for Connecticut, converting on the first man-advantage of the year just 2:31 into the opening period. Matt Gilroy fired a shot from the point that Bridgeport goaltender Kevin Poulin (27 saves) got a piece of, but Newbury was there to direct the rebound home. The assist for Gilroy came in his first AHL action since a five-game stint in 2009-10 with the then-Hartford Wolf Pack.

The Whale would catch another break 14:52 into the first, as Kyle Jean was awarded a penalty shot after his rush on Poulin. Jean, making his professional debut, calmly took the puck in on his free attempt and snuck it past the Bridgeport goaltender for his first pro point and a 2-0 Connecticut advantage.

The Sound Tigers would quickly even things up and then take control in the second period, beginning with a power-play goal from Cizikas 3:23 into the middle frame. Cizikas’ goal was assisted by Travis Hamonic and Niederreiter.

Niederreiter would score a goal of his own 5:14 into the period, erasing the Whale’s two-goal first period advantage. Kirill Kabanov made a nifty backhand pass in front of Whale starting goaltender Jason Missiaen (five goals-against, 33 saves) to set up Niederreiter’s second point of the game. It was the first career AHL point for Kabanov, in his league debut.

Bridgeport would take a 3-2 lead on Cizikas’ second goal of the period, coming just over a minute later at 6:26. Colin McDonald and Niederreiter picked up the helpers on the third Bridgeport goal, with Niederreiter tallying his third point of the period.

The Sound Tigers would extend their lead to 4-2 at 8:39 of the second, when Brock Nelson wristed a feed from Kabanov past Missiaen. Aaron Ness also contributed an assist on the play.

With 1:05 remaining in the second, John Persson converted a pass from Nelson in the slot to bump the Bridgeport lead to 5-2. Hamonic also assisted, his second of the game.

Brandon DeFazio scored just one minute into the third period to make it 6-2, chipping a Hamonic attempt up and over new Whale goaltender Scott Stajcer (one goal-against, six saves), who also made his professional debut for Connecticut.

Defenseman Mike Vernace would get the Whale to within 6-3 at 4:27 of the third period, as his shot eluded Poulin. J.T. Miller and Jean recorded assists on the goal.

Newbury would score again on the power-play 6:16 into the third to draw the Whale to within 6-4, deflecting another bid past Poulin. Blake Parlett and Chris Kreider tallied the assists on the score.

The Whale, however, could not get any closer, as they dropped the first game of their 16^th season in Hartford.

The Whale will be back in action Sunday, when they host the St. John’s IceCaps at the XL Center at 3:00 PM.

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Bridgeport Sound Tigers 6 at Connecticut Whale 4
Friday, October 12, 2012 – XL Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum

Bridgeport 0 5 1 – 6
Connecticut 2 0 2 – 4

1st Period-1, Connecticut, Newbury 1 (Gilroy), 2:31 (PP). 2, Connecticut, Jean 1   14:52 (SH TXT_PS). Penalties-Sundstrom Bri (holding), 0:45; served by Wiebe Ct (bench minor – too many men), 6:55; Kreider Ct (hooking), 9:35; Haley Ct (tripping), 13:39; Riley Bri (fighting), 16:12; Haley Ct (fighting), 16:12; DeFazio Bri (slashing), 18:13.

2nd Period-3, Bridgeport, Cizikas 1 (Hamonic, Niederreiter), 3:23 (PP). 4, Bridgeport, Niederreiter 1 (Kabanov), 5:13. 5, Bridgeport, Cizikas 2 (McDonald, Niederreiter), 6:26. 6, Bridgeport, Nelson 1 (Kabanov, Ness), 8:39. 7, Bridgeport, Persson 1 (Nelson, Hamonic), 18:55 (PP). Penalties-Collins Ct (interference), 2:53; McDonald Bri (slashing), 15:20; Klassen Ct (boarding), 17:50.

3rd Period-8, Bridgeport, DeFazio 1 (Hamonic, McDonald), 1:00. 9, Connecticut, Vernace 1 (Miller, Jean), 4:27 (PP). 10, Connecticut, Newbury 2 (Parlett, Kreider), 6:16 (PP). Penalties-Sundstrom Bri (tripping), 2:33; Riley Bri (high-sticking), 3:08; Hamonic Bri (unsportsmanlike conduct, misconduct – abuse of officials), 4:27; Segal Ct (elbowing), 7:49; Niederreiter Bri (hooking), 10:20; Parlett Ct (interference), 14:26; de Haan Bri (delay of game), 17:16.

Shots on Goal-Bridgeport 19-19-7-45. Connecticut 15-7-9-31.
Power Play Opportunities-Bridgeport 2 / 7; Connecticut 3 / 8.
Goalies-Bridgeport, Poulin 1-0-0 (31 shots-27 saves). Connecticut, Missiaen 0-1-0 (38 shots-33 saves); Stajcer 0-0-0 (7 shots-6 saves).
A-8,148
Referees-Ryan Hersey (8), Mark Lemelin (41).
Linesmen-Luke Galvin (2), Kevin Redding (16).

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HARTFORD, October 11, 2012:  AEG Management CT today announced several television and video initiatives, which will give Connecticut Whale fans numerous opportunities to view a wide variety of Whale content.  These shows and videos will be available on multiple platforms, including mobile.

First, AEG Management CT and CPTV Sports will collaborate on a weekly “Whale TV Replay”, which will offer fans numerous windows to catch Whale action on CPTV Sports.  Every Tuesday night during the Whale season, CPTV sports will air, in prime time, an edited re-broadcast of a recent Whale home game.  Additionally, each week’s edition of Whale TV Replay will receive multiple re-airings, ensuring that fans can catch the telecast no matter what their viewing schedule happens to be.

Also, Blueline Video Group will produce, in conjunction with AEG Management CT, a weekly on-line TV program called “CT Whale Insider”.  This fast-paced show, hosted by the voice of the Whale, Bob Crawford, will provide viewers with behind-the-scenes features and exclusive content never before available to Hartford hockey fans.  Segments will include: “Whale Week in Review”, “One on One with Bob Crawford”, “Around the AHL”, “On the Road with the Whale”, “It all Starts Here” and more.  The show will debut Thursday, October 18 and will be available exclusively at the Whale’s official website, www.ctwhale.com.

“We are pleased to offer an array of Whale video content that is sure to keep our fans excited and informed on every player, and every aspect, of the team,” said Chuck Steedman, Senior VP and General Manager of AEG Management CT.  “CPTV Sports is carried in every corner of the State of Connecticut, and having Whale action, and the excellent atmosphere of Whale home games, prominently featured on CPTV Sports gives the team a tremendous boost in exposure,”  And the level of exclusive and engaging content that we will continue to provide on our team website is unsurpassed.”

“We’re thrilled to be able to highlight the Connecticut Whale on CPTV Sports,” said Jerry Franklin, president and CEO of the Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network, parent company of CPTV Sports. “Their weekly presence on our station offers viewers the excitement of professional ice hockey and expands the reach of the games to sports fans across the state.”

This season’s premiere of Whale TV Replay is scheduled for Tuesday, October 23, with the start time still to be determined, but to be announced soon.  That October 23 telecast will be a re-broadcast of the Whale’s season opener, which is this Friday, October 12, an XL Center battle with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

CPTV Sports is available on Comcast Cable channels 185, 187 or 744; Cox Cable channel 805; Charter Cable channel 233 in Eastern Connecticut and 234 in Western Connecticut; Cablevision channel 139; Metrocast channel 418 and Thames River channel 87.

The Whale open their 2012-13 season this Friday, October 12 at the XL Center, with a 7:30 PM battle against their in-state rivals the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.  At that game, all fans can purchase tickets at the special price of $12 each, and that night will also kick off the Whale’s new Friday night $1 hot dogs and $2 beers promotion.

Tickets for that game, and all Whale regular season home games at the XL Center, are on sale now at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, through TicketMaster Charge-by-Phone at 1-800-745-3000 and on-line at www.ticketmaster.com.

Season tickets for the Whale’s 2012-13 AHL season are also available. For information on season seats, and all of the Whale’s many ticketing options, visit www.ctwhale.com, or call the CT Whale ticket office at (860) 548-2000 to talk with an account executive today.

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