By Brian Ring   

Hartford, CT, December 21, 2011 – The Connecticut Whale defeated the Adirondack Phantoms, 3-2, Wednesday night at the XL Center in Hartford. The Whale received a late game-winner from defenseman Pavel Valentenko, as well as three assists from Brendan Bell. Kris Newbury assisted on two of the Whale’s goals.

The win pushed the Whale (17-8-1-3, 38 points) to five points ahead of their closest competition in the Northeast Division, the Albany Devils, and six points ahead of Adirondack.

“It was a good way to finish up, it’s almost an elongated segment before you leave for the break,” said Whale head coach Ken Gernander. “It’s nice to finish the game with a big goal and a win.”

“It’s a gritty game and good teams find ways to win when they’re shorthanded,” said Bell. “I guess we’re a good team.”

Mike Testwuide had put the Phantoms up 1-0 at 4:07 of the first period, finishing off a nifty
passing play with Tyler Brown and Tye McGinn. The tic-tac-toe passing left Testwuide open for an easy put in to the left of Whale goaltender Chad Johnson (27 saves), as Testwuide deposited his third goal of the season.

The Whale tied it up with 3:41 remaining in the period, as Andre Deveaux backhanded a shot past Phantoms goaltender Jason Bacashihua (24 saves). Newbury fed a behind-the-back, no-look pass to Deveaux from the half-boards, with Bell setting up the play. The goal was Deveaux’s seventh of the season.

Jeff Prough gave the Whale a brief 2-1 advantage with his first goal for Connecticut at 8:28 of the second. Valentenko’s shot was blocked but kicked off of Bacashihua, and Prough was in position to put home the rebound. Bell recorded his second assist of the game on the score.

McGinn tied it back up for the Phantoms at the 10:52 mark of the second, as Jason Akeson wheeled around and passed the puck across the slot to the waiting forward. Akeson had received a pass from Garrett Roe before weaving through the Whale defense and sending a quality pass to McGinn, who shot it past Johnson.

The game remained tied through the rest of the frame and into the waning moments of the third period, before the Whale scored the eventual game-winner in dramatic fashion.

A clean face-off win by Newbury sent the puck to Bell at the point, and he fed it over to Valentenko. Valentenko’s blast from the blue line got past Bacashihua, and the Whale took a 3-2 lead with just 16 seconds left in the third period.

“It was a good, heavy shot,” said Gernander. “It was great.”

The Whale will return to action after the holiday with a rare Monday tilt against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers at the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport (7:00). Tuesday, Connecticut will be home to host the Albany Devils for the first time this season at XL Center (7:00).

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Adirondack Phantoms 2 at Connecticut Whale 3
Wednesday, December 21, 2011 – XL Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum

Adirondack 1 1 0 – 2
Connecticut 1 1 1 – 3

1st Period-1, Adirondack, Testwuide 3 (Brown, Rowe), 4:07. 2, Connecticut, Deveaux 7 (Newbury, Bell), 16:19. Penalties-Prough Ct (tripping), 11:48; Eddy Adk (boarding), 14:16.

2nd Period-3, Connecticut, Prough 1 (Valentenko, Bell), 8:28 (PP). 4, Adirondack, McGinn 5 (Akeson, Roe), 10:52. Penalties-Jancevski Adk (tripping), 6:45.

3rd Period-5, Connecticut, Valentenko 3 (Bell, Newbury), 19:43. Penalties-Bouchard Ct (hooking), 11:27; Brown Adk (hooking), 16:38.

Shots on Goal-Adirondack 11-11-7-29. Connecticut 6-8-13-27.
Power Play Opportunities-Adirondack 0 / 2; Connecticut 1 / 3.
Goalies-Adirondack, Bacashihua 4-3-1 (27 shots-24 saves). Connecticut, Johnson 10-4-3 (29 shots-27 saves).
A-2,389
Referees-Terry Koharski (10), Jon McIsaac (39).
Linesmen-Luke Galvin (2), Derek Wahl (46).

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HARTFORD, December 20, 2011:  Connecticut Whale general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that the parent New York Rangers have reassigned defenseman Sam Klassen to the Whale from its ECHL affiliate, the Greenville Road Warriors.

A second-year pro out of the Western Hockey League, Klassen has skated in 23 games with the Road Warriors this season, registering one goal and four assists for five points, along with 26 penalty minutes.

Klassen, who stands 6-2, weighs 199 pounds and hails from Watrous, Saskatchewan, played three games with the Whale last year, going scoreless with four penalty minutes.  In 66 ECHL games as a rookie with Greenville, Klassen posted three goals and 14 assists for 17 points, plus 80 PIM.  He tied for second among Road Warrior blueliners in assists and ranked third among team defensemen in points.  Klassen’s plus/minus of +16 was good for a tie for tops on the club for a defenseman, and tied him for fifth overall on the team.

Klassen signed as a free agent with the Rangers July 27, 2009, after four WHL seasons with the Saskatoon Blades.

The Whale return to action tomorrow night, Wednesday, December 21, at the XL Center for their last game before Christmas, a 7:00 contest against the Adirondack Phantoms. That is “Ugly Holiday Sweater Night”, as fans who wear an ugly holiday sweater to the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center can get a 50% discount on upper-level seats, and lower-level end-zone seats.

Tickets to all 2011-12 Whale home games, are on sale now 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.

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 and mini plans, visit www.ctwhale.com, or call the CT Whale ticket office at (860) 728-3366 to talk with an account executive today.

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HARTFORD, CT – December 20, 2011:  Whalers Sports & Entertainment and Comcast today announced the launch of “Whale TV” on Xfinity On Demand, which will be available at no additional cost to Comcast digital cable customers throughout New England. The content will be accessible beginning December 26 under the “Get Local” section of Comcast’s signature Xfinity On Demand service.

Through the “Whale TV” Xfinity On Demand offering, Xfinity TV customers will be able to access a wide variety of exclusive and regularly updated Connecticut Whale features, including a weekly “Whale Watch” TV show with game highlights, interviews and other feature material.  Additionally, Comcast Xfinity TV customers will be able to enjoy “CT Whale All Access,” a behind-the-scenes look at life in the AHL.  There will also be an option to view various CT Whale special events throughout the season.

A “Whale Game of the Week” re-broadcast will also be a staple of the ”Whale TV” Xfinity On Demand offering.  These games will be edited to 90 minutes in length and will be accessible for one week.

The following CT Whale games will be available exclusively on Xfinity On Demand:

January 21 vs. Norfolk        (Available beginning Jan. 25)

February 7 vs. Syracuse     (Available beginning Feb. 11)

February 28 vs. Worcester  (Available beginning March 4)

March 17 vs. Springfield      (Available beginning March 21)

March 18 vs. Portland          (Available beginning March 22)

March 24 vs. Providence     (Available beginning March 29)

April 1 vs. Providence          (Available beginning April 5)

According to WSE President Howard Baldwin, Jr., “We are delighted to be partners with Comcast on this exciting venture.   This is one more example of ways we can expose our outstanding on-ice product to the great hockey fans of Connecticut.”

Added Mark Willand, WSE senior vice president of business operations, “This partnership with Comcast provides an opportunity for our fans to enjoy original Whale TV programming and exclusive features available only to Xfinity TV customers.  The relationship with Comcast brings the total number of CT Whale games on TV (live and re-broadcast On Demand) to 30 and gives our fans the first-ever weekly highlights show in Whale/Wolf Pack history.”

“We’re excited to partner with the CT Whale to deliver exciting and exclusive CT Whale content to die-hard hockey fans, any time of the day or night,” said Mary McLaughlin, Senior Vice President of Comcast’s Western New England Region, which is based in Berlin, CT.  “Comcast is committed to being the number one destination for sports fans to catch all the hometown action, and we are thrilled to leverage our popular Xfinity On Demand service to offer this captivating content to the Whale’s passionate fans.”

The “Whale TV” Xfnity On Demand content will be accessible in the “Get Local” folder of Comcast’s On Demand service and will be available to Xfinity TV customers throughout New England.  Customers can watch Xfinity On Demand whenever and as often as they like with the ability to rewind, fast forward and pause programs viewed through Xfinity On Demand.  The CT Whale content adds to the Xfinity On Demand library, which already offers up to 25,000 programs at any time, the vast majority of them for no additional charge.

On Demand is available to Comcast’s digital Xfinity TV customers. For more information about Comcast’s products and services, call 1-800 COMCAST or visit www.comcast.com.

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New York, December 19, 2011 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that defenseman Tim Erixon has been recalled from the Connecticut Whale of the American Hockey League (AHL) on an emergency basis.

Erixon, 20, has registered one goal and 11 assists for 12 points, along with 12 penalty minutes in 14 games this season.  He leads all Whale defensemen and is tied for third on the team in assists, and is tied for first among team defensemen and seventh on Connecticut in points.  He also ranks fifth on the team in average points per game (0.86).  Erixon registered seven points in a five-game span (one goal and six assists), beginning with his first career AHL goal on November 12 at St. John’s and culminating with a career-high, three assists on November 23 vs. Portland.  He also tallied an assist while making his AHL debut on November 2 at Bridgeport.

The Port Chester, New York native returns to the Rangers where he has skated in nine games this season.  He began the season on the Rangers opening night roster, and has posted a plus or even rating in six of his nine contests.  He made his NHL debut on October 7 against Los Angeles in Stockholm, Sweden, as part of the 2011 Bridgestone NHL Premiere.

Erixon was acquired by the Rangers along with a fifth round selection in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft (Shane McColgan) from Calgary, in exchange for Roman Horak and two second round picks in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft (Markus Granlund, Tyler Wotherspoon) on June 1, 2011.  He was originally selected by the Flames in the first round, 23rd overall, in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

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HARTFORD, Conn. – December 19, 2011 – Cigna, the Connecticut Whale and the YMCA of Greater Hartford are teaming up to bring hockey to the streets of Hartford and East Hartford for boys and girls ages 6 to 12 years.

The Cigna Hockey in the Streets leagues kick off with a series of one-hour Connecticut Whale player clinics, beginning at five p.m., Monday, December 19, at The Wilson-Gray YMCA Youth and Family Center on 444 Albany Ave., Hartford.  While the YMCA of Greater Hartford is the first to host the program, Cigna Hockey in the Streets is open to groups and venues throughout the region.

“By teaming up with The Whale and the YMCA, we’re introducing hockey to Greater Hartford children who might not otherwise be able to benefit from learning the fundamentals and fun of the game,” said Mark Boxer, Cigna executive vice president and chief information officer.  “The fact that they will be picking up valuable tips for working as a team, developing leadership skills and an overall health and fitness foundation from future National Hockey League players makes this an especially exciting program.”

Cigna, a global health service company headquartered in Bloomfield, Conn., is a proud sponsor of the Connecticut Whale and major supporter of the team’s goal of restoring to the Hartford hockey market the vibrancy it once enjoyed.  Cigna is also a primary supporter of the Greater Hartford YMCA, and its programs to develop the health and fitness of local youths.

“Goal one of The Connecticut Whale is to make a positive difference in our community. We are excited to team up with Cigna to launch this new comprehensive community outreach program that helps all kids have a shot at hockey,” said Howard Baldwin, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Whalers Sports & Entertainment, which operates the Connecticut Whale. “

“The YMCA of Greater Hartford is delighted to be collaborating with Cigna and the Connecticut Whale.  When community organizations work together, the possibilities of helping to develop our youth are endless,” said James Morton, President and Chief Executive Officer of the YMCA of Greater Hartford.  “The Hockey in the Streets program will not only teach our kids the fundamentals of hockey, but, through a mini-lecture series built into the program for participants and their families, will teach them life skills such as team-building, leadership, personal responsibility, healthy eating habits and the importance of giving back.”

In addition to fun and healthy competition, the Cigna Hockey in the Streets will offer greater Hartford kids a Healthy Hat Trick of goals:

1. Live Healthy. Eat right, stay active, and avoid dangerous activity.
2. Be Me. Study hard, respect yourself, and do everything you can to achieve your personal best.
3. Help Others. Spread your healthy outlook to your family, friends, and your community.

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HARTFORD, December 19, 2011:  Connecticut Whale general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that the parent New York Rangers have reassigned defenseman Lee Baldwin to the Whale from its ECHL affiliate, the Greenville Road Warriors.

Baldwin, who had been assigned to Greenville December 1, has skated in eight games with the Whale this year, going scoreless and +1 with eight shots on goal.  In 11 ECHL outings with the Road Warriors, the 6-4, 205-pound second-year pro has scored three goals, tied for tops on the team among defensemen, has nine penalty minutes and is +5, which is tied for third-best on the Greenville squad.

Baldwin was signed as a free agent by the Rangers March 22, 2010, out of the University of Alaska-Anchorage.

The Whale return to action this Wednesday night, December 21 at the XL Center for their last game before Christmas, a 7:00 contest against the Adirondack Phantoms. That is “Ugly Holiday Sweater Night”, as fans who wear an ugly holiday sweater to the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center can get a 50% discount on upper-level seats, and lower-level end-zone seats.

Tickets to all 2011-12 Whale home games, are on sale now 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.

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 and mini plans, visit www.ctwhale.com, or call the CT Whale ticket office at (860) 728-3366 to talk with an account executive today.

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

New York, December 18, 2011 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that defenseman Stu Bickel has been recalled from the Connecticut Whale of the American Hockey League (AHL) on an emergency basis.

Bickel, 25, has recorded two points (one goal and one assist) and a plus-two rating in the last four games.  In 27 games with Connecticut this season, he has registered one goal and three assists, along with 80 penalty minutes and a plus-four rating.  His plus-four rating is tied for third on the team.  Bickel recorded his first shorthanded point of the season with an assist on Friday vs. Bridgeport. 

The Chanhassen, Minnesota native was acquired by the Rangers from Anaheim in exchange for Nigel Williams on November 23, 2010.  He was originally signed by the Ducks as an undrafted free agent on July 2, 2008.

The Rangers’ practice schedule for tomorrow, December 19, is 11:30 a.m. at the MSG Training Center.

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By Brian Ring

Hartford, CT, December 17, 2011 – The Connecticut Whale were defeated by the Providence Bruins, 2-1, in a shootout before a crowd of 4,863 at the XL Center Saturday night in Hartford.

Kris Newbury scored the only goal in regulation for Connecticut, with Jamie Tardif tallying Providence’s lone score. Josh Hennessy recorded the shootout-ending goal for the Bruins, who defeated the Whale for the second time in five meetings on the year.

“There were chances,” said Whale head coach Ken Gernander. “I thought we worked pretty hard…[Providence] works hard and bottles things up in the neutral zone.

“That being said, you have got to get pucks in behind them and win the footraces or create the turn-overs to get possession.”

Newbury got the Whale on the board first with a snipe of a slap shot that got past Providence goaltender Michael Hutchinson (30 saves) at 5:57 of the first period. Hutchinson had no chance on Newbury’s shot, which beat him high to the stick side for the Whale forward’s ninth goal of the season. Jonathan Audy-Marchessault and Pavel Valentenko accounted for the assists on the goal, the only scoring in the first period.

Providence evened the game at one at 7:49 of the second period, as Whale goaltender Chad Johnson (29 saves) attempted to defuse a Jamie Tardif breakaway chance by rushing towards the loose puck pursued by the Bruins wing. The puck, however, hit the heel of Johnson’s stick and went straight to Tardif, who had an easy empty-net goal.

“You want them to earn everything they get,” said Johnson. “Then you give them a gift right there with the empty net. It’s disappointing but it happens.”

Neither team broke through in the third period, leading to an eventful overtime frame.

The Whale wound up shorthanded in overtime, but Jordan Owens was hooked on a breakaway during the penalty-kill, creating a rare overtime penalty shot opportunity for Connecticut. Hutchinson, however, was up to the task and the game was forced to the shootout, the second between the teams this season.

Providence received shootout goals from Jamie Arniel and Josh Hennessy, which proved to be more than enough, as the Whale could not solve Hutchinson in the tie-breaker.

“I thought we played hard but they came out with a lot of jump too,” said Johnson. “It was a hockey game, that’s all you can really say about it.”

The Whale will be back in action Wednesday night, when they take on the Adirondack Phantoms at the XL Center in their last game before the Christmas holiday (7:00 PM).

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Providence Bruins 2 (SO) at Connecticut Whale 1
Saturday, December 17, 2011 – XL Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum

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

1st Period-1, Connecticut, Newbury 9 (Audy-Marchessault, Valentenko), 5:57. Penalties-Audy-Marchessault Ct (tripping), 9:47.

2nd Period-2, Providence, Tardif 8   7:49. Penalties-Whitfield Pro (hooking), 10:19; Owens Ct (tripping), 12:52; Newbury Ct (cross-checking), 17:42; Arniel Pro (slashing), 18:13.

3rd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Bodnarchuk Pro (tripping), 0:13; Thuresson Ct (tripping), 5:29; Tardif Pro (diving), 11:01; Erixon Ct (slashing), 11:01; Bickel Ct (tripping), 17:12.

OT Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Whitfield Pro (roughing), 3:42; Bell Ct (tripping), 3:42; Nightingale Ct (roughing), 3:42.

Shootout – Providence 2 (Camper NG, Caron NG, Arniel G, Hennessy G), Connecticut 0 (Bell NG, Audy-Marchessault NG, Newbury NG, Thuresson NG).
Shots on Goal-Providence 6-8-15-1-1-31. Connecticut 6-13-7-5-0-31.
Power Play Opportunities-Providence 0 / 6; Connecticut 0 / 3.
Goalies-Providence, Hutchinson 2-5-0 (31 shots-30 saves). Connecticut, Johnson 9-4-3 (30 shots-29 saves).
A-4,863
Referees-Chris Brown (86), Tim Mayer (19).
Linesmen-Jim Briggs (83), Brent Colby (7).

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New York, December 16, 2011 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that defenseman Tim Erixon has been assigned to the Connecticut Whale of the American Hockey League (AHL).

Erixon, 20, did not skate in the Rangers 4-1 loss yesterday at St. Louis following his recall from Connecticut on Wednesday.  He began the season on the Rangers opening night roster, and skated in nine games with the Blueshirts before being assigned to Connecticut on October 29.  Erixon posted a plus or even rating in six of his nine contests.  He made his NHL debut on October 7 against Los Angeles in Stockholm, Sweden, as part of the 2011 Bridgestone NHL Premiere.

The Port Chester, New York native returns to Connecticut where he has registered one goal and 11 assists for 12 points, along with 10 penalty minutes in 13 games this season.  He currently has a three-game AHL assist streak, tallying four assists during the stretch which began with a two-assist effort on December 9 vs. Hershey.  Erixon leads all Whale defensemen and is tied for sixth on the team in scoring with 12 points, and ranks second on Connecticut overall in average points per game (0.92) and is tied for third in assists (11).  He registered seven points in a five-game span (one goal and six assists), beginning with his first career AHL goal on November 12 at St. John’s and culminating with a career-high, three assists on November 23 vs. Portland.  Erixon tallied an assist while making his AHL debut on November 2 at Bridgeport.

Erixon was acquired by the Rangers along with a fifth round selection in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft (Shane McColgan) from Calgary, in exchange for Roman Horak and two second round picks in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft (Markus Granlund, Tyler Wotherspoon) on June 1, 2011.  He was originally selected by the Flames in the first round, 23rd overall, in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

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By Brian Ring

Hartford, CT, December 16, 2011 – The Connecticut Whale defeated the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, 6-3, Friday night at the XL Center in Hartford. Jonathan Audy-Marchessault scored twice for the Whale to take over the team lead in points, tallying the eventual game-winner in a wild second period.

Kris Newbury recorded four assists in the contest for the Whale, while fellow forward Andre Deveaux earned an assist on three Whale goals. Brendan Bell also scored twice for Connecticut.

“Everybody chipped in and did their part,” said Whale head coach Ken Gernander. “We spread out [the scoring] pretty well…I’m pretty happy with the special teams.”

Audy-Marchessault gave the Whale the 1-0 lead at 8:59 of the first on a five-on-three power-play, completing a nifty passing play in front of Bridgeport goaltender Anders Nilsson (34 saves). Newbury’s shot nearly beat Nilsson on its own, and his rebound found the stick of Audy-Marchessault, who shot it into a practically empty net for his ninth goal of the season. Deveaux started the play and earned his first assist of the night on the goal.

The Sound Tigers evened the score on defenseman Matt Donovan’s shot from the point at the 16:33 mark of the first. Donovan’s shot slipped between the pads of screened Whale goaltender Chad Johnson (29 saves) for Donovan’s third goal of the season, with Steve Oleksy and Tyler McNeely recording the assists.

The second period saw the two rivals combine for six goals on the scoresheet, with Connecticut outscoring the visitors, 4-2, in the frame.

The Whale retook the lead on Jared Nightingale’s bid from the blue line at 6:03 of the second period, his shot cleanly beating Nilsson to the goaltender’s left side. Andreas Thuresson and Chris McKelvie both assisted on Nightingale’s goal, his first of the season.

Bridgeport tied the game up at two apiece almost immediately, however, as Michael Haley pushed a loose puck past Johnson that appeared to be at least partially covered by the Whale netminder. The goal, however, was ruled to be good and Haley earned his second of the season with the assists going to Kael Mouillierat and Casey Cizikas. The helper was Mouillierat’s first AHL point of the season.

Bell regained the lead for the Whale, as Connecticut again capitalized on the power-play. Bell dangled the puck into the left Bridgeport circle and fired the puck up and over Nilsson for the 3-2 advantage at 7:52. Newbury and Deveaux received the assists on the score.

The Whale struck again on Audy-Marchessault’s tenth goal of the year at 11:06 of the second, as he gave the Whale a 4-2 advantage and the eventual game-winner on Connecticut’s third power-play goal of the game.  Deveaux and Newbury connected once again with helpers, the third of the night for both of them.

Andreas Thuresson pushed the Whale lead to 5-2 at 13:13, his shot fooling Nilsson on his seventh goal of the season, coming unassisted.

The Sound Tigers struck back on the power-play, as Scott Howes banged home his sixth goal in nine games for Bridgeport. A rebound off the stick of Trevor Frischmon found Howes, with Donovan earning the secondary assist at 15:49.

Bell accounted for the third period’s only scoring, firing in an empty-net goal from his goal line with just over two minutes to play. Newbury assisted on the goal, his fourth helpout of the night, as did defenseman Stu Bickel.

“We played pretty good tonight, we got off to the start we wanted,” said Newbury. “We have to take this moving forward and build on it and have a good weekend now.”

The Whale will complete the weekend’s action Saturday night, when they host the Providence Bruins at the XL Center. Game time is 7:00 PM.

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Bridgeport Sound Tigers 3 at Connecticut Whale 6
Friday, December 16, 2011 – XL Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum

Bridgeport 1 2 0 – 3
Connecticut 1 4 1 – 6

1st Period-1, Connecticut, Audy-Marchessault 9 (Newbury, Deveaux), 8:59 (PP). 2, Bridgeport, Donovan 3 (Oleksy, McNeely), 16:33. Penalties-Oleksy Bri (fighting), 0:28; Nightingale Ct (roughing, fighting), 0:28; Haley Bri (tripping), 8:00; served by Howes Bri (bench minor – too many men), 8:49.

2nd Period-3, Connecticut, Nightingale 1 (Thuresson, McKelvie), 6:03. 4, Bridgeport, Haley 2 (Mouillierat, Rakhshani), 6:20. 5, Connecticut, Bell 4 (Newbury, Deveaux), 7:52 (PP). 6, Connecticut, Audy-Marchessault 10 (Deveaux, Newbury), 11:06 (PP). 7, Connecticut, Thuresson 7   13:13. 8, Bridgeport, Howes 6 (Frischmon, Donovan), 15:49 (PP). Penalties-Bouchard Ct (hooking), 1:13; Marcinko Bri (hooking), 6:54; Olson Bri (fighting), 8:19; Bickel Ct (fighting), 8:19; Rakhshani Bri (hooking), 10:27; Bell Ct (high-sticking), 14:13.

3rd Period-9, Connecticut, Bell 5 (Newbury, Bickel), 17:59 (SH EN). Penalties-Thuresson Ct (high-sticking), 4:48; Haley Bri (hooking), 6:09; Riley Bri (roughing), 12:29; Bouchard Ct (slashing), 12:29; Redden Ct (tripping), 16:49.

Shots on Goal-Bridgeport 10-10-12-32. Connecticut 16-14-10-40.
Power Play Opportunities-Bridgeport 1 / 5; Connecticut 3 / 5.
Goalies-Bridgeport, Nilsson 5-6-1 (39 shots-34 saves). Connecticut, Johnson 9-4-2 (32 shots-29 saves).
A-2,745
Referees-Matt Kirk (66), Francis Charron (46).
Linesmen-Luke Galvin (2), Jim Briggs (83).

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