HARTFORD, April 4, 2011:  Connecticut Whale general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that the team has returned forward Chris McKelvie to its ECHL affiliate, the Greenville Road Warriors.

McKelvie, a rookie out of Bemidji State University, has been out of action since being injured January 22 at Springfield, missing the Whale’s last 31 games.  In 17 games of action with Connecticut, he has one goal and two assists for three points, along with 22 penalty minutes and a +3.

McKelvie has also skated in 16 ECHL games this year with the Road Warriors, notching three goals and three assists for six points and serving 20 minutes in penalties.

The New Brighton, MN native signed an AHL contract with the Whale this past summer, after four seasons at Bemidji State.

The Whale are next in action this Friday night, April 8 at Bridgeport, as they take on the Sound Tigers in a GEICO Connecticut Cup game (7:00 faceoff, www.ctwhale.com, www.wtic.com).  That is the front half of a home-and-home set between the two Nutmeg-State rivals, who will face off at the XL Center on Saturday night in a 7:00 contest.  Free Whale travel mugs will be given away to 3,000 fans that night, courtesy of CT DOT, and there will be a Connecticut Whale Auction and Sale, starting at 5:00 PM in the XL Center atrium.  Harvest-Properties.com Whale Bowl game-used Whalers and Bruins jerseys, as well as Whale Bowl sticks, will be up for bid, and CT Whale used sticks and game equipment will be available for sale at great prices.

Tickets for all 2010-11 Whale home games are available now at the XL Center box office, through Ticketmaster Charge-by-Phone at 1-800-745-3000 and on-line at www.ctwhale.com.  Tickets start at $7 each at the XL Center ticket office on game day.

For information on Whale ticket packages, group sales and VIP packages, call (860) 728-3366.

New York, April 4, 2011 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that forward Kris Newbury has been recalled from the Connecticut Whale of the American Hockey League (AHL).

Newbury, 29, recorded an assist on the game-winning goal in a 4-2 victory for the Whale vs. Portland yesterday.  He has registered 16 goals and 42 assists for 58 points, along with 128 penalty minutes in 67 AHL games with Connecticut this season.  Newbury has established career-highs assists and shots on goal (192), and leads the team in points and assists, is tied for first on the Whale in game-winning goals, fourth in goals, and ranks fifth in penalty minutes.  He led Connecticut with 14 points (six goals, eight assists) and a plus-seven rating in 13 games during the month of March, including a seven-game scoring streak from March 5 at Springfield to March 18 at Manchester (six goals, five assists over the span).  Newbury has registered a team-high, 14 multi-point performances this season, including two separate streaks of three games with multiple points – November 13 vs. Springfield to November 19 at Springfield (six assists), and December 3 at Providence to December 11 vs. Manchester (one goal, six assists).  The 5-11, 213-pounder established a career-high with an eight-game assist streak from November 28 vs. Adirondack to December 17 vs. Worcester, recording three goals and 12 assists over the span.

Newbury returns to the Rangers where has registered one assist and 35 penalty minutes in 11 games this season.  He made his Blueshirts debut at Montreal on January 15, and recorded his first point as a Ranger with the primary assist on the game-tying goal in a 3-2 shootout win at Atlanta on January 22.

The Brampton, Ontario native was originally San Jose’s fifth round pick, 139th overall, in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.  He was acquired by the Rangers from Detroit in exchange for forward Jordan Owens on March 3, 2010.

By Brian Ring

Hartford, CT, April 3, 2011 – The Connecticut Whale defeated the Portland Pirates, 4-2, at the XL Center Sunday afternoon, before a crowd of 4,321. The victory snapped a four-game skid for the Whale, and enabled Connecticut to maintain their hold on third place in the AHL’s Atlantic Division.

Dale Weise scored twice for the Whale and Mats Zuccarello had two assists to lead the way for Connecticut.

With the win, the Whale (39-30-2-6, 86 points) remained two points ahead of the Worcester Sharks for the third-place spot.  The Sharks defeated the Providence Bruins on Sunday, 2-1 in Providence.

The Whale took control of the game early in the first period, scoring twice before the game was four minutes old. Jeremy Williams recorded his 31^st goal of the season on a wrist shot that beat Portland goaltender David Leggio (43 saves) to his blocker-side at 3:31. Zuccarello earned his third assist in three games since rejoining the Whale from the Rangers on the play, as he slid a pass to Williams, who was rushing down the center of the ice.

The Connecticut lead was extended to 2-0 just 22 seconds later, when Weise broke in and stickhandled around Portland defenseman Nick Crawford. Weise’s bid beat Leggio between his legs, the puck just trickling over the goal line for the two-goal advantage.

The Whale outshot the Pirates 23-7 in the period, setting a team season high for shots in one period of play.

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Derek Couture accounted for the only scoring of the second period, as he buried his own rebound lying behind Leggio at the 17:28 mark. Zuccarello earned his second assist of the night on the play, as he fed the waiting Couture from the corner. The goal was Couture’s sixth of the season, and the fourth in his last five games.

Weise extended the Whale lead with his second goal of the night, a shorthanded tally, 2:25 into the third period. Weise took the puck through the center of the ice as he crossed the blue line, this time beating Leggio to the goaltender’s right.

The Pirates (44-23-6-2, 96 points) recorded their first goal of the night at 12:46, as Colin Stuart beat Whale goaltender Dov Grumet-Morris (20 saves) on a disputed play that required the officials’ conferring with the goal judge. Kyle Ostrow and Corey Tropp both assisted on the goal, which resulted when Stuart’s shot hit Grumet-Morris and dropped behind him, nestling just inside the post to the Whale netminder’s right.

Portland got within two goals at 17:28, when Mark Parrish scored, deflecting in Alex Biega’s power-play point shot. Luke Adam also collected an assist on the goal.

The Whale put 47 shots on goal in the game, tying their season high.

The Whale will be back in action on Friday, when they meet the Bridgeport Sound Tigers at the Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yard (7:00 PM). Connecticut will then host the Sound Tigers on Saturday at the XL Center (7:00 PM), before hosting the Norfolk Admirals on Sunday (5:00 PM), in the Whale’s final home stand of the regular season.

Portland Pirates 2 at Connecticut Whale 4
Sunday, April 3, 2011 – XL Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum

Portland 0 0 2 – 2
Connecticut 2 1 1 – 4

1st Period-1, Connecticut, Williams 31 (Zuccarello, Redden), 3:31. 2, Connecticut, Weise 17   3:53. Penalties-McCauley Por (fighting), 0:30; Nightingale Ct (fighting), 0:30; Dimmen Por (fighting), 5:36; Soryal Ct (cross-checking, fighting), 5:36; Conboy Por (roughing, roughing), 8:27; Gongalsky Por (fighting), 8:27; Scrymgeour Por (holding), 8:27; Bickel Ct (roughing, fighting, misconduct – continuing altercation), 8:27; Lagace Por (fighting), 13:25; Garlock Ct (fighting), 13:25; Couture Ct (holding), 15:54; Adam Por (slashing), 16:51.

2nd Period-3, Connecticut, Couture 6 (Zuccarello, Newbury), 17:28 (PP). Penalties-Voakes Por (hooking), 1:57; Niemi Ct (hooking), 2:10; Couture Ct (high-sticking), 5:28; Conboy Por (interference), 9:10; Biega Por (hooking), 9:33; Gongalsky Por (tripping), 16:06.

3rd Period-4, Connecticut, Weise 18 (Redden, Grachev), 2:25 (SH). 5, Portland, Stuart 15 (Ostrow, Crawford), 12:46. 6, Portland, Parrish 16 (Biega, Adam), 17:28 (PP). Penalties-Valentenko Ct (cross-checking), 1:15; Parlett Ct (hooking), 3:19; Conboy Por (misconduct – unsportsmanlike conduct), 13:19; Newbury Ct (misconduct – unsportsmanlike conduct), 13:19; Williams Ct (hooking), 16:34; Redden Ct (hooking), 19:21.

Shots on Goal-Portland 7-6-9-22. Connecticut 23-14-10-47.
Power Play Opportunities-Portland 1 / 8; Connecticut 1 / 7.
Goalies-Portland, Leggio 22-9-0 (47 shots-43 saves). Connecticut, Grumet-Morris 11-5-1 (22 shots-20 saves).
A-4,321
Referees-Chris Cozzan (18), Ryan Fraser (14).
Linesmen-David Spannaus (8), Paul Simeon (66).

Springfield, MA, April 2, 2011 – The Springfield Falcons scored five third-period goals Saturday night at the MassMutual Center, on their way to a 6-2 victory over the Connecticut Whale.

The loss was the Whale’s fourth straight, tying their longest streak of the season.  The Whale (38-30-2-6, 84 pts.) remained two points ahead of the Worcester Sharks for third place in the Atlantic Division, as the Sharks lost at home to Providence, 4-1.

Defenseman David Savard scored a pair of goals, and added an assist, to lead the Springfield attack.  Cam Atkinson, Denny Kearney and Steven Goertzen had a goal and an assist each, and Allen York made 26 saves.

Jeremy Williams scored his 30^th goal of the season for the Whale, and Kelsey Tessier had the other Connecticut tally.

There was only one goal scored through the first two periods, Savard’s ninth of the year at 12:30 of the first.

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The play occurred when Tomas Kundratek was unable to jam the puck out of the Whale zone and Trevor Frischmon passed to Savard at the right point.  Savard moved to just inside the faceoff dot and beat Whale goaltender Cam Talbot (16 saves) with a snapshot to the stick side.

The second period was scoreless, but the teams would combine for seven goals in the third, with the Whale equaling a team season high with the five goals-against.

The first three goals of the period came in a span of 2:55 starting at the 38-second mark, when Savard scored his second of the game.  Frischmon spun on the right-wing boards and saucered a pass to Savard at the left side of the slot, and Savard’s shot beat Talbot between the legs.

Kearney, playing his second game for the Falcons out of Yale University, scored his first pro goal 1:59 later at 2:37, on a Springfield power play, jamming the puck in from close range to Talbot’s left.

Just 56 thereafter, though, Tessier got the Whale on the board, and denied York a shutout bid, converting a Tommy Grant centering pass at 3:33.  The assist was Grant’s third in three games since joining the Whale out of the University of Alaska-Anchorage.

Goertzen widened the lead back to three goals at 12:23, after Talbot had the rebound of a sharp-angle shot from the left-wing boards by John Moore go off of his pads and out in front, right to Goertzen.

Williams hit the 30-goal mark at 15:13 to cut it to 4-2, converting a Mats Zuccarello centering pass from right on top of York, but the Falcons would remove the outcome from any doubt with a pair of goals in the final 2:02.

Atkinson, a Greenwich, CT native fresh out of Boston College, dove to shove the puck in from the left-wing side on a Springfield power play at 17:58, giving him two goals and two assists in two games since joining the Falcons, and fellow recent addition Aaron Bogosian ripped home a shot from 20 feet out on the left side of the slot for the final margin at 19:00.

Springfield was two for two on the power play, and won for the third time in four games since an 0-11-1-0 streak from February 27 to March 23 knocked them out of playoff contention.  Prior to the loss, the Whale had won six straight in the season series with Springfield.

The Whale return home to the XL Center Sunday afternoon to host Head Coach Kevin Dineen and the Portland Pirates in a 3:00 game.  There will be a giveaway of Whale team posters to 3,000 fans that day, courtesy of Supercuts, and it’s a Guida’s Family Value game.  Family Value packages start as low as $48 and include three tickets, three hot dogs or pizza slices, three sodas and a Whale souvenir. Guida’s Family Value packs are available at the XL Center ticket office and on-line at www.CTwhale.com.  Also, fans are encouraged to bring their skates to Sunday’s game, as there will be a free post-game skate on the XL Center ice, presented by Stone Academy.

Connecticut Whale 2 at Springfield Falcons 6
Saturday, April 2, 2011 – MassMutual Center

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

1st Period-1, Springfield, Savard 9 (Frischmon, Tarnasky), 12:30. Penalties-MacLeod Spr (tripping), 13:59.

2nd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Nightingale Ct (fighting), 14:34; Bogosian Spr (fighting), 14:34.

3rd Period-2, Springfield, Savard 10 (Frischmon, Goertzen), 0:38. 3, Springfield, Kearney 1 (Sigalet, Atkinson), 2:37 (PP). 4, Connecticut, Tessier 10 (Grant, Kundratek), 3:33. 5, Springfield, Goertzen 7 (Moore, Tarnasky), 12:23. 6, Connecticut, Williams 30 (Zuccarello), 15:13. 7, Springfield, Atkinson 2 (Guite, Kearney), 17:58 (PP). 8, Springfield, Bogosian 2 (Savard), 19:00. Penalties-Nightingale Ct (roughing), 0:46; Guite Spr (slashing), 6:18; Ruth Spr (delay of game), 7:23; Grant Ct (hooking), 17:21; Weise Ct (fighting), 19:43; Blomqvist Spr (boarding, fighting, game misconduct – elbow pad), 19:43.

Shots on Goal-Connecticut 9-10-11-30. Springfield 5-7-13-25.
Power Play Opportunities-Connecticut 0 / 4; Springfield 2 / 2.
Goalies-Connecticut, Talbot 11-7-2 (25 shots-19 saves). Springfield, York 2-0-0 (30 shots-28 saves).
A-4,896
Referees-Terry Koharski (10).
Linesmen-Brent Colby (7), Luke Galvin (2).

Providence, RI, April 1, 2011 – Jamie Arniel scored two goals, including the third-period, shorthanded game-winner, to lead the Providence Bruins to a 3-2 win over the Connecticut Whale Friday night at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center Providence.

With the Worcester Sharks winning 2-0 at home over the Manchester Monarchs, the Whale’s loss, their third straight, cut their lead over Worcester to two points for the fourth-place spot in the Atlantic Division.

Trent Whitfield also scored for Providence, and Michael Hutchinson made 29 saves to get the win in net.  Brodie Dupont and Kris Newbury scored Connecticut goals, and Dov Grumet-Morris suffered his second straight loss in goal after seven consecutive wins, stopping 26 shots.

The first period was scoreless, and after Providence had five of the first six shots of the game, the shots on goal ended up even at eight by the end of the period.

An apparent Providence goal, scored by Jordan LaVallee-Smotherman at 1:17 of the second period, was disallowed when referee David Banfield ruled that Kirk MacDonald had made incidental contact with Grumet-Morris.

Just 1:05 later at 2:22, though, the Bruins would break the scoreless tie on a power play, on Arniel’s 21^st goal of the season.  Maxime Sauve moved down left wing and centered the puck to Arniel, who redirected it past Grumet-Morris.

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Grumet-Morris prevented Providence from increasing the lead with three sharp saves, including a pair on Sauve, during another Bruin man advantage shortly thereafter, and the score remained 1-0 until the 18:51 mark, when Providence was able to double the lead.

An attempted drop pass by Dale Weise was broken up just inside the Providence line, leading to a three-on-two the other way.  MacDonald unloaded a shot from the right side of the slot that Grumet-Morris was able to stop, but Grumet-Morris was bowled over by one of his own defenders, Pavel Valentenko.  That allowed Whitfield, named earlier in the day the Reebok/AHL Player of the Month for March, to jam the rebound into the net.

The goal, Whitfield’s 18^th of the year, was his seventh in his last eight games and 13^th in his last 14.

The Whale finally solved Hutchinson at 4:21 of the third period, as Hutchinson couldn’t completely stop a shot from the left point by Valentenko, and the puck came to through to the opposite side of the goalmouth to Dupont, who knocked it into the net.

The Bruins got that one back only 2:25 thereafter, with six seconds left on a hooking penalty to Kyle MacKinnon.  Arniel, the Bruins’ leading scorer (22-25-47 in 74 games), got what would turn out to be the game-winner when he worked his way to the right faceoff dot and uncorked a shot that beat Grumet-Morris high to the glove side at 6:46.

Only 2:14 after giving up the shorthander, the Whale cut it back to a one-goal margin at 9:00, on Newbury’s 16^th goal of the season.  The Whale’s leading point-scorer (16-41-57 in 65 games) was left alone in front of the goal and put the puck in off of Hutchinson’s pads, after the Whale were just able to keep it in at the blue line.

Connecticut (38-29-2-6, 84 pts.) could get no closer, however, and they finished the ten-game season series against their arch-rivals the Bruins with back-to-back road losses.  The Whale’s last action before Friday had been a 4-2 defeat to the Bruins in Providence on Sunday.

The Whale will try to break their losing streak with a trip to Springfield for a Saturday-night get-together with the Falcons (7:00 PM faceoff, WTIC HD-2, www.ctwhale.com, www.wtic.com), before returning home to the XL Center on Sunday afternoon to host Head Coach Kevin Dineen and the Portland Pirates in a 3:00 game.  There will be a giveaway of Whale team posters to 3,000 fans that day, courtesy of Supercuts, and it’s a Guida’s Family Value game.  Family Value packages start as low as $48 and include three tickets, three hot dogs or pizza slices, three sodas and a Whale souvenir. Guida’s Family Value packs are available at the XL Center ticket office and on-line at www.CTwhale.com.  Also, fans are encouraged to bring their skates to Sunday’s game, as there will be a free post-game skate on the XL Center ice, presented by Stone Academy.

Connecticut Whale 2 at Providence Bruins 3
Friday, April 1, 2011 – Dunkin’ Donuts Center

Connecticut 0 0 2 – 2
Providence 0 2 1 – 3

1st Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Redden Ct (tripping), 6:53; Dupont Ct (tripping), 15:34.

2nd Period-1, Providence, Arniel 21 (Sauve, Warsofsky), 2:22 (PP). 2, Providence, Whitfield 18 (MacDonald, LaVallee-Smotherman), 18:51. Penalties-Garlock Ct (interference), 1:45; Bickel Ct (roughing), 3:01; Bodnarchuk Pro (roughing), 3:01; served by Soryal Ct (bench minor – too many men), 5:13; Bickel Ct (fighting), 5:13; MacDermid Pro (fighting), 5:13; Hamill Pro (holding the stick), 6:31; Grachev Ct (boarding), 13:03; MacDermid Pro (boarding), 15:26.

3rd Period-3, Connecticut, Dupont 15 (Valentenko), 4:21. 4, Providence, Arniel 22 (Chaput), 6:46 (SH). 5, Connecticut, Newbury 16 (Zuccarello, Weise), 9:00. Penalties-MacKinnon Pro (hooking), 4:52.

Shots on Goal-Connecticut 8-14-7-29. Providence 8-14-7-29.
Power Play Opportunities-Connecticut 0 / 3; Providence 1 / 5.
Goalies-Connecticut, Grumet-Morris 11-5-1 (29 shots-26 saves). Providence, Hutchinson 11-10-1 (29 shots-27 saves).
A-8,017
Referees-David Banfield (44).
Linesmen-Scott Whittemore (96), Todd Whittemore (70).

New York, April 1, 2011 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that forward Mats Zuccarello has been assigned to the Connecticut Whale of the American Hockey League (AHL).

Zuccarello, 23, has registered six goals and 16 assists for 22 points, along with four penalty minutes in 41 games this season.  He leads the Rangers with nine power play assists, and is tied for sixth with nine power play points.  Zuccarello also leads the team and is tied for fifth and second in the NHL, respectively, with five shootout goals and three shootout game-deciding goals, and ranks second on the Rangers with a 55.6% shootout percentage.  He has posted four multi-point performances this season, including a career-high, three-assist effort on January 25 vs. Florida and his first career multi-goal game with two goals on March 6 vs. Philadelphia.  Zuccarello made his NHL debut on December 23 vs. Tampa Bay, tallying a shootout goal in the contest.  He recorded his first NHL point with a power play assist on December 27 vs. the New York Islanders, and notched his first career goal with the overtime game-winner on January 5 vs. Carolina.

Zuccarello returns to Connecticut where he has registered 13 goals and 12 assists for 25 points, along with 16 penalty minutes in 33 games this season.  He recorded 23 points (11 goals, 12 assists) in his last 21 AHL games with four goals and five assists in his last seven contests prior to his recall on December 27.  He was tied for second among AHL rookies and ranked third on the team in goals, and ranked fourth among league rookies and fourth on Connecticut in points at the time of his recall.  He also ranked third on the team with 98 shots on goal, and was tied for fourth in assists and power play goals (three).  Zuccarello posted an AHL career-high, four points, including his first career hat trick in a 7-1 win vs. Bridgeport on November 7.  He made his AHL debut on October 9 vs. Charlotte, and tallied his first career point with a goal on October 15 at Albany.

The Oslo, Norway native signed with the Rangers as a free agent on May 26, 2010.

HARTFORD, March 30, 2011:  Connecticut Whale general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that the team has signed goaltender Jason Missiaen to an Amateur Tryout (ATO) agreement.

Missiaen, who agreed to terms on an NHL contract with the parent New York Rangers March 24, played for the Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) this season.  In 53 games for Baie-Comeau, the 6-8, 220-pound native of Chatham, Ontario was 10-33-8, with a 3.33 goals-against average, an 89.3% save percentage and one shutout.  Missiaen finished third among QMJHL goaltenders in saves (1,403) and was fourth in the league in minutes-played (3,026).

Prior to spending this year with the Drakkar, Missiaen, 20, played 131 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) games over four seasons with the Peterborough Petes.  He was 48-65-6 in his Petes career, with a 3.77 GAA, a 90.1% save percentage and three shutouts.

Missiaen was a fourth-round selection (116^th overall) by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

The Whale’s next action is this Friday night, April 1, as they travel to Providence to take on the Atlantic Division-rival Bruins at 7:05 PM (WTIC HD-2, www.ctwhale.com, www.wtic.com).

The next XL Center home game is coming up this Sunday, April 3 against Head Coach Kevin Dineen and his Portland Pirates, the Atlantic Division leaders, with faceoff at 3:00 PM.  There will be a giveaway of Whale team posters to 3,000 fans that day, courtesy of Supercuts, and it’s a Guida’s Family Value game.  Family Value packages start as low as $48 and include three tickets, three hot dogs or pizza slices, three sodas and a Whale souvenir. Guida’s Family Value packs are available at the XL Center ticket office and on-line at www.CTwhale.com.  Also, fans are encouraged to bring their skates to Sunday’s game, as there will be a free post-game skate on the XL Center ice, presented by Stone Academy.

Tickets for all 2010-11 Whale home games are available now at the XL Center box office, through Ticketmaster Charge-by-Phone at 1-800-745-3000 and on-line at www.ctwhale.com.  Tickets start at $7 each at the XL Center ticket office on game day.

For information on Whale ticket packages, group sales and VIP packages, call (860) 728-3366.

New York, March 29, 2011 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has agreed to terms with free agent forward Tommy Grant.

Grant, 24, tallied two assists in his professional debut with the Connecticut Whale of the American Hockey League (AHL) on Sunday at Providence.  Prior to joining Connecticut, Grant appeared in 37 games with the University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) this season, registering 16 goals and 16 assists for 32 points, along with 57 penalty minutes.  He led the team with career-highs in goals, points, game-winning goals (five) and shots on goal (114), and ranked second on the Seawolves in assists and penalty minutes.  The fourth-year player also tied for the team lead with four power play goals.  Grant helped lead Alaska Anchorage to a WCHA First Round upset of the 17th-ranked University of Minnesota Gophers, tallying two points (one goal, one assist) in the two game series on March 11 and March 12.  He also recorded two points (one goal, one assist), including one power play goal, in the Alaska Airlines Governor’s Cup two game series on February 25-26.

The 6-2, 195-pounder appeared in 134 career WCHA games in four seasons with the University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves, registering 45 goals and 45 assists for 90 points, along with 179 penalty minutes.  Grant led the Seawolves with a career-high, 17 assists, and ranked second on the team with 26 points in 2009-10.  In his second season with the team, Grant led Alaska Anchorage with 15 goals and ranked third with 25 points.  Prior to joining the Seawolves, Grant skated in 157 career British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) contests with the Victoria Salsa and the Westside Warriors, registering 53 goals and 57 assists for 110 points, along with 230 penalty minutes.  In 2006-07 with Westside, he led the team and established BCHL career-highs in goals (36), assists (39) and points (75).

HARTFORD, March 28, 2011:  The Connecticut Whale are proud to announce that Jared Nightingale has been named the team’s winner of the IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year award for his outstanding contributions to the Hartford community during the 2010-11 season.

Nightingale has been tireless in his enthusiasm for community outreach during this 2010-11 Connecticut Whale season.  He has consistently been the first to offer his time to any charitable, school or hospital appearance that is scheduled and has on many occasions taken it upon himself to initiate appearances, without prompting from the team.  He has forged tight relationships with area hospitals, including Connecticut Children’s Medical Center and Gaylord Rehabilitation Hospital, which is the beneficiary of the Whale’s annual “Tip a Player Dinner and Sports Carnival”, and has made a significant impression on many a student and faculty member at countless school visits.

Nightingale is now one of 30 finalists for the AHL’s 2010-11 Yanick Dupre Memorial Award, honoring the overall IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year. The league award is named after the former Hershey Bears forward and AHL All-Star who died in 1997 following a 16-month battle with leukemia. The winner of the Yanick Dupre Memorial Award will be announced by the American Hockey League in the coming weeks.

Providence, RI, March 27, 2011 – Kirk MacDonald scored two goals, and Trent Whitfield had a goal and two assists, to lead the Providence Bruins to a 4-2 victory over the Connecticut Whale Sunday at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center Providence.

The loss was the Whale’s second straight after a five-game winning streak, and reduced Connecticut’s lead over the Worcester Sharks to four points in the race for third place in the Atlantic Division.  The Sharks defeated Adirondack 3-1 in Worcester Sunday.

Both Whale goals in the loss were scored by Derek Couture, his third and fourth in the last four games, and newcomer Tommy Grant assisted on both, in his first pro game out of the University of Alaska-Anchorage.

The first period ended scoreless, after an apparent goal by Providence defenseman David Warsofsky at 18:14 was waved off.  It was ruled that the whistle had blown for a penalty against the Whale prior to Warsofsky backhanding the puck into the net.

The Whale, playing their fourth game in five days and seventh in ten days, were outshot 14-10 in the first.

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The Bruins opened the scoring 3:49 into the second period, on a deflection by 16^th-year pro David Ling.  A clearing attempt by Stu Bickel was broken up by Lane MacDermid, and Ling deflected Whitfield’s low shot from the left-wing boards past Connecticut goaltender Dov Grumet-Morris (40 saves).

Then, 3:37 later, at 7:26, Providence made it 2-0 on a Whitfield power-play goal.

With Bickel in the penalty box for holding, Jamie Arniel got a hard shot on goal from high in the slot and Grumet-Morris made the save but could not control the rebound, which Whitfield buried from the bottom of the left circle for his 12^th goal in his last 12 games.

The Bruins would widen the lead to 3-0 with a shorthanded goal at 8:11 of the third period.  Andrew Bodnarchuk sent MacDonald and MacDermid away on a two-on-one, and Grumet-Morris stopped MacDonald’s shot, but with MacDermid crashing the net, the puck found its way into the net, despite the best efforts of Grumet-Morris and the one defender back, Jeremy Williams.

Couture cut the lead to 3-1, and ruined the shutout bid of Anton Khudobin (31 saves), with 4:50 left, banking a shot into the net from below the goal line off of the back of Khudobin’s leg.  MacDonald scored an empty-net goal, though, at 19:17 to assure the Bruins of victory.

Couture struck again as time expired to make the final margin a two-goal game, taking a feed from Grant and snapping a shot past Khudobin from in front of the goal.

The Whale were outshot 44-33 in the game, and the loss ended an AHL career-high streak of seven straight wins for Grumet-Morris, whose record fell to 11-4-1.

Connecticut is now 38-28-2-6 on the year for 84 points and is off until Friday night, when the Whale are right back in Providence for another date with the Bruins, a 7:00 faceoff.

Connecticut Whale 2 at Providence Bruins 4
Sunday, March 27, 2011 – Dunkin’ Donuts Center

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

1st Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Couture Ct (hooking), 18:14; Nightingale Ct (fighting), 18:14; Miller Pro (fighting), 18:14.

2nd Period-1, Providence, Ling 8 (Whitfield, MacDermid), 3:49. 2, Providence, Whitfield 17 (Arniel, Laliberte), 7:26 (PP). Penalties-Bickel Ct (tripping), 6:59; Hamill Pro (hooking), 11:03; Bartkowski Pro (holding), 14:26; Newbury Ct (slashing), 18:10.

3rd Period-3, Providence, MacDonald 14 (Bodnarchuk), 8:11 (SH). 4, Connecticut, Couture 4 (Grant), 15:10. 5, Providence, MacDonald 15 (Cohen, Whitfield), 19:17 (EN). 6, Connecticut, Couture 5 (Grant), 19:59. Penalties-Hamill Pro (roughing), 1:46; Weise Ct (cross-checking), 1:53; Hamill Pro (slashing), 7:12; Warsofsky Pro (cross-checking), 8:50; Soryal Ct (fighting), 11:44; MacDermid Pro (fighting), 11:44; Bickel Ct (elbowing, roughing), 12:34; LaVallee-Smotherman Pro (roughing), 12:34.

Shots on Goal-Connecticut 10-9-14-33. Providence 14-13-17-44.
Power Play Opportunities-Connecticut 0 / 5; Providence 1 / 5.
Goalies-Connecticut, Grumet-Morris 11-4-1 (43 shots-40 saves). Providence, Khudobin 26-14-2 (33 shots-31 saves).
A-8,405
Referees-Terry Koharski (10), Jamie Koharski (84).
Linesmen-Ed Boyle (81), Todd Whittemore (70).