HARTFORD, March 8, 2011:  Connecticut Whale general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today the team’s 22-player “Clear Day” playoff list.

Per AHL by-laws, only these 20 skaters and two goaltenders are eligible to suit up for the Whale for the remainder of the AHL regular season and the Calder Cup playoffs, unless emergency conditions result from recalls, injuries or suspensions.

Included on the Whale’s Clear Day roster are forward Mats Zuccarello and defenseman Ryan McDonagh, who are currently on recall to the parent New York Rangers club and have combined for 59 NHL games-played this season.

Signed Junior players, or players who join the team on amateur tryout agreements after their Junior or college seasons are complete, are also allowed to see action for AHL teams during this period, regardless of whether or not emergency conditions exist.

Following is the Whale’s Clear Day list:

Goaltenders (2): Chad Johnson, Cameron Talbot

Defensemen (9): Stu Bickel, Michael Del Zotto, Tomas Kundratek, Ryan McDonagh, Jyri Niemi, Jared Nightingale, Blake Parlett, Wade Redden, Pavel Valentenko

Forwards (11): Brodie Dupont, Evgeny Grachev, Chad Kolarik, Francis Lemieux, John Mitchell, Kris Newbury, Justin Soryal, Kelsey Tessier, Dale Weise, Jeremy Williams, Mats Zuccarello

The Whale are back in action tonight, visiting the AHL-leading Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for a 7:00 PM game (WTIC HD-2, www.ctwhale.com, www.wtic.com).  The club’s next home game at the XL Center is this Friday night, March 11, with the two-time defending Calder Cup-champion Hershey Bears coming to town on Guida’s Family Value Night.  Faceoff is 7:00, and 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 Night packs are available at the XL Center box office and on-line at www.ctwhale.com.

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.

HARTFORD, March 8, 2011:  Connecticut Whale general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that the team has signed forward Francis Lemieux to an American Hockey League contract.

Lemieux, a sixth-year pro, has played six games with the Whale under a pair of Professional Tryout (PTO) agreements and has registered one assist and two penalty minutes.  The 5-10, 195-pound Sherbrooke, Quebec native has also suited up for two AHL games this season for the Manitoba Moose, going scoreless with no penalty minutes.

Lemieux first joined the Whale February 20 from Florida Everblades of the ECHL.  In 56 games with Florida, he rolled up totals of 28-45-73, good for second in the league in points and assists.

Lemieux, 27, has played 257 AHL games in his career, with the Hamilton Bulldogs, Grand Rapids Griffins, Moose and Whale, notching 45 goals and adding 69 assists for 114 points, with 235 penalty minutes.  He won a Calder Cup with the Bulldogs in 2007.  In 69 career ECHL contests with the Las Vegas Wranglers and Everblades, Lemieux has 37 goals and 48 assists for 85 points, as well as 134 PIM.  Lemieux was originally signed as a free agent by the Montreal Canadiens December 8, 2005, after a four-year Junior career with the Chicoutimi Sagueneens of the Quebec Major Junior League.

The Whale are back in action tonight, visiting the AHL-leading Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for a 7:00 PM game (WTIC HD-2, www.ctwhale.com, www.wtic.com).  The club’s next home game at the XL Center is this Friday night, March 11, with the two-time defending Calder Cup-champion Hershey Bears coming to town on Guida’s Family Value Night.  Faceoff is 7:00, and 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 Night packs are available at the XL Center box office and on-line at www.ctwhale.com.

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.

By Bruce Berlet

WORCESTER, Mass. – The Eminem on the iPod played a little louder than usual in the Connecticut Whale locker room late Sunday afternoon.

But coach Ken Gernander’s injury-riddled, man-short team deserved some time to celebrate after a decisive statement victory over the Worcester Sharks before 3,730 at the DCU Center.

No last-minute theatrics needed this day. After successive dramas against the Springfield Falcons on Wednesday and Saturday nights, the Whale rolled to a comprehensive 7-2 win as they tied their season high for goals in their third consecutive victory.

Veteran defenseman Wade Redden had his first two-goal game since before the NHL lockout six years ago, and Dale Weise added a goal and two assists and Brodie Dupont a career-high four assists as the Whale (31-24-2-6) moved two points ahead of the Sharks (28-23-4-8) in the battle for the third and final guaranteed playoff berth in the Atlantic Division.

The Whale pressed from the start, survived a bit of a scare late in the second period and then put it away with a three-goal third period, starting with Redden’s two goals, as they earned at least a point for the eighth time in 10 starts. And they reached a high-water mark for the season of seven games over .500 despite being without eight regulars but shooting 7-for-19 against Daren Machesney, who had a 34-save shutout in a 2-0 win over the Charlotte Checkers Saturday night.

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“We look at the standings and kind of have our destiny in our own hands because we play the Sharks (three times),” said Dupont, who helped set up four of the Whale’s first five goals for personal bests for points and assists in a pro game. “We’re fully aware of where we sit and talk about the games during the week. Nobody wants to miss the playoffs again. This is a team that really pummeled us 9-2 last season when we were making our push. Sometimes those little things are hard to forget.

“It was a big win, and a big weekend, actually, because it’s playoff hockey now. The team played well together, (goalie Cam) Talbot played well and we got offense from all kinds of players (11 of 17 skaters). Our line (with Weise and Kris Newbury) played well because it was one of those nights where the puck was kind of finding us. We had a good jump in our step, so whenever there was a loose puck, we put ourselves in good positions to get the puck right back.”

Somewhat lost in the Whale’s offensive explosion was Talbot, who made 32 saves in his first AHL game since being injured in a 6-3 victory over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Jan. 16. Talbot missed 13 games and then was 1-0-1 during a rehab stint with Greenville of the ECHL before backing up the New York Rangers’ Henrik Lundqvist on Tuesday night and then returning to Hartford while Chad Johnson headed to Broadway.

Though Talbot admitted making a blunder when he wandered too far on the Sharks’ first goal by Cory Quirk, he had two stellar saves on Michael Swift and Matt Irwin late in the first period, when the Whale had a 2-0 lead, and then was alert early in the third period before the Whale assumed total control.

“That was a huge game for us, and we made a big statement,” Talbot said. “We got on them right off the bat and didn’t really lay back. I made kind of a dumb play coming out that one time, but the guys got a goal right after that. You like to see that as a goalie. They get one for you and it puts your mind at ease and lets you forget about the goal and keep playing. They did that after the second one, too, and we never looked back after that.”

The Whale started strong, as Machesney had to be sharp to make a right-pad save on Evgeny Grachev from the right circle at 4:18. But on the Whale’s second power play, Dupont picked off Nick Petrecki’s clearing attempt in the slot and fired a 35-foot shot that newcomer John Mitchell tipped past Machesney for his second goal in three games since being acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday for future considerations.

The Whale made it 2-0 when Weise pushed the puck along the left boards to defenseman Pavel Valentenko, whose slap shot from the left point beat a screened Machesney to the far corner at 11:21.

Talbot then denied Swift in front at the right post with 6:05 left in the period and Irwin’s wide-open shot from 30 feet in the slot on a 4-on-3 Sharks power play.

The Whale increased their lead to 3-0 at 1:44 of the second period when a Sharks clearing attempt ricocheted in front to a wide-open Kelsey Tessier, whose blind back pass found a wide-open Grachev for an easy finish into an open net.

Machesney temporarily kept the Sharks in the game when he made a brilliant glove save on a wide-open but snake-bitten Derek Couture. As often happens, the Sharks went the other way and made it 3-1 at 2:54. Tommy Wingels beat Redden to a clear-in pass, and Talbot came out to try to clear the puck, but it hit off Wingels and sat in the slot for an easy finish into an open net for Quirk at 3:21.

After Machesney made a good stop on Weise’s backhander at 7:22, Dupont lost the puck on a breakaway while being hooking without a penalty being called. Given that reprieve, the Sharks got to 3-2 when Brandon Mashinter jammed in his second rebound of Benn Ferriero’s shot with 4:09 left in the period.

But the Whale quickly responded with the game’s biggest goal as Newbury outworked Mike Moore for the puck behind the Sharks net and put a pass in front to Weise, who got inside Swift for a quick finish past an unsuspecting Machesney.

“When we cycled the puck down low, I thought we were all over them,” Talbot said. “The guys did a great job playing down low in both ends.”

Redden made it 5-2 when he took a drop pass from Weise and fired a 40-foot shot that beat a screened Machesney at 2:49 of the third period. Redden then made like Wayne Gretzky as he came out of the penalty box, took a pass from Francis Lemieux, deked Machesney to the ice with a brilliant fake and flipped a backhander into an open net at 7:16. It was Lemieux’s first point in six games with the Whale since being signed to a professional tryout contract Feb. 28 while leading the ECHL in scoring (73 points) with the Florida Everblades.

“The last three games we’ve had guys really step up and have big efforts,” Redden said. “Guys have come together and played so hard every shift, and I think that’s the key this time of the season, just going and battling all the time. We didn’t get rewarded a lot, just kind of squeaked out the last two games, but (Sunday) they started going in for us, so I think that’s a good sign.”

Hard-working Oren Eizenman capped the scoring against one of his eight former pro teams when he converted defenseman Blake Parlett’s brilliant diagonal pass from the left circle through the slot at 8:38. Valentenko got the secondary assist for his first two-point game as a pro to finish plus-4. Parlett scored his first AHL goal with 27.7 seconds left in overtime Saturday night to give the Whale a 2-1 victory over the Falcons. That came after Mitchell scored with 7.7 seconds left in regulation for a 3-2 win over Springfield on Wednesday night. Obviously stunned by such tough losses, the Falcons were buried 6-1 by the second-place Portland Pirates on Sunday to fall five points behind the Whale.

“Everybody knows what kind of situation we’re in, that we have to get third place because it’s going to be tough to catch (the fifth-place team) in the East Division,” Weise said. “It was a good team effort all around. We’ve got a lot of skilled players who had kind of got a little bit cold lately, and it was just a matter time of time before we broke out and scored. I think this is just a building block for us to have.

“I thought we were sharp from the get-go, and other than a five-minute lull in the second period, I thought we played a pretty solid game. We played the way we need to to win. We played simple, didn’t do anything crazy. A lot of our goals were just getting traffic and shooting from the point, and that’s what we have to do to score.”

Besides being eliminated from the playoffs two seasons ago, the Hartford Wolf Pack/Whale is 14-4-0-2 lifetime at the DCU Center vs. the Sharks, including 2-0-1 this season while amassing a 4-1-0-1 overall edge. Sunday was the Sharks’ second-worst loss at home to the 7-1 beating they got from the Wolf Pack on Dec. 8, 2007.

Though pleased with his team’s performance, Gernander knew there are still 17 games left in the regular season, including a home-and-home set with the Sharks next weekend.

“It was a big win on the road against a team we were tied with, so I was happy with the guys,” Gernander said. “There was a little bit of a glitch (in the second period), but for the most part, I thought we were pretty strong. The guys know the situation, but you remind them because that’s part of what you do. But that’s just kind of a little kicker at the end. You go over what you need to do, what you want to accomplish, special teams or whatever, and then say, ‘Now remember, boys, this is for a big two points.’

“It’s that time of year where teams are missing players. You do what you do, but I’m happy with the guys getting six big points this week against our nearest opponents in the standings. I think that’s a pretty good week.”

Pretty good, indeed.

LEADING SCORERS MISSING

The Whale and Sharks were missing their All-Star right wings and leading scorers.

Jeremy Williams, who started the day sharing the Whale’s scoring lead (25 goals, 19 assists) with Newbury, missed his second game of the season with an injury sustained Wednesday night. The Whale played one man short for the second consecutive game because centers Todd White and Ryan Garlock, wings Chad Kolarik and Chris McKelvie and defensemen Michael Del Zotto, Tomas Kundratek and Jyri Niemi remained on the injury list.

The Sharks’ Jonathan Cheechoo (47 points), a 56-goal scorer for the San Jose Sharks in 2005-06, missed his fourth game in a row because of a sore back. The Sharks also scratched Tony Lucia, James Marcou, Jody Pederson, Jamie McGinn and Andrew Desjardins, who was called up by the San Jose Sharks.

BRUTAL ROAD SCHEDULE FINALLY ENDS TUESDAY

The Whale completes a demanding stretch of 10 road games in 12 starts Tuesday night when they visit league-leading Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (45-17-0-0), which has won nine of 12 games after a 4-1 victory over the Hershey Bears that increased their East Division lead to eight points over the two-time defending Calder Cup champions.

The Penguins are missing three of their top five scorers – center Dustin Jeffrey (17 goals, 28 assists) and wings Nick Johnson (20, 19) and Eric Tangradi (18, 15) – because of a plethora of injuries to the Pittsburgh Penguins, but they still have plenty of firepower in left wing Brett Sterling (20, 21), center Ryan Craig (16, 22), left wings Tim Wallace (16, 16) and Chris Collins (11, 16), center Joe Vitale (8, 19) and former Wolf Pack defenseman Corey Potter (2, 25). And they’ve allowed an AHL-low 141 goals thanks largely to the goaltending tandem of All-Star Brad Thiessen (27-6-0, 1.87 goals-against average, .924 save percentage, six shutouts), the AHL goalie of the month in February, and veteran John Curry (18-11-0, 2.49, .903, one shutout).

The Penguins, who started the season with nine straight wins, will be out to avenge the lopsided loss at the XL Center on Jan. 16. After Tuesday night, the Whale plays 10 of their final 16 regular-season games at the XL Center, starting Friday night against Hershey. … Former Hartford Wolf Pack wing Alexandre Giroux was recalled from the Oklahoma City Barons by the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday and scored in a 5-1 victory over the Colorado Avalanche. Giroux tipped Linus Omark’s shot from the right circle behind Brian Elliott at 8:36 of the second period, prompting Avalanche coach Joe Sacco to replace Elliott with Peter Budaj. “It was just a tip-in and we were lucky to get it done,” said Giroux, who took a 2 p.m. flight out of Oklahoma City and arrived in Denver a few hours before the opening faceoff. “Everyone wants to be in the NHL, so I was really excited about it.” Giroux, 29, was second in the AHL in scoring (29 goals, 30 assists in 61 games) to former Wolf Pack center Corey Locke of the Binghamton Senators (18 goals, 54 assists).  Giroux signed a free-agent contract with the Oilers on July 3. … The AHL’s Clear Day deadline, when all 30 teams must submit 22-man lists, is Monday at 3 p.m. Only those players listed on a Clear Day roster are eligible to play in the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs unless emergency conditions arise as a result of recall, also can add signed junior players or players on amateur tryout contracts, but only after their respective junior or college seasons are complete.

JERSEY AUCTION TO BENEFIT MARCH OF DIMES

Saturday could be a hat trick of pleasure and benefit for Whale fans. They not only can watch their favorites in a key game against Worcester, but they also can win players’ jerseys and help a great cause at the same time.

During the game, fans can bid on jerseys on display throughout the evening. Winners will be announced at the end of the game and invited on the ice to receive their jersey, meet the players and have photos taken. Proceeds will benefit the March of Dimes, which works to help develop stronger, healthier babies. The auction has raised nearly $20,000 in the first two years.

“The annual jersey auction has been a great event for our March of Dimes family and the hockey community,” said Deb Poudrier, executive director of the March of Dimes Greater Hartford Division. “The Whale organization has been an incredible supporter of the March of Dimes, not only with the jersey auction but as a March for Babies sponsor and team as well. They truly are a great community partner.”

The March of Dimes is the leading non-profit organization for pregnancy and baby health. With chapters nationwide, the March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. Visit www.marchofdimes.com or www.nacersano.org for the latest resources and information.

HOCKEY MINISTRIES NIGHT AT WHALE GAME

Hockey Ministries International Northeast is sponsoring 2011 Faith & Family Night at the Whale’s game against the Charlotte Checkers on March 25. Upper bowl seats are $10, and Scarlet Fade will perform a postgame concert.

To order tickets, contact AHL Chapel Coordinator Rick Mitera at 860-817-6440 or rmitera@hockeyministries.org. When someone buys a ticket through Hockey Ministries, they receive a $2 coupon for parking. For more information on Hockey Ministries, visit www.hockeyministriesnortheast.org.

WHALE TO HONOR HOWE FAMILY ON MARCH 26

The Whale will host “Howe Family Night” at the XL Center on March 26 against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. The No. 9 of “Mr. Hockey,” one of seven numbers in the XL Center rafters, will be lowered and then raised and re-retired as he and his sons, Mark and Marty, whom he played with for seven seasons in Houston and Hartford, look on. The matriarch of the family, Colleen Howe, who died in 2009, will be honored.

“That old (jersey) is a little worn,” Baldwin Jr. said. “I think we’ll have a big crowd. I love Ronnie Francis (the only Hall of Famer to play mostly with the Whalers), but Gordie is the one who put the team on the map. He needs to have the respect of the people coming out to see him, and it’ll be a great opportunity for it.”

Howe’s No. 9 is in the rafters with the Whalers’ No. 2 (Rick Ley), 5 (Ulf Samuelsson), 10 (Ron Francis), 11 (Dineen) and 19 (John McKenzie). Gernander’s No. 12 is the only number to be retired in the 14-year history of the AHL team.

The Howes played together for the first time with the Houston Aeros in 1973 before coming to Hartford and signing with the World Hockey Association’s New England Whalers in 1977. Howe ended his legendary 32-year career in the Whalers’ first NHL season (1979-80), when he had 15 goals and 26 assists and was named a NHL All-Star for the 23^rd time while helping the Whalers make the playoffs at 52 years old.

Fans who did not attend the Whale’s game against Providence at Rentschler Field in East Hartford because of the weather can redeem their tickets for one to “Howe Family Night” or another game of their choice. If fans want to redeem a ticket, they should contact Baldwin at hlb@whalerssports.com.

WHALE 7, SHARKS 2

Connecticut     2 2 3 – 7
Worcester        0 2 0 – 2

First period: 1. Conn, Mitchell 3 (Dupont), 8:56 (pp). 2. Conn, Valentenko 2 (Weise, Dupont), 11:21. Penalties: McLaren, Wor (tripping), 4:28; Bickel, Ct (fighting), 7:53; Mashinter, Wor (cross-checking, fighting), 7:53; Bickel, Ct (roughing), 14:13; DaSilva, Wor (roughing), 14:13; Redden, Ct (boarding), 14:28.

Second period: 3. Conn, Grachev 15 (Tessier), 1:44. 4. Wor, Quirk 3 (Wingels), 3:21. 5. Wor, Mashinter 12 (Ferriero, Sullivan), 15:51 (pp). 6, Conn, Weise 13 (Newbury, Dupont), 16:33. Penalties: Redden, Ct (cross-checking), 14:45; Grachev, Ct (cross-checking), 17:20.
Third period: 7. Conn, Redden 6 (Weise, Dupont), 2:29. 8. Conn, Redden 7 (Lemieux, Tessier), 7:16. 9. Conn, Eizenman 4 (Parlett, Valentenko), 8:38. Penalty: Redden, Ct (delay of game), 5:08.

Shots on goal: Connecticut 7-6-6-19. Worcester 10-12-12-34; Power-play opportunities: Connecticut 1 of  2; Worcester 1 of 4; Goalies: Connecticut, Talbot 9-3-2 (34 shots-32 saves). Worcester, Machesney 2-3-1 (19-12); A: 3,730; Referee: Chris Cozzan; Linesmen: Chris Aughe, Todd Whittemore.

By Bruce Berlet

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The game’s venue moved 25 miles north, but the dramatic wins continued for the Connecticut Whale on Saturday night.

Not quite as dramatic as Wednesday night, but good enough for a 2-1 victory over the Springfield Falcons on defenseman Blake Parlett’s deflection of Kris Newbury’s shot with 27.5 seconds left in overtime before 6,486 at the MassMutual Center.

Newcomer John Mitchell scored the winner in a 3-2 victory over the Falcons on Wednesday night at the XL Center. In both cases, the Whale trailed entering the third period but now have won twice in 72 hours when in that situation after being 3-13-1-2 through 60 games.

Parlett, playing his seventh game with the Whale after being called up from Greenville of the ECHL, got a ceremonial puck from Brodie Dupont after he deflected Newbury’s shot from the top of the left circle between the legs of former Hartford Wolf Pack goalie David LeNeveu for his first AHL point and first overtime winner anywhere.

“Anytime there’s a quick transition four-on-four, I try to look to join the rush,” said Parlett, who was leading ECHL defensemen in scoring (31 points) when he was called up. “It so happened that Brodie had the puck, and I was the second guy on the rush so I drove the net. Newbury had a nice shot on net, and I was lucky to get my stick on it.

“That’s two big comebacks. I thought we had real good third periods in both games. Those are big two points, and we gain another point on (the Falcons), so we’re going forward. We’ve come back quite a lot since I’ve been here, so that’s nice. … I had two winners in regulation in Greenville, but it’s a nice feeling, good way to get my first (in the AHL). I’m just trying to make good first passes, get better each game and chip in when I can.”

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Newbury, back from his fourth stint with the parent New York Rangers, scored the Whale’s first goal with 6:31 left in regulation when he beat LeNeveu to the glove side after a Falcons’ clearing attempt ricocheted off Dale Weise’s ear, and then spotted Parlett driving to the net for the winner.

“I didn’t know how much time was left, so I thought if I put it to the net there might be a rebound or whatnot,” Newbury said. “But (Parlett) made a great play and tipped it in. Nice way to get your first (AHL) goal.”

The victory enabled the Whale (30-24-2-6) to remain tied for the third and final guaranteed playoff berth in the Atlantic Division with Worcester (28-22-4-8), which beat Charlotte 2-0 behind Daren Machesney’s 34 saves Saturday night and hosts the Whale on Sunday at 3 p.m. The second successive tough loss for the Falcons (30-29-1-3) dropped them three points behind the Whale and Sharks.

The Whale prevailed again despite being without eight regulars, including leading scorer and All-Star right wing Jeremy Williams, who missed his first game of the season with an injury sustained Wednesday night when hit by Kyle Neuber late in the first period.

“We’ve talked about it all season long,” Whale coach Ken Gernander said. “When you’re missing players and you’re short of bodies, there are opportunities for others, and you have to make the most of it. We did a real good job at the start of the third period grinding it out down low. I don’t think they gave up a lot defensively, but we had pretty good possession and continued to put pucks to the net. (The winning goal) was a real good play all around.

“They’re a good defensive club, and if we were going to get anything, we were going to have to work for it. Sometimes you don’t always get rewarded for all your hard work, but you don’t panic or change things too much until it comes down to the last minute and a half when you might get a little risky. But I thought the guys did a real good job of staying with things and really grinding it out.”

And Dov Grumet-Morris gave the Whale a chance for another stirring win when he made the best of his 19 saves off David Savard and Maksim Mayorov at 2:12 and 2:18 of overtime.

“I think it’s indicative of the team doing so well defensively throughout the whole game that you can point only two or three saves as those were the hardest or only challenging ones,” said Grumet-Morris, who signed an AHL contract on Wednesday. “They had some chances, but the ice was kind of warm so the puck was bouncing a lot on guys and they weren’t able to get an opportunity to score. Additionally, we’re in a playoff race, so both teams are playing defensive.

“I can’t stress enough how well the team is doing defensively the last few games. When our defenseman is protecting the middle and only allowing a wide shot, it means you can read the play a little better and better position yourself for the second shot. My goalie coach in college always used to always say that goaltending is a game of billiards; you’re always setting yourself up for the next shot at the higher level. Everyone can make the first save, so you have to catch yourself for a second shot or a perfect pass. That’s one thing that I’m trying to be cognizant of and that’s one of the things that (Rangers goaltending coach) Benoit Allaire stresses as well.”

The Whale had a wide territorial advantage in the first period, not allowing a shot until Tomas Kana’s 30-footer from the slot with 3:25 left. The Whale had seven shots by then, but David LeNeveu (25 saves) had four good stops, notably two on Derek Couture, one when he was alone in front with 8:15 to go in the period.

The Whale allowed only two shots in the period, tying their season low, but the Falcons got their first power play with 16 seconds left and took advantage as Trevor Smith’s blind back pass through the slot found a wide-open Brent Regner sneaking in off the point for an easy finish into an open net at 49 seconds of the second period.

The Falcons nearly doubled their lead on their second power play, but Grumet-Morris denied Regner from point-blank range at 8:08.

The Whale’s Dale Weise won a unanimous decision over Regner with 4:46 left in the period, and then LeNeveu stopped Evgeny Grachev’s partial breakaway with 2:49 to go that drew a slashing penalty on Nick Holden. The Whale finally applied some pressure with a man advantage, but LeNeveu did a split to get his left pad on Wade Redden’s 40-foot shot from the slot with 1:41 left.

The Whale caught a break early in the third period as a wide-open Mayorov shot wide while falling to the ice at the right post. They then missed a good chance to tie when a wide-open Justin Soryal semi-fanned on a centering pass by Francis Lemieux at 6:01.

The Whale then picked up their cycling and nearly tied it with 9:02 left, but LeNeveu made bang-bang stops on Weise and Parlett. The Whale continued to press and finally got even thanks to the carom off the ear of Weise, who was headed off the ice when Newbury tied it, giving the Whale 10 of the first 11 shots in the third period and a 22-10 advantage in the game.

“The puck went up in the air (off Weise), so I figured I’d catch it, try to turn and shoot it as quick as I can,” Newbury said. “The puck rolled up on my stick, and I think I kind of fooled the goalie a bit and it ended up going in.”

The Falcons then took their first real impetus of the game for the remainder of regulation and overtime, but after Grumet-Morris robbed Savard and Mayorov, the Whale gained another dramatic decision.

“It’s good that we can come back, but you’d rather play with the lead,” Newbury said. “That puts less pressure on you, but we seem to be doing a good job when trailing going into the third. But we hopefully can change that around, keep going and hopefully keep winning.”

WILLIAMS IS WHALE’S LATEST CASUALTY

Williams, the Whale’s leader in goals (25) and assists (19), joined ailing centers Todd White and Ryan Garlock, wings Chad Kolarik and Chris McKelvie and defensemen Michael Del Zotto, Tomas Kundratek and Jyri Niemi on the injury list. Lee Baldwin replaced Del Zotto, but the Whale was one man short because Williams couldn’t play. But they were helped by the return of Newbury, who had one assist in 11 games in four stints with the Rangers but is the Whale’s second-leading scorer with 10 goals and team-high 33 assists in 52 games.

Right wing Petr Kalus, a second-round pick of the Boston Bruins in 2005, made his Falcons debut after the Columbus Blue Jackets acquired him on Monday for future considerations and assigned him to Springfield. Veteran defenseman Mike Commodore, who helped the Carolina Hurricanes win the Stanley Cup in 2006, remained out with an ankle injury. The Falcons also scratched Neuber, Chris D’Alvise, Mike Blunden, Nikita Filatov and Cody Goloubef. … Before the game, the Falcons presented a check for $40,000 to the Mary Kay Foundation for breast cancer research. The Falcons wore pink jerseys that were to be auctioned off to raise more money for cancer research.

WHALE REMAIN ROAD WARRIORS

The Whale travels to Worcester on Sunday for a 3 p.m. game against the Sharks. The Whale is 3-1-0-1 against the Sharks and has a victory and a shootout loss in their two visits to the DCU Center.

The Sharks are led by All-Star right wing Jonathan Cheechoo (18 goals, 29 assists), a 56-goal scorer for the San Jose Sharks in the 2005-06 season who missed his third consecutive game Saturday night because of a sore back. He reportedly hasn’t been the same since the Whale’s Mats Zuccarello, now with the parent New York Rangers, hit him from behind and sent him in the boards in a game at the XL Center on Dec. 17, earning a one-game suspension. Before that, Cheechoo had 11 goals and 20 assists in 29 games and had been 5-8-13 in the previous eight games. Since then, he’s 7-9-16 in 26 games.

Other top Sharks scorers are center Michael Swift (17, 16), left wing T.J. Trevelyan (14, 19), defenseman Sean Sullivan (12, 19), right wing Dan DaSilva (12, 16) and center Andrew Desjardins (12, 16). No. 1 goalie Alex Stalock (19-17-4, 2.63 goals-against average, .907 save percentage, no shutouts) has been lost for the season with nerve damage in his lacerated left leg that required surgery, but Daren Machesney (2-2-1, 1.85, .940, two shutouts) and Tyson Sexsmith (1-2-1, 2.95, .897) have held their own.

The Whale completes a demanding stretch of 10 road games in 12 starts Tuesday night when they visit the league-leading Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (44-17-0-0), who had won two in a row and eight of 10 before a 4-2 loss at Providence on Friday night. The Penguins are missing three of their top five scorers – center Dustin Jeffrey (17 goals, 28 assists) and wings Nick Johnson (20, 19) and Eric Tangradi (18, 15) – because of a plethora of injuries to the Pittsburgh Penguins, but they still have plenty of firepower in left wing Brett Sterling (20, 21), center Ryan Craig (14, 21), left wings Tim Wallace (16, 16) and Chris Collins (11, 16), center Joe Vitale (8, 19) and former Wolf Pack defenseman Corey Potter (2, 25). And they’ve allowed an AHL-low 140 goals thanks largely to the goaltending tandem of All-Star Brad Thiessen (26-6-0, 1.90 goals-against average, .924 save percentage, six shutouts), the AHL goalie of the month in February, and veteran John Curry (18-11-0, 2.49, .903, one shutout).

The Penguins, who started the season with nine straight wins, will be out for revenge after a 6-3 loss at the XL Center on Jan. 16. The Whale then plays 10 of their final 16 regular-season games at the XL Center. … The New York Rangers acquired Kolarik from the Columbus Blue Jackets on Nov. 11 for former Wolf Pack captain Dane Byers, who had requested a trade. Byers’ second trade from Springfield to San Antonio on Monday reunited him with former Wolf Pack teammate Ryan Hollweg and gives him a chance to break the AHL record for most games played in a season. Byers was scoreless in his Rampage debut, a 3-2 victory over the Abbotsford Heat on Wednesday night, and had an assist as the Rampage scored five third-period goals to force a tie before Greg Rallo’s power-play goal in overtime gave the Texas Stars a 6-5 victory on Friday night. Byers played his 67^th game of the season Saturday night against the Syracuse Crunch, and the Rampage has 18 games left. The AHL record for games in a season is 83, set by Paxton Schulte with Cornwall and Saint John in the 1995-96 season. … Former Wolf Pack wing Matthew Ford’s second goal of the game and 20^th of the season only 11 seconds into overtime gave Lake Erie a come-from-behind 3-2 victory over Rockford on Friday night. … The AHL’s Clear Day deadline, when all 30 teams must submit 22-man lists, is Monday at 3 p.m. Only those players listed on a Clear Day roster are eligible to play in the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs unless emergency conditions arise as a result of recall, injury or suspension. Teams also can add signed junior players or players on amateur tryout contracts, but only after their respective junior or college seasons are complete.

WAY TO GO, AMERICANS!!!!!!

Kudos to the Rochester Americans for their support of Canadian troops in Afghanistan and their love for ball hockey.

The Canadian troops organized the sport on their base in an attempt to bring some level of normalcy to the tragedies they face every day. But something that started as a simple extracurricular activity became so popular that a league, comprised of the many brave men and women in our Armed Forces, had to be created. Again with the help of the Canadian troops, the league was formed and a rink was built, complete with an electronic scoreboard and standard hockey nets.

About a month ago, U.S. Army Master Sergeant Gary Vandertang, a resident of Rochester and a fan of the Americans, contacted the AHL team requesting a set of hockey jerseys because they wanted a jersey that proudly displayed “Americans” and knew the Amerks would be perfect.

When he heard about the request, Amerks manager of communications and hockey operations Warren Kosel was honored at the chance to fulfill the request and delighted to help in any way the organization could for the troops. Kosel, whose great-uncle served in World War II, took Vandertang’s request to Amerks president Lewis Staats, who was instantly on board.

Though Vandertang requested any kind of jersey (replica or practice) that displays the Americans logo on it, what they got was more than he could have expected. When the package arrived on the base, Vandertang found 16 game-worn jerseys from the 2006-07 season awaiting to be worn with pride once again. Vandertang and his teammates were grateful for the jerseys, but the Amerks organization was just honored they could help in any way.

Here is his e-mail to Kosel, thanking the second-oldest AHL franchise for its efforts in the initiative:

Warren,

I just wanted to make sure you received the email that we got the Jerseys and they are great!!! People couldn’t believe that not only did we get jerseys, but they were the “real deal.” Hopefully we will get some actual game photos soon, but here is a group photo that we had taken last night before the game. Had a few people not there, but it’s fun having the Canadians wear the Americans Jerseys, I guess they were ok with it since they were made in Canada. For the team make-up we have 8 US, 5 Canadian and 1 Australian, too. Currently our record is 2-1. When we have our next game I am going to try to get a photographer there for the whole game to take pictures. Again I want to thank you and the team for the support; it was really great to have the jerseys.

Vandertang sent a few photos to Kosel, one with members of his ball hockey team sporting their Americans jerseys and one with their hockey hero and AHL legend Don Cherry. Cherry, an AHL Hall of Famer, played on three of Rochester’s Calder Cup championship teams in the 1960’s and was named the 1974 AHL coach of the year during his time with the organization. Cherry, who is now a host of Hockey Night in Canada, is an advocate of the military and makes frequent visits overseas to express how much he appreciates the sacrifices the brave men and women do to keep everyone safe and give us the opportunity to live in freedom.

No one in the Amerks organization has ever met Vandertang or anyone else in the ball hockey league, but it didn’t matter. The instant connection that people have for those who serve is what makes the human heart special. The continuous effort to comfort soldiers in any way, whether sending jerseys, letters or pictures, is the way citizens can remind them how grateful we are.

In military parlance, congratulation to the Americans for going beyond the call of duty.

Connecticut    0 0 1 1 — 2
Springfield     0 1 0 0 — 1

First period: No Scoring. Penalties: Guite, Spr (boarding), 4:27; Valentenko, Ct (delay of game), 19:44.

Second period: 1. Spr, Regner 6 (Wilson, Smith), 0:49 (pp). Penalties: Harvey, Spr (unsportsmanlike conduct), 2:14; Nightingale, Ct (roughing), 7:34; Smith, Spr (cross-checking), 8:13; Weise, Ct (hooking), 10:32; Weise, Ct (fighting), 15:14; Regner, Spr (fighting), 15:14; Holden, Spr (slashing), 17:11.

Third period: 2. Conn, Newbury 10 (Weise), 13:29. Penalties: Weise, Ct (fighting), 19:48; Sigalet, Spr (fighting), 19:48.

Overtime: 3. Conn, Parlett 1 (Newbury, Dupont), 4:32. Penalties: None.

Shots on goal: Connecticut 7-5-12-3-27. Springfield 2-7-8-3-20; Power-play opportunities: Connecticut 0 of 4; Springfield 1 of 3; Goalies: Connecticut, Grumet-Morris 6-3-1 (20 shots-19 saves). Springfield, LeNeveu 16-15-2 (27-25); A: 6,486; Referee: Geno Binda; Linesmen: David Spannaus, Kevin Redding.

HARTFORD, March 3, 2011:  Connecticut Whale general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that the team has released forward Alexandre Imbeault from his Professional Tryout (PTO) agreement.  Imbeault will re-join the Florida Everblades of the ECHL.

In four games in two separate stints with the Whale, Imbeault was scoreless with two penalty minutes and five shots on goal.  The fourth-year pro is tied for the ECHL goal-scoring lead, with 31-16-47 in 44 games with the Everblades.

The Whale are next in action this Saturday night, March 5, traveling to Springfield to take on the Atlantic-Division rival Falcons in a 7:00 PM game (WTIC HD-2, www.ctwhale.com, www.wtic.com).  The club’s next home game at the XL Center is next Friday night, March 11, with the two-time defending Calder Cup-champion Hershey Bears coming to town on Guida’s Family Value Night.  Faceoff is 7:00, and 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 Night packs are available at the XL Center box office and on-line at www.ctwhale.com.

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 3, 2011 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that forward Kris Newbury has been assigned to the Connecticut Whale of the American Hockey League (AHL).

Newbury, 28, has skated in three of the last four contests following his recall from Connecticut on February 20, and has registered one assist and 35 penalty minutes in 11 games with the Rangers 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.  Newbury returns to Connecticut, where he has recorded nine goals and 33 assists for 42 points, along with 105 penalty minutes in 51 games this season.  He led the team and was tied for eighth in the AHL in assists, and ranked second on the Whale in points and fourth in penalty minutes at the time of his recall.  Newbury has registered a team-high, 11 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.

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 Bruce Berlet

HARTFORD, Conn. – One of the all-time fortuitous bounces in Hartford Wolf Pack/Connecticut Whale history proved a winner Wednesday night in a crucial matchup with the Springfield Falcons.

Whale defenseman Pavel Valentenko’s dump-in attempt down left wing from his side of the redline hit a stanchion and ricocheted into the slot, where newcomer John Mitchell picked up a bouncing puck and fired a shot from 20 feet that went in off former Wolf Pack goalie David LeNeveu with 7.7 seconds left to give the Whale a 3-2 victory at the XL Center.

“The guys on the bench were yelling, ‘Dump it in, dump it in, dump it in,’ ” Valentenko said. “It was just a lucky bounce. Today was one lucky game for us.”

Mitchell, acquired by the parent New York Rangers on Monday from the Toronto Maple Leafs for a seventh-round pick in 2012, took advantage of the ricochet and scored his second goal of the season.

“I went for the forecheck and kind of got held up, so I was a little bit choked about that and kind of yelling at the ref as I was going up the ice as the puck was going out,” Mitchell said. “Tanker just pounded it in, so I just curled back to go (back) on the forecheck because I knew there wasn’t much time left so I wanted to make sure I wasn’t going too aggressive, just play passive not to give up any chances.

“Obviously it was a fortunate bounce right into the middle of the ice, and it was kind of bouncing so I had to make sure I timed it so I could just tried to get a shot on net as fast as possible because there was a defenseman coming out of the corner sliding. So there definitely wasn’t going to be any time to dust the puck off and pick a corner, so I just tried to time the bounce. I was fortunate to get a good whack at it and good wood on it and slip it through his pads. It seemed to work out just fine.”

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Just fine, indeed, as the Whale (29-24-2-6) broke a fourth-place tie with the Falcons (30-28-1-3) and vaulted past the idle Worcester Sharks (27-22-3-8) and into the third and final guaranteed playoff spot in the Atlantic Division. And the Whale notched the dramatic win as Ken Gernander returned from missing his first two games as coach in four seasons because of blood clots in his legs and lungs and finished without All-Star right wing Jeremy Williams, the team leader in goals (25) and points (44), and defenseman Michael Del Zotto, their top offensive defenseman.

Williams was injured with 5:02 left in the first period after Falcons wing Steven Goertzen pinned Williams in the left corner of the Whale zone. As Williams bent over to escape Goertzen, Kyle Neuber came from behind the net and hit Williams with his shoulder.

Williams immediately fell to the ice, where he remained for about 10 minutes while being treated by trainer Damien Hess and team doctor Brett Wasserlauf, an orthopedic surgeon, before leaving on a stretcher and being taken to St. Francis Hospital Medical Center.

“You never want to see someone get carried off on a stretcher, but I think it was more of a precautionary thing,” said Mitchell, a close friend of Williams for more than a decade and an off-and-on teammate with the Maple Leafs and Toronto Marlies for their eight pro eight seasons. “He was talking to us on the ice kind of laughing and having a good time, so I’m sure he’s fine, even if he got carried off on a stretcher. He actually wanted to try to get up and play, but (Hess) took the proper precautions and made sure he was safe getting off the ice. Hopefully it’s a speedy recovery for Willie.”

Neuber received an interference penalty, but the Whale got only one of their three shots in the first period, tying their season low for a period. Whale enforcer Justin Soryal tried to extract a bit of revenge when he scored a decision in a fight with Neuber at 2:20 of the second period.

The Whale lost Del Zotto in the second period. Del Zotto, a member of the NHL all-rookie team with the parent New York Rangers last season, had just started his third reassignment after having seven assists in 10 games.

Shortly after Del Zotto was injured, Mitchell was penalized for hooking, and the Falcons took a 1-0 lead at 6:47 on Brent Regner’s shot from 25 feet in the slot off the rebound of a Tomas Kubalik try.

LeNeveu (20 saves) kept the Falcons ahead with a glove stab of Jared Nightingale’s shot with 9:46 left in the period, which ended with the teams having combined for only 20 shots, 12 by Springfield, in the first 40 minutes.

But after a somewhat stern lecture from Gernander during the second intermission, the Whale picked up their pace and improved to 4-19-0-2 when they trailed after two periods, getting 15 shots in the final 20 minutes.

“(Gernander) didn’t exactly give us an earful, but he spoke in a matter like, ‘Hey, boys, let’s get going here,’ ” Mitchell said. “He did his job as coach and got the guys fired up. He said we need 15 shots this period. If we get 15 shots, we’ll win the game. He’s a successful coach for a reason.”

After LeNeveu made a sharp right pad stop on Nightingale at 2:41, the Whale tied the game as fellow defenseman Stu Bickel got away from Tomas Kana in the left corner and beat a screened LeNeveu to the short side at 4:24 for this first goal as a Whale.

Dov Grumet-Morris, signed to an AHL contract earlier in the day, kept the Whale even when he made a brilliant split save off Kyle Wilson breaking in alone off left wing at 6:40.

Dale Weise then broke the tie when he took a pass from Brodie Dupont in the neutral zone, broke in 2-on-1 with Kelsey Tessier, faked Falcons defenseman Cody Goloubef to the ice and fired a 25-foot shot that went in off LeNeveu with 5:43 left.

“Coming down, I was originally looking to pass, but their D-man was over with Tessier and I knew he was going to slide because I saw him do it earlier,” Weise said. “The toe-drag is kind of my go-to, so I just kind of out-waited him, the goalie went down and got a lucky one when it ticked off his glove.”

LeNeveu kept the Falcons close with a sprawling save on Francis Lemieux breaking off the right wing with 4:23 left, then Grumet-Morris robbed Kana in front with 1:33 to go, when the Falcons pulled LeNeveu for a sixth attacker.

Weise gave the Falcons life when he took a high-sticking penalty with 1:08 left, and they capitalized as Kubalik deflected David Savard’s shot from just inside the blue line past Grumet-Morris with 47.7 seconds left.

“I didn’t think my stick was very high,” Weise said. “I connected with the puck and followed through, and I thought I hit him in the chest and thought he might have embellished it a little bit. But late in the game, you know the refs are going to make those calls, and I’m a guy around the league that’s known to maybe taking things a little too far in the last couple minutes, and obviously the ref called me on it.

“(But) obviously when you go from giving them a goal and tying the game and going and getting the two points, it’s huge against a team on our heels. It’s a big two points for us.”

Gernander said the two points were satisfying because the Whale had six players who had joined or rejoined the team in the past week playing against a team that had won six of its last eight games.

“We had so many guys just coming in, and some didn’t even have a practice, just a pregame skate,” Gernander said. “Maybe it took a little time to jell, and if you watched Mitchell, I thought he got better and better as the game went on, so that’s encouraging. Center is a position where we’ve been a little depleted, and he gave us a little bit of a boost.

“After they tied it on kind of a fluky bounce, it wasn’t like we quit and just laid it in the corner and didn’t forecheck. They stayed right with it to the final buzzer. It was big goal at the end, a little bit fluky, but we’re going to take it. It was a big game and a big two points, so we’re pretty pleased with that. Now we have to go back to work for the next two day and prepare for a big weekend (at Springfield and Worcester) on Saturday and Sunday.”

Gernander also said Grumet-Morris got a just result and deserved the game’s No. 2 star.

“It was a great hard shot and a great tip on the tying goal,” Grumet-Morris said. “But I was very, very, very excited when we scored the third goal. The first two periods were a bit more quiet. The third was a bit more frenetic both offensively and defensively, which led to more opportunities. So when you have slower game where the pace picks up in the third period, as a player, whether you’re a goaltender on a defenseman, you want to be able to execute your job to have a bit of a contribution to the win.

“So it felt good that I was able to make a couple of saves in the third to either keep it tied or close. And it felt good to keep us ahead when he had the lead.”

NEW FACES ON BOTH SIDES

Mitchell made his Whale debut after getting two goals and one assist in 23 games with the Maple Leafs and one goal and four assists in 10 games with the Toronto Marlies this season. … The Whale’s injury list grew to six as center Ryan Garlock was out with an undisclosed injury sustained in a 1-0 loss to Charlotte on Saturday night. He joined former Falcons right wing Chad Kolarik, center Todd White, wing Chris McKelvie and defensemen Tomas Kundratek and Jyri Niemi. Defenseman Lee Baldwin was a healthy scratch. … The Falcons also had a new face, former Wolf Pack captain Greg Moore, whom the Columbus Blue Jackets acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers/Adirondack Phantoms with center Michael Chaput on Monday for Tom Sestito, who had been on the Falcons’ No. 1 line with center Kyle Wilson and another Wolf Pack captain, left wing Dane Byers. Moore had seven goals and 13 assists in 57 games with the Phantoms after not scoring in his first 32 games after being signed as a free agent in the offseason. The Falcons scratched Chris D’Alvise, Mike Blunden, Maksim Mayorov, Mike Commodore and Kevin Harvey. … It was the Whale’s first XL Center home game since a 3-2 loss to the Portland Pirates on Feb. 6. They lost 5-4 in a shootout against Providence on Feb. 19, but that was a Rentschler Field in East Hartford in the Harvest-Properties.com Whale Bowl.

WHALE, FALCONS MEET AGAIN SATURDAY IN SPRINGFIELD

The Whale and Falcons have a rematch Saturday at 7 p.m. at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, where the Falcons are 15-14-1-1 but have won five of their last six starts.

The Whale then travel to Worcester on Sunday for a 3 p.m. game against the Sharks (27-21-3-8), who snapped a three-game winless skid with a 5-2 victory over the Atlantic Division-leading Manchester Monarchs on Sunday before losing 6-2 to the Portland Pirates on Tuesday night. The Whale is 3-1-0-1 against the Sharks this season and has a victory and a shootout loss in their previous two visits to the DCU Center.

The Sharks, who start a four-game homestand against Manchester on Friday night, are led by All-Star right wing Jonathan Cheechoo (18 goals, 29 assists), who scored 56 goals for the San Jose Sharks in the 2005-06 season. Other leading scorers are center Michael Swift (17, 16), left wing T.J. Trevelyan (14, 18), defenseman Sean Sullivan (12, 17), right wing Dan DaSilva (12, 17) and center Andrew Desjardins (11, 16). No. 1 goalie Alex Stalock (19-17-4, 2.63 goals-against average, .907 save percentage, no shutouts) has been lost for the season with nerve damage in his lacerated left leg that required surgery, but Daren Machesney (1-2-1, 3.06, .889, one shutout) and Tyson Sexsmith (1-1-1, 3.25, .910) have held their own.

WHALE 3, FALCONS 2

Springfield       0 1 1 – 2
Connecticut     0 0 3 – 3

First period: No scoring.Penalties-Dupont Ct (kneeing), 1:41; Kana Spr (tripping), 4:59; Neuber Spr (interference), 14:58.

Second period: 1, Springfield, Regner 5 (Kubalik, Kana), 6:47 (PP). Penalties-Neuber Spr (fighting), 2:20; Soryal Ct (fighting), 2:20; Mitchell Ct (holding), 6:02; Imbeault Ct (tripping), 7:52; Mitchell Ct (hooking), 13:05.

Third period: 2, Connecticut, Bickel 1 (Mitchell, Grachev), 4:24. 3, Connecticut, Weise 12 (Dupont), 14:17. 4, Springfield, Kubalik 20 (Savard, Wilson), 19:18 (PP). 5, Connecticut, Mitchell 2 (Valentenko, Bickel), 19:52. Penalty-Weise Ct (high-sticking), 18:52.
Shots on goal: Springfield 7-5-9-21. Connecticut 3-5-15-23; Power-play opportunities-Springfield 2 of 5; Connecticut 0 of 2; Goalies-Springfield, LeNeveu 16-14-2 (23 shots-20 saves). Connecticut, Grumet-Morris 5-3-1 (21 shots-19 saves); A-3,071; Referees-Chris Brown (86), Terry Koharski (10); Linesmen-Derek Wahl (46), Kevin Redding (16)

By Bruce Berlet

HARTFORD, Conn. – Ken Gernander had been all through the routine nearly 13 years ago, but that didn’t make it any easier.

In fact, in some ways, it was harder.

Gernander missed the first two games in his four-year Hartford Wolf Pack/Connecticut Whale head coaching career last week because of blood clots in his legs and lungs.

“It’s not scary, but it’s dangerous,” Gernander said after the Whale’s morning skate for Wednesday night’s game against the Springfield Falcons at the XL Center. “There wasn’t a moment where it happened. I think it’s been happening for some time.”

Gernander, who returned behind the bench for the first time since a 2-1 overtime victory at Portland on Feb. 21, should know about dangerous. He sustained a pulmonary embolism in the Calder Cup playoff conference finals in 1998, the end of the Wolf Pack’s first season. After the Wolf Pack and Saint John Flames split the first two games in Saint John, New Brunswick, Gernander was hospitalized. The Flames swept the three games at the then Hartford Civic Center to advance to the Calder Cup finals, where they lost to the Philadelphia Phantoms in six games.

Gernander said he felt similar symptoms after the Whale’s morning skate Thursday in Charlotte, N.C. He checked into a local hospital that afternoon and didn’t leave town until Monday, a day after the team flew home, but watched 5-1 and 1-0 losses to the Charlotte Checkers on a computer.

“I thought we played better the second night, obviously,” Gernander said. “We worked hard, but the offense was a little tough to come by, and when we did get chances, the goalie (Mike Murphy) was pretty darn good.”

Though the Whale’s playoff drive over the final 20 games was important, the health of the man who has been a player/captain, assistant coach or coach since the inception of the franchise in 1997 also was significant.

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“I notice more shortness of breath than I did the first time,” the 41-year-old Gernander said. “And the last time around I didn’t notice any swelling in my legs, and we didn’t find any evidence of any clotting, at least that we could identify.

“Last time I just thought it was an isolated incident, kind of a freak deal, but this time it seems like it’s something that I’m going to have to monitor regularly. But the symptoms are so vague that it’s hard to really get a handle on them. There’s a little swelling in my legs and shortness of breath, but they’re all pretty vague symptoms. You just have to know yourself. If there’s an abnormality, you have to be pretty conscientious.”

Gernander said the clots have to be dissolved by the body, and that could take 3-to-6 months. He has started to take Coumadin, a blood thinner, which he couldn’t take while he was playing.

Gernander’s voice continued to echo through an empty XL Center Wednesday morning during practice, but one of the things that he has to eliminate for now is his post-practice workout skates.

“When I went in (the hospital), things were very vague,” Gernander said. “It was like you’re just not quite yourself. I’m still not quite myself, don’t have the lung capacity that I normally do, but I’m feeling much better.”

The fans of the only Wolf Pack/Whale player to have his number retired (12) are feeling better now that Gernander is out of the hospital and back where he belongs.

MITCHELL JOINS, COUTURE REJOINS WHALE

One of Gernander’s first post-practice duties was a chalk talk session with the team’s two newest newcomers, center John Mitchell and right wing Derek Couture.

The parent New York Rangers acquired Mitchell on Monday from the Toronto Maple Leafs for a seventh-round pick in the 2012 NHL draft. The Whale signed the 26-year-old Couture to a professional tryout contract after he had eight goals, 11 assists and 76 penalty minutes in 25 games with the ECHL’s Victoria Salmon Kings. He had 11 goals, nine assists and 104 PIM in 67 games with the Wolf Pack last season after signing a PTO on Oct. 31, 2009.

“We were reluctant to bring (Couture) back at the start of the season because of his veteran status, but we don’t have that problem now,” Gernander said.

The 26-year-old Mitchell had two goals and one assist in 23 games with the Maple Leafs and one goal and four assists in 10 games with the Toronto Marlies this season. The Oakville, Ontario, native has 20 goals and 35 assists in 159 career games with the Maple Leafs, who selected him in the fifth round in 2003. The 6-foot-1, 204-pound Mitchell also has 42 goals and 67 assists in 215 AHL games with the St. John’s Maple Leafs/Marlies and played in Toronto with longtime friend and All-Star right wing Jeremy Williams, the Whale’s leading scorer.

Mitchell and Williams were in the same draft class in 2003, with Mitchell selected in the fifth round and Williams in the seventh by the Maple Leafs. They played together in prospects camps for three summers and joined the St. John’s Maple Leafs at the end of the 2003-04 season after completing their junior seasons with Plymouth of the Ontario Hockey League and Swift Current in the Western Hockey League, respectively.

They then spent time with the Marlies and Maple Leafs before Williams was in Mitchell’s wedding on Aug. 16, 2008. Mitchell will reciprocate in Williams’ wedding on Aug. 6.

Mitchell said he learned about his trade while watching TSN at home with his wife in Toronto. He had requested a deal and was still hopeful even after the 3 p.m. deadline passed.

“I was a little surprised because I literally had no idea it was going to happen, it came out of the blue,” Mitchell said. “My agent and I had asked for a trade because obviously the opportunities in Toronto weren’t happening for me. We were welcoming any opportunity to go somewhere else, but (the Maple Leafs) hadn’t talked to me.

“It went past 3 o’clock, but that’s usually when all the trades kind of filter in, and I was actually the first one (announced) after 3. When my wife and I heard it, we kind of looked at each other, and then 15 seconds later, I got a call from Dave Poulin, the assistant general manager in Toronto. Obviously the opportunity had arisen to get me out of there, and they took advantage of it.”

Mitchell’s playing time had diminished a bit the last few weeks, but he now helps fill a void left by the loss of Kris Newbury (recall to Rangers), Tim Kennedy (trade to Florida Panthers on Saturday) and injures to Todd White and Ryan Garlock.

Mitchell arrived in Hartford on Tuesday night and took a crash course in Whale hockey during and after the morning skate.

“Coach (Gernander) said I’d get plenty of ice time,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell also kills penalties and played with Newbury on the Marlies and Maple Leafs.

“They thought I was lonely,” Williams joked about being without Newbury the last few weeks.

GOALIES JOHNSON, TALBOT SWAP PLACES; GRUMET-MORRIS SIGNS AHL DEAL

Goalies Chad Johnson and Cam Talbot swapped places Wednesday, and Dov Grumet-Morris signed an AHL contract with the Whale.

Johnson joined the Rangers for the first time this season, while Talbot returned to Hartford after backing up Henrik Lundqvist in a 3-2 loss to Buffalo on Tuesday night.

Talbot was 8-3-2 with a 2.42 goals-against average and .919 save percentage with the Whale before missing 13 games with an injury and then doing a two-game conditioning stint with Greenville of the ECHL, where he was 1-0-1 with a 2.46 GAA. Talbot, who is in his first full pro season after playing collegiately at the University of Alabama-Huntsville, was called up after Martin Biron sustained a broken collarbone in practice on Monday that likely will sideline him for the remainder of the season. Talbot will now share goaltending duties with Grumet-Morris, who was on a second professional tryout contract after spending most of the season with Greenville of the ECHL before signing the AHL deal.

Before Wednesday night’s start, Grumet-Morris was 4-3-1 with a 2.16 GAA and .919 save percentage in 10 games with the Whale. In 24 games with Greenville, the sixth-year pro also was 15-8-1 with an ECHL-leading 2.32 GAA, second-best .922 save percentage and three shutouts, tied for the league lead.

The Harvard graduate was a fifth-round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers in 2002 and is 12-15-6 with a 2.50 GAA, .915 save percentage and four shutouts in 37 AHL games with six teams. He also is 46-19-5 with a 2.48 GAA, .915 save percentage and three shutouts in 72 ECHL games. Before this season, the 29-year-old Grumet-Morris played two seasons in Austria and Slovenia.

Johnson is 16-19-3 with a 2.72 GAA and .901 save percentage in 40 games with the Whale this season. He was 1-2-1 with a 2.35 GAA and .919 save percentage in five starts with the Rangers last season and is likely to remain on Broadway for the foreseeable future or the Blueshirts will have used up their four recalls after the Monday trade deadline except for defined injury emergency conditions. The Rangers used three recalls Monday by recalling defenseman Ryan McDonagh and forwards Newbury and Mats Zuccarello after they had been assigned to the Whale in paper transactions that would allow them to be eligible for the Calder Cup playoffs.

Johnson is expected to make his first Rangers start this season at Ottawa on Friday night. There is no NHL roster limit after the trade deadline, and the restriction on recalls expires with an AHL team’s final game, including the playoffs.

The AHL’s Clear Day deadline, when all 30 teams must submit their 22-man lists, is Monday at 3 p.m. Only those players listed on a Clear Day roster are eligible to play in the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs unless emergency conditions arise as a result of recall, injury or suspension. Teams also can add signed junior players or players on amateur tryout contracts, but only after their respective junior or college seasons are complete.

FORMER WOLF PACK MOORE MAKES FALCONS DEBUT

The Falcons also had a new face Wednesday night, former Wolf Pack captain Greg Moore, whom the Columbus Blue Jackets acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers/Adirondack Phantoms with center Michael Chaput on Monday for Tom Sestito, who had been on the Falcons’ No. 1 line with center Kyle Wilson and another Wolf Pack captain, left wing Dane Byers.

Moore had seven goals and 13 assists in 57 games with the Phantoms after not scoring in his first 32 games after being signed as a free agent in the offseason. His resurgence coincided with that of the Phantoms, who started the season 4-26-1-1 and remained last in the East Division until last week.

“Adirondack has played good hockey since Christmas, but it’s nice to come to a team that’s in the playoff hunt,” Moore told the Springfield Union-News. “When you get traded, it can be stressful at first, but the upside is, I get a fresh start with a new organization.”

Moore made an immediate impression on his new team as he won a shootout competition in his first practice with the Falcons on Tuesday. The Falcons hoped it was a good sign after losing two of their power forwards and key offensive cogs in Sestito and Byers, who was assigned to the San Antonio Rampage on Wednesday. Ironically, the Whale and Falcons, battling for the third and final guaranteed playoff spot in the Atlantic Division, have five meetings left this season, starting with a home-and-home set Wednesday night in Hartford and Saturday night at the MassMutual Center in Springfield.

“We lost a lot of bite (Sestito and Byers) going into Hartford, but we gained a solid guy in Moore,” Falcons coach Rob Riley told the Springfield Union-News.

The Falcons also added right wing Petr Kalus, whom the Blue Jackets acquired from the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday for future considerations and assigned him to Springfield. The 23-year-old Kalus has four goals and one assist in 11 NHL games with the Wild and Boston Bruins. He also has 39 goals, 40 assists and 312 penalty minutes in 203 AHL games, including six goals, two assists and 68 PIM in 34 games with the Houston Aeros last season. He didn’t arrive in Springfield until late Wednesday afternoon and will be available for the rematch Saturday.

Kyle Neuber returned from a lengthy stay on the disabled list and was paired with Moore and Michael Ratchuk. Theo Ruth also returned from injury to bolster the Falcons’ defensive corps.

As Gernander and the Whale have learned all season, things change quickly in the AHL.

“A couple of weeks ago, we had plenty of forwards and we were short on (defensemen),” Riley said. “Now it’s the other way around.”

DRURY LIKELY TO MISS REMAINDER OF REGULAR SEASON

The season to forget for Rangers captain and Trumbull native Chris Drury is apparently over.

Rangers president and general manager Glen Sather told New York reporters that he didn’t expect the 34-year-old Drury to return before the end of the regular season.

“That’s the biggest question mark (about our injured players),” Sather said. “I don’t think he will be back.”

Drury, who has no goals and four assists in 23 games, had missed a total of 20 in the past eight seasons. After sitting out 31 of the first 32 games with a twice-broken finger, Drury underwent surgery on his troublesome left knee earlier this month.

The Rangers initially said Drury would miss about six weeks, putting him on track to return in late March. But this latest setback shouldn’t come as a surprise in a season in which the Rangers have had a staggering 246 man-games lost to injury with five weeks still left in the regular season, compared to 78 last season. But it is a sad occurrence for a classy guy who suffered through the season from hell. Here’s hoping his teammates can squeeze out a playoff spot and give Drury a final shot to salvage something from 2010-11.

JERSEY AUCTION TO BENEFIT MARCH OF DIMES

March 12 could be a hat trick of pleasure and benefit for Whale fans.

They not only can watch their favorites at the XL Center in a key Atlantic Division game against Worcester, but they also can win players’ jerseys and help a great cause at the same time.

During the game, fans can bid on jerseys on display throughout the evening. Winners will be announced at the end of the game and invited on the ice to receive their jersey, meet the players and have photos taken. Proceeds will benefit the March of Dimes, which works to help develop stronger, healthier babies. The auction has raised nearly $20,000 in the first two years.

“The annual jersey auction has been a great event for our March of Dimes family and the hockey community,” said Deb Poudrier, executive director of the March of Dimes Greater Hartford Division. “The Whale organization has been an incredible supporter of the March of Dimes, not only with the jersey auction but as a March for Babies sponsor and team as well. They truly are a great community partner.”

The March of Dimes is the leading non-profit organization for pregnancy and baby health. With chapters nationwide, the March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. Visit www.marchofdimes.com or www.nacersano.org for the latest resources and information.

HOCKEY MINISTRIES NIGHT AT WHALE GAME

Hockey Ministries International Northeast is sponsoring 2011 Faith & Family Night at the Whale’s game against the Charlotte Checkers on March 25. Upper bowl seats are $10, and Scarlet Fade will perform a postgame concert. Group tickets should be ordered by Monday.

To order tickets, contact AHL Chapel Coordinator Rick Mitera at 860-817-6440 or rmitera@hockeyministries.org. When someone buys a ticket through Hockey Ministries, they receive a $2 coupon for parking. For more information on Hockey Ministries, visit www.hockeyministriesnortheast.org.

WHALE TO HONOR HOWE FAMILY ON MARCH 26

The Whale will host “Howe Family Night” at the XL Center on March 26 against the Sound Tigers. The No. 9 of “Mr. Hockey,” one of seven numbers in the XL Center rafters, will be lowered and then raised and re-retired as he and his sons, Mark and Marty, whom he played with for seven seasons in Houston and Hartford, look on. The matriarch of the family, Colleen Howe, who died in 2009, will be honored.

“That old (jersey) is a little worn,” Baldwin Jr. said. “I think we’ll have a big crowd. I love Ronnie Francis (the only Hall of Famer to play mostly with the Whalers), but Gordie is the one who put the team on the map. He needs to have the respect of the people coming out to see him, and it’ll be a great opportunity for it.”

Howe’s No. 9 is in the rafters with the Whalers’ No. 2 (Rick Ley), 5 (Ulf Samuelsson), 10 (Ron Francis), 11 (Dineen) and 19 (John McKenzie). Gernander’s No. 12 is the only number to be retired in the 14-year history of the AHL team.

The Howes played together for the first time with the Houston Aeros in 1973 before coming to Hartford and signing with the World Hockey Association’s New England Whalers in 1977. Howe ended his legendary 32-year career in the Whalers’ first NHL season (1979-80), when he had 15 goals and 26 assists and was named a NHL All-Star for the 23^rd time while helping the Whalers make the playoffs at 52 years old.

Fans who did not attend the Whale’s game against Providence at Rentschler Field in East Hartford because of the weather can redeem their tickets for one to “Howe Family Night” or another game of their choice. If fans want to redeem a ticket, they should contact Baldwin at hlb@whalerssports.com.

New York, March 2, 2011 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that goaltender Chad Johnson has been recalled from the Connecticut Whale of the American Hockey League (AHL), while goaltender Cam Talbot has been assigned to Connecticut.

Johnson, 24, has posted a 16-19-3 record with a 2.72 goals against average, a .901 save percentage and two shutouts in 40 games with Connecticut this season, including a 13-8-3 mark in his last 24 decisions.  He leads the Whale in wins and is tied for the team lead in shutouts, and ranks seventh in the AHL in minutes played (2,271).  Johnson has won two of his last four decisions, stopping 43 of 46 shots for a .935 save percentage in those contests.  He also recorded a 10-2-2 mark in a 14 game stretch from November 19 at Springfield to January 5 at Worcester, posting a 2.01 goals against average, a .918 save percentage and two shutouts over the span.

Last season, Johnson made his NHL debut with the Rangers on December 30, 2009 vs. Philadelphia, entering the contest at the start of the second period and stopping 17 of 20 shots in a no decision.  He recorded his first NHL win while starting in consecutive games for the first time in his NHL career, in a 3-1 win at Colorado on January 31, 2010.  Johnson also registered an assist in his first career start on January 7, 2010 at Atlanta, becoming the first goalie since Alex Auld on January 23, 2002 to accomplish the feat.

The Calgary, Alberta native was acquired by the Rangers on June 27, 2009, from Pittsburgh in exchange for a fifth round draft pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft (Andy Bathgate).  He was originally selected as Pittsburgh’s fifth round choice, 125th overall, in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

Talbot, 23, dressed as Henrik Lundqvist’s backup in last night’s contest vs. Buffalo, following his recall from Greenville (ECHL) on Monday.  He returns to Connecticut (AHL) where he has posted a record of 8-3-2 with a 2.42 goals against average, a .919 save percentage and two shutouts in 13 games this season.  He was 7-1-1 with a 2.40 goals against average, a .916 save percentage and one shutout in nine games prior to suffering an ankle sprain on January 16 vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.  Talbot earned his first professional win with a 41-save shutout at Providence in his season debut on October 17.  He has also posted a 1-0-1-0 record with a 2.46 goals against average and a .921 save percentage in two appearances with Greenville this season.

The Caledonia, Ontario native originally signed with the Rangers as a free agent on March 30, 2010.

HARTFORD, March 2, 2011:  Connecticut Whale general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that the team has signed goaltender Dov Grumet-Morris to an American Hockey League contract.

Grumet-Morris, who had been under a Professional Tryout (PTO) with the Whale, has played 10 games in the Connecticut net this season, going 4-3-1 with a 2.16 goals-against average and a 91.9% save percentage.  The sixth-year pro has also appeared in 24 ECHL games this season with the Greenville Road Warriors, and carries the top GAA in the league at 2.32.  Grumet-Morris is also tied for the ECHL lead in shutouts with three, and his save percentage of 92.2 ranks second in the league.

Grumet-Morris, originally a fifth-round draft pick (161^st overall) by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2002 NHL Draft out of Harvard University, has 37 career games of AHL experience with the San Antonio Rampage, Portland Pirates, Hamilton Bulldogs, Manitoba Moose, Milwaukee Admirals and Whale, with a record of 12-15-6, a 2.50 GAA, a 91.5% save percentage and four shutouts.  In 72 career ECHL games, the 6-2, 205-pound Evanston, IL native has a record of 46-19-5, a 2.48 GAA, 91.5% save percentage and three shutouts.

Prior to this season, the 29-year-old Grumet-Morris spent the previous two campaigns in Europe, playing in Austria and Slovenia.

The Whale are back in action tonight, as they return to the XL Center to host the Springfield Falcons in a 7:00 PM game.  There will be a “Harvest-Properties.com Whale Bowl Appreciation Night” promotion for that game, as Harvest-Properties.com Whale Bowl ticket purchasers who present their Harvest-Properties.com Whale Bowl ticket stub at the XL Center ticket office can purchase one $19 or $12 ticket for the March 2 game, and receive a second of equal or lesser value free.  On top of that, the Whale will add a coupon for 15% off all Harvest-Properties.com Whale Bowl merchandise.  The coupon is redeemable at the Whale Pro Shop, which is located in the Hartford Store at 45 Pratt St. in downtown Hartford and is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 AM to 4:30 PM.  The coupon is good only for Harvest-Properties.com Whale Bowl merchandise.

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.