By Bruce Berlet

When forwards Ryan Callahan and Vinny Prospal return from long-term injuries in the next few weeks, New York Rangers management will have some interesting decisions to make.

And as Rangers coach John Tortorella said after a stirring 2-1 overtime victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday night, much can be traced to the work of Connecticut Whale coach Ken Gernander and assistants J.J. Daigneault and Pat Boller.

After the worst start in the franchise’s 14-year history, the Whale (19-13-2-5) has made an about-face with points in 16 of their last 18 games (13-2-0-3) to vault from last place to second in the Atlantic Division. And Gernander & Co. has accomplished the latter part of that feat despite losing wings Mats Zuccarello and Dale Weise to call-ups to the Rangers.

But goalie Chad Johnson and forwards Evgeny Grachev, Tim Kennedy and Brodie Dupont have picked up their games, youthful defensemen such as Ryan McDonagh (now on recall in New York), Tomas Kundratek, Pavel Valentenko and Jyri Niemi have matured before everyone’s eyes, newcomers Chad Kolarik, Stu Bickel and more recently Todd White and tryout Jason Williams have helped in all areas, feisty Devin DiDiomete, Justin Soryal and Jared Nightingale have provided plenty of protection against overzealous opposition and veterans Wade Redden, Kris Newbury and Jeremy Williams have been guiding lights on and off the ice. Redden proved that again Wednesday night when despite being sidelined with an injury, he drove to Worcester to watch and then congratulate his teammates after a 2-0 victory over the Sharks.

Redden and everyone else saw an overall worthwhile minor-league debut for new defenseman Michael Del Zotto, the Rangers’ No. 1 pick in 2008 who used his speed to get involved in plays, quarterbacked the No. 1 power-play unit and set up Kennedy’s goal with 5:38 left that broke a scoreless tie and led to the Whale’s fifth victory in six starts and fourth shutout this season.

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Grachev continued his more involved play since being added to the list of penalty killers that was epitomized Wednesday night by the use of his size and speed to score his first shorthanded goal and clinch the win.

So for now, Gernander, Daigneault and Boller have to continue to develop the increased youth in the Rangers’ system, something Tortorella commended Wednesday night after Zuccarello roofed a bad-angle shot for his first NHL goal 3:09 into overtime to give the Rangers their victory. The winner was set up by a brilliant rink-length rush and shot by former Hartford Wolf Pack forward Brandon Dubinsky, who has had an All-Star season and is Case I of the young Hartford graduates such as alternate captain Callahan, another All-Star candidate if not for a broken hand that will sideline him for another month, Marc Staal, Dan Girardi, Artem Anisimov, Dale Weise and Matt Gilroy, who benefitted from five games and 10 days on Asylum Street 13 months ago and scored the first goal Wednesday night off assists from Zuccarello and Dubinsky.

“All our young kids are maturing,” Tortorella told the media after the playoff-like game Wednesday night. “I think when you bring up a young kid like Zuccarello and players like that who’ve come up here I think the American League coaches have done a pretty good job in their conditioning first of all. I think they’re in really good shape, and it’s been as seamless as it could be as far as call-ups coming in here. That American League job is an important job when you’re trying to develop a group and go with your youth, and I think they’ve done a terrific job.”

Especially with the 5-foot-7, 170-pound Zuccarello, the “Norwegian Hobbit”, who took a few weeks to get acclimated to more physical play and smaller rinks in North America, getting 23 points in 21 games after having only two in first 12 games. His recent play has shown why he was the leading scorer and voted MVP by the players in the Swedish Elite League last season and led to the Rangers signing him to a bonus-laden, two-year $3.5 million contract.

“What can you say? It’s nothing other than unbelievable,” Zuccarello told the New York media after his game-winner, which ended a possible three-game losing streak and drew a triple Tiger Woods fist pump. “I actually scored a couple of those back in Norway. I try to get it high, and the goalies go down. It’s just a great feeling to watch the puck go in. I just saw the puck went in, and it’s an unbelievable rush hearing the fans cheer and seeing my teammates be happy.

“Me being able to secure a win like this for the team is just an unbelievable feeling. I haven’t been here that long (six games), so scoring a goal for me is just a great feeling. … I have been this way for 23 years. I’ve had a long time to practice being small. So I don’t know what to say. I don’t know how it is to be big, so I just have to use being small to my advantage.”

Zuccarello certainly did Wednesday night and then disappeared into a pile of teammates who poured off the bench to engulf a guy who really impressed Tortorella on one important front.

“Good for him,” Tortorella said. “And you know what I liked? I liked, and I like looking at these things on tape, it wasn’t an individual celebration. He got excited, and then he looked right to the bench. He’s a really likeable kid. I don’t know where it all settles here as we get through, but good for him. It must be exciting for him. … He’s a confident kid. He understands, he asks the right questions, he understands, minds his own business and goes about it, and is learning to be a pro in North America here. I don’t think he lacks confidence. Creative people need that. But he should feel good about it. Obviously, it’s a big two points for us, and a big goal for him.”

Zuccarello said he got lucky on the winner, but not Dubinsky.

“Zucs is the kind of guy who’s going to get dirty, get in there and find pucks,” Dubinsky said. “He gets in there, finds a puck and puts it right underneath the bar. You can’t say enough about it. That’s a heckuva shot. He’s got so much talent and ability. If he keeps his legs moving the way he has the last few game, he’s gonna be really special for us.

“The best part about him is he’s always asking questions, he just wants to learn and he’s soaking it all up, making the right plays and doing the right things out there. Nobody ever questioned his talent. That’s an NHL goal for sure, a heck of a shot there.”

Yes, the diminutive Zuccarello was plenty big on one of sports’ biggest stages, sold-old and rocking Madison Square Garden, and he has helped get the Rangers faithful a bit giddy as their favorites reached the midway point of the season 23-15-3 and in seventh place in the Eastern Conference. That hardly would have seemed possible with long-term injuries to Callahan, Prospal, who has yet to play a game after offseason knee surgery, sniper Marian Gaborik and captain/center and Trumbull native Chris Drury.

But others such as rookie center Derek Stepan, Brian Boyle, Brandon Prust, Steve Eminger and tryout signee Ruslan Fedotenko have stepped up, and the Rangers have had to alter their style to be more of a grind-it-out bunch, which they have achieved most nights. Of course, there’s goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who can cover up a multitude of hockey sins with a flick of a pad or glove.

Defenseman Ryan McDonagh, promoted from the Whale on Monday in a switch with Del Zotto to allow the Rangers brass to assess the 21-year-old rookie’s talents, might get a chance to be added to the growing list of Hartford graduates to play for the Blueshirts on Friday in Dallas or Saturday in St. Louis after Michal Rozsival pulled a muscle near his rib cage and missed the final 11:33 of regulation and overtime Wednesday night. So while his former teammates were bussing from Worcester to Norfolk, Va., McDonagh was flying west with his new team.

Meanwhile, Callahan was cleared by doctors Wednesday night to begin light skating on his own, which he will begin Sunday at the team’s practice facility in Greenburgh, N.Y. The rink is being outfitted with an 85^th anniversary logo, so Callahan will be the first to see it and skate on it. But the Rangers want Callahan back in the lineup ASAP because he has symbolized their new look with his hard-charging style that Hartford fans got to see and appreciate before his promotion and selection the U.S. Olympic team last year.

The Rangers again displayed their gritty ways Wednesday and got their biggest lift from their smallest piece.

“Our meetings focused on playing the right way, and when you do that the way we did, you want to be rewarded for it,” Drury said. “I think it was really important for us to come out with the win after we accomplished pretty much everything we talked about.”

The Whale could say much of the same Wednesday night and hope to continue their climb on the road for three more games.

“It was a good first road game with what’s ahead of us,” Kennedy said. “We weathered the storm early, came on hard in the second when we could have had a few (goals) and then got it done in the third. That’s how you have to win some games on the road. They all don’t have to be pretty.”

PIT STOP ON THE WAY TO NORFOLK

After beating the Sharks, the Whale set off for Norfolk, Va., with a pit stop in Voorhees, N.J., to sleep and then practice Thursday at Flyers Skate Zone where the Philadelphia Flyers work out. They reach the midpoint of their season Friday night.

The Whale may face another hot goalie in rookie Cedrick Desjardins, who made 34 saves in leading the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 2-1 overtime victory over the Rangers on Sunday in his second consecutive NHL start. He had a shutout until Gaborik scored a sixth-attacker goal with 45.6 seconds left in regulation, then former Providence Bruins center Nate Thompson ended it just 19 seconds into overtime.

But Desjardins, recalled from Norfolk on Dec. 20, was sent back to the Admirals after the game, when it was announced the Lightning had acquired 41-year-old veteran Dwayne Roloson from the New York Islanders. Desjardins returned to the AHL after allowing only two goals in his first two NHL games, having made 27 saves in a 4-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Dec. 30.

The Admirals won the teams’ first meeting 5-1 on Oct. 20, tying the Whale’s worst loss of the season at home. The Admirals are 0-3-1-1 in their last five games but still nine games above .500 (18-9-6-2) and third in the East Division, one point behind Charlotte but only one ahead of Hershey.

Center Marc-Antoine Pouliot, the Edmonton Oilers’ first-round pick (22^nd overall) in 2003 and a veteran of 179 NHL games, leads the Admirals’ balanced attack with nine goals and 19 assists in 26 games. He’s followed closely by centers James Wright (10, 16) and Paul Szczechura (9, 17), left wing Johan Harju (14, 11), center Blair Jones (9, 16) and wings Matt Fornataro (10, 14), Chris Durno (10, 13) and Mike Angelidis (11, 10). Desjardins is 12-5-1 with a 2.63 GAA, .900 save percentage and one shutout.

The Whale was 1-0-1-0 in two visits to Norfolk last season. The Admirals have won only five of the 13 home games this season but have at least a point in 11 of them (5-2-4-2).

The Whale won’t debut their new blue road jerseys until the end of their four-game road trip Jan. 14 at Portland. The new jerseys are available for purchase at the XL Center or The Hartford Store, 45 Pratt Street in Hartford. Prices, including sales tax, are $289 (authentic), $125 (senior replica) and $99 (junior replica).

The Whale returns to the XL Center on Jan. 15 to face Providence, the start of a three-game homestand that will include former Boston Bruins standouts Rick Middleton and Reggie Lemelin signing autographs in the atrium from 6-7 p.m. and then dropping the ceremonial first puck. Middleton, who played 12 seasons with the Bruins after two with the Rangers, and Lemelin will also be playing with the Bruins legends team that will face the Hartford Whalers legends Feb. 19 at 4 p.m. before the Whale plays the P-Bruins as part of the “Harvest-Properties.com Whalers Hockey Fest” at Rentschler Field in East Hartford on Feb. 11-23. Early commitments for the Whalers team include Jordy Douglas, Ray Neufeld and Gordie Roberts. Tickets ($20 to $85) for the Legends Game and Whale-Bruins game can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com and the Bushnell box office in Hartford on Monday through Friday from noon to 5 p.m. or by calling the Whale at 860-728-3366. They also can be purchased online and printed immediately at Ticketmaster.com.

The homestand also will include visits from league-leading Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (Jan. 16) and Hamilton (Jan. 21), which is a special Family Value Night at which New Britain Rock Cats mascot Rocky will be on hand. There will be a giveaway, a table setup and autograph session, and the New Britain High School marching band will perform the national anthem and during the first intermission. Tickets in the lower level are $16 and include a soda and pizza slice or hot dog. Visit www.ctwhale.com.

DISCOUNTED TICKETS FOR WHALE FANS

Whalers Sports and Entertainment, in association with the XL Center, is offering a discount for “Disney On Ice” shows this week to Whale fans. For discounted tickets, use the discount code WHALES and save $4. Discounted tickets start at $11 for shows Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday at 4:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the XL Center box office, online at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-745-3000. For groups of 15 or more, contact the XL Center group sales office at 860-548-2000.

… Whale mascots Pucky and Sonar will appear at the University of Hartford women’s basketball game against Albany on Saturday at 3 p.m. at the Reich Family Pavilion in West Hartford. It’s Father/Daughter Day as daughters get a free ticket when dad buys a $15 ticket in the lower level. Pucky and Sonar will have a dance-off at halftime with Howie the Hawk, the Hartford mascot. So come on out and root on coach Jennifer Rizzotti’s team and enjoy some time with Pucky and Sonar. Such appearances are an important part of the Whale being active in local communities through numerous fundraising projects and events. The Whale is happy to assist fundraising efforts by donating tickets or autographed items to qualified non-profit organizations. Visit the “Donation Requests” page under the community section at www.ctwhale.com for more information and to download a donation application form. Pucky, Sonar, players, coaches and front office staff are available upon request for community events and speaking engagements. Check out the “Community Events” and “Speakers Bureau” sections for more information. To learn more about the Whale’s community initiatives and how your organization can become involved, contact the Connecticut Whale Community Relations Department at 860-728-3366.

… WS&E chairman and CEO Howard Baldwin will be the guest speaker at the East Hartford Chamber of Commerce breakfast series sponsored by AT&T Connecticut Tuesday at 8 a.m. at the Sheraton Hartford Hotel on East River Drive in East Hartford. Baldwin will speak about his efforts to revive the local hockey market in Hartford, the Whalers Hockey Fest 2011 at Rentschler Field in East Hartford on Feb. 11-23 and other economic development opportunities.

“I am very excited to have a man of Howard Baldwin’s experience, energy and commitment to Connecticut and the Hartford area speaking at our Chamber event,” Chamber president Ron Pugliese said. “I invite anyone who has the desire to see the Hartford area grow and prosper economically to join us on January 11.” … Howard Baldwin Jr., the new president and COO of WS&E, has a new Twitter account accessible to Whale fans at howardbaldwinjr.

… Former Wolf Pack defenseman Terry Virtue and Hartford Whalers wing Scott Young will be among the first six inductees into the Worcester Hockey Hall of Fame on Jan. 22 at the DCU Center in Worcester. It’s “Salute to the IceCats” Night, a tribute to the AHL franchise that preceded the Sharks, and other inductees will be Kelly O’Leary, Eddie Bates, Larz Anderson and Marvin Degon Sr., father of former Wolf Pack defenseman Martin Degon.

… The Whale’s eighth Tip-A-Player Dinner and Sports Carnival, presented by Aetna, will be Jan. 23 at the XL Center from 4-7 p.m. Tickets are $30 for adults and $20 for children, and proceeds benefit Gaylord Specialty Healthcare at Gaylord Hospital in Wallingford. For more information, contact Lori Leniart at 860-728-3366.

DESHARNAIS, JONES AND LACK NAMED AHL’S BEST IN DECEMBER

Hamilton Bulldogs center David Desharnais, Manchester Monarchs goalie Martin Jones and Manitoba Moose goalie Eddie Lack were named Reebok/AHL Player, Rookie and Goaltender of the Month for December.

Desharnais had three goals and 17 assists in 14 games in leading the Bulldogs into the North Division lead. He got at least a point in 12 of 14 games to take over the AHL scoring lead (10 assists, 35 assists in 35 games) before being recalled by the Montreal Canadiens on Dec. 31.

The Whale nominated Newbury, who had three goals and 13 assists in 12 games, going without a point in only two games. Other nominees included Bridgeport Sound Tigers center Jeremy Colliton, former Rangers and Wolf Pack wing Petr Prucha (San Antonio), former Wolf Pack forwards Corey Locke (Binghamton), Patrick Rissmiller (Lake Erie) and Jeff Taffe (Rockford) and former Wolf Pack defenseman Corey Potter (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton).

Jones was 7-1-0 with a 1.99 goals-against average and .935 save percentage in nine appearances to help the Monarchs maintain first place in the Atlantic Division. Jones, who turns 21 on Friday, started 2011 with two wins, including a 39-save performance in a 3-0 victory over the Whale on Sunday. He is 13-2-0 and second in the AHL in GAA (1.60) and save percentage (.948).

The Whale nominated Zuccarello, who had four goals and five assists in nine games before being called up for the first time. Other nominees included Sound Tigers right wing Rhett Rakhshani.

Lack was 7-2-0 with a 1.99 GAA and .935 save percentage in leading the Moose from fifth place to second in the North Division. He finished the month with six consecutive victories, stopping 170 of 178 shots over the second half of the month and made 20 saves in his first career AHL shutout against Houston. In his first season in North America, Lack is 13-7-2 with a 1.98 GAA and .930 save percentage in 22 games. Lack, who turns 23 on Wednesday, is a native of Norrtalje, Sweden, played last season for Brynas IF in the Swedish Elite League and signed as a free agent with Vancouver on April 6.

The Whale nominated Johnson, who was 6-1-1 in eight games. Other nominees included Jones and the Sound Tigers’ Kevin Poulin.

ALL-STAR VOTING ENDS SUNDAY

On-line fan voting for the AHL All-Star Classic Jan. 30-31 at the Giant Center in Hershey, Pa., runs through midnight Sunday at theahl.com and facebook.com/theahl. Players receiving the most votes by position will earn berths in the starting lineups of the Eastern Conference and Western Conference teams. A committee of AHL coaches will select the remaining All-Stars, and all 30 clubs must be represented. By completing the official ballot, fans are entered to win a grand prize of a team-signed All-Star jersey. Ten more winners will receive an official All-Star Classic T-shirt.

The Hall of Fame Class of 2011, to be inducted Jan. 30 at 11 a.m., is Mitch Lamoureux, Larry Wilson and the late Harry Pidhirny and Maurice Podoloff, who grew up in New Haven and graduated from Yale. AHL Hall of Famer Bruce Boudreau, former coach of the Hershey Bears and now coach of the Washington Capitals, will be the keynote speaker, and AHL graduate and 2008 Foster Hewitt Award winner Mike Emrick will be master of ceremonies. … Wilkes-Barre/Scranton coach John Hynes has earned a spot as one of the co-coaches of the Western Conference All-Star team. He officially clinched the honor Saturday night when the Penguins locked up the best points percentage in the Eastern Conference as of the pre-determined deadline of this Sunday. Wilkes-Barre is 27-8-0-0 (.771) and No. 1 in the AHL. Hynes is in his first season as Penguins coach after spending one year as the assistant to Todd Reirden. The coach whose team has the best points percentage in the Western Conference on Sunday will join Hynes. That race is led by Peoria’s Jared Bednar (.681), followed by Texas’ Glen Gulutzan (.639) and San Antonio’s Ray Edwards (.635). By virtue of Hershey winning the 2010 Calder Cup championship, Bears coach Mark French and assistant Troy Mann will guide the Eastern Conference All-Stars. … Former Whalers wing Alexandre Giroux (129 points), Keith Aucoin (122), Desharnais (119), Jerome Samson (95) and Andrew Gordon (90) were the AHL’s top five scorers in the regular season and playoffs during calendar year 2010. … Greenville Road Warriors coach Dean Stork was named coach of the ECHL team that will play the Bakersfield Condors in the ECHL All-Star Classic on Jan. 26 in Bakersfield, Calif. Stork was chosen because Greenville had the ECHL’s best winning percentage as of Jan. 1 (.750, 23-7-2). Stork will coach the All-Stars with Las Vegas Wranglers coach Ryan Mougenel in his first appearance as a player or coach. The Road Warriors are affiliated with the Rangers and Flyers. … Greenville’s Dov Grumet-Morris was named ECHL Goalie of the Month for December, when he was 9-2-1 with a 1.56 GAA, .942 save percentage and two shutouts in 12 games, leading the Road Warriors to the best record in the league (23-7-2). Grumet-Morris, who played two games with the Whale earlier in the season, allowed two or fewer goals in 10 games and now leads the ECHL in wins (15) and GAA (1.93) and is second in save percentage (.933).

By Bruce Berlet

WORCESTER, Mass. – The Connecticut Whale’s 2-0 victory over the Worcester Sharks had several special features Wednesday night.

Tim Kennedy broke a scoreless tie on a power play with 5:38 left off a brilliant goalmouth pass by Michael Del Zotto, making his minor-league debut after being assigned by the New York Rangers on Monday.

Then with the Sharks pressing for the tying goal on a power play, Kennedy lifted a clearing into center ice, where Evgeny Grachev outraced and outmuscled Matt Irwin to and puck and chipped it through Alex Stalock’s legs for his first professional shorthanded goal with 2:47 to go.

Chad Johnson then capped off the delightful start to a four-game road trip with two of his 27 saves to register a second shutout in his last five starts as the Whale (19-13-2-5) won their fifth game in six starts and have points in 16 of their last 18 games (13-2-0-3). The Whale is 3-1-0-1 in five games against the Sharks (17-13-2-4), but this was the first win in regulation and the only game of the five with Worcester decided by more than one goal.

“There was momentum back and forth the whole game and guys did a good job blocking a lot of shots and let me see the shots when there were chances,” Johnson said. “They have a lot of good players so you have to be ready because they’ll fire pucks from different angles.

“It was hard for us to get good quality chances because they’re so structured the way they play. So you don’t have a lot of opportunities, so you kind of have to make the best of it. It was a tight game, so it was a good win overall.”

It appeared the teams were headed to fourth overtime game when the Whale finally converted on their fifth power play after barely setting up in the Worcester zone on two man advantages early in the third period.

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Stalock made diving save on Kennedy’s jam attempt on the second power play 3:08 into the third period, but he was helpless on the winner, the culmination of a terrific three-way play. Brodie Dupont did an excellent job getting the puck to Del Zotto in the right circle, and the 20-year-old defenseman took two strides and threw a pass to the goalmouth that Kennedy redirected into the open side of the net.

“Doobs made an unbelievable pass on his backhand, and once it came to me I knew everyone was pressuring outside,” Del Zotto said. “I took a look out of the corner of my eye first thing and saw (Kennedy) going to the net. We both kind of locked eyes, and he knew what was going on, but it all started with a great play by Dupont posting up (inside the blueline), drawing everyone and throwing the cross-ice pass. It was a great play overall.”

Kennedy concurred.

“When Brodie stopped up, I kept going down the wall and (Del Zotto) saw me coming across, and we saw each other,” Kennedy said. “I called for the puck, and he put it right on my tape. The puck kind of got tipped (by a Sharks defenseman), but it still a great pass by him and it was an open-net goal. That goal was pretty easy.

“It was a good first road game for us with what what’s ahead of us,” Kennedy added, alluding to a five-hour, after-game bus ride to Voorhees, NJ, the halfway point to Norfolk, Va., where the Whale plays Friday and Saturday night. “We weathered the storm early, came on hard in the second when we could have had a few and then got it done in the third. That’s how you have to win some games on the road. They all don’t have to be pretty.”

But Grachev gave the Whale some vital insurance with one of the prettiest goals of the season as he used his size (6-foot-4, 222 pounds) and speed to score in his sixth game since starting to help kill penalties.

“I saw one guy (Justin Braun) trying to hold the blueline and the second (Irwin) going for me,” Grachev said. “So I just protected the puck, and he (Stalock) probably thought I was going to go high, so I decided to try to smash it in low and it went in. I was lucky.”

Despite missing five injured players, including Whale killer T.J. Trevelyan, and having five players on tryout contracts in the lineup, the Sharks dominated the first 12 minutes with a dump-and-chase approach that helped produce six of the first seven shots. But Johnson made excellent stops on Andrew Desjardins off a Tomas Kundratek turnover at 48 seconds, turned aside Nick Schaus’ point shot through a screen at 1:42 and stopped Desjardins breaking in alone off the right wing at 8:11.

The Whale’s first quality chance didn’t come until Stalock (19 saves) denied Todd White’s shot from 30 feet in the slot off a 3-on-2 at 9:31. Johnson then stopped James Marcou off left wing with 4:37 left in the first period before the Whale got the game’s first power play with only four seconds to go.

Del Zotto had two excellent long-range bids kicked out by Stalock, then moments after the power play ended, Stalock made a sprawling save on Grachev, set up by Jeremy Williams at 2:01.

Johnson made a sterling right-pad save on Tommy Wingels off the right wing with 7:32 left in the period, then got his left pad on Sean Sullivan’s excellent bid from the slot during a 4-on-4 with 4:58 to go. Grachev had another quality chance on a 30-foot shot through a partial screen with 2:32 left.

The Whale had two power plays early in the third period but rarely got set up in the Sharks’ zone except when Stalock had to make a diving save on Kennedy. On an ensuing Sharks power play, Johnson was alert to stop Dan DaSilva’s deflection through a screen at 6:02, then the teams sparred before the decisive late goals.

“They came hard at the start, but we kind of weathered the storm and got stronger as the game went on,” Whale coach Ken Gernander said. “We were kind of stubborn at the start and didn’t want to put pucks deep and go to forecheck. We were trying to throw things cross-ice, but once we got our legs under us, I thought we got better.”

And Gernander could sense the winning goal developing.

“You could see Kennedy going to the net, and that’s generally the case when you see a play developing,” Gernander said. “He’s looking to you to get it to you, and you’re looking for him to put his stick on the ice. It’s not surprising that they made eye contact.”

DEL ZOTTO GENERALLY SATISFIED WITH DEBUT

Del Zotto, a member of the NHL all-rookie team last season, was sent down and replaced on the Rangers’ roster by defenseman Ryan McDonagh, who didn’t play Wednesday night when former Whale wing Mats Zuccarello scored with 1:51 left in overtime to give the Rangers a 2-1 victory over the visiting Carolina Hurricanes. Zuccarello also assisted on the Rangers’ first goal by former Wolf Pack defenseman Matt Gilroy.

Del Zotto played alongside veteran Stu Bickel, acquired from the Anaheim Ducks and Syracuse Crunch for Nigel Williams on Nov. 23. Like the rest of his new teammates, Del Zotto got off to a sluggish start in only his second games in 21/2 weeks. But also like the rest of the Whale, his game picked up, especially during the first power play when he had two excellent scoring chances while manning the point on the No. 1 unit.

“Things are a little different here with a different style, so in the beginning I just wanted to keep myself in it, not get too aggressive and start going crazy,” Del Zotto said. “But once I got in it a little bit I felt a lot better. We have a great group of guys, and my partner Stu and I hit it off right away. We had a lot of talk out there and just took it from there.

“The power play had a lot of chances, especially the first one. Then we got one at the end, and it ended up being the game-winner, so that’s all we wanted and all that matters. No matter how you do it as long as you get the job done. They did a good job pressuring most of the night, but we took what they gave us and got the win.”

The Whale scratched right wing Chad Kolarik and defenseman Wade Redden due to injuries. Redden, who has a league-high 23 assists among defensemen, didn’t make the start of the trip to Norfolk, Va., when the Whale face the Admirals Friday and Saturday night. But again demonstrating his professionalism, Redden drove to the DCU Center to watch the game and was outside the locker room congratulating his teammates after the game. “I had to keep tabs on these guys,” Redden said.

The Whale headed after the game to Voorhees, NJ, where they were scheduled to stop early Thursday morning to sleep and then practice at noon at the Flyers Skate Zone where the Philadelphia Flyers work out before finishing their bus ride to Norfolk.

Redden and Kolarik were injured in a 6-2 victory over Providence on Saturday night and missed a 3-0 loss to Manchester on Sunday and the game Wednesday night. The Sharks scratched Joe Loprieno, Frazer McLaren, Tony Lucia, T.J. Trevelyan and Cam MacIntyre. But defenseman Justin Braun was back after getting one goal and eight assists in 14 games with the San Jose Sharks.

… McDonagh was excited about getting his first call-up but realized it might be awhile before he makes his NHL debut.

“You just gotta work hard in practice and do anything to help the team,” McDonagh told the New York media after his first practice Tuesday. “I’m ready to practice. Hopefully I get into a game down the road, but I’m just here to help this team.”

McDonagh, who was among the Rangers’ final cuts out of training camp, might not play soon because the Rangers have six defensemen they like – former Wolf Pack players Marc Staal, Dan Girardi, Michael Sauer and Matt Gilroy, Michal Rozsival and Mike Eminger. Del Zotto hadn’t played in four straight games before Sunday (a 3-0 loss to the Florida Panthers), having been a healthy scratch twice, while Gilroy is getting a chance to be a regular in the top six.

“He can skate like hell, but I have no assessment at all,” Rangers coach John Tortorella said of McDonagh, who had one goal and seven assists while playing in all 38 Whale games. “I can’t tell from practice. It gives us a chance to give a look at him. Whether he plays a game or not, I don’t know, but he is growing little by little.”

Rookie center Derek Stepan played with McDonagh for two seasons at the University of Wisconsin before leaving early after leading the Badgers to the 2010 NCAA championship game, where they lost 5-0 to Boston College and top Rangers prospect Chris Kreider. Stepan and McDonagh are longtime friends who have stayed in touch during the season.

“He is a stay-at-home defenseman,” Stepan said. “He’s a big strong man (6-foot-1, 222 pounds), and he’s gonna be physical and block shots. He’s gonna bring some toughness and do all the things he needs to stay here.”

… Former Wolf Pack defenseman Terry Virtue and Hartford Whalers wing Scott Young will be among the first six inductees into the Worcester Hockey Hall of Fame on Jan. 22 at the DCU Center in Worcester. It’s “Salute to the IceCats” Night, the name of the franchise that preceded the Sharks in Worcester, and other inductees will be Kelly O’Leary, Eddie Bates, Larz Anderson and Marvin Degon Sr., father of former Wolf Pack defenseman Martin Degon.

… Before Del Zotto played and McDonagh watched Wednesday night, three top Rangers prospects battled for the bronze medal in the World Junior Championships in Buffalo, N.Y.

Chris Kreider had two goals and Ryan Bourque an assist as Team USA beat Sweden 4-2 to win the bronze medal in the World Junior Championship in Buffalo, N.Y. It was the first U.S. team win back-to-back medals and first to win a medal on U.S. soil. Kreider, Team USA’s Player of the Game, and Bourque, the youngest son of Hockey Hall of Famer Ray Bourque, were also members of last year’s team that beat Canada to win the gold medal.

Jesper Fasth, another Rangers prospect, scored Sweden’s second goal to finish with four goals and two assists in six games, tying Kreider (four goals, two assists) for most points among Rangers draftees. The Rangers selected Kreider in the first round, Bourque in the third round and Fasth in the sixth round in 2009.

In the gold medal game, Russia scored five goals in the third period for a 5-3 victory over Canada, the biggest comeback in tournament history.

WHALE TO FACE ANOTHER HOT GOALIE

The Whale will face another hot goalie this week in Cedrick Desjardins, who made 34 saves in leading the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 2-1 overtime victory over the Rangers on Sunday in his second consecutive NHL start. He had a shutout until Marian Gaborik scored a sixth-attacker goal with 45.6 seconds left in regulation, then former Providence Bruins center Nate Thompson won it just 19 seconds into overtime.

But Desjardins, recalled from Norfolk on Dec. 20, was sent back to the Admirals after the game, when it was announced the Lightning had acquired 41-year-old veteran Dwayne Roloson from the New York Islanders. Desjardins went back to the AHL despite allowing only two goals in his first two NHL games. He had 27 saves in a 4-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Dec. 30.

The Admirals won the teams’ first meeting 5-1 on Oct. 20, tying the Whale’s worst loss of the season at home. The Admirals are 0-3-1-1 in the last five games but still nine games above .500 (18-9-6-2).

Center Marc-Antoine Pouliot, the Edmonton Oilers’ first-round pick (22^nd overall) in 2003 and a veteran of 179 NHL games, leads the Admirals’ balanced attack with nine goals and 19 assists in 26 games. He’s followed closely by centers James Wright (10, 16) and Paul Szczechura (9, 17), left wing Johan Harju (14, 11), center Blair Jones (9, 16) and wings Matt Fornataro (10, 14), Chris Durno (10, 13) and Mike Angelidis (11, 10). Desjardins is 12-5-1 with a 2.63 GAA, .900 save percentage and one shutout.

The Whale was 1-0-1-0 in two visits to Norfolk last season. The Admirals have won only five of the 13 home games this season but have at least a point in 11 of them (5-2-4-2).

The Whale won’t debut their new blue road jerseys until the end of their four-game road trip Jan. 14 at Portland. The new jerseys are available for purchase at the XL Center or The Hartford Store, 45 Pratt Street in Hartford. Prices, including sales tax, are $289 (authentic), $125 (senior replica) and $99 (junior replica).

The Whale returns to the XL Center on Jan. 15 to face Providence, the start of a three-game homestand at which former Boston Bruins stars Rick Middleton and Reggie Lemelin will sign autographs in the XL Center atrium from 6-7 p.m. and then drop the ceremonial first puck. They also will play in the Bruins-Whalers alumni game at Rentschler Field in East Hartford on Feb. 19 at 4 p.m. That will be followed, in the Harvest-Properties.com “Whale Bowl”, by the second AHL outdoor game between the Whale and P-Bruins at 7 p.m.

DISCOUNTED TICKETS FOR WHALE FANS

Whalers Sports and Entertainment, in association with the XL Center, is offering a discount for “Disney On Ice” shows this week to Whale fans. For discounted tickets, use the discount code WHALES and save $4. Discounted tickets start at $11 for shows Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday at 4:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the XL Center box office, online at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-745-3000. For groups of 15 or more, contact the XL Center group sales office at 860-548-2000.

… WS&E chairman and CEO Howard Baldwin will be the guest speaker at the East Hartford Chamber of Commerce breakfast series sponsored by AT&T Connecticut Tuesday at 8 a.m. at the Sheraton Hartford Hotel on East River Drive in East Hartford. Baldwin will speak about his efforts to revive the local hockey market in Hartford, the Whalers Hockey Fest 2011 at Rentschler Field in East Hartford on Feb. 11-23 and other economic development opportunities.

“I am very excited to have a man of Howard Baldwin’s experience, energy and commitment to Connecticut and the Hartford area speaking at our Chamber event,” Chamber president Ron Pugliese said. “I invite anyone who has the desire to see the Hartford area grow and prosper economically to join us on January 11.” … Howard Baldwin Jr., the new president and COO of WS&E, has a new Twitter account accessible to Whale fans at howardbaldwinjr.

… The Whale’s eighth Tip-A-Player Dinner and Sports Carnival, presented by Aetna, will be Jan. 23 at the XL Center from 4-7 p.m. Tickets are $30 for adults and $20 for children, and proceeds benefit Gaylord Specialty Healthcare at Gaylord Hospital in Wallingford. For more information, contact Lori Leniart at 860-728-3366.

ALL-STAR VOTING ENDS SUNDAY

On-line fan voting for the AHL All-Star Classic Jan. 30-31 at the Giant Center in Hershey, Pa., runs through midnight Sunday at theahl.com and facebook.com/theahl. Players receiving the most votes by position will earn berths in the starting lineups of the Eastern Conference and Western Conference teams. A committee of AHL coaches will select the remaining All-Stars, and all 30 clubs must be represented. By completing the official ballot, fans are entered to win a grand prize of a team-signed All-Star jersey. Ten more winners will receive an official All-Star Classic T-shirt.

The Hall of Fame Class of 2011, to be inducted Jan. 30 at 11 a.m., is Mitch Lamoureux, Larry Wilson and the late Harry Pidhirny and Maurice Podoloff, who grew up in New Haven and graduated from Yale. AHL Hall of Famer Bruce Boudreau, former coach of the Bears and now coach of the Washington Capitals, will be the keynote speaker, and AHL graduate and 2008 Foster Hewitt Award winner Mike Emrick will be master of ceremonies. … Wilkes-Barre/Scranton coach John Hynes has earned a spot as one of the co-coaches of the Western Conference All-Star team. He clinched the honor Saturday night when the Penguins locked up the best points percentage in the Eastern Conference as of the pre-determined deadline of this Sunday. Wilkes-Barre is 27-8-0-0 (.771) and is No. 1 in the AHL. Hynes is in his first season as Penguins coach after spending one year as the assistant to Todd Reirden. The coach whose team has the best points percentage in the Western Conference on Sunday will join Hynes. That race is led by Peoria’s Jared Bednar (.681), followed by Texas’ Glen Gulutzan (.639) and San Antonio’s Ray Edwards (.635). By virtue of Hershey winning the 2010 Calder Cup championship, Bears coach Mark French and assistant Troy Mann will guide the Eastern Conference All-Stars. … Former Wolf Pack wing Alexandre Giroux (129 points), Keith Aucoin (122), David Desharnais (119), Jerome Samson (95) and Andrew Gordon (90) were the AHL’s top scorers in the regular season and playoffs during calendar year 2010. … Greenville Road Warriors coach Dean Stork was named coach of the ECHL team that will play the Bakersfield Condors in the ECHL All-Star Classic on Jan. 26 in Bakersfield, Calif. Stork was chosen because Greenville had the ECHL’s best winning percentage as of Jan. 1 (.750, 23-7-2). Stork will coach the All-Stars with Las Vegas Wranglers coach Ryan Mougenel in his first appearance as a player or coach. The Road Warriors are affiliated with the Rangers and Flyers. … Greenville’s Dov Grumet-Morris was named ECHL Goalie of the Month for December, when he was 9-2-1 with a 1.56 goals-against average, .942 save percentage and two shutouts in 12 games, leading the Road Warriors to the best record in the league (23-7-2). Grumet-Morris, who played two games with the Whale earlier in the season, allowed two or fewer goals in 10 games and now leads the ECHL in wins (15) and GAA (1.93) and is second in save percentage (.933).

Whale 2, Sharks 0

Connecticut    0 0 2 – 2
Worcester      0 0 0 – 0

First period: No scoring. Penalties: Soryal, Ct (fighting), 3:25; Lizon, Wor (fighting), 3:25; Lawrence, Wor (hooking), 19:55.

Second period: No scoring. Penalties: Petrecki, Wor (hooking), 14:15; Dupont, Ct (holding), 14:38; Lawrence, Wor (boarding), 19:39.

Third period: 1. Conn, Kennedy 8 (Del Zotto, Dupont), 14:22 (pp). 2. Conn, Grachev 6 (Kennedy), 17:13 (sh). Penalties: Schaus, Wor (delay of game), 1:34; Kennedy, Ct (hooking), 4:15; Petrecki, Wor (delay of game), 12:49; Niemi, Ct (cross-checking), 16:02.

Shots on goal: Connecticut 9-8-4-21. Worcester 9-8-10-27; Power-play opportunities: Connecticut 1 of 5, Worcester 0 of 3; Goalies: Connecticut, Johnson 13-12-3 (27 shots-27 saves). Worcester, Stalock 15-14-2 (21-19); A: 2,438; Referees: Mark Lemelin, Ghislain Hebert; Linesmen: Todd Whittemore, Brian MacDonald.

By Bruce Berlet

CROMWELL, Conn. – Less than seven months after being named to the NHL All-Rookie Team, defenseman Michael Del Zotto has begun a hockey refresher course with the Connecticut Whale.

Del Zotto was sent to the minors for the first time on Monday to try to rediscover the skills and confidence that made the 20-year-old the 20^th overall pick in first round of the 2008 NHL draft by the New York Rangers and rookie of the month in his first month in the NHL.

So the Rangers have put one of their youngest and most talented prospects in the hands of Whale coach Ken Gernander and assistant J.J. Daigneault, who works with the defense and has helped shape current Rangers blueliners Marc Staal, Dan Girardi, Michael Sauer and Michael Gilroy, who profited from a 10-day stint in Hartford last season.

Del Zotto began his attempted climb back to the Mount Everest of pro hockey on Tuesday with his new Whale teammates, skating alongside Stu Bickel, who also wasn’t with the team at the start of the season, having been acquired from the Anaheim Ducks and Syracuse Crunch for disgruntled defenseman Nigel Williams on Nov. 23. Ironically, Bickel wears No. 4, which Del Zotto wore for years in homage to Hall of Famer Bobby Orr, who also played his junior hockey with Oshawa of the OHL and had his number retired while Del Zotto was with the Generals. With No. 4 taken, Del Zotto went to No. 2, the number that Orr wore in juniors and was worn by Rangers legend/Hall of Famer/Cheshire native Brian Leetch and retired to the rafters of Madison Square Garden on Jan. 24, 2008.

“The biggest thing for me is to get some games under me, play some minutes and try to get my game back to where it used to be,” the 6-foot-1, 195-pound Del Zotto said after a 90-minute practice and workout in preparation for his Whale debut Wednesday night in Worcester, Mass. “I think confidence is the biggest thing. Things haven’t gone as smoothly or come as easily as they maybe came last year, especially offensively, so I just want to get my confidence back.

“When I’m playing with confidence, I know I belong. It’s a lot easier said than done in most cases, but it’s a matter of making plays, simplifying my game and letting the game come to me. When that happens, the rest falls into place.”

Del Zotto sat out four games the past two weeks and had two goals and seven assists and was minus-1 in 35 games this season, after leading Rangers defensemen in scoring (nine goals, 28 assists) in 80 games in his rookie campaign.

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“We can’t have Michael sitting, not playing games, because we still feel he’s a really big piece of the puzzle,” Rangers head coach John Tortorella said in a conference call with the Rangers media on Monday. “I think Michael understands this is part of the process. But we want to see improvement in his mindset and his play on the ice.”

The Rangers have to hope Del Zotto’s AHL stint is as successful as that of Gilroy, who had four assists in five games with the then Hartford Wolf Pack last December . They need Del Zotto to have a positive attitude like that shown by the New York Islanders’ 21-year-old forward Josh Bailey, a first-round pick (ninth overall) in 2008, after he was assigned to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Nov. 24. Bailey started this season strong but was injured and went scoreless for 13 games before being sent to the Sound Tigers after playing in 159 NHL games, one before he would have had to clear waivers to be reassigned. Bailey had six goals and 11 assists in 11 games with the Sound Tigers before returning to the Islanders on Dec. 22.

Del Zotto offered a definitive answer on what kind of attitude accompanied him from New York to Hartford.

“When I return (to New York) is not my decision,” Del Zotto said. “I’ve come here wanting to make the most of this opportunity, and I’m just trying to help out what I’ve already seen is a great group of guys and try to get my game back. I want to do everything I can to help the team win any way I can. That’s what they’re looking for, for me not taking a step back down here and be upset at the world. I just have to move forward and be my usual self, always having a good time, smiling and enjoying life.

“It’s amazing how it works when you’re making a few of those simple, 10-15-foot passes rather than the home-run passes,” Del Zotto said, after being encouraged by Tortorella to do just that. “It opens things up when you’re not forcing it and not always looking for that. You’re not going to be able to make the perfect play or perfect pass every single shift. You have to take what the game presents and just move on from there.

“So basically it’s just simplifying, and taking what the game offers. Last year it came pretty easy for me for whatever reason, but this year has been a bit tougher. Last year I just came in with a swagger and confidence that I belonged and just kind of ran with it. I didn’t know what to expect. I was 19 years old, and you just come in so enthused with a smile on your face learning new things every day. I’m still young and just trying to get better and better every day.

“This is part of the day-to-day process. They sent me down here, and I’m just trying to build my confidence up, get my game where it needs to be and move on. I’m taking it one day at a time because that’s all you can do.”

Tortorella said the Rangers’ immediate concern is development and winning games.

“The way Gilly (Gilroy) has played, he’s gotten better, both in the offensive end and he’s improved defensively,” Tortorella said. “Right now we feel this six (Gilroy, Staal, Girardi, Sauer, Michal Rozsival and Steve Eminger) gives us the best chance to win.”

Tortorella said there is no timetable for Del Zotto’s stay with the Whale.

“We want to see the improvement in him, and that will give him the opportunity to get back (to New York),” Tortorella said. “It’s him understanding how to think the game, to think preparation, and also bring that to within his game as far as the minutes he gets (in Hartford).”

Gernander, who talked to Tortorella on Monday, said the major objective with Del Zotto is to get him “lots of big, quality minutes” in all situations, including as quarterback on the power play.

“He’ll be playing a large chunk of the game so he can get that game conditioning and timing to help him recapture his ‘A’ game,” Gernander said. “There are a couple of little things that they’d like to see him work on while he’s here. J.J. is good at working with guys, and if he sees areas that he can help or work on, then he’ll take care of it, just like any other player.”

Daigneault also stressed the need for Del Zotto to get plenty of ice time.

“Nothing replaces being out there and making some plays in every situation,” Daigneault said. “Obviously he’s a power-play guy who ran it for the Rangers at a young age, and though we didn’t run it (Tuesday), he’s smart enough to know what the structure is and perform well within the structure. The power play is basically good offensive instincts and getting good opportunities off them.

“There’s a lot of teaching that has to be done, but I don’t want to tweak his game or work on things until I see him play one or two games. But the one thing that I expressed to him is he can’t come down and think he’s a NHL player (who can coast) because the AHL is a very tough league. I was in (his) situation before, playing four years in the NHL before being sent down for one full season. I think he’s the best guy to have around as far as learning from my experience, and he needs to respond well.

“He obviously has the talent and skills to play at the other (NHL) level, but he needs to play. At the same time, he needs to perform well at this (AHL) level and has to understand what he needs to do to get back to the top level because he’s going to find out for himself if I don’t tell him.”

The decision to send Del Zotto to the Whale came after a conference call among Tortorella, Rangers president and general manager Glen Sather and assistant GM-assistant coach/Whale GM Jim Schoenfeld.

“Sometimes players might not agree with (a demotion), but it’s not up to the player,” Tortorella said. “In my conference call with Glen and Jim, we talked about what’s best for Michael and what’s best for the team. It’s going to be good for him as a player and good for us as an organization.”

On the other side of the equation is Ryan McDonagh, who was recalled at the same time Del Zotto was assigned to the Whale.

The 21-year-old McDonagh, more of a stay-at-home defenseman than Del Zotto, was reunited with former University of Wisconsin teammate/center Derek Stepan, who turned pro in June after leaving the Badgers after his sophomore year. Stepan and McDonagh, the Canadiens’ first-round pick (12^th overall) in 2007 who left Wisconsin after his junior year, led the Badgers to the NCAA championship game in April, when they lost 5-0 to Boston College and top Rangers prospect Chris Kreider, who helped defending champion Team USA reach the World Junior Championships semifinals before losing 4-1 to Canada on Monday night in Buffalo, N.Y.

After signing with the Rangers on July 6, McDonagh got off to a so-so start this season after a lot of talk in training camp that he might make the Rangers. But his game picked up considerably in the past month playing mostly with fellow rookie Tomas Kundratek and Bickel. McDonagh had one goal and seven assists and was plus-1 in all 38 Whale games.

But McDonagh won’t be in the lineup Wednesday night when the Rangers host the Carolina Hurricanes as Gilroy returns after being scratched Sunday night. While the Whale leaves after Wednesday night’s game for Voorhees, NJ, a pit stop for a Thursday practice on the way to Norfolk, Va., for games Friday and Saturday, the Rangers will be at Dallas and St. Louis those same nights. The Rangers return to play the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night at MSG while the Whale is off until traveling to Portland for a game Jan. 14, when they will unveil their new blue road jerseys.

“As an NHL coach, I’d like to see where (McDonagh) is at practice,” Tortorella said. “He has grown as a player, and he’s one we are very interested in. But Ryan’s coming up does not guarantee him playing in a game. We’re going to have him practice with us. He has improved, from having spoken with the coaches in Connecticut, and we want to take a look at him. But Gilly is going back into the lineup, and Gilly is one of our top six (defensemen) right now.

“I’m not looking for (McDonagh) to force himself into the lineup. It’s hard for me to tell you what’s going to happen because we don’t know. Right now, it’s one (AHL) game he’s going to miss (Wednesday night), and we’ll see what happens.”

Gernander said the seven Whale defensemen have played well lately, but McDonagh got the nod because of his improvement the last two months.

“The Rangers are in the business of winning games, so whoever can help them is who’s going to be recalled,” Gernander said. “Ryan is a good skater with some size (6-foot-1, 222 pounds) who can finish physically, and his offensive game has really improved in the last little while, so he was playing very well. I think he was a good choice.”

While with the Whale, McDonagh has often communicated with Stepan, whose stall is across the Rangers’ locker room from his former teammate. McDonagh praised Wade Redden for being one of the biggest helps to his development this season. He has been a frequent defensive partner, and they are roommates on the road.

“He’s a great guy, a great player for that team down there,” McDonagh told the New York media on Tuesday. “He’s toward the end of his career and to go through what he did, he could have a different attitude. But he has an incredible attitude, staying out late on the ice. I ask him a lot of questions. He’s probably sick of me. He’s helped me a lot. A lot of mental things, too.”

WHALE NOTES

Right wing Jonathan Cheechoo, a 56-goal scorer for the San Jose Sharks in 2005-06, is the most dangerous threat for Worcester (17-12-2-4) with team highs in goals (13), assists (22) and points (35) in 33 games. Defenseman Sean Sullivan is second in scoring (10 goals, 11 assists), and wings T.J. Trevelyan (6, 11) and James Marcou (4, 13) are tied for third. Alex Stalock (15-13-2, 2.69 goals-against average, .908 save percentage) was on the all-rookie team and an AHL All-Star last season, when he was named Sharks MVP after his 39 victories (39-19-2) were the most ever for an AHL rookie, surpassing Corey Hirsch’s record in 1992-93, when he was 35-4-5 with the Binghamton Rangers. Stalock leads AHL goalies in wins and minutes played (1,737) this season.

The Whale won the last two meetings with the Sharks at home, 4-3 in a shootout Dec. 4 and 3-2 in overtime Dec. 17, after a regulation loss and shootout loss in the first matchups of the season. The 2-1 shootout loss Dec. 1 came in the Whale’s only previous visit to the DCU Center.

After the four-game trip, the Whale returns to the XL Center on Jan. 15 to face Providence, the start of a three-game homestand that also includes visits from league-leading Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (Jan. 16) and Hamilton (Jan. 21). … Kreider and two other top Rangers prospects will be vying for the bronze medal in the World Junior Championships Wednesday, starting at 3:30 p.m. Kreider and Ryan Bourque, the youngest son of Hockey Hall of Famer Ray Bourque, play for Team USA, which lost 4-1 Monday to Canada, which lost to the U.S. in the finals in overtime last year. Team USA will face Jesper Fasth and Team Sweden, which was upset 4-3 by Russia in a shootout in the semifinals. Canada and Russia will play for the gold medal at 7:30 p.m. The Rangers selected Kreider in the first round, Bourque in the third round and Fasth in the sixth round in 2008.

ZUCCARELLO ‘A SPONGE’

Recent Whale call-up, wing Mats Zuccarello, continued to earn kudos from Tortorella after the “Norwegian Hobbit,” Stepan and Dubinsky generated the Rangers’ best scoring chances in a 3-0 loss at Florida Sunday. The 5-foot-7 Zuccarello had what many considered his best game with the Rangers, jumping into holes, creating chances for himself by going to the net, skating with confidence with the puck and being unlucky to be denied his first NHL goal for the second consecutive game.

“I liked him,” Tortorella said of Zuccarello, who had four shots in 18:30. “That was our best line. And I thought Gabby was much better, too. He created some offense.”

“The best thing about (Zuccarello) is he’s just a sponge,” Dubinsky said. “He’s willing to soak in and he’s always wondering what he should’ve done. Sometimes I have to tell him to just relax and play his game rather than worry about what I think or what Steps thinks. But I think that just shows that he wants to get better and that he wants to be a big part and be something special for this team. He’s going to be.”

MONARCHS COACH NOT SURPRISED BY GOALIE’S LATEST EFFORT

Monarchs goalie Martin Jones didn’t surprise his coach, Mark Morris, with a 39-save shutout performance on Sunday.

“He’s big, calm, strong and sure headed, a very good combination,” Morris said of the 6-foot-4, 191-pound second-year pro who is now 3-0-0 against the Whale. “He has won everybody over and is a big reason for the success we have had the last little bit. He waited his turn and his numbers just keep getting better and better, and we’re trying to reward him with more games. We score more when he is in there. He came up with timely saves all game.”

Jones has won six in a row to improve to 13-2-0-0 with a 1.60 goals-against average, tied for first in the AHL, and .948 save percentage, second to the .950 of Peoria’s Jake Allen. Jones didn’t play in the Monarchs’ only loss in their recent run, 3-1 to the Springfield Falcons Saturday night.

“We ran into a buzz-saw in Springfield and that really set us up for (Sunday),” Morris said. “(The Falcons) were very unbelievably energetic and physical. We handled it well, but it was eye opener for some of our younger players.”

Morris was not only happy to see the Whale fall to 1-4-1-0 against his team, but he liked that their newest player, center Todd White, was getting significant ice time again. White was captain at Clarkson University when Morris was the coach but got limited playing time with the Rangers before being waived for the fourth time this season and sent to the Whale on Wednesday. White had a goal in each of his first two Whale games, but like everyone else in the new white jerseys, he couldn’t beat Jones despite five shots, some of high quality.

“Great to see (White) still playing,” Morris said. “I know he would rather be in the NHL, but he is a good person and a helluva good player. He is a good addition for any organization. You’re going to enjoy him.”

Morris also was aware of the increased support of the local AHL entry since they were rebranded from the Wolf Pack to the Whale on Nov. 27. The Whale had been 11-1-0-3 since the rebranding before Sunday, when their 11-game unbeaten streak (9-0-0-2) against division teams ended.

“We were commenting since they had gone from the red, white and blue to blue and green there seems to be a groundswell and enthusiasm (with the Whale),” Morris said.

DESHARNAIS, JONES AND LACK NAMED AHL’S BEST IN DECEMBER

Hamilton Bulldogs center David Desharnais, Manchester Monarchs goalie Martin Jones and Manitoba Moose goalie Eddie Lack were named Reebok/AHL Player, Rookie and Goaltender of the Month for November.

Desharnais had three goals and 17 assists in 14 games in leading the Bulldogs into the North Division lead. He got at least a point in 12 of 14 games to take over the AHL lead in scoring (10 assists, 35 assists in 35 games) when recalled by the parent Montreal Canadiens on Dec. 31.

The Whale nominated center Kris Newbury, who had three goals and 13 assists in 12 games, going pointless in only two games. Other nominees included Cheechoo, Bridgeport Sound Tigers center Jeremy Colliton, former Rangers and Wolf Pack wing Petr Prucha (San Antonio), former Wolf Pack forwards Corey Locke (Binghamton), Patrick Rissmiller (Lake Erie) and Jeff Taffe (Rockford) and former Wolf Pack defenseman Corey Potter (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton).

Jones was 7-1-0 with a 1.99 goals-against average and .935 save percentage in nine appearances to help the Monarchs maintain first place in the Atlantic Division. Jones, who turns 21 on Friday, started 2011 with two wins, including a 39-save performance in a 3-0 victory over the Whale on Sunday. He is now 13-2-0 and second in the AHL in GAA (1.60) and save percentage (.948).

The Whale nominated Zuccarello, who had four goals and five assists in nine games before being called up for the first time by the Rangers. Other nominees included Sound Tigers right wing Rhett Rakhshani.

Lack was 7-2-0 with a 1.99 GAA and .935 save percentage in leading the Moose from fifth place to second in the North Division. He finished the month with six consecutive victories, stopping 170 of 178 shots over the second half of the month and made 20 saves in his first career AHL shutout against Houston. In his first season in North America, Lack is 13-7-2 with a 1.98 GAA and .930 save percentage in 22 games. Lack, who turns 23 on Wednesday, is a native of Norrtalje, Sweden, played last season for Brynas IF in the Swedish Elite League and signed as a free agent with Vancouver on April 6.

The Whale nominated Chad Johnson, who was 6-1-1 in eight games. Other nominees included Stalock, Jones, the Sound Tigers’ Kevin Poulin and former Sound Tigers goalie Joey McDonald (Grand Rapids). … Saturday will be the second this season – and second time in the AHL’s 75-year history – that all 30 teams will be playing 15 games in the same day.

DISCOUNTED TICKETS FOR WHALE FANS

Whalers Sports and Entertainment, in association with the XL Center, is offering a discount for “Disney On Ice” shows this week to Whale fans. For discounted tickets, use the discount code WHALES and save $4. Discounted tickets start at $11 for shows Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday at 4:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the XL Center box office, online at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-745-3000. For groups of 15 or more, contact the XL Center group sales office at 860-548-2000.

… WS&E chairman and CEO Howard Baldwin will be the guest speaker at the East Hartford Chamber of Commerce breakfast series sponsored by AT&T Connecticut next Tuesday at 8 a.m. at the Sheraton Hartford Hotel on East River Drive in East Hartford. Baldwin will speak about his efforts to revive the local hockey market in Hartford, the Whalers Hockey Fest 2011 at Rentschler Field in East Hartford on Feb. 11-23 and other economic development opportunities.

“I am very excited to have a man of Howard Baldwin’s experience, energy and commitment to Connecticut and the Hartford area speaking at our Chamber event,” Chamber president Ron Pugliese said. “I invite anyone who has the desire to see the Hartford area grow and prosper economically to join us on January 11.”

ALL-STAR VOTING ENDS SUNDAY

On-line fan voting for the AHL All-Star Classic Jan. 30-31 at the Giant Center in Hershey, Pa., runs through midnight Sunday at theahl.com and facebook.com/theahl. Players receiving the most votes by position will earn berths in the starting lineups of the Eastern Conference and Western Conference teams. A committee of AHL coaches will select the remaining All-Stars, and all 30 clubs must be represented. By completing the official ballot, fans are entered to win a grand prize of a team-signed All-Star jersey. Ten more winners will receive an official All-Star Classic T-shirt.

The Hall of Fame Class of 2011, to be inducted Jan. 30 at 11 a.m., is Mitch Lamoureux, Larry Wilson and the late Harry Pidhirny and Maurice Podoloff, who grew up in New Haven and graduated from Yale. AHL Hall of Famer Bruce Boudreau, former coach of the Hershey Bears and now coach of the Washington Capitals, will be the keynote speaker, and AHL graduate and 2008 Foster Hewitt Award winner Mike Emrick will be master of ceremonies.

HARTFORD, January 5, 2011:  Whalers Sports & Entertainment president and COO Howard Baldwin, Jr. announced today that ex-Boston Bruins mainstays Rick Middleton and Reggie Lemelin will be on hand at the Connecticut Whale’s next home game Saturday, January 15 at the XL Center against the Providence Bruins, for a special promotional appearance.

Middleton and Lemelin are among the former Bruin greats who will be taking the ice February 19 at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, CT for the Hartford Whalers legends vs. Boston Bruins legends game.  The legends game is part of the “Harvest-Properties.com Whale Bowl”, the featured event of the two-week outdoor Whalers Hockey Fest spectacular at Rentschler Field that will include numerous collegiate, high school, prep school and youth hockey games.  The legends game will face off at 4:00 PM on February 19 and will be followed by the outdoor AHL game between the Connecticut Whale and the Providence Bruins at 7:00 PM.

At the Whale game on January 15, fans will get a chance to meet Middleton and Lemelin, and get their autographs, in the XL Center atrium from 6:00-7:00 PM, as well as to see the two ex-NHLers drop a ceremonial first puck before the Whale and Bruins lock horns in a 7:00 faceoff.

Middleton, a forward who earned the nickname “Nifty” for his deft puckhandling touch, played 12 seasons in a Bruin uniform from 1976-77 through 1987-88, and is the fourth-leading all-time scorer in franchise history, with 402 goals and 496 assists for 898 points in 881 games.  Prior to being acquired by Boston via trade in May of 1976, Middleton played two seasons with the New York Rangers.  In 1005 career NHL games, the Toronto native scored 448 goals and added 540 assists for 988 points.

Currently, Middleton is launching “Rick Middleton’s Weekend Warrior Hockey”, a premier three-on-three adult men’s no-check hockey league that will begin play January 8 at the recently-finished Pro Skills Training Facility in Peabody, MA.  Full information on Weekend Warrior Hockey can be found at http://weekendwarriorhockey.com.

Lemelin, a goaltender, was a Bruin for six of his 15 NHL seasons, suiting up for 183 games with Boston from 1987-88 through 1992-93.  The Sherbrooke, Quebec native was 92-62-17 during that time, with a 3.09 goals-against average and six shutouts.  Those totals rank Lemelin tenth all-time in franchise history in wins and games-played, and he is also tenth all-time among Bruin goaltenders in minutes-played (10,308).  Lemelin also saw NHL action with the Atlanta/Calgary Flames, and his NHL career totals show 507 games-played, a record of 236-162-63, a 3.46 GAA and 12 shutouts.

Tickets for the January 15 Whale/P-Bruins contest at the XL Center, and 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, January 3, 2011 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that defenseman Ryan McDonagh has been recalled from the Connecticut Whale of the American Hockey League (AHL), while defenseman Michael Del Zotto has been assigned to Connecticut.

McDonagh, 21, has registered one goal and seven assists, along with 12 penalty minutes in 38 games with Connecticut this season. He ranks second among Whale defensemen in scoring with eight points, and is second with seven assists. McDonagh tallied five points (one goal, four assists) in an eight-game span from December 11 vs. Manchester to December 29 vs. Portland, ending the stretch with a three-game assist streak from December 21 at Manchester to December 29. He notched his first professional goal with a power play tally on December 11 vs. Manchester. McDonagh has posted a plus or even rating in 20 of his last 24 games, registering a plus-nine rating over the span. The former first round pick made his professional debut on October 9 vs. Charlotte, and registered his first career point with an assist on November 7 vs. Bridgeport.

Last season, the 6-1, 213-pounder established collegiate career-highs in games played (43), assists (14), points (18), and penalty minutes (73) while skating with the NCAA runner-up University of Wisconsin Badgers. He also ranked second on the team with a plus-22 rating. McDonagh registered an assist on the game-winning goal in the National Semifinal game vs. R.I.T. on April 8, 2010 to help Wisconsin advance to the National Championship game vs. Boston College. In three seasons with the Badgers, he registered 14 goals and 32 assists for 46 points, along with 174 penalty minutes in 119 career games.

The St. Paul, Minnesota native was originally Montreal’s first round choice, 12th overall, in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. He was acquired by the Rangers, along with forward Christopher Higgins and defenseman Pavel Valentenko, from Montreal in exchange for forwards Scott Gomez and Tom Pyatt, and defenseman Mike Busto on June 30, 2009.

Del Zotto, 20, has registered two goals and seven assists, along with 14 penalty minutes in 35 games this season. Five of his nine points have been recorded on the power play. He made his 100th career NHL appearance on November 19 at Colorado.

The Stouffville, Ontario native was originally the Rangers’ first round choice, 20th overall, in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

The Rangers’ practice schedule for tomorrow, January 4, is 11:00 a.m. at the MSG Training Center.

By Bruce Berlet

While growing up in the Boston area, pond hockey was something that Trinity College hockey coach Dave Cataruzolo always looked forward to doing.

No boards. No whistles. No systems. Just play.

While Trinity’s game against archrival Wesleyan, as part of the outdoor Harvest-Properties.com Whalers Hockey Fest 2011 at Rentschler Field in East Hartford in February, may not simulate that situation completely, it certainly brings back traditions and memories of hockey in its purest form that many players remember to this day.

“I spent a lot of time on outdoor rinks, but this is completely different,” Trinity senior defenseman Derek Sandberg of Montreal said. “It’s an actual league (New England Small College Athletic Conference) game with points at stake, but we have to go in with the same mentality, take it like any other game, and just go out and play hard and try to get a win.”

Sandberg’s defensive partner, Jake Gaffey, a senior co-captain from Northampton, N.H., sees similarities and differences to his childhood.

“We had some ponds that we played on as a kid, but playing on those ponds is a little different than playing on a rink (at Rentschler Field),” Gaffey said. “It’s going to be a first-time thing and a great, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And since it’s toward the end of the season, hopefully this game will have a lot of implications toward the playoffs. It usually comes down to the last game or two as far as making the playoffs and who gets home ice, so this game could be really important. And we never want to lose to Wesleyan.”

Todd Keats, a senior co-captain and defenseman from Northbrook, Ill., has second-generation memories of outdoor skating and is as excited about returning to his roots as he was of his beloved Chicago Blackhawks winning the Stanley Cup and seeing Game 2 of the finals against the Philadelphia Flyers.

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“There was a pond pretty close to our house, and my dad Wade used to tell me about playing on a pond as a kid and then going on to play at Curry College (in Milton, Mass.),” Keats said. “I played a little, but not much, and not in recent years, so this is going to be exciting.”

The Bantams and Cardinals will face off at Rentschler Field on Feb. 15 at 8:15 p.m. after the Trinity and Wesleyan women’s teams play at 4 p.m. The doubleheader is two of 30 games scheduled to be part of Whalers Hockey Fest 2011, which is being held by Whalers Sports and Entertainment, headed by chairman and CEO Howard Baldwin, the former president and managing general partner of the New England and Hartford Whalers.

Cataruzolo first heard of the possibility of the Bantams playing in the Hockey Fest from Dave Roberts, the general manager of the International Skating Center of Connecticut in Simsbury, during summer camps. Cataruzolo then talked with Wesleyan coach Chris Potter and each said he thought it would be wonderful to get involved.

Trinity and Wesleyan play twice a season in the NESCAC, and Cataruzolo moved his home game in December in Hartford to East Hartford without reservation.

“I just thought it made sense to move it to February,” Cataruzolo said. “I could not be more excited about the Hockey Fest and our chance as a college and program to be a part of it. Hockey in Connecticut has a rich history and tradition, and we are thankful for the support and vision of Mr. Baldwin to help reenergize that in our state and in the hockey community.

“Trinity and Wesleyan have a storied rivalry, and this game, at this venue, in this atmosphere will certainly enhance that. That being said, I predict the experience and memories for our players, coaches, parents and schools will be everlasting, regardless of the outcome. Despite the importance of the game in our league standing, I really want our players to enjoy the day and the entire experience of playing outside in the middle of February.”

That would be the continuation of a Trinity tradition that Cataruzolo has tried to nurture in his four seasons as Trinity coach after the retirement of legendary program founder John Dunham. Cataruzolo has helped guide the Bantams to 10 consecutive NESCAC Tournaments, two league titles, three trips to the NCAA Division III championship tournament and an NCAA Final Four in 2005. Three Trinity players have been named to the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) Division III All-American Team in the last six years under Cataruzolo’s tutelage.

The Bantams returned most of their players from a team that finished second in NESCAC last season and then lost in the semifinals of the playoffs to eventual champion Middlebury. This season, they’re 2-4-0 overall and 1-3-0 in the NESCAC, while the Cardinal are also 2-4-1 and 1-3-0.

“It’ll be nice that NESCAC will be able to show our talents to a wide range of people,” Gaffey said. “It’s a chance for our league to get recognized because we do play in a very, very competitive division. It’s a chance to showcase the league and our two schools, so that’s pretty exciting.”

Trinity left wing Adam Houli, a senior co-captain from Howell, N.J., is enthused about playing outdoors, which is something he never got to do as a kid.

“It didn’t ever get cold enough and there weren’t many ponds around my house,” Houli said. “So for me, this is an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It’s something that when you’re nine years old and you see it snowing outside, you want to do, and now you have the opportunity to do it. And it’s my senior year, so it’s very special and something I’ll never forget, so I’m very excited about that.”

Potter, who used to play in the former outdoor rink at the University of Connecticut, heard rumors that the Winter Fest was going to happen in the spring, so he spoke with UConn coach Bruce Marshall and Sacred Heart coach C.J. Marottolo, whose teams play Feb. 13 at 1 p.m.

“Everyone was trying to position themselves to get in on it,” Potter said. “Then once they announced it, I got in contact with Mark Willand (senior vice president of business operations of Whalers Sports and Entertainment) and said Trinity and I would love to play, that if there’s any possibility of that, let me know, and he got right back to me. Then we had to go through a process with our league to get the game changed, and that happened, so everything kind of came together.

“It’s just a great opportunity for our kids because it doesn’t happen all the time. It’s a good rivalry in the state, and I think they were trying to get Connecticut teams to take part in it. Now it’s a chance to get the alumni back and kind of build around it, and the same for Trinity. We’re going to try to have an alumni skate with the other alumni during the day. It’s tough because it’s a Tuesday, but we’re going to try to doll it up with a function for the Wesleyan and Trinity alumni so it’ll be a lot of fun.

“For the seniors who are graduating, it’s something in four or five years that they’ll definitely remember when they come back and talk about things.”

Then there’s the usual significance of the game in the NESCAC.

“It has a lot of meaning,” Potter said. “We don’t play a lot of games in our league (19), so every game is so valuable because if you have three or four slipups throughout the season, instead of being in the home playoff game, you’re in the bottom of the league trying to fight for a playoff spot. So it’s a really competitive league. Even though Middlebury won the league last season, I thought Bowdoin was hands-down the best team we played all season. A lot can fluctuate that last week, so this could be a huge game for either team.”

Tom Salah, a junior co-captain and center from Gloucester, Mass., agreed with his coach but preferred to look at the big picture for everyone involved.

“It’s a great experience that’s just going to add to my career and memories,” Salah said. “Eventually there comes the time when you have to hang up the skates, and this will be something that you can look back on and say you really had a good memory of.

“Even professional hockey players play their whole life and never get to do something like this, so it’s a great opportunity for young, 21-year-old kids to come out here and show their talents, kind of run with it and have an experience that not everyone gets to experience.”

Note: The Whalers Hockey Fest in the 38,000-seat Rentschler Field will include youth, high school, prep school and college games and the “Harvest-Properties.com Whale Bowl,” a Hartford Whalers-Boston Bruins alumni game with Hollywood celebrities/Connecticut Whale-Providence Bruins AHL game doubleheader Feb. 19 at 4 and 7 p.m.

There also will be “Whale Town” featuring exhibitors, games and the Whalers Mobile Hall of Fame. For ticket packages, visit the Whalers Pro Shop ticket page at www.ctwhale.com or call 860-728-3366. For club seats and suites, call 860-728-3366. Individual tickets are on sale, and the Hartford Wolf Pack/Connecticut Whale full season ticket holders will receive a voucher good for admission to the Feb. 19 activities. Whale season ticket holders and fans who purchase Hockey Fest all-access “Festival” tickets will be invited to a special Feb. 4 event featuring former Whalers and hockey legends in celebration of the 1986 NHL All-Star Game played in Hartford and will be able to skate free on Feb. 22.

More details for forthcoming. The entire schedule can be found at www.CTWhale.com, and there are a few open time slots available. For information, contact Jocelyne Cummings at jocelyne@whalerssports.com. Media inquiries should be directed to Mark Willand at Mark@whalerssports.com.

GORDIE ROBERTS TO PLAY FOR WHALERS ALUMNI TEAM

Former New England and Hartford Whalers defenseman Gordie Roberts has joined the roster of players for the Hartford Whalers vs. Boston Bruins legends game, joining former Whalers wings Jordy Douglas and Ray Neufeld.

Roberts, a native of Detroit, joined the New England Whalers from the WCHL’s Victoria Cougars as an 18-year-old for the 1975-76 World Hockey Association season and remained with the Whalers for the rest of their WHA tenure. In 311 WHA games, Roberts had 42 goals and 144 assists for 186 points, and those totals were good for fifth in franchise history (and second among defensemen) in assists and sixth (third among blueliners) in points. Roberts’ 502 career penalty minutes ranked third all-time in Whalers WHA history.

Roberts made the move to the NHL with the Hartford Whalers in 1979 and played the 1979-80 season and 27 games of the 1980-81 season a Whalers uniform before being traded to the Minnesota North Stars on Dec. 16, 1980. He finished with 10 goals and 39 assists in 107 games with the NHL Whalers and then spent eight seasons with Minnesota and later played with Philadelphia, St. Louis, Pittsburgh and Boston, winning Stanley Cups with the Penguins in 1991 and 1992. Roberts finished his NHL career with 61 goals, 359 assists and 1,582 penalty minutes in 1,097 NHL games.

Douglas, of Winnipeg, Manitoba, joined the Whalers in 1978-79, their final season in the World Hockey Association when he had six goals and 10 assists in 51 games. Douglas and the Whalers joined the NHL the next season, and he stayed with the team until traded to the Minnesota North Stars on Oct. 1, 1982. He had 56 goals and 49 assists in 162 games with the Whalers and finished with 76 goals and 62 assists in 268 NHL games with Hartford, Minnesota and the Winnipeg Jets.

Neufeld, from Winkler, Manitoba, was the Whalers’ fourth-round pick in 1979 who spent nine seasons in the organization. In 331 games with the Whalers, Neufeld had 95 goals and 131 assists. He also played 15 games with the Bruins and 31/2 seasons with the Winnipeg Jets, finishing with 157 goals and 200 assists in 595 NHL games.

Tickets ($20 to $85) for the Legends Game and Whale-Bruins game can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com or by calling the Whale at 860-728-3366. They also can be purchased online and printed immediately at Ticketmaster.com.

DISCOUNTED TICKETS FOR WHALE FANS

Whalers Sports and Entertainment, in association with the XL Center, is offering a discount for “Disney On Ice” shows this week to Whale fans. For discounted tickets, use the discount code WHALES and save $4. Discounted tickets start at $11 for shows Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday at 4:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the XL Center box office, online at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-745-3000. For groups of 15 or more, contact the XL Center group sales office at 860-548-2000.

… Baldwin will be the guest speaker at the East Hartford Chamber of Commerce breakfast series sponsored by AT&T Connecticut on Jan. 11 at 8 a.m. at the Sheraton Hartford Hotel on East River Drive in East Hartford. Baldwin will speak about his efforts to revive the local hockey market in Hartford, the Hockey Fest and other economic development opportunities. “I am very excited to have a man of Howard Baldwin’s experience, energy and commitment to Connecticut and the Hartford area speaking at our Chamber event,” Chamber president Ron Pugliese said. “I invite anyone who has the desire to see the Hartford area grow and prosper economically to join us on January 11.”

… Howard Baldwin Jr., the new president and COO of WS&E, has a new Twitter account accessible to Whale fans at howardbaldwinjr.

… The Whale’s Jan. 21 game against Hamilton is be a special Family Value Night at which New Britain Rock Cats mascot Rocky will be on hand. There will be a giveaway, a table setup and autograph session, and the New Britain High School marching band will perform the national anthem and during the first intermission. Tickets in the lower level are $16 and include a soda and pizza slice or hot dog. Visit www.ctwhale.com.

… Former Wolf Pack defenseman Terry Virtue and Hartford Whalers wing Scott Young will be among the first six inductees into the Worcester Hockey Hall of Fame on Jan. 22 at the DCU Center in Worcester. It’s “Salute to the IceCats” Night, the franchise that preceded the Sharks in Worcester, and other inductees will be Kelly O’Leary, Eddie Bates, Larz Anderson and Marvin Degon Sr., father of former Wolf Pack defenseman Martin Degon.

… The eighth Tip-A-Player Dinner and Sports Carnival, presented by Aetna, will be Jan. 23 at the XL Center from 4-7 p.m. Tickets are $30 for adults and $20 for children, and proceeds benefit Gaylord Specialty Healthcare at Gaylord Hospital in Wallingford. For more information, contact Lori Leniart at 860-728-3366.

PHANTOMS GOALIE NAMED AHL PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Philadelphia Phantoms goalie Brian Stewart was named Reebok/AHL Player of the Week on Monday after going 3-0-0-0 with a 1.34 goals-against average and .949 save percentage (93 of 98 shots).

Stewart, a rookie from Burnaby, British Columbia, led the Phantoms to their first three-game winning streak of the season and is now 3-5-0 with a 3.22 GAA and .886 save percentage in nine games. He signed with the Philadelphia Flyers as a free agent on April 19 after four seasons at Northern Michigan University, where he went 18-17-4 as a senior last season.

Veteran defenseman Wade Redden was the Whale’s nominee after getting five assists in three games to increase his total to 23, which leads all league defensemen. He missed a 3-0 loss to the Atlantic Division-leading Manchester Monarchs on Sunday but hopes to return Wednesday night for a game at Worcester, the start of a four-game road trip.

Other nominees included Bridgeport Sound Tigers’ left wing Micheal Haley, former Wolf Pack right wing Matthew Ford (Lake Erie Monsters) and Manchester Monarchs goalie Martin Jones, who shut out the Whale on Sunday. … On-line fan voting for the AHL All-Star Classic Jan. 30-31 at the Giant Center in Hershey, Pa., runs through midnight Sunday at theahl.com and facebook.com/theahl. Players receiving the most votes by position will earn berths in the starting lineups of the Eastern Conference and Western Conference teams. A committee of AHL coaches will select the remaining All-Stars, and all 30 clubs must be represented. By completing the official ballot, fans are entered to win a grand prize of a team-signed All-Star jersey. Ten more winners will receive an official All-Star Classic T-shirt. The Hall of Fame Class of 2011, to be inducted Jan. 30 at 11 a.m., is Mitch Lamoureux, Larry Wilson and the late Harry Pidhirny and Maurice Podoloff, who grew up in New Haven and graduated from Yale. AHL Hall of Famer Bruce Boudreau, former coach of the Hershey Bears and now coach of the Washington Capitals, will be the keynote speaker, and AHL graduate and 2008 Foster Hewitt Award winner Mike Emrick will be master of ceremonies

Hartford, CT …  Whalers Sports and Entertainment announced today that former New England and Hartford Whaler defenseman Gordie Roberts will join the roster of featured players for the Hartford Whalers legends vs. Boston Bruins legends game February 19, 2011 at Rentschler Field in East Hartford.

The legends game comprises part of the “Harvest-Properties.com Whale Bowl,” the featured event of the two-week outdoor Whalers Hockey Fest spectacular at Rentschler Field that will include numerous collegiate, high school, prep school and youth hockey games.  The legends game will face off at 4:00 PM on February 19 and will be followed by the outdoor AHL game between the Connecticut Whale and the Providence Bruins at 7:00 PM.

Roberts, a native of Detroit, joined the New England Whalers from the WCHL’s Victoria Cougars as an 18-year-old for the 1975-76 World Hockey Association season, and remained with the Whalers for the rest of their WHA tenure.  In 311 WHA games, Roberts scored 42 goals and added 144 assists for 186 points, and those totals were good for fifth in franchise history (and second among defensemen) in assists and sixth (third among blueliners) in points.  Also, Roberts’ 502 career penalty minutes ranked third all-time in Whaler WHA franchise annals.

Roberts made the move to the NHL with the Hartford Whalers in 1979 and played the 1979-80 season, and 27 games of the 1980-81 campaign, in a Whaler uniform before being traded to the Minnesota North Stars December 16, 1980.  Roberts’ NHL totals with the Whalers included 10 goals and 39 assists for 49 points, along with 170 PIM, in 107 games.

Roberts spent eight seasons with Minnesota, and would go on to further NHL action with Philadelphia, St. Louis, Pittsburgh and Boston, and won a pair of Stanley Cups with the Penguins, in 1991 and 1992.  By the end of his final NHL season, 1993-94, which saw him play 59 games for the Bruins, Roberts had totaled 1,097 NHL games, with 61 goals, 359 assists, 420 points and 1,582 penalty minutes to his credit.

Tickets for the February 19 Harvest-Properties.com Whale Bowl, which include admission to both the AHL game and the legends game, are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com. Ticket prices range from $20 to $85 and can be purchased online via Ticketmaster or by calling the Connecticut Whale at 860-728-3366.  Tickets purchased online can be printed immediately (via Ticketmaster).

By Bruce Berlet

HARTFORD, Conn. – The Connecticut Whale should have known they were in trouble when Brandon Kozun scored the first goal of the game Sunday at the XL Center.

After all, the Atlantic Division-leading Manchester Monarchs were 14-0-0-1 when they scored first, and the trend didn’t end on the second day of the New Year thanks largely to goalie Martin Jones.

Jones, an unrestricted free agent signed by the Los Angeles Kings on Oct. 2, 2008, made 39 saves for his second shutout of the season as the Monarchs cooled off the AHL’s hottest team with a 3-0 victory before 4,367.

Former Yale forward David Meckler and Richard Clune helped set each other up in the third period, when the Monarchs (24-12-1-1) assured they would make amends for a 3-1 loss at Springfield on Saturday night that ended a season-high, six-game winning streak. The victory increased the Monarchs’ lead over the second-place Whale to seven points and handed goalie Chad Johnson (17 saves, 12-11-1-3) only his second non-shootout loss in 13 decisions (9-2-2).

The Whale’s 39 shots tied the fifth most stopped in 52 shutouts against in the franchise’s 14-year history as the Monarchs ended the Whale’s four-game winning streak. That capped a 12-1-0-2 run that had put the Whale six games above .500 for the first time this season and vaulted them from last place into second, two points ahead of Portland, which lost 3-2 to Worcester and has four games in hand.

The Whale (18-13-2-5) outshot the Monarchs 39-20, but it wasn’t enough to extend an 11-game unbeaten streak (9-0-0-2) against division teams and earn a point for a 16^th time in 17 games (12-1-0-3). The Whale also had been 12-1-0-2 since rebranded from the Hartford Wolf Pack to the Whale on Nov. 27, but now they’re 1-4-0-1 against the Monarchs this season.

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“They’ve been playing extremely well lately, and we knew that coming in,” said Jones (13-2-0-0, 1.60 goals-against average, tied for first in the AHL, and .948 save percentage, second in the league). “We weren’t entirely happy with our performance (Saturday) night, and that was a big bounce-back performance for us.

“Obviously we jumped into the lead in the first period, and they were getting more and more desperate as the game went on,” added Jones, who turns 21 in a week, has won six in a row and is 4-0 against the Whale this season. “We were outshot, but I don’t think we played poorly. We were controlled in our own zone, composed and stuck to our structure. A lot of those shots are saves that I should be making, so I thought we did a great job in our zone coverage-wise.

“I don’t think we had too many breakdowns where they got grade-A scoring chances. I felt good and was able to make a couple of saves I needed to make, and I thought my team did the rest defensively.”

Jones, though, was easily the game’s No. 1 star and the reason the Whale suffered their first regulation loss at home since their second of four shutout losses this season, 4-0 to Toronto on Nov. 9. Since then, they had been 8-0-0-1 at the XL Center after starting 2-6-2-0.

Whale left wing Brodie Dupont, playing after needing three stitches to close a cut near his right eye sustained in a 6-2 victory over Providence on Saturday night, has known of Jones’ talents since they played together with the Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League. Jones also backstopped Canada to a silver medal in the World Junior Championships last year when Team USA won the gold.

“At some point, you have to give credit where credit is due,” said Dupont, who scored the first goal Saturday before being injured with 3:20 left and had five shots Sunday along with Kris Newbury and Jeremy Williams and one less than Todd White. “After playing with him in juniors, I figured I’d be able to pick his old weak spots, but he challenged a lot more than he used to. I had a few opportunities that I would have liked to put away, but it didn’t happen for me or anybody.

“I think everybody got a little frustrated, but Jones played a great game. When you fire 39 shots at somebody and don’t score, the goalie has to be playing good. He put a door up and slammed it shut. We threw everything we had at him, and he played well. We just have to find a way to beat those goalies whether it’s rebounds or net-front presence or whatever it might take. But it was one of those nights that happen. You play an 80-game schedule, so you’re going to run into a hot goalie eventually.

“But we’re taking a lot of positives out of that game. It would have been nice to win because they were only five points up on us and we were closing the gap on them pretty good so it was kind of a four-point game for us. But we’re not quite at the halfway point, and they know we’re coming and we feel confident. We’re not going to let this set us back. We’re just going to keep moving forward and take the positives out of it.”

Dupont felt the Whale controlled a lot of the play, and the Monarchs scored the winner off a broken play on a power play that didn’t deflate the team. Ditto after the second goal, but the third was “the nail in the coffin.”

“But he knows where I’m coming from, so I’ll get him,” Dupont added with a smile “And you can put that in the paper, too.”

Whale coach Ken Gernander also conceded Jones was at the top of his game but wished his team hadn’t taken a few bad penalties and been better defensively, forechecking and physically as they had in their recent excellence.

“We did generate 39 shots and didn’t give up a world of opportunities, but there’s a pretty small difference between winning and losing,” Gernander said. “We had some real good chances where we didn’t make great shots. That’s not to take anything away from the goalie because he made some big saves, but I thought there were chances where we weren’t sharp as far as shooting.

“And I don’t think we had as many second and third opportunities as we needed, and (Jones) probably saw all of the shots, too. We need bodies net-front and tips and screens and those kinds of things. Goalies are good, and if they get to see (a shot), they a lot of times make the save. I sensed the guys getting frustrated, which is something we can be better at. For a long part of the night, it was a one-goal game, so if you get frustrated, it’s counterproductive a lot of times.”

Both sides, especially the Whale, had ample scoring chances in the first 40 minutes but converted only once. Dupont had a good rebound chance just after the opening faceoff, then the Monarchs’ Jordan Nolan hit the post off a left wing rush at 6:22.

After Johnson made good saves off Dwight King and Corey Elkins on Manchester’s first power play, the Monarchs took the lead for good when King passed across the crease to a wide-open Kozun, who one-timed a shot into an open net from the left circle at 8:48.

Jones made a stellar stop on Jeremy Williams’ left-circle shot with 7:37 left in the period during the Whale’s first power play. Jones then made three more strong saves in a 21/2-minute span, stopping White off a pass from Jason Williams, Evgeny Grachev’s partial breakaway off Tim Kennedy’s soft lead pass and Jason Williams’ breakaway off a White pass after Elkins’ turnover.

Johnson denied Thomas Hickey cruising down the slot shorthanded 1:21 into the second period, then 20 seconds later, Hickey put a shot off the crossbar, though Gernander agreed with replays that showed the shot went in and out of the net.

The Whale had three more good scoring bids in the final 8:06 of the period, but Jones denied Kelsey Tessier off right wing and Dupont on a 2-on-1 with Newbury sandwiched around White putting a shot off the side of the net off a 3-on-1.

The Whale nearly tied it shorthanded 3:24 into the third period, but referee Chris Cozzan ruled the net was dislodged before Dupont jammed in the puck off a 3-on-2.

Given that reprieve, the Monarchs took a 2-0 lead as Clune poked the puck to Meckler, who flipped a shot past Johnson at 6:05 for his team-leading 11^th goal. After Jones stopped a three-shot Whale flurry capped by Jeremy Williams’ excellent bid with 8:15 left, the Monarchs clinched the win as Meckler picked up his blocked shot and flipped a backhand, diagonal pass to a wide-open Clune, who redirected the puck high to Johnson’s stick side with 6:31 to go.

“The guys rebounded well,” said Monarchs coach Mark Morris, whose captain at Clarkson was White. “It was a textbook road win. Everybody contributed. There was good focus and execution throughout most of the game.”

WHALE NOTES

The Whale wore their new home white jerseys for the second time, and their new blue road jerseys will debut Friday night in Norfolk, Va., or Jan. 14 at Portland. The new jerseys are available for purchase at the XL Center or The Hartford Store, 45 Pratt Street in Hartford. Prices, including sales tax, are $289 (authentic), $125 (senior replica) and $99 (junior replica). … The Whale start a four-game road trip at Worcester on Wednesday night and don’t return to the XL Center until Jan. 15 against Providence, the start of a three-game homestand that also includes visits from league-leading Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (Jan. 16) and Hamilton (Jan. 21). … Former Wolf Pack captain Greg Moore scored with 3:54 left to give the Adirondack Phantoms a 2-1 victory over the Albany Devils on Saturday night. That gave Moore, a two-time 20-goal scorer and former All-Star with the Wolf Pack, a goal in four consecutive games after failing to score in his first 32 games. Moore was shut out in regulation Sunday, but he had the deciding shootout goal as the Admirals rallied from a two-goal deficit with less than eight minutes left for a 3-2 victory over the Rochester Americans. The Phantoms won their third game in as many nights and improved to 6-2-0- 0 in its last eight games after starting the season 4-23-2-0. … Defenseman Lee Baldwin, assigned from the Whale to the Greenville Road Warriors on Wednesday, scored his first ECHL goal in a 5-1 victory over the Wheeling Nailers on Sunday. Dov Grumet-Morris, who played two games with the Whale earlier this season, made 28 saves for his league-leading 15^th victory.

ISLANDERS TRADE ROLOSON; WHALE TO FACE DESJARDINS

The New York Islanders acquired defenseman Ty Wishart from the Tampa Bay Lightning for veteran goalie Dwayne Roloson late Saturday night and assigned him to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Wishart, 22, the San Jose Sharks’ first-round pick (16^th overall) in 2006, had four goals and 14 assists and was plus-13 in 31 games with the Norfolk Admirals, who host the Whale on Friday and Saturday night.

With Roloson in Tampa Bay, the Whale will face rookie goalie Cedrick Desjardins, who made 34 saves to win his second consecutive start Saturday night, 2-1 over the Rangers in overtime. Until Marian Gaborik scored with 46 seconds left in regulation, Mats Zuccarello, on a call-up from the Whale to replace former Wolf Pack wing Ryan Callahan (broken right hand), had the Rangers’ best scoring chance in the second period but fired a rebound of former Wolf Pack center Artem Anisimov’s shot from the right side that a diving Desjardins managed to stop with his pad. Gaborik’s late goal tied it, but former P-Bruins center Nate Thompson ended it just 19 seconds into overtime.

“I was just having fun finding every shot,” said Desjardins, recalled from Norfolk on Dec. 20. “I was in the zone.”

But Desjardins’ fun ended quickly when it was announced after the game that the Lightning had acquired the 41-year-old Roloson, sending Desjardins back to the AHL despite allowing only two goals in his first two NHL games. He had 27 saves in a 4-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night, but now it’ll be the Whale that he’ll be facing.

ZUCCARELLO WORKING TO STAY IN NEW YORK

After playing only 71/2 minutes in a 3-1 win over the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night, Zuccarello asked the Rangers coaching staff to show him videos to assess his defensive play.

“I didn’t play much when we had a one-goal lead, and I told them, ‘I want to know what you’re not happy with and what I can do better,” Zuccarello told reporters before playing 12:33 in the loss to Tampa Bay.

Adjusting to smaller North American rinks, more physical play and the Rangers’ system didn’t come as quickly as Zuccarello hoped, though he did have 23 points in his last 21 games with the Whale after getting only two points in the first 12 games.

Zuccarello said the videos showed him he “can play closer to the boards, to be in position to pick up loose puck, just details like that. I want to get more playing time. To me, it’s important to help out there. You want to know the system, to adjust, so your linemates don’t get insecure with you out there.”

Zuccarello skated on left wing with Gaborik and Derek Stepan in the win over the Devils, but he was back on his more natural right wing Saturday night with the Russian tandem of Anisimov and Alex Frolov. Zuccarello was again at right wing Sunday with Stepan and former Wolf Pack forward Brandon Dubinsky, but none of the Rangers accomplished much of anything in a 3-0 loss to the Florida Panthers.

Rangers coach John Tortorella is making no long-term NHL commitment to Zuccarello, whom he has called intelligent and coachable, beyond the next few games.

“He’s improved, but I’m not sure where it all goes right now with him,” Tortorella said. “You can see his skill. Where I really like him is in tight, in close, situations where he can make a play and other people can’t. He has some vision, you can see his offensive instincts.

“Where it goes, as far as where he fits with the team, I’m not exactly sure, because we’re pretty banged up (with Callahan, Christensen and Derek Boogaard injured), and I want to play Gabby with Stepan and Dubi (Dubinsky). We’re going to allow him to play and then make our judgment: Does he stick with us or does he still need some work in the minors?”

Tortorella did say Zuccarello “certainly hasn’t hurt himself in the games that he’s played in. I only used him (7:36 in New Jersey) because we were brutal early on and I changed things around and kind of lost things in the rotation.

“A young guy’s gonna have to live through that when you’re struggling through a game. He’s going to play some more games here and we’ll see where he can help us, if he can, right now. I don’t want to get too far ahead or myself in this development in trying to force him.”

Former Wolf Pack defenseman Dan Girardi registered his 100^th career NHL point Saturday night when he assisted on Gaborik’s goal. Girardi has six points (one goal, five assists) in the last nine games and leads the team with 17 assists.

Until Sunday, the Rangers were 9-0-0 (4-0-0 at home, 5-0-0 on the road) in the second game of back-to-backs this season and had outscored the opposition 31-9. In the last two seasons, they are 18-3-2 in the backend of the back-to-back sets, 8-1-1 at Madison Square Garden and 10-2-1 on the road.

DISCOUNTED WHALE, ‘DISNEY ON ICE’ TICKETS AVAILABLE

The deadline for fans to give the gift of Whale hockey during the holiday season is Monday.

The Whale Hockey Pack of six dark green undated flex tickets and one Heritage Connecticut Whale hat is $122, a savings of $38. Six yellow undated flex tickets and one hat are $74, a savings of $14. Holiday packages are available at the Fan Center behind Section 101 in the XL Center, by calling 860-728-3366 or visiting www.ctwhale.com. … Whalers Sports and Entertainment, in association with the XL Center, is offering a discount for “Disney On Ice” shows this week to Whale fans. For discounted tickets, use the discount code WHALES and save $4. Discounted tickets start at $11 for shows Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday at 4:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the XL Center box office, online at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-745-3000. For groups of 15 or more, contact the XL Center group sales office at 860-548-2000. … The Whale’s Jan. 21 game against Hamilton is be a special Family Value Night at which New Britain Rock Cats mascot Rocky will be on hand. There will be a giveaway, a table setup and autograph session, and the New Britain High School marching band will perform the national anthem and during the first intermission. Tickets in the lower level are $16 and include a soda and pizza slice or hot dog. Visit www.ctwhale.com. … The eighth Tip-A-Player Dinner and Sports Carnival, presented by Aetna, will be Jan. 23 at the XL Center from 4-7 p.m. Tickets are $30 for adults and $20 for children, and proceeds benefit Gaylord Specialty Healthcare at Gaylord Hospital in Wallingford. For more information, contact Lori Leniart at 860-728-3366.

ALL-STAR VOTING ENDS NEXT SUNDAY

On-line fan voting for the AHL All-Star Classic Jan. 30-31 at the Giant Center in Hershey, Pa., runs through midnight next Sunday at theahl.com and facebook.com/theahl. Players receiving the most votes by position will earn berths in the starting lineups of the Eastern Conference and Western Conference teams. A committee of AHL coaches will select the remaining All-Stars, and all 30 clubs must be represented. By completing the official ballot, fans are entered to win a grand prize of a team-signed All-Star jersey. Ten more winners will receive an official All-Star Classic T-shirt.

Tickets for the AHL Hall of Fame induction and awards ceremony and post skills party during the All-Star Classic are on sale. The induction and awards ceremony will be at the Hershey Theater on Jan. 31 at 11 a.m. when the Hall of Fame Class of 2011 – the late Maurice Podoloff, who grew up in New Haven and graduated from Yale, and Harry Pidhirny, Mitch Lamoureux and Larry Wilson – will be enshrined. AHL Hall of Famer Bruce Boudreau, former coach of the Bears and now coach of the Washington Capitals, will be the keynote speaker, and AHL graduate and 2008 Foster Hewitt Award winner Mike Emrick will be master of ceremonies.

The post-skills party will be at the Hershey Lodge on Jan. 30 from 6 to 10 p.m. It will feature a tailgate theme while watching the NHL All-Star Game with a buffet-style menu of food and drinks. Ticket packages for the two events are $75 and can be purchased at the Giant Center box office or by calling 717-534-3911. Availability is limited, and there is a six-ticket limit per person.

Also, an exclusive All-Star Classic VIP package for $199 includes Club Section tickets, parking vouchers for the skills competition and All-Star Game, a meal voucher for the All-Star Game, tickets for the post-skills party and Hall of Fame induction and awards ceremony and a gift bag. Tickets for the skills competition Jan. 30 at 3 p.m. and the All-Star Game on Jan. 31 at 7 p.m. are nearly sold out. Contact the Giant Center box office for information.

Monarchs 3, Whale 0

Manchester    1 0 2 – 3
Connecticut    0 0 0 – 0

First period: 1. Man, Kozun 9 (King, Elkins), 8:48 (pp). Penalties: Garlock, Ct (cross-checking), 6:56; Cliché, Mch (boarding), 10:56; Hill, Mch (fighting), 13:49; DiDiomete, Ct (fighting), 13:49; Williams, Ct (interference), 16:29; Moller, Mch (hooking), 19:03.

Second period: No scoring. Penalties: Grachev, Ct (hooking), 1:21; Williams, Ct (tripping), 5:19; Teubert, Mch (interference), 10:17.

Third period: 2. Man, Meckler 11 (Clune), 6:05. 3. Man, Clune 5 (Meckler, Zeiler), 13:29. Penalties: Williams, Ct (boarding), 3:04; Teubert, Mch (fighting), 19:00; DiDiomete, Ct (fighting), 19:00.

Shots on goal: Manchester 10-6-4-20. Connecticut 13-10-16-39; Power-play opportunities: Manchester 1 of 5; Connecticut 0 of 3; Goalies: Manchester, Jones 13-2-0 (39 shots-39 saves). Connecticut, Johnson 12-12-3 (20-17); A: 4,367; Referee: Chris Cozzan; Linesmen: Brent Colby, Kevin Redding.

By Bruce Berlet

HARTFORD, Conn. – New year, new uniforms, same result.

The Connecticut Whale continued to play like it was 2010 in their new white jerseys as Evgeny Grachev had first three-point game as a pro in a 6-2 victory over the Providence Bruins before 5,416 at the XL Center Saturday.

Several chats with coach Ken Gernander and increased playing time via the added responsibility of penalty killing the last four games has helped get the 6-foot-4, 222-pound Grachev more involved.

“I’ve been getting some ice time, and that helped me stay in the game more,” said Grachev, whose fifth goal of the season was his first game-winner. “When we got penalties (before), I had to sit for awhile, but now I’m staying on the ice more and getting going and it has helped me a lot. I’m more comfortable the more I play.”

Grachev, who has played all three forward positions but has been used at wing lately, said his talks with Gernander made him realize he has to be more physical. It’s also something that was emphasized after Grachev played his first six NHL games with the parent New York Rangers in late October and early November.

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“There was a tough stretch when I wasn’t scoring for awhile,” said Grachev, who had one goal in nine games this season and 38 games back to last season before being called up on Oct. 28 “It was very frustrating, but then I scored a few goals and that helped me to get out of the dump. (Rangers coach John Tortorella) told me to keep working on using my size to protect the puck and be physical again.

“(Being with the Rangers) gave me another understanding how badly I want to play up there and maybe made me work harder to get myself there.”

Gernander called it one of Grachev’s better games in which he was rewarded for it so “we have to hope he keeps trending in that direction and that becomes the standard now.”

“We’re always trying to have guys finishing checks, and it’s not just being physically intimidating,” Gernander said. “A lot of times it’s a strategic play to separate the puck carrier from the puck and to maintain defensive position on him. That’s something we encourage all the time.

“I’m not asking people to be rock ’em, sock ’em, through the glass all the time, but everybody on our team has to finish hits. I don’t care who they are. Like I said, it’s a strategic play, not just physical intimidation. And more guys than not, it actually enhances their play. When guys are finishing hits, they’re a lot more physically and emotionally engaged. There are some guys who bring the grit and make you really pay the price, but sometimes you’re on them to be a little better positionally.”

Gernander also liked the way the defense moved the puck, even after losing veteran Wade Redden to a tweak in his side midway through the second period after assisting on power-play goals by Grachev and Jeremy Williams. Redden is questionable for a home game Sunday at 3 p.m. against the Atlantic Division-leading Manchester Monarchs (23-12-1-1), whose 3-1 loss to the Springfield Falcons ended a season-high, six-game winning streak.

“The defense was very good transitioning the puck,” Gernander said. “We didn’t spend a lot of time in our end. It was just defenseman-to-defenseman or a quick-up (pass), and the less time you spend in your end the better.”

The Whale (18-12-2-5) has won four in a row and is on a 12-1-0-2 run that has put them six games above .500 for the first time this season. The month-long surge has vaulted them from the into second place in the Atlantic Division, two points ahead of idle Portland (18-10-4-1), which has four games in hand, and five points behind the first-place Monarchs. The Whale is 9-0-0-2 in their last 11 division games and has a standings point in 15 of their last 16 games (12-1-0-3) and 17 of their last 19 (14-2-0-3).

“We’re playing well right now, and it seems like we have quite a bit of depth, which is always a bonus, in probably every position,” Gernander said. “There are a lot of elements, and everybody is playing pretty well.

The Bruins (13-17-2-1) are last in the Atlantic Division and 4-11-0-0 in their last 15 games but had been 9-4-1-0 on the road, where they are playing five in a row. They had the better of the play the opening 10 minutes, but the Whale took a lead it never relinquished 3:15 into the game when Brodie Dupont skated through the neutral zone, made a give-and-go play with Kris Newbury into the right circle and beat Matt Dalton (33 saves) to the far stick side.

The Bruins had an 8-3 shot advantage until the first power play for the Whale, who had 12 of the next 13 shots in the ensuing 10:48 in building a 4-1 lead.

After Dalton made a brilliant right pad save on Dupont’s redirect of Chad Kolarik’s pass from the right corner, the Whale converted their first power play thanks to a subtle play by Devin DiDiomete. Stu Bickel’s clear-in pass fluttered into open space in the high slot, where DiDiomete tipped the puck to Tim Kennedy, whose quick finish with 3:52 left in the period was his third goal in as many games.

Just 1:11 later, the Bruins scored on their only shot in the Whale surge as Andrew Bodnarchuk shoveled the puck along the right boards to the point to Lane MacDermid, whose 55-foot screen shot beat Cameron Talbot (24 saves) high to the glove side, just the second time the Whale goalie allowed a goal to the Bruins in 147:19. MacDermid is the son of former Hartford Whalers right wing Paul MacDermid, co-owner of the Owen Sound junior team in the Ontario Hockey League.

But as the Whale has done a lot lately, they sloughed off the goal and regained a two-goal lead on a power play as Grachev converted Redden’s rebound off Kolarik’s pass from behind the net with 1:14 left in the period.

Dalton made a sprawling save to rob Justin Soryal 3:22 into the second period, but it didn’t deter the Whale as Williams one-timed Grachev’s pass past a screened Dalton for his team-leading 19^th goal and the Whale’s second on the power play at 4:05.

Talbot made a nifty right pad save on Jeremy Reich cruising down the slot at 5:22, then Dalton made bang-bang stops on Williams and Todd White, playing his second game since clearing waivers and being sent down by the Rangers on Wednesday.

Talbot kept the Whale in command when he stopped a wide-open Juraj Simek’s shot from the left circle off a Bickel turnover with 2:55 left in the period. Then during the Bruins’ fourth power play early in the third period, Talbot denied Jordan LaVallee-Smotherman in the slot at 22 seconds and Joe Colborne’s rebound at 1:37.

With fans chanting “Let’s Go Whale” and “We Want Tacos,” they got their wish. Dalton made a brilliant save off DiDiomete, set up in the slot by Ryan Garlock, at 5:52. But undeterred, DiDiomete forced former Yale defenseman Ryan Donald to turn over the puck behind the net, then Garlock found Soryal alone in front for a 5-1 lead at 6:15. The fifth goal enabled the fans to cash in their ticket stub for a taco at a Moe’s Southwest Grill.

DiDiomete’s strong forecheck and subsequent pass and finish by the fourth line epitomized the Whale’s effort the last few weeks.

“I think the whole team had a pretty strong game, and it’s great when Kenny gives (the fourth line) the opportunity to play,” said DiDiomete, who had his first multiple-point game as a pro. “It’s nice to chip in and help the team the way we did. Everyone knows I’m willing to fight to stick up for guys, but I’ve wanted to work on playing and getting pucks out on the wall and making sure I’m finishing all my checks. I’ve been working a lot on that in practice with Kenny and (assistant Pat Boller), and it’s always nice to know the coach is on your side and they’re there to help you be a better player.

“But the better thing is the team is still playing a team game and we’re winning. We’re playing an awesome game right now, and everyone is doing what they have to do to be successful. The scorers are scoring, the guys that set up the scorers are setting up the scorers, the fighters are fighting, our checkers are finishing checks and our defensive players are playing good defensive hockey. We’re playing a great team game, and our record in our last 15 games shows that. We’re one of the hottest teams, if not the hottest team, in the league.”

The Whale continued to press after Soryal’s goal, but Dalton stopped Kolarik’s semi-breakaway at 9:12 and Grachev’s close-in bid 34 seconds later.

The Bruins then got to 5-2 when Jordan Caron scored on a power play with 5:35 left after having two excellent bids stopped by Talbot. That gave the Bruins one more goal on Talbot than they had on 68 shots in the teams’ first two meetings.

Simek then got a double minor for bloodying Dupont with a high stick, and the Whale quickly converted as White deftly redirected Williams’ pass into the open side of the net with 3:12 left for his second goal in as many games with the Whale.

“I think he went to lift my stick and missed,” said Dupont, who needed three stitches to close a cut on his right eyelid. “It hit (next to) my eye pretty hard, so it was pretty scary.”

But the Bruins hardly scared the Whale after the first 131/2 minutes, when they had an 8-3 shot advantage but finished up being outshot 39-26.

“I don’t think I own Providence,” said Talbot, who is 3-0 with a 1.00 goals-against average and .968 save percentage (92-for-95) and one of his two shutouts against the Bruins. “Every game, we’ve jumped out to a pretty good lead, and it’s a lot easier for a goalie to be little more relaxed when you’ve got guys putting the puck in the net early for you. And it’s a lot easier when you’ve got (defensemen) Pavel Valentenko, Jared Nightingale and Ryan McDonagh going down blocking shots. I think they might have stopped more shots than I did. I think (Valentenko) blocked 10 in the third period, and they cleared away some bad rebounds that I left. It was a great team effort by everyone.”

The Whale was a bit sluggish at the start after a three-hour bus ride home from Maine following a 5-4 overtime victory over the Portland Pirates and some New Year’s Eve celebrating. But after scoring on their first power play, it was all downhill.

“Maybe it took us five minutes or so to get into it,” Talbot said, “but once we did, we never really looked back. Once we got that power-play goal, it turned things around.”

Gernander said Dupont and Redden would be evaluated before Sunday’s game, which he hopes resembles the latest strong effort.

“The better the team plays, the better individuals look,” Gernander said. “I thought it was a pretty complete game, and consequently some individuals looked really good and seemed to stand out. But I thought it was a pretty strong game by everybody.”

Whether it was green or white jerseys.

NEW JERSEYS WORN AND AVAILABLE

The Whale weren’t unanimously in favor of changing to the new jerseys after being 11-1-0-3 since rebranded from the Hartford Wolf Pack to the Whale on Nov. 27. In fact, when asked what the difference had been the last five weeks, Grachev smiled and said, “It might be the day we changed the name.” He then got serious, adding, “But we won a few games and you get used to it. You have a different mindset. You get out there and know you’re going to win, so you do your best. We have a great group of guys who I think can go all the way. We have experienced defensemen and forwards, a lot of guys with NHL experience and two great goaltenders, so I don’t think we should be surprising anyone that we’ve been hot. I think we have a good team, and it has been fun.” The Whale was 9-1-0-3 in December after going 3-5-2-2 in October and 5-6-0-1 in November. Their new blue road jerseys will debut Friday night in Norfolk, Va., or Jan. 14 at Portland. The new jerseys are available for purchase at the XL Center or The Hartford Store, 45 Pratt Street in Hartford. Prices, including sales tax, are $289 (authentic), $125 (senior replica) and $99 (junior replica). …The Whale scratched defenseman Jyri Niemi and forward Jason Williams, who signed a professional tryout contract Monday and had a goal and an assist in his Whale debut Friday night, a 5-4 overtime victory over the Portland Pirates. The Bruins scratched defenseman Yury Alexandrov and veteran forwards Brian McGrattan and Wyatt Smith, who signed with RC Ingolstadt in the German Elite League on Thursday. Smith joined former Wolf Pack defenseman Bryce Lampman, who signed the previous week, replacing former Wolf Pack defenseman Marvin Degon, who had his contract bought out. Donald made his Bruins debut after being called up from Reading of the ECHL and was paired with Jeff Penner. … Before embarking on a four-game road trip starting Wednesday night in Worcester, the Whale hosts the Monarchs. They are 1-3-0-1 against the Monarchs, who are 14-0-0-1 when they score first. But the Whale’s one victory was a 5-1 romp in the Monarchs’ last visit to the XL Center on Dec. 11. Centre Andrei Loktionov leads a balanced Manchester attack with six goals and 21 assists and has points in all six games of the winning streak. He’s followed by defenseman Viatcheslav Voynov (6, 21), left wing Bud Holloway (10, 15), center Corey Elkins (9, 21) and center Oscar Moller (9, 16), who had two goals and an assist as the Monarchs rallied from a 4-0 deficit to beat the Whale 5-4 in a shootout on Dec. 19. Moller tied a franchise points record in a game with a goal and four assists in a 7-3 victory over Providence on Friday night, giving him eight points since returning from the parent Los Angeles Kings. He was shut out by the Falcons on Saturday night. It’s a Guida’s Family Value Day in which fans can get three tickets, sodas, pizza slices or hot dogs and a souvenir for $48. Fans are encouraged to bring their skates as there will be a free postgame skate, sponsored by Stone Academy. After Sunday, the Whale doesn’t play at the XL Center until Jan. 15 against Providence, the start of a three-game homestand that also includes visits from league-leading Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (Jan. 16) and Hamilton (Jan. 21). …Wing Mats Zuccarello, recalled from the Whale by the Rangers last week for the second time in his rookie season in North America, is now on an all-European line with Russians Alex Frolov and former Wolf Pack center Artem Anisimov. Wing Dale Weise, recalled after a 2-1 overtime victory over Portland on Wednesday night, will begin his second NHL stint Saturday night in Tampa Bay alongside captain/center and Trumbull native Chris Drury and Sean Avery.

DISCOUNTED WHALE, ‘DISNEY ON ICE’ TICKETS AVAILABLE

The deadline for fans to give the gift of Whale hockey during the holiday season is Monday.

The Whale Hockey Pack of six dark green undated flex tickets and one Heritage Connecticut Whale hat is $122, a savings of $38. Six yellow undated flex tickets and one hat are $74, a savings of $14. Holiday packages are available at the Fan Center behind Section 101 in the XL Center, by calling 860-728-3366 or visiting www.ctwhale.com. … Whalers Sports and Entertainment, in association with the XL Center, is offering a discount for “Disney On Ice” shows this week to Whale fans. For discounted tickets, use the discount code WHALES and save $4. Discounted tickets start at $11 for shows Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday at 4:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the XL Center box office, online at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-745-3000. For groups of 15 or more, contact the XL Center group sales office at 860-548-2000. … The Whale’s Jan. 21 game against Hamilton will be a special Family Value Night at which New Britain Rock Cats mascot Rocky will be on hand. There will be a giveaway, a table setup and autograph session, and the New Britain High School marching band will perform the national anthem and during the first intermission. Tickets in the lower level are $16 and include a soda and pizza slice or hot dog. Visit www.ctwhale.com. … The eighth Tip-A-Player Dinner and Sports Carnival, presented by Aetna, will be Jan. 23 at the XL Center from 4-7 p.m. Tickets are $30 for adults and $20 for children, and proceeds will benefit Gaylord Specialty Healthcare. For more information, contact Lori Lenihart at 860-728-3366.

FORMER WOLF PACK PLAYERS MAKE CONTRIBUTIONS

In Friday night action with Wolf Pack ties, former captain Greg Moore has emphatically ended the longest scoring drought of his career. After not scoring in the first 32 games this year, Moore extended his goal-scoring streak to three games in the Adirondack Phantoms’ 3-2 shootout victory over the Falcons. Former wing Alexandre Giroux scored three goals to lead Oklahoma City to a 4-1 victory over the San Antonio Rampage, ending the Barons’ six-game winless streak. Giroux’s first hat trick of the season moved him into a tie with Bruce Cline for 12^th place all-time with 321 career AHL goals. Wing P.A. Parenteau scored on a power play on a one-timer from the left circle off a pass from John Tavares with 1:03 left in overtime to give the visiting New York Islanders a 4-3 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. It was the second straight winner for Parenteau, who scored the decisive shootout goal for a 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins Wednesday night, when the Islanders ended Sidney Crosby’s 25-game scoring streak.

“It’s a great way to start the new year,” Parenteau told reporters after the Islanders had beaten the NHL’s top two teams to close out 2010 and make it five wins in six starts, the lone loss being a 7-2 thrashing at the hands of the Rangers on Monday night.

Bridgeport Sound Tigers wing Jesse Joensuu, who replaced former Wolf Pack enforcer Trevor Gillies in the Islanders lineup, scored on a tip of a Milan Jurcina shot late in the second period.

It was an upbeat ending to an otherwise forgettable 2010 for the Islanders, winners of four consecutive Stanley Cups in the early 1980s but losers of 14 straight games and 20 of 21 earlier this year, leading to the firing of coach Scott Gordon and elevation of Sound Tigers coach Jack Capuano.

Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y., is the second-oldest building in the NHL to Madison Square Garden, which is undergoing a three-year renovation.

“This team desperately needs a new building,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said on Oct. 11 while watching an Islanders-Rangers game at Nassau Coliseum. “The lease will expire at some point and the team will not stay in the building. (Owner) Charles Wang has spent eight years and probably close to $20 million in pursuit of a new building without success. It really is up to Nassau County and the Town of Hempstead to take the lead on this if there’s going to be anything that happens to make sure the team has a home in Nassau County.”

Whale 6, Bruins 2

Providence     1 0 1 – 2
Connecticut    3 1 2 – 6

First period: 1. Conn, Dupont 5 (Newbury), 3:15. 2. Conn, Kennedy 7 (DiDiomete, Bickel), 16:08. 3. Prov, MacDermid 2 (Bodnarchuk), 17:19. 4. Conn, Grachev 5 (Redden, Kolarik), 18:46 (pp). Penalties: Roussel, Pro (roughing), 2:59; DiDiomete, Ct (roughing), 2:59; Bickel, Ct (slashing), 5:44; Soryal, Ct (roughing), 11:38; LaVallee-Smotherman, Pro (hooking), 13:17; MacDermid, Pro (cross-checking), 17:23.

Second period: 5. Conn, Williams 19 (Grachev, Redden), 4:05 (pp). Penalties: Bodnarchuk, Pro (hooking), 3:24; Simek, Pro (slashing), 7:14; Kennedy, Ct (roughing), 7:14; Sauve, Pro (tripping), 8:45; Bickel, Ct (interference), 12:26.

Third period: 6. Conn, Soryal 3 (Garlock, DiDiomete), 6:15. 7. Prov, Caron 1 (Hamill, Penner), 14:22 (pp). 8. Conn, White 2 (Williams, Grachev), 16:48 (pp). Penalties: Kennedy, Ct (high-sticking), 0:53; Penner, Pro (hooking), 2:46; Hamill, Pro (cross-checking), 7:47; Bickel, Ct (cross-checking), 7:47; Kolarik, Ct (roughing), 13:27; Kolarik, Ct (unsportsmanlike conduct), 14:22; Simek, Pro (double minor-high-sticking), 16:40; DiDiomete, Ct (delay of game), 19:15.

Shots on goal: Providence 9-5-12-26. Connecticut 10-14-15-39; Power-play opportunities: Providence 1 of 7; Connecticut 3 of 7; Goalies: Providence, Dalton 0-2-0 (39 shots-33 saves). Connecticut, Talbot 6-2-2 (26-24); A: 5,416; Referees: Ian Croft, Jean Hebert; Linesmen-Luke Galvin, Paul Simeon.

Since the rebranding of the CT Whale from the Hartford Wolf Pack came so close to the 2010-11 season, Whalers Sports & Entertainment wasn’t able to get jerseys made right away. They introduced the first new jersey, a green one back on November 23, 2010.

And now earlier in the week, they introduced their new blue and white jerseys. They wore the white ones in their game on New Year’s Day against the Providence Bruins.