HARTFORD, January 9, 2013:  Connecticut Whale general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that the Whale has signed forward Shayne Wiebe to an American Hockey League contract.

Wiebe had been with the Whale on a Professional Tryout (PTO) agreement since coming up from the Greenville Road Warriors of the ECHL November 17.  In 14 AHL games this year, the 6-0, 190-pound rookie has two assists, two penalty minutes and 21 shots on goal.  In 12 ECHL games with Greenville, Wiebe has notched seven goals and five assists for 12 points, along with 10 PIM.

A 22-year-old native of Brandon, Manitoba, Wiebe played 12 games with the AHL’s St. John’s IceCaps last season (0-4-4, 2 PIM) before finishing the year with the University of New Brunswick (5-7-12, 24 PIM in 11 GP). Prior to turning pro, he played four full seasons in the Western Hockey League with the Kamloops Blazers and Brandon Wheat Kings.  Wiebe’s first pro action was one game with the Whale in 2010-11, following the conclusion of his WHL season with Brandon.

The Whale’s next action is this Saturday night, January 12, when they play the first of back-to-back games in Hershey against the Bears.  Faceoff is 7:00 PM at the Giant Center, and all of the action can be heard live on “The Rock” 106.9 WCCC-FM.  Fans can also listen on-line at www.ctwhale.com, and video streaming is available at www.ahllive.com).  The next home game for the Whale is Wednesday, January 23, a 7:00 battle with the Adirondack Phantoms.

Whale tickets start as low as $10 each ($12 each when tickets are purchased on the day of the game), at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, through TicketMaster Charge-by-Phone at 1-800-745-3000 and on-line at www.ticketmaster.com.

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

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

HARTFORD, January 8, 2013:  Connecticut Whale general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that forward Andrew Yogan has been reassigned back to the Whale from its ECHL affiliate, the Greenville Road Warriors.

Prior to being assigned to Greenville November 29, Yogan skated in 11 games for the Whale, scoring one goal and serving 11 minutes in penalties.  In 15 games with the Road Warriors, the 2010 fourth-round (100^th overall) New York Ranger draft pick scored nine goals and added three assists for 12 points, to go along with 14 penalty minutes and a +5 rating.

A 6-3, 203-pound native of Coral Springs, FL, the 21-year-old Yogan spent five seasons in the Ontario Hockey League, with Windsor, Erie and Peterborough, prior to turning pro this year.

The Whale’s next action is this Saturday night, January 12, when they play the first of back-to-back games in Hershey against the Bears.  Faceoff is 7:00 PM at the Giant Center, and all of the action can be heard live on “The Rock” 106.9 WCCC-FM.  Fans can also listen on-line at www.ctwhale.com, and video streaming is available at www.ahllive.com).  The next home game for the Whale is Wednesday, January 23, a 7:00 battle with the Adirondack Phantoms.

Whale tickets start as low as $10 each ($12 each when tickets are purchased on the day of the game), at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, through TicketMaster Charge-by-Phone at 1-800-745-3000 and on-line at www.ticketmaster.com.

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

HARTFORD, January 7, 2013:  Connecticut Whale general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that forward J.T. Miller has been reassigned back to the Whale from the U.S. National Junior Team.

Miller is fresh off winning a gold medal with Team USA at the World Junior Championship in Ufa, Russia, the third gold captured by the U.S. in that event’s history.  The USA squad clinched the title with a 3-1 win Saturday over Sweden in the gold medal game.

Miller had an assist in that victory, on a game-clinching empty-net goal by Vince Trocheck, giving Miller seven helpers in seven games in the tournament, tops on the USA squad and good for a tie for second overall among WJC skaters.  Miller’s nine points in the tournament (2-7-9) tied him for the U.S. team lead and for fifth overall in the tournament.

Miller, a 19-year-old native of East Palestine, Ohio, has suited up for 26 games with the Whale this year and has scored five goals and added nine assists for 14 points, while serving 25 minutes in penalties. 

The Whale’s next action is this Saturday night, January 12, when they play the first of back-to-back games in Hershey against the Bears.  Faceoff is 7:00 PM at the Giant Center, and all of the action can be heard live on “The Rock” 106.9 WCCC-FM.  Fans can also listen on-line at www.ctwhale.com, and video streaming is available at www.ahllive.com).  The next home game for the Whale is Wednesday, January 23, a 7:00 battle with the Adirondack Phantoms.

Whale tickets start as low as $10 each ($12 each when tickets are purchased on the day of the game), at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, through TicketMaster Charge-by-Phone at 1-800-745-3000 and on-line at www.ticketmaster.com.

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

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

By Wil Goldsholl

Hartford, CT, January 6, 2013 – After watching Cam Talbot pick up his first shutout of the season in Hartford on Friday, Jason Missiaen decided he wanted one too. Supported by two goals from Kyle Jean, the Connecticut Whale skated to a 2-0 victory over the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins, despite being outshot by a margin of 35-18. The Whale earned five points over a three-game weekend, to gain ground in the Northeast Division standings.

Brandon Segal set the tone in the first 90 seconds when he delivered a hard check to Dominik Uher behind the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton goal. Christian Thomas followed suit and dumped Bobby Farnham on the way to the net minutes later.

In his eighth start of the year, Missiaen was tested early and often. Shots from Paul Thompson, Philippe Dupuis, and Warren Peters were all turned aside in the first five minutes.

Although Missiaen saw most of the rubber early on, the Whale put together some quality plays. Kris Newbury pulled a solid one-timer following a smooth and crafty break-in with linemate Chad Kolarik around the 13-minute mark. A short-side play from Tommy Grant to Kelsey Tessier near the midway point of the period was also cut off just before Grant shoved the puck through the goal mouth yet again.

Notable in the first period was Newbury’s play beneath the goal line. He put in the work underneath and drew the first penalty of the game to Dylan Reese for high-sticking at 11:41. This would prove to be a turning point when, 43 seconds later, Jean accepted a pass from Logan Pyett and shot from the left circle. Penguin backstop Brad Thiessen was heavily screened and the attempt found its way over his stick side shoulder. Jean’s first of the day came at 12:24.

Missiaen made his 10^th save of the period after the next draw as Warren Peters attempted to walk in from a dead angle. At the other end, Thiessen made a big save on Newbury after Kolarik and Segal again demonstrated good chemistry with the Brampton, Ontario native. The first period concluded with Connecticut leading 1-0.

Blake Parlett was whistled for holding in the corner1:42 in to the second period. Missiaen came in to the spotlight on the ensuing penalty kill, first stopping a one-time effort, then staring down a Joe Morrow snap shot from close range. After an offs-peed puck made its way to his crease, Missiaen came up with a tremendous save on the rebound driven by Peters seconds after the penalty expired.

Next, Missiaen made a save for the highlight reel as, again, a puck was redirected right on top of his crease. Farnham was on the doorstep to close but was robbed by the extended right leg of the six-foot eight-inch netminder.

Jean netted his second midway through regulation time when Thiessen mishandled the puck behind his own goal. Micheal Haley was buzzing in to the zone and anticipated Thiessen pushing the puck down the wall. Haley spun the puck in front where it banked off Shayne Wiebe, and Jean was there to sweep in his seventh of the year at 9:29.

Head coach Ken Gernander spoke on Jean, Missiaen, and the team’s performance after the game, “[Jean] started the season real strong for us and then hit a dry spell. We need offense.” Prior to Sunday, Jean had played 23 games without finding the twine.  Gernander also spoke highly of Missiaen, who recently spent some time with the team’s ECHL affiliate in Greenville, South Carolina, “Thirty-five saves. Some were really late there. I was thrilled with his performance.”

Several minutes later, Missiaen made a timely save on Uher again when a similar puckhandling flub occurred.

Pyett was handed a interference minor at 13:52 in the third, and the Penguins’ Brian Gibbons was sent off for hooking shortly after Pyett was released. Ryan Bourque hauled down Jason Megna at 14:52 and sat two minutes for tripping.

In the closing minute, Missiaen was still tested. He preserved his shutout, his first in the AHL  and fourth as a pro, with a big point-blank save on Trevor Smith with under ten seconds to hang on for the win. Missiaen finished with 35 stops on the night, while Thiessen turned away 16 of the 18 he faced.

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Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 0 at Connecticut Whale 2
Sunday, January 6, 2013 – XL Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum

W-B/Scranton 0 0 0 – 0
Connecticut 1 1 0 – 2

1st Period-1, Connecticut, Jean 6 (Pyett, Parlett), 12:24 (PP). Penalties-Reese Wbs (high-sticking), 11:41.

2nd Period-2, Connecticut, Jean 7 (Wiebe, Haley), 9:29. Penalties-Parlett Ct (holding), 1:42; Pyett Ct (interference), 13:52.

3rd Period- No Scoring. Penalties-Gibbons Wbs (hooking), 1:32; Bourque Ct (tripping), 14:52.

Shots on Goal-W-B/Scranton 11-13-11-35. Connecticut 9-6-3-18.
Power Play Opportunities-W-B/Scranton 0 / 3; Connecticut 1 / 2.
Goalies-W-B/Scranton, Thiessen 4-7-1 (18 shots-16 saves). Connecticut, Missiaen 3-3-0 (35 shots-35 saves).
A-4,347
Referees-Jarrod Ragusin (54).
Linesmen-Jim Briggs (83), Derek Wahl (46).

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Glens Falls, NY, January 5, 2013 – Sean Couturier’s power-play goal at 3:08 of overtime gave the Adirondack Phantoms a 2-1 win over the Connecticut Whale Saturday night at the Glens Falls Civic Center.

Just 11 seconds after Micheal Haley was called for slashing, Danny Syvret fed the puck from the middle of the blue line to Couturier, and his shot from the right circle cleanly beat Whale goaltender Cam Talbot.

Chad Kolarik scored the only Whale goal, and Tye McGinn had the other Phantom tally.  Cal Heeter made 30 saves in the Adirondack net to get the win, and Talbot stopped 34 out of 36 for Connecticut.

“They (the Phantoms) carried the play for pretty good stretches of the first (period),” Whale head coach Ken Gernander said.  “It took us a little while to get our feet under us, to get things going, and I thought it was a fairly evenly-played game after that.”

After Talbot had shut the Phantoms out in a 3-0 Whale win Friday night at the XL Center in Hartford, in the front end of the teams’ home-and-home series, McGinn put the Phantoms on the board only 2:57 into Saturday’s game.

McGinn fired a sharp-angle shot past Talbot’s catching-glove side, after Talbot initially appeared ready to cover a loose puck but instead played it up ice to his left.  The Whale were never able to clear, and Rob Bordson found McGinn for the goal.

The Whale were outshot 16-9 in the second period, but would score the only goal of the session to emerge tied at one.

After Heeter had stopped Tommy Grant on a breakaway chance a little over a minute before, Kolarik, the Whale’s goal-scoring leader, scored his 14^th of the season, and fourth in the last four games, at 16:25.  Kolarik tracked the puck down in the left-wing corner and banged a shot off of Heeter’s skates.  Kolarik headed toward the goal and was able to shove the rebound just past Heeter.  Referee Darcy Burchell conducted a video review before confirming that it was a good goal.

The Whale outshot the Phantoms 11-8 in the third, and had some good chances early on in overtime, but could not get anything else past Heeter before Couturier’s power-play winner.

Saturday’s game was the seventh straight that the Whale played without forward J.T. Miller, who helped the U.S. National Junior Team to a 3-1 win over Sweden Saturday morning in the gold medal game of the World Junior Championship in Ufa, Russia.  Miller had an assist on a game-clinching empty-net goal by Vince Trocheck, giving Miller seven helpers in seven games in the tournament, tops on the USA squad and good for a tie for second overall among WJC skaters.  Miller’s nine points in the tournament (2-7-9) tied him for the U.S. team lead and for fifth overall in the tournament.

The Whale finish off their weekend Sunday at home, hosting the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a 3:00 PM game at the XL Center.  At every Sunday Whale home game this year, fans can take advantage of the Whale’s “Click It or Ticket Sunday Family Value Packs”, which include a ticket, a hot dog or a pizza slice and a soda, all for only $18.

Whale tickets start as low as $10 each ($12 each when purchased on the day of the game) and are available at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, through TicketMaster Charge-by-Phone at 1-800-745-3000 and on-line at www.ticketmaster.com.

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Connecticut Whale 1 at Adirondack Phantoms 2 (OT)
Saturday, January 5, 2013 – Glens Falls Civic Center

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

1st Period-1, Adirondack, McGinn 9 (Bordson), 2:57. Penalties-McIlrath Ct (fighting), 2:59; Lauridsen Adk (fighting), 2:59; Kolarik Ct (cross-checking), 3:46; Ford Adk (interference), 8:53; Parlett Ct (roughing), 19:02; Bordson Adk (roughing), 19:02.

2nd Period-2, Connecticut, Kolarik 14 (Segal, Newbury), 16:25. Penalties-Haley Ct (fighting), 8:06; FitzGerald Adk (fighting), 8:06; Zolnierczyk Adk (slashing), 9:17; Segal Ct (slashing), 9:20; Pyett Ct (interference), 10:56; Collins Ct (tripping), 17:58.

3rd Period- No Scoring. Penalties-Jean Ct (roughing), 11:04; Lauridsen Adk (roughing), 11:04.

OT Period-3, Adirondack, Couturier 10 (Syvret, Schenn), 3:08 (PP). Penalties-Haley Ct (slashing), 2:57.

Shots on Goal-Connecticut 9-9-11-2-31. Adirondack 10-16-8-2-36.
Power Play Opportunities-Connecticut 0 / 2; Adirondack 1 / 5.
Goalies-Connecticut, Talbot 12-15-0 (36 shots-34 saves). Adirondack, Heeter 5-10-1 (31 shots-30 saves).
A-4,634
Referees-Darcy Burchell (42).
Linesmen-Mike Emanatian (69), Steeve Lemay (64).

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

By Wil Goldsholl

Hartford, CT, January 4, 2013 – After losing four of their last five games, the Connecticut Whale beat the Adirondack Phantoms 3-0 in Hartford on Friday, in the first of six meetings scheduled between the teams. A home-and-home series will conclude between the teams in Glen Falls Saturday night. Throughout Friday’s game Connecticut protected keystone goalkeeper Cam Talbot from second and third opportunities on the way to his first shutout of the 2012-2013 season. Talbot, as well protected as he was, still finished with 25 saves.

The top line of Chris Kreider, Brandon Segal and Kris Newbury were cycling well early and it paid off.  Adirondack goaltender Cal Heeter was stickless in net as Kreider picked up the puck in the corner. The Boston College product fed it on the backhand to Newbury in the circle, and Segal was able to collect and tuck the rebound home. Segal’s eighth of the year came at 4:12 in the first.

Adirondack picked up a number of quick shooting chances while putting heavy traffic in front of Talbot’s crease.

The game’s first penalty came to Tommy Grant at 14:04 for hooking as the Phantoms were gaining the blueline. Newbury was called for closing his hand on the puck a minute and forty eight seconds later. After an abbreviated 5-on-3, Heeter came up with a big save in a shorthanded situation, as Marek Hrivik stole the puck at the Connecticut blueline and broke in alone. The Whale took the 1-0 advantage into the intermission.

Talbot opened the second period with a quality glove save 47 seconds in. Talbot said after the game he felt the save, “was the one that really preserved the shutout”, referring to it as a turning point.  Adirondack continued to pressure as a Tye McGinn one-timer went by the boards. However, when Tyler Brown was called for slashing at 3:10, Connecticut’s first power play ensued. A quality chance came when Hrivik shoveled the puck at the net. After Heeter took a delay of game penalty, a broken chance from Sean Couturier was denied and answered by Connecticut. Kolarik broke in on the right wing and fed Hrivik. A handy high to low pass in the circle gave Kolarik a move on the crease; Kolarik, falling down, “just whacked at it” and the Whale’s best rebound scorer found his 13^th of the season on the man advantage 6:28 into the second.

Talbot got busier near the midway mark of the second; his defense came through in the clutch a few times when the puck came loose in traffic. Logan Pyett hammered a shot off the far post in reply to the Phantom effort moments before Blake Parlett drew a tripping penalty on Sean Couturier in the corner with 1:50 to go. Couturier was held to just one shot on goal in the game.

With Hrivik and Kolarik on the ice, chances continued to roll. Heeter was forced to come up with a tremendous glove save on a shortside one-timer by Hrivik with 100 seconds left in the period. The 2-0 advantage would stand for Connecticut through 40 minutes.

Newbury opened the third period with a tripping minor just six seconds in. The Whale still managed to generate a chance when Kolarik crushed a close range one-timer in the slot, forcing Heeter to come up with a spectacular save and somehow give up no rebound.

The chippiness foreshadowed an early Adirondack chip and charge play came to fruition when Zack FitzGerald ran over Ryan Bourque on the half boards of the Whale attacking end. Dylan McIlrath, fresh off a two-game suspension for elbowing in his season debut, jumped in to support without hesitation. Between FitzGerald and McIlrath, 37 PIMs were distributed at 6:08. FitzGerald received majors for charging and fighting; the charging major came with an automatic game misconduct. McIlrath earned two for instigating, five for fighting, and ten for misconduct. The incident resulted in two minutes of 4-on-4 and then three minutes of non-releasable penalty kill time for Adirondack.

Connecticut did not convert on the extended power play, but after Parlett nearly knocked one in with his glove, he pulled the trigger from the point and Grant was there to bury the rebound, earning a 3-0 lead with 6:44 to play. A slashing minor to Zac Rinaldo at 16:20 would seal the deal for Connecticut to take the win. 

Talbot finished with 25 saves, while Heeter stopped 30 of the 33 he faced.

The Whale will be in Glen Falls to rematch with the Phantoms Saturday night before returning home for a Sunday 3:00 PM matinee against the Pittsburgh affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

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Adirondack Phantoms 0 at Connecticut Whale 3 –

Friday, January 4, 2013 – XL Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum

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

1st Period-1, Connecticut, Segal 8 (Newbury, Kreider), 4:12. Penalties-Grant Ct (hooking), 14:04; Newbury Ct (closing hand on puck), 15:52.

2nd Period-2, Connecticut, Kolarik 13 (Hrivik), 6:28 (PP). Penalties-Brown Adk (slashing), 3:10; Heeter Adk (delay of game), 4:09; FitzGerald Adk (unsportsmanlike conduct), 9:31; Couturier Adk (tripping), 15:50.

3rd Period-3, Connecticut, Grant 9 (Parlett), 13:16. Penalties-Newbury Ct (tripping), 0:06; FitzGerald Adk (major – charging, fighting, game misconduct – charging), 6:08; McIlrath Ct (instigating, fighting, misconduct – instigating), 6:08; Rinaldo Adk (slashing), 16:20.

Shots on Goal-Adirondack 11-9-5-25. Connecticut 6-12-15-33.
Power Play Opportunities-Adirondack 0 / 3; Connecticut 1 / 6.
Goalies-Adirondack, Heeter 4-10-1 (33 shots-30 saves). Connecticut, Talbot 12-14-0 (25 shots-25 saves).
A-5,373
Referees-Trevor Hanson (47).
Linesmen-Brent Colby (7), Kevin Redding (16).

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Portland, ME, December 31, 2012 – The Connecticut Whale let a 3-0 second-period lead slip away Monday night at the Cumberland County Civic Center, finishing 2012 with a 4-3 loss to the Portland Pirates.

Jordan Szwarz and Ethan Werek scored third-period goals for Portland, after Mathieu Brodeur and Chris Summers tallied in the final 1:20 of the second period to cut the Pirates’ deficit to 3-2.

Werek also had an assist for Portland, and former Whale Chad Johnson made 32 saves for the Pirates.  Brandon Segal, Micheal Haley and Tommy Grant scored for the Whale.

The Whale scored the first period’s only goal at 12:37 in a four-on-four situation.  After the Pirates had won a draw, Segal knocked Portland defenseman David Rundblad down in the right-wing corner and fed the puck to Marek Hrivik.  Johnson stopped Hrivik’s point-blank shot, but Segal, who had headed to the front of the net, shot the rebound underneath Johnson’s right pad and in.

Connecticut struck for a pair of early goals in the second to widen their lead to 3-0, starting with Haley’s third of the year at 1:44.  Logan Pyett found Haley with a long pass, and Haley was able to get a step on the Portland defense before putting a shot past Johnson’s stick side.

Just 58 seconds later, at 2:42, Grant made it 3-0, as he was able to push a loose puck past Johnson off a scramble near the Portland net.

After the Whale dominated most of the period, though, Brodeur and Summers, both defensemen, scored only 1:04 apart to turn the momentum quickly.

Brodeur fought off a check to bury a close-in shot past Whale goaltender Cam Talbot (21 saves) at 18:40.  Then, with only 15.9 seconds on the clock, a pass found Summers at the left side of the slot and he fired in his first goal of the year to cut the Whale lead to 3-2.

Szwarz tied the score on a Portland power play at 3:51 of the third period, deflecting a Michael Stone point shot high into the net behind Talbot after Evan Brophey won a faceoff.

Werek’s game-winner came at 12:04, after a failed Whale clearing attempt.  Rundblad and Brett Hextall combined to find Werek, who had snuck free in front of the Whale goal, and Werek put a perfectly-placed backhander into the top corner over Talbot’s catching glove.

The loss was the Whale’s first all year in a game they led after two periods, and dropped Connecticut’s record on the year to 13-17-2-0.  The Whale are now 0-3-0-0 on the season against the Pirates.

The Whale are next in action this Friday, January 4 against the Adirondack Phantoms at the XL Center.  Faceoff is 7:00 PM, and at all Friday-night Whale home games fans can enjoy $1 hot dogs and $2 beers until the end of the first intermission.  Whale tickets start as low as $10 each ($12 each when purchased on the day of the game) and are available at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, through TicketMaster Charge-by-Phone at 1-800-745-3000 and on-line at www.ticketmaster.com.

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Connecticut Whale 3 at Portland Pirates 4
Monday, December 31, 2012 – Cumberland County Civic Center

Connecticut 1 2 0 – 3
Portland 0 2 2 – 4

1st Period-1, Connecticut, Segal 7 (Hrivik), 12:37. Penalties-Bolduc Por (slashing), 5:19; Vernace Ct (hooking), 11:59; Conner Por (interference), 12:31; Jean Ct (interference), 13:36; Bolduc Por (diving), 13:36.

2nd Period-2, Connecticut, Haley 3 (Pyett), 1:44. 3, Connecticut, Grant 8 (Thomas), 2:42. 4, Portland, Brodeur 2 (Klinkhammer, Shinnimin), 18:40. 5, Portland, Summers 1 (Werek, Brown), 19:44. Penalties-Vernace Ct (holding the stick), 5:42; Lane Por (slashing), 14:01; Kreider Ct (high-sticking), 20:00.

3rd Period-6, Portland, Szwarz 2 (Stone, Brophey), 3:51 (PP). 7, Portland, Werek 6 (Hextall, Rundblad), 12:04. Penalties-Vernace Ct (cross-checking), 2:07; Miele Por (holding), 5:39; Summers Por (delay of game), 18:23.

Shots on Goal-Connecticut 8-17-10-35. Portland 9-9-7-25.
Power Play Opportunities-Connecticut 0 / 5; Portland 1 / 4.
Goalies-Connecticut, Talbot 11-14-0 (25 shots-21 saves). Portland, Johnson 11-6-0 (35 shots-32 saves).
A-6,270
Referees-Jean Hebert (43).
Linesmen-Joe Andrews (32), Brian MacDonald (72).

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Springfield, MA, December 29, 2012 – Former Springfield Falcon Chad Kolarik scored two goals, and Christian Thomas added a goal and an assist, as the Connecticut Whale defeated the Falcons 4-2 Saturday night at the MassMutual Center.

Logan Pyett also scored for the Whale, who snapped a three-game losing streak with the victory, and Cam Talbot made 23 saves.  Ryan Craig and Ryan Russell scored for Springfield.

The Whale got the jump on the Falcons in the first period with a pair of special-teams goals, both scored by Kolarik.

Kolarik netted his team-best 11^th of the season on a power play at 12:52.  Kris Newbury won a faceoff back to Matt Gilroy, who fed to Thomas at the left point.  Thomas’ shot went wide of the net, but a Springfield defender overskated the carom and Kolarik jumped on it and lifted it behind Falcon goaltender Curtis McElhinney (26 saves).

The Whale penalty kill then struck for a shorthanded goal at 19:16, which came off of a two-on-one executed by Kolarik and Newbury.  After former Whale Jonathan Audy-Marchessault lost the puck in the slot in the Whale zone, Newbury broke into the Springfield end on right wing and unloaded a hard, low shot that McElhinney stopped.  The rebound, though, caromed to the left side, and Kolarik was able to flip it into the net backhanded.

Connecticut doubled its advantage in the second period, outshooting Springfield 13-5 and scoring twice.

Pyett, a defenseman who was a healthy scratch the previous two games, made it a 3-0 game at 6:47 with his third goal of the year.  Ryan Bourque worked the puck out of the left-wing corner to Pyett at the point, and Pyett’s well-placed shot eluded McElhinney.

Just 1:52 later at 8:39, Thomas scored his eighth of the year to widen the advantage to 4-0.  Tommy Grant found Thomas at the left-wing side of the goalmouth with a centering pass, and Thomas had an easy finish into a mostly-open net.

Craig scored a five-on-three power-play goal 6:06 into the third to break Talbot’s shutout bid.  While he was falling to the ice in the slot, Craig was able to bury a pass from behind the net by Nick Drazenovic.

Russell’s goal at 12:51 created the final margin, as Russell grabbed a loose puck and snapped it past Talbot after Audy-Marchessault had fanned on a shot from close range.

The Whale are next in action New Year’s Eve, this Monday, when they travel to Portland to meet the Pirates.  That game faces off at 5:30 PM, and all the action can be heard live on “Beethoven Radio” AM 1290 and on-line at www.ctwhale.com, with video streaming available at www.ahllive.com.

The next home game for Connecticut is this Friday, January 4 against the Adirondack Phantoms at 7:00, and at all Friday-night Whale home games fans can enjoy $1 hot dogs and $2 beers until the end of the first intermission.  Whale tickets start as low as $10 each ($12 each when purchased on the day of the game) and are available at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, through TicketMaster Charge-by-Phone at 1-800-745-3000 and on-line at www.ticketmaster.com.

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Connecticut Whale 4 at Springfield Falcons 2
Saturday, December 29, 2012 – MassMutual Center

Connecticut 2 2 0 – 4
Springfield 0 0 2 – 2

1st Period-1, Connecticut, Kolarik 11 (Thomas, Gilroy), 12:52 (PP). 2, Connecticut, Kolarik 12 (Newbury), 19:16 (SH). Penalties-Cullity Spr (holding), 12:47; Vernace Ct (interference), 14:48; Parlett Ct (holding), 18:41.

2nd Period-3, Connecticut, Pyett 3 (Bourque, Tessier), 6:47. 4, Connecticut, Thomas 8 (Grant, Collins), 8:39. Penalties-Collins Ct (delay of game), 0:06; Klassen Ct (holding), 9:00.

3rd Period-5, Springfield, Craig 7 (Drazenovic, Johansen), 6:06 (PP). 6, Springfield, Russell 2 (Audy-Marchessault, Ruth), 12:51. Penalties-Tessier Ct (hooking), 2:32; Kreider Ct (interference), 4:55; Newbury Ct (slashing), 5:07; Newbury Ct (high-sticking), 14:01.

Shots on Goal-Connecticut 12-13-5-30. Springfield 9-5-11-25.
Power Play Opportunities-Connecticut 1 / 1; Springfield 1 / 8.
Goalies-Connecticut, Talbot 11-13-0 (25 shots-23 saves). Springfield, McElhinney 15-5-2 (30 shots-26 saves).
A-4,899
Referees-Trent Knorr (44), Jeff Smith (49).
Linesmen-Chris Low (88), Frank Murphy (29).

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HARTFORD, December 29, 2012:  Connecticut Whale general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that defensemen Jyri Niemi and Steven Delisle have been reassigned from the Whale from its ECHL affiliate, the Greenville Road Warriors.

Niemi is scoreless with five penalty minutes in five games with the Whale this year.  He had been out of action for the last 18 Whale games, after being injured in a game November 11 at Bridgeport.  Delisle had suited up for four games for the Whale after coming up from Greenville December 18.  The second-year pro registered two assists and six PIM in those four contests, and Delisle has 2-8-10 with 43 PIM in 29 ECHL games with the Road Warriors.  He was also tied for the league plus/minus lead, with a +19, when he was reassigned to the Whale.

The Whale return to action tonight, visiting the Northeast Division-leading Springfield Falcons for a 7:00 PM game (“Beethoven Radio” AM 1290, www.ctwhale.com, video streaming at www.ahllive.com).  The next home game for Connecticut is Friday, January 4 against the Adirondack Phantoms at 7:00, and at all Friday-night Whale home games fans can enjoy $1 hot dogs and $2 beers until the end of the first intermission.

Whale tickets start as low as $10 each ($12 each when tickets are purchased on the day of the game), at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, through TicketMaster Charge-by-Phone at 1-800-745-3000 and on-line at www.ticketmaster.com.

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

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By Wil Goldsholl

Hartford, CT, December 27, 2012 – Kevin Poulin turned away 36 Connecticut Whale shots in Hartford on Thursday to pick up his first shutout of the season, on the way to a 3-0 win for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Bridgeport took both games in this week’s double-header, the first of which was at the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport on Wednesday. Connecticut, who has now been shut out five times on the year, went 0 for 7 on the man advantage; they are 1 for 25 in the last five games.

Bridgeport struck first, less than two minutes in to the game. Right winger David Ullstrom slid a pass to Matt Watkins. Watkins advanced to the right circle and shoveled a backhand pass allowing Chad Costello to tap it past Cam Talbot on the backdoor for his first goal of the year.

Dylan McIlrath, who made his first appearance of the season, came out with high energy, delivering a hard check on Marc Cantin breaking up the left half boards. He was called for elbowing at 7:49 but said of the check, “There’s no good penalties, of course, but that’s one the boys don’t really mind killing off.” As soon as he emerged from the box, Brett Gallant was there to challenge him and the two dropped the gloves at center ice.

The Whale strung together seven unanswered shots in the middle portion of the first period, including a quickly developed two-on-one where Blake Parlett slid around Matt Donovan and looked to Ryan Bourque cross-crease. Ty Wishart was there to cut the pass off, however.

Bourque drew a tripping call trying to get around Jon Landry with just over five to play, and Chad Kolarik saw a chance to put away a rebound on the ensuing power play following a Christian Thomas wrister.

Connecticut dug themselves into a bit of trouble, as Bridgeport came back on the transition. Kris Newbury was called for hooking and Kolarik earned himself an unsportsmanlike conduct call as Brandon DeFazio broke in on the left wing. Landry came out of the box moments later and the Whale handled the five on three situation.

The Whale nearly got on the board when Poulin came above the circles to play a puck and hit his own defenseman. Kelsey Tessier stepped to the middle and drove the puck from nearly half ice but it would hit the outside of the pipe.

Talbot, who finished with 23 saves on 26 shots, came up with an awkward and timely save late in the period, and Newbury with Kolarik responded with a near-miss of their own, but still could not get the rubber across the goal line.

With 67 seconds to go in the first, Newbury fired the puck towards Poulin on a close offside call, drawing some attention from Bridgeport as well as the referees. He was called for unsportsmanlike conduct as well. Bridgeport took six seconds to convert. Bridgeport captain Colin McDonald won a clean draw and Costello tapped it back to Matt Donovan. Donovan backpedaled to the middle of the point and pulled the trigger to beat Talbot stick side and gain a 2-0 edge before the first intermission.

Early in the second Brandon Segal drew a hooking call on Donovan, but after the penalty expired the Sound Tigers replied. Watkins put the puck to the middle for McDonald who, blindly and backhandedly, fed John Persson. The goal was Persson’s 10^th of the year.

Marek Hrivik got chippy with McDonald a few minutes later and Mike Vernace jumped in to give him a hand. McDonald was called for charging and roughing, and Vernace for roughing only. Poulin frustrated the power play yet again, flashing the glove on a Christian Thomas one-timer, then shutting down Newbury on a point blank chance. After the penalty expired Thomas stole the puck on the blueline and broke in nearly alone but the five-hole effort was denied by Poulin with six and a half left in the second.

Jon Landry took two more penalties in the early minutes of the third; one for interfering with Bourque, and another for getting his stick tied up in Tessier’s midsection.

Tommy Grant clipped Poulin behind the net near the midway mark of the third and Brandon DeFazio took exception to that, landing them both in the sin bin. DeFazio took a double minor for roughing. Grant was guilty of the same infraction but served half the time DeFazio did. Chris Kreider would join him in the box moments later to negate the power play on a holding penalty.

While the Whale would see some additional chances in the closing minutes, they still could not get on the board and the 3-0 score would stand.

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Bridgeport Sound Tigers 3 at Connecticut Whale 0
Thursday, December 27, 2012 – XL Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum

Bridgeport 2 1 0 – 3
Connecticut 0 0 0 – 0

1st Period-1, Bridgeport, Costello 1 (Watkins, Ullstrom), 1:57. 2, Bridgeport, Donovan 4 (Costello, McDonald), 18:59 (PP). Penalties-Cizikas Bri (tripping), 4:09; McIlrath Ct (elbowing), 7:49; Gallant Bri (fighting), 9:53; McIlrath Ct (fighting), 9:53; Jean Ct (charging), 11:15; Landry Bri (tripping), 14:44; Kolarik Ct (unsportsmanlike conduct), 16:25; Newbury Ct (hooking), 16:25; Newbury Ct (unsportsmanlike conduct), 18:53.

2nd Period-3, Bridgeport, Persson 10 (McDonald, Watkins), 4:15. Penalties-Donovan Bri (hooking), 0:46; McDonald Bri (charging, roughing), 7:28; Vernace Ct (roughing), 7:28.

3rd Period- No Scoring. Penalties-Landry Bri (interference), 1:58; Landry Bri (hooking), 6:32; DeFazio Bri (roughing, roughing), 9:03; Grant Ct (roughing), 9:03; Kreider Ct (holding), 9:08; Tessier Ct (slashing), 13:11.

Shots on Goal-Bridgeport 8-10-8-26. Connecticut 13-9-14-36.
Power Play Opportunities-Bridgeport 1 / 7; Connecticut 0 / 7.
Goalies-Bridgeport, Poulin 9-5-2 (36 shots-36 saves). Connecticut, Talbot 10-13-0 (26 shots-23 saves).
A-6,073
Referees-David Banfield (77), Jean-Philippe Sylvain (16).
Linesmen-Jim Briggs (83), Luke Galvin (2).

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