Bridgeport, CT, December 26, 2012 – Nino Niederreiter scored two goals, and David Ullstrom had a goal and three assists, to lead the Bridgeport Sound Tigers to a 5-2 win over the Connecticut Whale Wednesday night at Webster Bank Arena.

Johan Sundstrom also contributed three assists for Bridgeport, and Casey Cizikas had a pair of helpers.  Marek Hrivik had a goal and an assist for the Whale, and Chad Kolarik had two assists.

It took Bridgeport only 63 seconds to open the scoring, as good early forechecking pressure led to Niederreiter’s first goal, which came on a high shot from the left-wing side of the slot.  Niederreiter scored again from almost the same spot at 7:04, on a rebound after Ullstrom got a couple of tries at a loose puck.

The Bridgeport power play made it a 3-0 advantage at 11:45, as John Persson found Colin McDonald with a pinpoint cross-slot pass and McDonald one-timed the puck in from along the goal line on the left-wing side.

The second period was scoreless until the 18:09 mark, when Matt Watkins scored for Bridgeport off of a goalmouth scramble.  Referee Terry Koharski allowed play to continue for several seconds after the goal judge turned the red light on, but eventually ruled that the puck had gone in the net to the right of Whale goaltender Cam Talbot (24 saves), and the Sound Tigers led 4-0 going into the third.

The Whale broke Bridgeport goaltender Kevin Poulin’s shutout bid 3:43 into the third frame, on Hrivik’s fourth goal of the season.  Mike Vernace’s shot from the left point hit traffic in front of Poulin (25 saves), and Hrivik was able to collect the loose puck and pull it to the backhand and slide it in.

Connecticut cut the lead to 4-2 at 7:07, scoring off of a rush.  Kolarik bore down the slot and fired a low shot that defenseman Blake Parlett, who had joined the attack, deflected underneath Poulin.

The Whale could not eat any further into the Sound Tiger advantage, though, and Ullstrom made the final margin 5-2 by scoring into an empty net as time expired.

The Whale and Sound Tigers complete a home-and-home series Thursday night at the XL Center, with faceoff at 7:00 PM.  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 2 at Bridgeport Sound Tigers 5
Wednesday, December 26, 2012 – Webster Bank Arena

Connecticut 0 0 2 – 2
Bridgeport 3 1 1 – 5

1st Period-1, Bridgeport, Niederreiter 14 (Ullstrom, Sundstrom), 1:03. 2, Bridgeport, Niederreiter 15 (Ullstrom, Sundstrom), 7:04. 3, Bridgeport, McDonald 5 (Persson, Cizikas), 11:45 (PP). Penalties-DeFazio Bri (high-sticking), 1:21; Vernace Ct (holding the stick), 9:53; Haley Ct (fighting), 12:38; McIver Bri (fighting), 12:38; Cantin Bri (slashing), 15:37; Cizikas Bri (hooking), 15:50; Hrivik Ct (tripping), 16:00.

2nd Period-4, Bridgeport, Watkins 5 (Sundstrom, Ullstrom), 18:09. Penalties-Klassen Ct (slashing), 0:35; Donovan Bri (slashing), 6:57; Ness Bri (closing hand on puck), 9:12; Kreider Ct (hooking), 11:28; Ness Bri (tripping), 12:10.

3rd Period-5, Connecticut, Hrivik 4 (Vernace, Kolarik), 3:43. 6, Connecticut, Parlett 2 (Kolarik, Hrivik), 7:07. 7, Bridgeport, Ullstrom 4 (Cizikas), 19:59 (EN). Penalties-No Penalties

Shots on Goal-Connecticut 7-6-14-27. Bridgeport 11-11-7-29.
Power Play Opportunities-Connecticut 0 / 6; Bridgeport 1 / 4.
Goalies-Connecticut, Talbot 10-12-0 (28 shots-24 saves). Bridgeport, Poulin 8-5-2 (27 shots-25 saves).
A-6,934
Referees-Terry Koharski (10).
Linesmen-Glen Cooke (6), Paul Simeon (66).

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By Wil Goldsholl

Hartford, CT, December 22, 2012 – Chris Bourque’s third-period goal was the difference Saturday night at the XL Center, as the Providence Bruins, Boston’s top affiliate, came to Hartford for Military Appreciation Night and tipped the Connecticut Whale 3-1, advancing to 15-10-0-2 and moving ahead of the Worcester Sharks for second place in the Atlantic Division.

In the opening minutes of the game, Providence and Connecticut were testing the water. Neither squad came on too aggressively and as a result the chances were few and far between. The first quality opportunity of the game went to the Whale on a Kris Newbury saucer pass directed for Marek Hrivik; the chance would go by the boards.

Chris Kreider drew interference on Lane MacDermid at 4:19 behind Providence goaltender Michael Hutchinson’s net, and a power play ensued. Connecticut again came close, but failed to hit the net when Matt Gilroy let a one-timer fly into traffic in the slot. The puck would flutter towards the net but just over the crossbar.

Connecticut received another opportunity a second before MacDermid’s penalty expired. Matt Bartkowski flipped the puck over the glass in the Providence defensive end for delay of game at 6:18. Hrivik found himself in the right place at the right time but could not convert the only Whale shot of the power play. Connecticut would finish 0 for 5 in man-up situations on the night.

Cam Talbot, who, in Coach Ken Gernander’s words was “enormous” in Manchester on Friday, did not see any rubber for nearly nine minutes until Jamie Tardif opened up in the high slot.

The play came to the other end and Shayne Wiebe was called for goaltender interference near the midway mark of the period. That Bruin power play would produce one redirected chance, and a rebound try by Bourque, but still no goals.

Newbury had a look at Chad Kolarik on a two on one moments after the penalty to Wiebe expired, but once again the pass was mishandled.

Micheal Haley dropped the gloves with MacDermid with three and half minutes left in the period and Kreider drew another penalty, this time Jordan Caron for hooking with 1:41 on the clock. Tommy Cross and Christian Hanson nearly connected for a shorthanded goal before the period ended scoreless.

Connecticut drew first blood 4:44 in to the second. Logan Pyett fed the puck across the blueline to newcomer Steven Delisle. Delisle slid it down the wall for Newbury to sling it right to the net from the half boards. Hrivik tipped the puck on net and Kolarik collected the rebound for his tenth of the season. Following the goal, the ice at the XL Center was covered in donated teddy bears, which will be donated to the children of Newtown, CT, in the Whale’s annual “Teddy Bear Toss”.

Sam Klassen was sent off for holding, and Providence would knot the game up. Carter Camper sent a back-door pass to Kyle MacKinnon. Talbot made the initial save but Tardif was there to finish the rebound on the backhand.

Brandon Segal, in reply, poked the puck free on the following play. Tommy Grant broke in alone, and Hutchinson came up with a timely stop on the five-hole attempt.

Talbot opened the third period with a stretching kick save on a wraparound effort. The teams exchanged power play opportunities but neither 5-on-4 unit could produce another scoring effort.

After a rebound on a Hrivik chance with Blake Parlett and Kolarik in front didn’t find its way across the goal line, Bourque scored the game winning goal with 6:02 to play. Taking advantage of some contact with Talbot in the crease, Bourque was able to turn on a loose puck and fire one top-shelf. His fifth of the year was assisted by Zach Trotman and MacKinnon.

The Whale came close in the closing minutes; Segal sailed one over the top on a rebound chance with 3:30 left, and the Newbury-Hrivik-Kolarik line was trigger happy during their 60-second shift with three minutes remaining.

Talbot was lifted from the net with just over a minute to play, but Christian Hanson would seal the game with an empty netter. Talbot came up with 20 saves in the loss, while Hutchinson stopped 24 of the 25 he faced.

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Providence Bruins 3 at Connecticut Whale 1
Saturday, December 22, 2012 – XL Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum

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

1st Period- No Scoring.Penalties-MacDermid Pro (interference), 4:19; Bartkowski Pro (delay of game), 6:18; Wiebe Ct (goaltender interference), 10:26; MacDermid Pro (fighting), 16:27; Haley Ct (fighting), 16:27; Caron Pro (hooking), 18:19.

2nd Period-1, Connecticut, Kolarik 10 (Hrivik, Newbury), 4:44. 2, Providence, Tardif 15 (MacKinnon, Camper), 12:06 (PP). Penalties-Klassen Ct (holding), 10:25; MacDermid Pro (kneeing), 15:33.

3rd Period-3, Providence, Bourque 5 (Trotman, MacKinnon), 13:58. 4, Providence, Hanson 4 (Trotman), 19:15 (EN). Penalties-Delisle Ct (interference), 2:56; Warsofsky Pro (tripping), 7:42.

Shots on Goal-Providence 6-8-9-23. Connecticut 9-7-9-25.
Power Play Opportunities-Providence 1 / 3; Connecticut 0 / 5.
Goalies-Providence, Hutchinson 4-5-1 (25 shots-24 saves). Connecticut, Talbot 10-11-0 (22 shots-20 saves).
A-5,626
Referees-Mark Lemelin (41).
Linesmen-Mike Baker (11), Paul Simeon (66).

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Manchester, NH, December 21, 2012 – Kris Newbury scored two goals and added an assist, Marek Hrivik had a goal and an assist, and Cam Talbot made 39 saves, as the Connecticut Whale defeated the Manchester Monarchs by a score of 5-2 Friday night at Verizon Wireless Arena.

The Whale also got two assists from Steven Delisle, his first career AHL points after joining the team earlier in the week from Greenville of the ECHL, and two helpers from Chad Kolarik.  Marc-Andre Cliché scored both Manchester goals.

The Whale won despite being outshot 41-29 in the game.

The Whale, who had absorbed a 9-2 pounding from the Monarchs less than two weeks before, December 8 in Manchester, jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals by Hrivik and Newbury.

Hrivik opened the scoring with his third of the season at 7:54, set up by a Newbury centering pass out of the left-wing corner.  The Monarchs left Hrivik alone in front of the goal, and he waited for Manchester starting goaltender Martin Jones to commit before flipping the puck past him on the stick side.  Delisle, playing his first game in a Whale uniform, started the play by dumping the puck into the corner and picked up the other assist.

Newbury scored on a power play at 12:40 for a 2-0 lead, getting his ninth of the year.  Kolarik tipped the puck to Newbury at the right side of the slot and Newbury’s slap shot overpowered Jones, trickling over the goal line just before Hrivik got to it.

The Whale were outshot 15-8 in the first, but Talbot stopped all 15 shots in the Whale goal.

The Monarchs would have a 20-13 shots advantage in the second period, but the Whale nursed their 2-0 lead until the 13:18 mark, before Cliché scored twice in 46 seconds to tie it quickly for Manchester.

Cliché’s first goal came on a power play at 13:18, on a deflection of a Jake Muzzin shot from the top of the left circle, after Andrei Loktionov won a faceoff.  Cliché then scored off a rush at 14:04, after Stefan Legein centered the puck off left wing.  Talbot stopped Cliché’s initial try, but Cliché got two more whacks at the puck and poked it in on the second one.

The Whale then regained the lead with just 24 seconds left in the period, when Kelsey Tessier scored off of a Ryan Bourque feed.  Bourque carried the puck into the offensive zone on right wing and spun back, before playing the puck in front to Tessier, whose high shot cleanly beat Jones.

Chris Kreider increased the margin to two goals at 4:46 of the third period, scoring his fifth goal of the season.  Kyle Jean carried the puck across the slot before handing the puck to Kreider at the top of the right circle, and Kreider’s snapshot found the net behind Jones (19 saves), who was then lifted from the game in favor of Peter Mannino, who would go on to stop all five shots that he faced.

Newbury created the final margin with an empty-net goal with 45.8 seconds remaining, his team-leading 10^th goal on the year.

The win stopped a two-game Whale losing streak and improved Connecticut’s record to 12-13-2-0 for 26 points.

The Whale return to the XL Center Saturday night for their last game before the Christmas holiday, a 7:00 PM date with the Providence Bruins. That is “Military Appreciation Night”, with a jersey auction in the second intermission to benefit the VFW of Connecticut, and that game also features the Whale’s annual “Teddy Bear Toss”.  Fans are encouraged to bring new, unwrapped soft toys to the game and, when the Whale scores its first goal, heave them on to the ice to be donated to the children of Newtown, CT.  Also, teddy bears will be for sale in the XL Center atrium, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

Tickets for all Whale regular season home games at the XL Center are on sale now 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 5 at Manchester Monarchs 2
Friday, December 21, 2012 – Verizon Wireless Arena

Connecticut 2 1 2 – 5
Manchester 0 2 0 – 2

1st Period-1, Connecticut, Hrivik 3 (Newbury, Delisle), 7:54. 2, Connecticut, Newbury 9 (Kolarik, Gilroy), 12:40 (PP). Penalties-Newbury Ct (fighting), 0:15; Clune Mch (fighting), 0:15; Pyett Ct (hooking), 2:41; Legein Mch (holding), 11:43; Haley Ct (fighting), 19:45; Deslauriers Mch (fighting), 19:45.

2nd Period-3, Manchester, Cliche 4 (Muzzin, Loktionov), 13:18 (PP). 4, Manchester, Cliche 5 (Legein, Clune), 14:04. 5, Connecticut, Tessier 3 (Bourque, Delisle), 19:36. Penalties-Delisle Ct (unsportsmanlike conduct), 0:14; Clune Mch (unsportsmanlike conduct), 0:14; Kreider Ct (hooking), 1:19; Segal Ct (tripping), 7:31; Delisle Ct (interference), 13:06.

3rd Period-6, Connecticut, Kreider 5 (Jean, Parlett), 4:46. 7, Connecticut, Newbury 10 (Kolarik, Hrivik), 19:14 (EN). Penalties-Pearson Mch (high-sticking), 5:09; Bodnarchuk Mch (delay of game), 5:17; Jean Ct (tripping), 9:59.

Shots on Goal-Connecticut 8-13-8-29. Manchester 15-20-6-41.
Power Play Opportunities-Connecticut 1 / 3; Manchester 1 / 5.
Goalies-Connecticut, Talbot 10-10-0 (41 shots-39 saves). Manchester, Jones 7-12-2 (23 shots-19 saves); Mannino 5-2-0 (5 shots-5 saves).
A-3,906
Referees-Ryan Hersey (8).
Linesmen-Jeremy Lovett (78), Bill McGoldrick (94).

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HARTFORD, December 20, 2012:  Connecticut Whale general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that forward J.T. Miller has been reassigned from the Whale to the U.S. National Junior Team and is participating in its training camp for the World Junior Championship Tournament.

Miller, a 19-year-old native of East Palestine, Ohio, has suited up for all 26 of the Whale’s games this year and has scored five goals and added nine assists for 14 points, while serving 25 minutes in penalties.  A first-round pick (15^th overall) by the parent New York Rangers in the 2011 NHL draft, Miller went to the World Junior Championship with Team USA last year, scoring two goals and adding two assists for four points in six games.

This year’s IIHF World Junior Championship takes place from December 26 through January 5 in Ufa, Russia.

The Whale’s next action is this Friday night, December 21, when they travel to Manchester to take on the Monarchs in a 7:00 game (“Beethoven Radio” AM 1290, www.ctwhale.com, video streaming at www.ahllive.com).  The next home game for the Whale is this Saturday night, December 22 vs. the Providence Bruins at 7:00, and that is “Military Appreciation Night”.  There will be a jersey auction in the second intermission to benefit the VFW of Connecticut, and that game also features the Whale’s annual “Teddy Bear Toss”.  Fans are encouraged to bring new, unwrapped soft toys to the game and, when the Whale scores its first goal, heave them on to the ice to be donated to the children of Newtown, CT.  Also, teddy bears will be for sale in the XL Center atrium, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

Tickets for all Whale regular season home games at the XL Center, are on sale now 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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HARTFORD, December 18, 2012:  Connecticut Whale general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that defenseman Steven Delisle has been reassigned to the Whale from its ECHL affiliate, the Greenville Road Warriors.

Delisle, a 6-6, 234-pound second-year pro, has skated in 29 games with the Road Warriors this year and has scored two goals and added eight assists for 10 points.  The 22-year-old Levis, Quebec native has also served 43 minutes in penalties and is a +19, which ties him with teammate Mike Marcou for the ECHL league lead in that department.

A fourth-round draftee (107^th overall) by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2008 out of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Delisle was acquired by the New York Rangers July 23, 2012, along with Rick Nash and a conditional third-round draft pick, in exchange for Brandon Dubinsky, Artem Anisimov, Tim Erixon and a 2013 first-round pick.

Delisle suited up for six games with the AHL’s Springfield Falcons last year, going scoreless with eight penalty minutes, and also saw action in 38 games with the ECHL’s Chicago Express (1-3-4, 20 PIM).  Injury limited Delisle’s 2010-11 season to six Central Hockey League games with the Fort Wayne Komets.

The Whale’s next action is this Friday night, December 21, when they travel to Manchester to take on the Monarchs in a 7:00 game (“Beethoven Radio” AM 1290, www.ctwhale.com, video streaming at www.ahllive.com).  The next home game for the Whale is this Saturday night, December 22 vs. the Providence Bruins at 7:00, and that is “Military Appreciation Night”.  There will be a jersey auction in the second intermission to benefit the VFW of Connecticut, and that game also features the Whale’s annual “Teddy Bear Toss”.  Fans are encouraged to bring new, unwrapped soft toys to the game and, when the Whale scores its first goal, heave them on to the ice to be donated to local children’s charities.  Also, teddy bears will be for sale in the XL Center atrium, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

Tickets for all Whale regular season home games at the XL Center, are on sale now 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, December 15, 2012 – The Portland Pirates shut the Connecticut Whale out, 1-0, at the XL Center on Saturday, leaning on an early Andy Miele goal and a shutout performance from Mark Visentin. The loss was Connecticut’s second at home in two nights, after a 4-3 defeat to the Albany Devils Friday evening.

Chances were few and far between for Connecticut, despite the fact that they only trailed 32-28 in the final shot count. There were close chances early for the Whale, including a wild bounce on a dump-in with the Kris Newbury-Shayne Wiebe-Christian Thomas line out and a Logan Pyett-Ryan Bourque two on one chance that never made it to the net. It took Connecticut over twelve and a half minutes to earn their first shot on goal.  Miele was a assessed a holding minor at 10:41 and the Whale earned credit for their first shot just as the power play was expiring.

Miele, however, would come out of the penalty box and, receiving assists from Mark Louis and Rob Klinkhammer, cut through the slot and back to beat Cam Talbot in the Connecticut crease. Miele’s sixth of the year came at 13:04.

Wiebe came in hot on a two on one with Thomas not long after that goal. Wiebe tried a similar cross-crease move to Miele’s, but Visentin stayed with him the whole way. Visentin would finish with 28 saves while earning his first shutout as a pro.

In the second period the two squads started to rack up penalty minutes, when Micheal Haley and Oliver Ekman-Larsson were sent off for roughing in the Portland crease. Chris Kreider was called for interference during the resulting 4-on-4 play, leaving a great deal of ice open, but no scoring came of it.

The best chance of the second for Connecticut came when Brandon Segal broke in on the rush and hit Visentin in the pads at 12:17, while Ethan Werek went for tripping simultaneously, interfering with one of Segal’s crashing linemates.

Then right at the end of the second, Miele dumped Blake Parlett behind the Connecticut goal and was given a minor for roughing with 1.1 seconds on the clock. With the net empty, and a faceoff in the attacking zone, Newbury took a penalty for cross-checking, as he got too gritty when the buzzer sounded. The third period would start with extended 4-on-4 play again.

Miele earned his third minor for high sticking at 6:35 in the third period, and the Whale had their first full minute of sustained pressure for the entire game on the ensuing power play. They failed to convert, and additional minor penalties to Pyett for slashing and Segal for high sticking surrounding the midway mark of the period would put the Whale against the clock. Though they stretched to earn some last-minute chances trailing by just one, a Chris Kreider elbowing minor with under 30 seconds to play sealed the verdict.

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Portland Pirates 1 at Connecticut Whale 0
Saturday, December 15, 2012 – XL Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum

Portland 1 0 0 – 1
Connecticut 0 0 0 – 0

1st Period-1, Portland, Miele 6 (Klinkhammer, Louis), 13:04. Penalties-Klassen Ct (holding), 5:59; Miele Por (holding), 10:41.

2nd Period- No Scoring. Penalties-Ekman-Larsson Por (roughing), 4:57; Haley Ct (roughing), 4:57; Kreider Ct (interference), 6:08; Werek Por (tripping), 12:17; Miele Por (roughing), 19:58; Newbury Ct (cross-checking), 20:00.

3rd Period- No Scoring. Penalties-Miele Por (high-sticking), 6:35; Pyett Ct (slashing), 9:12; Segal Ct (high-sticking), 12:31; Kreider Ct (elbowing), 19:32.

Shots on Goal-Portland 12-8-12-32. Connecticut 6-9-13-28.
Power Play Opportunities-Portland 0 / 6; Connecticut 0 / 4.
Goalies-Portland, Visentin 4-6-1 (28 shots-28 saves). Connecticut, Talbot 9-10-0 (32 shots-31 saves).
A-3,924
Referees-Jamie Koharski (84).
Linesmen-Brent Colby (7), Luke Galvin (2).

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By Wil Goldsholl

The Connecticut Whale went head to head with the Albany Devils for the second time in a week at the XL Center in Hartford on Friday. Despite an extremely unfavorable shot count, the Whale hung around late in to the game, only to fall 4-3 to their surging division rival.

The Whale first responded to the Devils’ trap defense by “leading from the back”, as the expression goes. Mike Vernace, Sam Klassen, Logan Pyett, and Matt Gilroy all took their share of opportunities from the blueline in the early goings of the first period.

It was the starting forwards, however, that put the Whale on the board first. Kelsey Tessier fed the puck along the wall to Micheal Haley behind the net. After a brief scrum Haley laid the puck ahead of the short-side post intended for Tessier. Instead, the puck found its way to Ryan Bourque who, while falling, was able to slip it between the legs of Albany backstop Keith Kinkaid. Bourque’s fifth goal of the year came at 6:50 in the first.

Through the first 15 minutes of the period, the Whale defense kept the Devils’ shooters to the outside, and Albany replied by putting more traffic in front of Cam Talbot, who stopped 28 of the 32 shots he faced. Among those saves was a stop on Joe Whitney as he came in on a breakaway with five to play in the first.

An interference call against Ryan Bourque came at 18:39, and the Whale penalty kill would start the second period for 38 seconds.

Shortly after the penalty expired, Tim Sestito potted his second of the season on a shifty backhand. Mattias Tedenby fed David Wohlberg before Sestito blindly wheeled it towards the net. The shot caught Talbot cheating off the post and Sestito would even it up just 95 seconds into period two.

On a choppy chance in front of the net, the Whale earned their first shot of the period nearly seven minutes in. Brandon Segal went for tripping a minute later, but the penalty kill unit had a message to send. Kris Newbury grabbed the puck from Chad Kolarik near center, broke in to the zone and delayed at the circle. Newbury fed it across and the return pass left him alone to finish on the doorstep just 11 seconds in to the man-down situation.

The Devils replied almost instantly. Tedenby picked the puck up behind the net and rolled to the far side. The backhand low-to-high feed found Eric Gelinas at the point for a one-timer to beat Talbot and tie the game yet again.

Second period scoring continued when Jacob Josefson leg-tripped Shayne Wiebe at 11:48, and Mike Sislo was called for cross checking Christian Thomas retreating 17 seconds later. With the extended 5-on-3 opportunity, the Whale converted quickly. J.T. Miller hit Matt Gilroy with a pass at the point. He led the puck across to the young Christian Thomas whose one-time hammer sailed over the shoulder of Kinkaid for the 3-2 edge.

With just over two and a half to go in the period, Sam Klassen’s cross-ice outlet was intercepted by Bobby Butler. He walked in alone and beat Talbot with a top-shelf laser. Despite the Whale being outshot 17-5 in the second, the Whale and the Devils were knotted at 3-3 going in to the third.

The third period rolled by uneventfully; neither team saw a power play opportunity in the final 20 minutes. The squads exchanged chances, but the shooting on the period was only 8-7 in Connecticut’s favor. Kolarik knocked down a breakout pass and hit Miller with a pass that Kinkaid shut down, but that was as close as the Whale would come in the final stanza.

Josefson and Corbin McPherson would assist on a Harri Pesonen game-winning goal that came late. With 2:19 to play, Pesonen collected the puck and slipped between the defenders. A quick release found its way between the legs of Talbot and Albany had the lead for the first and most important time in the game.

Talbot left the net with 1:26 remaining, but the Devils’ trap proved to be too much for the Whale to generate any last-minute opportunities.

No player on the ice produced more than one goal, but Tedenby and Josefson finished with two assists apiece. Kinkaid made 15 saves on 18 Whale shots on goal.

Connecticut will face the Portland Pirates Saturday night at 7pm in Hartford.

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Albany Devils 4 at Connecticut Whale 3
Friday, December 14, 2012 – XL Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum

Albany 0 3 1 – 4
Connecticut 1 2 0 – 3

1st Period-1, Connecticut, Bourque 5 (Haley, Vernace), 6:50. Penalties-Bourque Ct (interference), 18:39.

2nd Period-2, Albany, Sestito 2 (Wohlberg, Tedenby), 1:35. 3, Connecticut, Newbury 8 (Kolarik, Pyett), 8:26 (SH). 4, Albany, Gelinas 1 (Tedenby, Josefson), 8:44 (PP). 5, Connecticut, Thomas 7 (Gilroy, Miller), 12:18 (PP). 6, Albany, Butler 9 17:27. Penalties-Segal Ct (tripping), 8:15; Josefson Alb (tripping), 11:48; Sislo Alb (cross-checking), 12:06; McKelvie Alb (roughing), 14:22.

3rd Period-7, Albany, Pesonen 3 (Josefson, McPherson), 17:41. Penalties-No Penalties

Shots on Goal-Albany 8-17-7-32. Connecticut 5-5-8-18.
Power Play Opportunities-Albany 1 / 2; Connecticut 1 / 3.
Goalies-Albany, Kinkaid 6-5-3 (18 shots-15 saves). Connecticut, Talbot 9-9-0 (32 shots-28 saves).
A-3,298
Referees-Jeff Smith (49), Ryan Murphy (5).
Linesmen-Jim Briggs (83), Kevin Redding (16).

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By Wil Goldsholl

Hartford, CT, December 12, 2012 – The Connecticut Whale hadn’t lost three straight games in regulation on the season, and they kept it that way Wednesday night at the XL Center in Hartford with a 2-1 win over the Worcester Sharks, in which they outshot their Atlantic Division opponents 38-25. Marek Hrivik assisted goals from Chad Kolarik and J.T. Miller to snap a two-game Whale skid.

Early in the first period, Worcester, the San Jose Sharks’ top affiliate, could not seem to clear the puck out of their own end for long stretches of time.  Even when they did manage an effective break-in, Connecticut quickly turned it around. Chris Kreider blocked Matt Tennyson’s shot from the point in the first few minutes and broke in alone on Sharks backstop Harri Sateri. His snap shot was denied, but it would set the bar for the first 20 minutes. The Whale had a 9-3 lead in the shot count at the midway mark of the first period.

Kelsey Tessier got held up by Matt Pelech breaking in to the zone at 10:54 and Micheal Haley went straight after Pelech, earning his 11^th major of the year for fighting in addition to a roughing minor. The Whale killed that penalty and then received a power play of their own when Christian Thomas drew a hooking minor against blueliner Sean Acolatse. Fast puck movement and perimeter setup helped in breaking down the middle for chances. Ninety-five seconds in the offensive zone demonstrated that the Kolarik-Hrivik-Miller line would be running on all cylinders.

With two and a half to play, Kyle Jean came close on a Blake Parlett feed to the back door. A chance from the point soon after changed directions three or more times on the way to hitting Sateri. The first period would end scoreless; the Whale carrying a 13-6 shot advantage.

Cam Talbot, who made 25 saves on the night, earned four of them in the first 90 seconds of the second period as a Parlett penalty rolled over from the last minute of the first.

The teams traded penalties and scoring chances in the middle portion of the second period but still neither team could find the twine.

Finally, Worcester broke the deadlock with 98 seconds left in the period. James Livingston took a feed from Acolatse at the bench side of the neutral zone and walked in. Seeing Talbot less than perfectly square, snuck a wrister under the glove hand.

The Whale nearly replied a minute later when Tessier received a brilliant outlet pass up the gut. He was hooked on the way in and still got a shot off. Sateri made the save and, sliding backwards, appeared to be completely in the net. The play went for review and was called no goal. Travis Oleksuk was assessed his second minor of the night, this time for hooking at 19:28 of the second.

The third period started with an abbreviated Whale power play, as the second had started for the Sharks. 

Mike Brennan came up with two big shot blocks on the PK to start the period; he stayed on for the duration of the kill but undoubtedly needed some ice packs after the game.

Kolarik tallied his team-leading ninth goal of the year to get Connecticut on the board when he received a feed from the point to the half-boards. Kolarik curled the circle and let a wrist shot go. Sateri got a piece of it but the shot forced its way under his stick side arm. Miller and Hrivik assisted. The goal came 1:23 in to the third period and the game was tied at one.

A few quiet minutes went by before Miller struck with one of his own. The breakout, delivered from Parlett, then Hrivik, led Miller in to the zone where he hammered a slapshot from the left circle, once again under the arm of Worcester’s Finnish goalkeeper.

Sateri made numerous timely saves in the later portions of the third period to keep his team alive. A late power play came on a Kris Newbury roughing penalty and Sateri got out of the net with 70 seconds to go, but the Atlantic Division-leading Worcester squad could not get a puck past Talbot again. Sateri finished with 36 saves.

Worcester falls to 12-9-1-2, while the Whale stay afloat in the Northeast with an 11-11-2-0 record overall. Connecticut will host the Albany Devils and the Portland Pirates on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

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Worcester Sharks 1 at Connecticut Whale 2

Wednesday, December 12, 2012 – XL Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum

Worcester 0 1 0 – 1
Connecticut 0 0 2 – 2

1st Period- No Scoring. Penalties-Pelech Wor (fighting), 10:54; Haley Ct (roughing, fighting), 10:54; Acolatse Wor (hooking), 14:46; Parlett Ct (tripping), 19:27.

2nd Period-1, Worcester, Livingston 1 (Acolatse), 18:22. Penalties-Oleksuk Wor (tripping), 3:44; Miller Ct (hooking), 8:27; Segal Ct (cross-checking), 14:47; Oleksuk Wor (hooking), 19:28.

3rd Period-2, Connecticut, Kolarik 9 (Miller, Hrivik), 1:23 (PP). 3, Connecticut, Miller 5 (Hrivik, Parlett), 6:09. Penalties-Pyett Ct (cross-checking), 8:45; Sheppard Wor (roughing), 12:48; Parlett Ct (roughing), 12:48; Newbury Ct (roughing), 15:31.

Shots on Goal-Worcester 6-14-6-26. Connecticut 13-11-14-38.
Power Play Opportunities-Worcester 0 / 6; Connecticut 1 / 3.
Goalies-Worcester, Sateri 4-5-1 (38 shots-36 saves). Connecticut, Talbot 9-8-0 (26 shots-25 saves).
A-1,921
Referees-Terry Koharski (10), Jon McIsaac (45).
Linesmen-Luke Galvin (2), Paul Simeon (66).

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HARTFORD, December 12, 2012:  Connecticut Whale general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that the Whale has signed goaltender Bryan Hince to a Professional Tryout (PTO) agreement from its ECHL affiliate, the Greenville Road Warriors, and that fellow backstop Jason Missiaen has been reassigned from the Whale to Greenville.

Hince, a third-year pro out of SUNY-Plattsburgh, has played three games for the Road Warriors this year, going 1-2-0 with ten goals-against on 113 shots for a 3.36 goals-against average and a 91.2% save percentage.  The 6-0, 195-pound Kapukasing, Ontario native registered his first professional shutout in his Road Warrior season debut, a 3-0 win at Trenton November 24 in which Hince made 30 saves.

Since turning pro in 2010-11, the 26-year-old Hince has appeared in 15 ECHL games with the Road Warriors and Idaho Steelheads, with a 12-3-0 record, a 2.91 GAA, a 91.0% save percentage and one shutout.  He has also logged 50 Southern Professional Hockey League games with the Knoxville Ice Bears, going 31-15-0 with a 2.70 GAA and a 91.7% save percentage.

Missiaen has played in seven games for the Whale this season and has compiled a record of 2-3-0, with a 4.94 GAA and an 85.0% save percentage.  He was a free-agent signee by the parent New York Rangers March 24, 2011 out of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

The Whale are in home-ice action tonight at the XL Center, taking on the Atlantic Division-leading Worcester Sharks in a 7:00 PM game.  Tickets for that game, and all Whale regular season home games at the XL Center, are on sale now 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 9, 2012 – After suffering a 9-2 loss at the hands of the Manchester Monarchs the night before, the Connecticut Whale sought to turn things around against the division rival Albany Devils in Hartford on Sunday afternoon. Despite a slew of quality scoring chances and near-misses, the Whale fell, 1-0.

Keith Kinkaid stopped all 30 Whale shots to get the shutout win, and Joe Whitney’s second-period goal was the only scoring.  Cam Talbot made 26 saves in the Whale net.

Kris Newbury found his way to the box early when he bumped Kinkaid in his own crease 53 seconds in. Newbury’s deliberateness was unclear, but if he was looking to rattle Kinkaid early, the goaltender was unaffected in the first period. He stopped all 12 shots he faced in the first 20 minutes.

Connecticut occupied the Albany zone for minutes at a time, seeing both earned and unearned opportunities to beat Kinkaid. Newbury redirected a puck handily that was kicked away. Christian Thomas was denied when he nearly scored by simply allowing the puck to hit his body and Kyle Jean also hit a post.

Albany had scattered chances on Talbot, including a three-on-one and a wrister that hit the stick side post in the last minute of the period.

Whitney scored the game’s lone goal 6:48 in to the second period with a stick side laser. The left-hander scooped the puck up on his own blueline and tore through the neutral zone before firing a snap shot from the right dot and past Talbot.

J.T. Miller, who had his first pro two-goal game last week against Bridgeport, nearly tied it up several minutes later. Miller came from underneath the goal line and stole the puck from a breaking Albany defenseman. He made a cross-crease move with Kinkaid sprawled and did not score, but drew a tripping minor on Eric Gelinas.

The early going of the third period rolled by uneventfully. Mike Sislo was called for holding early but the Whale power play struggled. Chris Kreider was sent off for hooking at 11:05, but Connecticut, who has the league’s 29^th ranked penalty kill, managed to keep it a one-goal game.

Jean did everything but score in the later parts of the period. The rookie drew a roughing call on Tim Sestito in the offensive corner with 6:14 to go. He nearly tipped one in on Kinkaid just as that penalty was expiring when Michael Haley won a faceoff cleanly. Blake Parlett snapped the puck from the point and Kinkaid turned him away yet again. Jean would see yet another opportunity with 1:45 to play when he let a one-timer go from the slot, but Albany’s defense blocked it on the way to the net.

The Whale put up a fight with the sixth attacker on the ice and the net empty. Kreider got in on a rebound with 35 seconds to play but Kinkaid was able to smother it, making his thirtieth save and earning his second shutout of the year.

The loss dropped the Whale to 10-11-2-0 on the year, while Albany moved to 7-8-0-5.

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Albany Devils 1 at Connecticut Whale 0
Sunday, December 9, 2012 – XL Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum

Albany 0 1 0 – 1
Connecticut 0 0 0 – 0

1st Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Newbury Ct (goaltender interference), 0:53; Pesonen Alb (tripping), 16:43.

2nd Period-1, Albany, Whitney 4 (Butler), 6:48. Penalties-Corrente Alb (fighting), 8:06; Haley Ct (fighting), 8:06; Gelinas Alb (tripping), 9:44; Miller Ct (holding), 18:03.

3rd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Sislo Alb (holding), 2:33; Kreider Ct (hooking), 11:05; Sestito Alb (roughing), 13:46.

Shots on Goal-Albany 6-15-6-27. Connecticut 12-6-12-30.
Power Play Opportunities-Albany 0 / 3; Connecticut 0 / 4.
Goalies-Albany, Kinkaid 4-5-3 (30 shots-30 saves). Connecticut, Talbot 8-8-0 (27 shots-26 saves).
A-2,692
Referees-Ryan Fraser (14).
Linesmen-Jim Briggs (83), Derek Wahl (46).

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