Worcester, MA, November 17, 2012 – Chris Kreider and Ryan Bourque scored goals 1:17 apart in the third period Saturday night at the DCU Center, to erase a 1-0 deficit and give the Connecticut Whale a 2-1 win over the Worcester Sharks.

Cam Talbot made 23 saves in the Whale net in the victory, which snapped a two-game Connecticut losing streak.  Brodie Reid scored the only Worcester goal, and Alex Stalock made 21 stops for the Sharks.

The first period was tightly played and scoreless until the 17:29 mark, when Reid, playing his first game of the season, scored to give Worcester a 1-0 lead.  Reid tracked down a bouncing puck near the blue line and moved down left wing, before snapping a shot through Whale defenseman Matt Gilroy’s legs and past Talbot’s catching glove side.

The Whale pushed back strongly after that goal, but were unable to get anything by Stalock, despite several good chances.

Both goaltenders had to make some sparkling saves in a scoreless second period, which included the Whale’s Chad Kolarik hitting the goalpost on Stalock’s glove side twice in one shift around the 13-minute mark.

The Whale finally broke through against Stalock on a power play at 1:40 of the third.  After Worcester was called for having too many men on the ice, Kreider flipped in a rebound only four seconds into the man advantage.  Kyle Jean won a draw back to Gilroy at the point, and Stalock stopped Gilroy’s shots with his pads but could not control the puck.

Then, at 2:57, Bourque scored an unassisted goal that turned out to be the game-winner.  Worcester’s Travis Oleksuk dropped the puck behind his own net to Taylor Doherty, who lost control to Bourque.  Bourque reversed his field and stepped out to the left of a surprised Stalock, slipping the puck just inside the goalpost.

It was the second straight Saturday night that the Whale won in Worcester, after Connecticut skated off with a 6-2 road win against the Sharks the previous Saturday.

The Whale (6-7-1-0, 13 pts.) are now off until this Friday night, when they will travel to Bridgeport for a Nutmeg-State battle with the Sound Tigers.  That game faces off at 7:00 PM, and the play-by-play can be heard live on “Beethoven Radio” AM 1290, and on-line at www.ctwhale.com. 

The Whale’s next home game is next Saturday, November 24 vs. the defending Calder Cup-champion Norfolk Admirals, and fans can enjoy a doubleheader of hockey action that day at the XL Center.  Prior to Whale vs. Admirals at 7:00, the UConn Men’s Hockey Huskies will take on Air Force in an NCAA Division I hockey battle.  That game faces off at 3:30, and one ticket is good for both the college game and the Whale game.  The XL Center will serve as UConn’s home ice for Hockey East contests when the Men’s Huskies join the nation’s most prestigious conference in 2014-15.

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 2 at Worcester Sharks 1
Saturday, November 17, 2012 – DCU Center

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

1st Period-1, Worcester, Reid 1 (Hamilton, Doherty), 17:29. Penalties-Sheppard Wor (slashing), 13:15.

2nd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Acolatse Wor (delay of game), 13:19; Miller Ct (hooking), 15:54.

3rd Period-2, Connecticut, Kreider 2 (Gilroy, Jean), 1:40 (PP). 3, Connecticut, Bourque 3 2:57. Penalties-served by Stalberg Wor (bench minor – too many men), 1:36; Pyett Ct (double minor – high-sticking), 10:50.

Shots on Goal-Connecticut 7-9-7-23. Worcester 5-7-12-24.
Power Play Opportunities-Connecticut 1 / 3; Worcester 0 / 3.
Goalies-Connecticut, Talbot 5-4-0 (24 shots-23 saves). Worcester, Stalock 7-3-0 (23 shots-21 saves).
A-5,098
Referees-Terry Koharski (10).
Linesmen-Brian MacDonald (72), Joe Ross (92).

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HARTFORD, November 17, 2012:  Connecticut Whale general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that the Whale has signed forward Shayne Wiebe to a Professional Tryout (PTO) agreement.

Wiebe, a 6-0, 190-pound native of Brandon, Manitoba, played one game earlier in the season for the Whale and was scoreless, before being released and joining the Whale’s ECHL affiliate, the Greenville Road Warriors.  In 12 games with Greenville, the 22-year-old Wiebe was a team-best +9, while contributing seven goals and five assists for 12 points, along with ten penalty minutes.  His seven goals were good for second on the Road Warrior team, and Wiebe ranked third on the club in points.

The Whale return to action tonight, traveling to Worcester to meet the Sharks in a 7:00 PM game.  All the action of that contest can be heard on “The Rock” 106.9 WCCC, and on-line at www.ctwhale.com.  The Whale’s next home game is next Saturday, November 24 vs. the defending Calder Cup-champion Norfolk Admirals, and fans can enjoy a doubleheader of hockey action that day at the XL Center.  Prior to Whale vs. Admirals at 7:00, the UConn Men’s Hockey Huskies will take on Air Force in an NCAA Division I hockey battle.  That game faces off at 3:30, and one ticket is good for both the college game and the Whale game.  The XL Center will serve as UConn’s home ice for Hockey East contests when the Men’s Huskies join the nation’s most prestigious conference in 2014-15.

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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By Wil Goldsholl

Hartford, CT, November 16, 2012 – Alexandre Bolduc and Chris Brown scored third-period goals for the Portland Pirates Friday night against the Connecticut Whale, and former Whale Chad Johnson made 29 saves, in a 2-1 Portland victory at the XL Center.

Brandon Segal scored the only Whale goal, with only 36 seconds left in the third period, and Johnson’s former stablemate Cam Talbot had 31 saves in the Connecticut net.

It was busy night for the officials, with the Whale having nine power plays and Portland three, but neither team could capitalize on a man advantage.

Play was one-sided early in Portland’s favor, as all the rubber was being fired Talbot’s way.

Even an interference minor to Brown lead to little Whale offense, as Connecticut produced just one shot on the advantage and seemed unable to find the net in the early goings of the first period.

Marek Hrivik was sent off for holding, and moments after the minor expired Portland cranked a shot off the pipe.

The Whale replied with a near-miss of their own when Johnson’s outstretched glove stopped a backdoor play on the goal line to Sean Collins.

Brown and Michael Haley dropped the gloves with just under five minutes to play in the first period and the teams brought the scoreless tie into the break. Portland led in shots, 13-8.

At the 5:53 mark of the second period, the Pirates’ Joel Rechlicz was called for interference behind the Portland net. Things got chippy after a shoving match and Haley fought again, this time with Scott Arnold, who immediately went to the tunnel to get patched up. Arnold would later return.

Talbot made a tremendous kick save on Jordan Szwarz’ breakaway with seven minutes to play in the period.

A Connecticut 5-on-3 with three minutes left was the Whale’s best puck movement of the night, but a number of blocked shots kept the puck away from Johnson.

The third period started scoreless, but it took just two minutes for Portland to find the goal. A pass came from Szwarz down the half-boards to Ethan Werek, who fed it behind to Bolduc. Bolduc shoved it towards the crease from the end boards and it snuck off Talbot’s skate and in.

Bolduc took a tripping minor a minute later and the Whale saw chances but Johnson made quality stops, and the Portland defense continued to block shots. The third period was the only period the Whale earned a shot advantage.

After the Whale failed to convert on the man advantage, Brown made it 2-0 for the Pirates at the midway mark of the third after Brendan Shinnimin won a faceoff to the left of Talbot.

Segal found the twine with 36 seconds to play in regulation on a rebound from Gilroy’s shot, but it wasn’t enough to climb back.

The Whales seventh regulation loss of the season dropped Connecticut to 5-7-1-1.

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Portland Pirates 2 at Connecticut Whale 1
Friday, November 16, 2012 – XL Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum

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

1st Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Brown Por (interference), 3:58; Hrivik Ct (holding), 8:33; Brown Por (fighting), 15:07; Haley Ct (fighting), 15:07; Arnold Por (roughing), 19:59; Parlett Ct (roughing), 19:59.

2nd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Gilroy Ct (high-sticking), 0:32; Arnold Por (fighting), 5:53; Rechlicz Por (interference, cross-checking), 5:53; Haley Ct (instigating, fighting, misconduct – instigating), 5:53; Kolarik Ct (misconduct – continuing altercation), 5:53; Bolduc Por (tripping), 10:44; Arnold Por (high-sticking), 14:28; Klinkhammer Por (closing hand on puck), 16:11; Ekman-Larsson Por (holding), 19:10; Grant Ct (holding), 19:10.

3rd Period-1, Portland, Bolduc 9 (Werek, Szwarz), 2:01. 2, Portland, Brown 5 (Shinnimin), 9:39. 3, Connecticut, Segal 5 (Gilroy, Vernace), 19:24. Penalties-Kreider Ct (slashing), 3:59; Bolduc Por (tripping), 4:57; Summers Por (tripping), 7:00; Lane Por (double minor – high-sticking), 10:39.

Shots on Goal-Portland 13-12-8-33. Connecticut 8-9-13-30.
Power Play Opportunities-Portland 0 / 3; Connecticut 0 / 9.
Goalies-Portland, Johnson 5-4-0 (30 shots-29 saves). Connecticut, Talbot 4-4-0 (33 shots-31 saves).
A-4,371
Referees-Ryan Hersey (8), Mark Lemelin (41).
Linesmen-John Grandt (98), Kiel Murchison (79).

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By Bob Crawford

Although the Connecticut Whale haven’t exactly torn the AHL up in the first month of the season, the club has posted some quality wins, and has given some key development time to several very young, but very important, New York Ranger organizational assets.

In addition to first-round picks Chris Kreider (2009) and J.T. Miller (2011), the Whale are also breaking in 2010 Ranger second-round pick Christian Thomas.  Thomas, a 20-year-old native of Toronto, boasts both an outstanding Junior hockey resume, which includes a 54-goal season and 257 career points in 244 games with the Ontario Hockey League’s Oshawa Generals and London Knights, and great hockey bloodlines.  Thomas’ dad, Steve Thomas, was a 19-year mainstay in the NHL who scored over 400 goals, and racked up better than 900 points, in 1,235 games with Toronto, Chicago, the Islanders, New Jersey, Anaheim and Detroit.

Despite the tantalizing combination of past accomplishments and genetics, Christian Thomas, like so many other former Junior stars, ran into some tough sledding at the start of his AHL career, which began with five regular season and six playoff games with the Whale at the end of his OHL season last spring.  He managed a goal and an assist in that action, and then was held to one goal in his first five outings this year.  Starting with a 3-1 Connecticut win over Hershey October 26, though, Thomas reeled off a four-game point-scoring streak, and then had his first multiple-goal game in the pro ranks November 10 in Worcester, scoring a pair of power-play markers in a 6-2 win over the Sharks.

That game at the DCU Center was not only a big one for Thomas personally, but also for the Whale as a team, being that it came on the heels of back-to-back losses to the Springfield Falcons, a 2-0 blanking the night before and a humiliating 10-2 pounding the previous Sunday at home.  And Thomas preferred to reflect on his personal strong performance in team terms.

“It was definitely a great feeling to get two (goals),” he said, “but our team played great after two tough losses.

“It’s definitely embarrassing to lose 10-2, especially in the American Hockey League, but playing them on the Friday there and losing 2-0, we played a lot better.  We just got in a bit of penalty trouble and they capitalized twice on the power play, but I felt like we played a better game.  And then it translated into (the Worcester game), and we had a way better game and we took it to them.”

The two lamplighters in Worcester were the first two man-advantage goals for Thomas as a pro, and they came after he was tabbed to man one of the points on the Whale’s first power-play unit.  While the multiple challenges of being back on the point represent a major responsibility for a 20-year-old rookie, Thomas clearly was unfazed.

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“I played the point on the power play in Junior for two years,” he said, “so it was kind of reminding me of that, and I just felt, play good defensively and try to get some chances offensively and I’ll do fine.”

The decision to give Thomas a chance on the power-play point seemed to come out of the blue, and when asked how it came about, he replied, “I’m not sure, to be honest.  I went into practice and that was the setup.  I think ‘Beuk’ (Assistant Coach Jeff Beukeboom) coached against Oshawa in Juniors, so he might have seen me on the point, but other than that, I’m just happy to be on the point and be on the power play.”

Indeed, Beukeboom, who came to the Whale this year after four years as an assistant coach in the OHL, must have seen plenty of Thomas, as he tried to devise ways for his team to contain Oshawa’s dangerous sniper.  While Beukeboom must be glad to have Thomas on his side now, he and his former adversary haven’t done much reminiscing about their battles in the OHL.

“He (Beukeboom) doesn’t really say much about Junior hockey, but his Sudbury Wolves were always a good team, hard to play against, and he’s really good to me,” said Thomas.  “He always lets me know what I have to do to get better, and what I’m doing well.  So I’m glad he’s here on the bench.”

If all goes according to plan, sometime in the near future Thomas and Kreider will be skating the wings at Madison Square Garden, continuing a flow of outstanding home-grown talent through Hartford into Manhattan.  For now, both are working on rounding out their games in the AHL, and recently they have been Whale linemates, with heart-and-soul veteran Kris Newbury as their centerman.  This combination has also been a key to Thomas’ recent surge.

“They’re two great players,” Thomas said of his linemates.  “Kreider’s so fast, good on the forecheck, so you kind of just put it (the puck) in an area for him, but Newbs (Newbury), when he has the puck, you have to just be ready and you can get the puck at whatever time.  So I’m really happy to play with those two guys.”

Playing alongside a warrior like Newbury has been particularly educational, according to Thomas.

“He’s a great guy to play with,” Thomas said of Newbury.  “He’s been there, he knows what it takes, and he just tries to help me every shift, if I do something wrong or he wants me to do something better.  He’s always talking to me.”

One of Steve Thomas’ calling cards at the NHL level, despite being a smaller player like Christian, was his powerful and accurate shot.  Christian, to have scored as many goals as he did in a league as good as the OHL, had to have inherited a good dose of that skill.  He showed flashes of being a real sharpshooter in his first pro action, but like everything else, that element of the game changes somewhat when a player moves up the ranks.

“I feel pretty confident in my shot still at this level, but starting off, first couple games, it’s a lot of adjusting to do,” Thomas said.  “But I feel like I’m getting kind of close now, and I feel, like I said, kind of confidence with my shot, and I’m trying to get some openings now that I can let it go.”

Those openings are harder to come by in the AHL, Thomas has found, but he has started to work around that.

“You have less space (in the AHL), guys are bigger, stronger, quicker, less time with the puck,” Thomas said.  “So you have to make quick plays, quick decisions, and I feel like I’m starting to get quicker.

“I think I’m just getting more adjusted to the AHL hockey game, it’s a lot different than Junior and it takes time and I feel like I’m getting a grasp of it now.”

In addition to his recent success this year, one bit of excitement that Thomas can already look back on from his pro career is the thrill of going up against his dad in a playoff series. 

As the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Player Development Coordinator, Steve Thomas was behind the bench for Tampa’s then-AHL affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals, for Norfolk’s postseason action last spring.  That included a six-game triumph over the Whale in the second round, on the way to an Admiral Calder Cup title, Steve Thomas’ first pro hockey championship.  The memory of that matchup against the old fella’s club brings a chuckle from Christian.

“That was a tough series,” he said, with a twinkle in his eye.  “It would be always nice to beat your dad in a game, but he got the upper hand there, and I’m happy for him that he finally got to win something.”

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Bridgeport, CT, November 11, 2012 – Mike Halmo’s breakaway goal with 4:54 left in the third period gave the Bridgeport Sound Tigers a 4-3 win over the Connecticut Whale Sunday at the Webster Bank Arena.

Halmo got behind the Whale defense and took a long pass from Jon Landry, before putting shot off the goalpost, then off Connecticut goaltender Cam Talbot’s back and in.

The Whale lost a 3-1 lead in the game, after getting two goals from ex-Sound Tiger Micheal Haley, making his return to his old home.  Marek Hrivik had two assists for the Whale and Kyle Jean also scored.  Brock Nelson added a goal and an assist for Bridgeport, and Anders Nilsson had 16 saves in the Sound Tiger net.

Haley celebrated being back in Bridgeport by scoring his first Whale goal on the game’s first shift, only 28 seconds in.  After J.T. Miller helped to stop a Sound Tiger breakout, Hrivik passed the puck off right wing to Haley at the left side of the slot, and Haley banged it past Nilsson.

Bridgeport tied it up at 9:06, with defenseman Matt Donovan joining the attack to get his first goal of the year.  Sean Backman worked the puck down left wing to Donovan, who beat Talbot (28 saves) from an extreme angle.

The Whale reclaimed the lead at 13:57, as Jean moved into a tie for the team lead in goals with his fifth of his rookie season.  Landry coughed up the puck in his own end to Jean, who circled the net and, while being knocked down, was able to knife the puck in from Nilsson’s left.

Just 39 seconds after that, Haley would get his second of the game to make it a two-goal Whale advantage.  Once again, Hrivik made the play, as he got to the puck after Blake Parlett shot it wide of the goal and sent a pass out from behind the net to Haley, who finished from in close.

Bridgeport’s special teams controlled the second period, though, starting when the Sound Tigers killed a major boarding penalty to Colin McDonald.  McDonald was penalized at 1:38, after his hit sent Whale defenseman Jyri Niemi into the boards head-first, causing him to have to be taken  off the ice on a stretcher.

After that successful penalty kill, Bridgeport scored a power-play goal at 8:57, when Nelson blasted a shot past Talbot from the top of the right circle.

The Sound Tiger man advantage struck again to tie the game at 14:40, just as a five-on-three was ending.  This time it was Travis Hamonic pounding in a high shot, as he fired from the middle of the blue line and beat Talbot’s catching glove.

The Whale’s next game is at home this Friday, November 16, when the Portland Pirates make their first visit of the season to the XL Center for a 7:00 game.  At each and every Friday Whale home game this year, fans can enjoy $1 hot dogs and $2 beers until 8:00 PM.  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.

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Connecticut Whale 3 at Bridgeport Sound Tigers 4
Sunday, November 11, 2012 – Webster Bank Arena

Connecticut 3 0 0 – 3
Bridgeport 1 2 1 – 4

1st Period-1, Connecticut, Haley 1 (Hrivik, Miller), 0:28. 2, Bridgeport, Donovan 1 (Backman, Halmo), 9:06. 3, Connecticut, Jean 5 (Bourque, Segal), 13:57. 4, Connecticut, Haley 2 (Hrivik, Parlett), 14:36. Penalties-Yogan Ct (tripping), 15:21.

2nd Period-5, Bridgeport, Nelson 7 (Ness, Landry), 8:57 (PP). 6, Bridgeport, Hamonic 2 (Niederreiter, Nelson), 14:40 (PP). Penalties-Segal Ct (roughing, misconduct – continuing altercation), 1:38; McDonald Bri (major – boarding, match – boarding), 1:38; McIver Bri (roughing, misconduct – continuing altercation), 1:38; Collins Ct (holding), 7:29; Newbury Ct (tripping), 12:37; Klassen Ct (tripping), 14:14.

3rd Period-7, Bridgeport, Halmo 1 (Landry, Watkins), 15:06. Penalties-Pyett Ct (tripping), 0:18; Nelson Bri (interference), 2:10; Jean Ct (fighting), 4:21; Persson Bri (fighting), 4:21; McIver Bri (boarding), 4:51; Tessier Ct (cross-checking), 7:39; served by Grant Ct (bench minor – too many men), 9:58; Landry Bri (interference), 19:17.

Shots on Goal-Connecticut 9-5-5-19. Bridgeport 12-11-9-32.
Power Play Opportunities-Connecticut 0 / 4; Bridgeport 2 / 7.
Goalies-Connecticut, Talbot 4-3-0 (32 shots-28 saves). Bridgeport, Nilsson 2-0-0 (19 shots-16 saves).
A-5,871
Referees-Trevor Hanson (47), Jon McIsaac (45).
Linesmen-Kevin Redding (16), Derek Wahl (46).

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Worcester, MA, November 10, 2012 – Christian Thomas had his first two-goal game as a pro, and Kris Newbury added two assists, to lead the Connecticut Whale to a 6-2 win over the Worcester Sharks Saturday night at the DCU Center.

The Whale also got goals from Logan Pyett, Tommy Grant and J.T. Miller, and Chris Kreider, Chad Kolarik and Matt Gilroy had two assists apiece.  Cam Talbot made 21 saves.  Sena Acolatse had a goal and an assist for the Sharks, and John McCarthy had two assists.

The Whale had never led in their previous two games, both losses to Springfield, but they jumped on top only 1:24 into Saturday’s game, on Newbury’s team-leading fifth goal of the season.  After Kreider hustled hard to prevent an icing, the Sharks failed to get the puck out up the boards and it deflected to Newbury at the top of the circles.  With both Thomas and Kreider screening Worcester goaltender Harri Sateri (19 saves), Newbury’s snapshot got through on the glove side.

Connecticut then made it 2-0 on a power play at 14:40.  Newbury worked the puck off the right-wing boards to Kolarik at the top of the circle, and Kolarik partially fanned on a one-timer attempt.  The puck went off of Acolatse’s skate, though, right to Thomas at the left side slot, and he had an open side of the net to bury the puck into.

The only goal of the second period came in a four-on-four situation at 10:19, and it was the second of the season for Pyett.  After moving the puck out of his own zone, Pyett joined the rush and beat a check on the right-wing side, firing a shot that hit Sateri’s catching glove and went in.

Acolatse ruined Talbot’s shutout bid with a four-on-four goal 49 seconds into the third period, taking a pass from McCarthy and putting a high shot in on the short side, but the Whale got that one back on Thomas’ second power-play score of the game at 3:22.  Thomas one-timed a Kreider pass from the top of the slot through Sateri, with Kolarik screening.

Grant tied Newbury for the team goals lead with his fifth of the 1:55 later at 5:17, as Gilroy moved down the right-wing boards and found Grant with a centering feed, before Worcester cut the lead back to three on a Bracken Kearns goal at 15:51, off of a pass from behind the net by Acolatse.

The Sharks then pulled Sateri with just under four minutes left in a desperation attempt to get back in the game, but that backfired when Miller scored his second of the year into an empty net at 18:31.

The victory moved the Whale back to the .500 mark, at 5-5-1-0 for 11 points.

The Whale complete their first three-game weekend of the season Sunday at Bridgeport, taking on the Sound Tigers in a 3:00 PM game.  The play-by-play of that battle can be heard live on “Beethoven Radio” AM 1290, and on-line at www.ctwhale.com. 

The Whale’s next home game is this Friday, November 16, when the Portland Pirates make their first visit of the season to the XL Center for a 7:00 game.  At each and every Friday Whale home game this year, fans can enjoy $1 hot dogs and $2 beers until 8:00 PM.  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.

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Connecticut Whale 6 at Worcester Sharks 2
Saturday, November 10, 2012 – DCU Center

Connecticut 2 1 3 – 6
Worcester 0 0 2 – 2

1st Period-1, Connecticut, Newbury 5 1:24. 2, Connecticut, Thomas 3 (Kolarik, Newbury), 14:40 (PP). Penalties-Jean Ct (tripping), 11:34; Mashinter Wor (hooking), 13:46; Collins Ct (interference), 17:48.

2nd Period-3, Connecticut, Pyett 2 (Newbury, Kreider), 10:19. Penalties-Haley Ct (high-sticking), 1:23; Matsumoto Wor (holding), 7:35; Tessier Ct (hooking), 10:00; Gogol Wor (high-sticking), 10:00; Sheppard Wor (tripping), 14:14; Segal Ct (checking to the head), 19:02.

3rd Period-4, Worcester, Acolatse 4 (McCarthy, Kennedy), 0:49 (PP). 5, Connecticut, Thomas 4 (Kreider, Gilroy), 3:22 (PP). 6, Connecticut, Grant 5 (Gilroy, Kolarik), 5:17. 7, Worcester, Kearns 5 (Acolatse, McCarthy), 15:51. 8, Connecticut, Miller 2 (Jean, Segal), 18:31 (EN). Penalties-Irwin Wor (holding), 2:49; Klassen Ct (roughing), 6:13; Gogol Wor (charging, roughing), 6:13; Kreider Ct (slashing), 8:16; Parlett Ct (holding), 15:31; Kennedy Wor (hooking), 15:35; Newbury Ct (unsportsmanlike conduct, misconduct – continuing altercation), 19:20; Gogol Wor (unsportsmanlike conduct, misconduct – continuing altercation), 19:20; Pelech Wor (roughing, misconduct – continuing altercation), 19:20.

Shots on Goal-Connecticut 7-6-12-25. Worcester 7-8-8-23.
Power Play Opportunities-Connecticut 2 / 7; Worcester 1 / 6.
Goalies-Connecticut, Talbot 4-2-0 (23 shots-21 saves). Worcester, Sateri 0-4-1 (24 shots-19 saves).
A-3,215
Referees-Trent Knorr (44).
Linesmen-John Grandt (98), Bob Bernard (42).

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Springfield, MA, November 9, 2012 – Former Connecticut Whale Tim Erixon, who had four points and a +6 against his old club in a 10-2 Springfield Falcon win Sunday in Hartford, burned the Whale again Friday night at the MassMutual Center, scoring the only two goals of the game in a 2-0 Springfield victory.

Both of Erixon’s goals were on power plays, as Springfield had 11 man advantages in the game, and outshot the Whale 40-20

In sharp contrast to Sunday’s battle between the two teams at the XL Center, Friday’s game was a 0-0 standoff through two periods.  Whale goaltender Cam Talbot was busy, stopping 18 shots in the first period and nine more in the second, but Springfield’s Curtis McElhinney also faced some tough chances among his 13 stops.

The Falcons finally broke the scoreless tie at 1:03 of the third frame, during a penalty to the Whale’s Tommy Grant that carried over from the second period.  Erixon took a feed from fellow ex-Whale Jonathan Audy-Marchessault high in the slot a pounded a slap shot past a screened Talbot on the stick side.

Erixon then struck again on a two-man advantage at 13:55, this time firing a shot from the right side of the slot past Talbot’s catching glove and in, after Nick Drazenovic found Erixon with a pass from along the goal line.

More Whale penalties prevented Connecticut from getting back in the game, and McElhinney was able to complete his third shutout of the season, and hand the Whale their first blanking of the year.

The Whale are right back in action Saturday night, as they travel to Worcester to battle the Sharks in a 7:00 game.  The action of that tilt can be heard live on “The Rock” 106.9 WCCC, and on-line at www.ctwhale.com. 

The Whale’s next home game is Friday, November 16, when the Portland Pirates make their first visit of the season to the XL Center for a 7:00 game.  At each and every Friday Whale home game this year, fans can enjoy $1 hot dogs and $2 beers until 8:00 PM.  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.

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Connecticut Whale 0 at Springfield Falcons 2
Friday, November 9, 2012 – MassMutual Center

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

1st Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Kolarik Ct (roughing), 2:23; Johansen Spr (roughing), 2:35; Audy-Marchessault Spr (slashing), 5:17; Collins Ct (slashing), 9:45; Vernace Ct (hooking), 12:19.

2nd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Erixon Spr (tripping), 4:03; Erixon Spr (interference), 10:19; served by Grant Ct (bench minor – too many men), 16:02; Grant Ct (holding, fighting), 19:29; Craig Spr (fighting), 19:29.

3rd Period-1, Springfield, Erixon 2 (Audy-Marchessault, Kubalik), 1:03 (PP). 2, Springfield, Erixon 3 (Drazenovic, Atkinson), 13:55 (PP). Penalties-Newbury Ct (boarding), 1:21; Joudrey Spr (slashing), 6:08; Savard Spr (tripping), 6:51; Haley Ct (interference), 8:35; Moore Spr (slashing), 9:13; Vernace Ct (slashing), 10:32; served by Kubalik Spr (bench minor – too many men), 11:12; served by Thomas Ct (unsportsmanlike conduct – disputing decision), 12:15; Newbury Ct (boarding, game misconduct – abuse of officials), 12:15; Vernace Ct (delay of game), 16:56; Klassen Ct (high-sticking), 18:36; Niemi Ct (fighting), 19:51; Kubalik Spr (fighting), 19:51.

Shots on Goal-Connecticut 7-6-7-20. Springfield 18-9-13-40.
Power Play Opportunities-Connecticut 0 / 7; Springfield 2 / 11.
Goalies-Connecticut, Talbot 3-2-0 (40 shots-38 saves). Springfield, McElhinney 7-1-1 (20 shots-20 saves).
A-5,653
Referees-Chris Cozzan (18), T.J. Luxmore (49).
Linesmen-Brent Colby (7), Frank Murphy (29).

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By Bob Crawford

The stat sheet from Sunday’s 10-2 loss to Springfield was one that the Connecticut Whale coaches probably wanted to burn and never look at again, but there was one positive on the Whale side.

That was next to the name of defenseman Sam Klassen, who was +1 in the game, the only player on the Whale team who ended the night on the plus side.

It wasn’t like Klassen was nailed to the bench, either.  He played a regular shift, and was not on the ice for any of the Falcons’ 10 goals.

The second-year pro did not take any solace from that stat, though.

“I’m not going to comment much on that,” Klassen said Thursday after the Whale’s practice at Champions Skating Center in Cromwell, CT.  “It was a team loss, and we’ve got to respond from Sunday night.”

And how do the Whale, as a group, go about responding to that ugly defeat, with a rematch against the Falcons looming Friday night in Springfield?

“You learn from that game,” Klassen said, “and you take that feeling, that embarrassing feeling, from Sunday night’s game and you bring it into the week of practices, and you work that much harder and make sure that doesn’t happen again.

“We definitely focused on our systems, D-zone (defensive zone) systems and neutral-zone systems, and just kind of went to the board and did some X’s and O’s, stuff like that, for sure, but what it really comes down to is a matter of making things happen in a game.  We hopefully can take these good practices that we had this week and carry them right into the weekend.”

While the Whale had won four straight games going into Sunday, some danger signs had been evident in the two games immediately preceding the 10-2 meltdown.  In Friday’s 2-1 shootout win in Albany, Connecticut had been outshot 44-16 and needed a great performance in goal from Cam Talbot to get the two points, and in a 6-3 home victory the previous Saturday against Providence, the Whale were outshot by a margin of 40-23.

“Friday night’s game, we were lucky to get those two points,” said Klassen.  “Cam played amazing for us, and he definitely stole the game for us.  And some of those bad habits probably carried into Sunday’s game, and it came back to bite us in the butt there.”

On the other hand, just about all of the bounces that had been going the Whale’s way in the previous two games went against them on Sunday.  The Whale’s goal going into this weekend is not to leave so much up to the bounce of the puck.

“Going into Friday night’s game, we obviously want to be physical,” Klassen said.  “They’ve (Springfield) got some real skilled forwards up front, so the more you can by physical, the better.

“We did a lot of D-zone coverage this week, just focusing on making that first good pass and keeping things simple.  The more simple they are, the easier it is.”

That last sentence seems to sum up Klassen’s approach to the game quite well.  He is a no-frills kind of player, the type of defenseman who you know is playing well when you don’t notice him.  In order to progress, though, beyond where he has been his first two pro seasons, in which he has been back and forth between the Whale and the ECHL, Klassen is seeking to diversify his game somewhat. 

“Something that I’m always working on is my shot,” he said.  “Since I’m not a very offensive D-man, it’s something I’m always trying to improve, trying to jump up in the play a little more, try to get involved off the rush once in a while.  But I know my strengths and my weaknesses, so you always try to improve on your weaknesses and stick to your strengths in a game.”

As he looks to do that, Klassen has taken advantage of the tutelage of two different Whale assistant coaches, J.J. Daigneault and Jeff Beukeboom, who were both highly successful defensemen as pro players.  Beukeboom is new to the Whale this year, after Daigneault earned an assistant-coaching job with the Montreal Canadiens this past summer, and Beukeboom has shown an approach that is slightly different, but just as helpful for Klassen’s development.

“J.J.’s approach was very offensive,” Klassen said.  “Jeff maybe not so much, but he’s always encouraging us to jump up in the play and get involved, pinching on the O-zone and getting involved in the play.  So that’s always something that we’re trying to do.”

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Albany, NY, November 2, 2012 – Cam Talbot tied his pro career high with 43 saves, and went five-for-five in the shootout, Friday night at the Times Union Center, as the Connecticut Whale defeated the Albany Devils by a score of 2-1.

The Whale won their fourth straight game, despite being outshot 44-16 on the night.  Christian Thomas scored for Connecticut, and Matt Gilroy got the only goal of the shootout.  Mattias Tedenby tallied the lone Devil goal.

It was the second win in Albany in ten days for the Whale, who earned their first win of the season last Wednesday over the Devils, 5-2.

After a rebound shot by Albany’s Adam Henrique on the game’s first shift hit the crossbar behind Talbot, the Devils came back and did take the game’s first lead at 4:30.  David Wohlberg won a neutral-ice faceoff and Tedenby headed quickly up the right side of the slot, fending off Sam Klassen’s check and putting a backhand shot past Talbot’s stick side.

That would be the only puck to get behind the Whale goaltender all night, though, and Connecticut tied the score at the 18:05 mark, when Thomas got his second of the season, just seconds after he had put a shot off the crossbar.  After Thomas’ first bid missed, Tommy Grant kept the puck in the Devil zone and found a wide-open Thomas with a cross-slot feed for an easy finish.

Talbot was especially sharp in the second period, when Albany outshot the Whale 18-2, and Connecticut had to kill four penalties in the third frame.  A Devil power play carried over into the overtime, in which Albany got the only three shots credited and hit a crossbar.

The Devils deferred to the Whale to shoot first in the shootout, and Gilroy, Connecticut’s leadoff man, put a shot past the glove side of Albany goaltender Jeff Frazee for what would turn out to be the deciding score.

Talbot stopped Tedenby, Wohlberg, Bobby Butler, Henrique and Jacob Josefson, and Frazee would recover to deny the Whale’s Chris Kreider, Kris Newbury, Brandon Segal and Chad Kolarik.

The Whale are now 4-3-1-0 on the year, after starting 0-3-1-0 in their first four games.

The Whale’s next action is on home ice at the XL Center this Sunday, November 4 against their I-91 rivals the Springfield Falcons.  Faceoff is 7:00 PM, and, as at all Sunday home games this season, fans can take advantage of “Click It or Ticket Sunday Family Value Packs”.  A package consisting of a ticket, a hot dog or slice of pizza and a soda is only $18.  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.

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Connecticut Whale 2 (SO) at Albany Devils 1
Friday, November 2, 2012 – Times Union Center

Connecticut 1 0 0 0 – 2
Albany 1 0 0 0 – 1

1st Period-1, Albany, Tedenby 2 (Wohlberg), 4:30. 2, Connecticut, Thomas 2 (Grant, Haley), 18:05. Penalties-Klassen Ct (boarding), 5:06; served by Hoeffel Alb (bench minor – too many men), 9:27.

2nd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Kreider Ct (cross-checking), 8:24; Yogan Ct (fighting), 17:07; Corrente Alb (cross-checking), 17:07; Kelly Alb (fighting), 17:07; Jean Ct (tripping), 18:16.

3rd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Kreider Ct (hooking), 3:54; Newbury Ct (cross-checking), 7:32; Kreider Ct (cross-checking), 10:29; Wohlberg Alb (hooking), 13:07; Kreider Ct (high-sticking), 19:24.

OT Period- No Scoring. Penalties-No Penalties

Shootout – Connecticut 1 (Gilroy G, Kreider NG, Newbury NG, Segal NG, Kolarik NG), Albany 0 (Tedenby NG, Wohlberg NG, Butler NG, Henrique NG, Josefson NG).
Shots on Goal-Connecticut 6-2-7-0-1-16. Albany 12-18-11-3-0-44.
Power Play Opportunities-Connecticut 0 / 3; Albany 0 / 7.
Goalies-Connecticut, Talbot 3-0-0 (44 shots-43 saves). Albany, Frazee 1-1-1 (15 shots-14 saves).
A-5,324
Referees-Chris Brown (86), Dave Lewis (46).
Linesmen-Kevin Redding (16), Derek Wahl (46).

HARTFORD, November 2, 2012:  Connecticut Whale general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that the Whale has loaned defenseman Sebastien Piche to its ECHL affiliate, the Greenville Road Warriors.

Piche, a fourth-year pro who signed an American Hockey League contract with the Whale August 13, had missed the Whale’s first seven games of the season due to injury.

The Whale return to action tonight, traveling to Albany to meet the Devils in a 7:00 PM game (“Beethoven Radio” AM 1290, www.wccc.com).  The Whale’s next home game at the XL Center is this Sunday, November 4 against their I-91 rivals the Springfield Falcons.  Faceoff is 7:00 PM, and, as at all Sunday home games this season, fans can take advantage of “Click It or Ticket Sunday Family Value Packs”.  A package consisting of a ticket, a hot dog or slice of pizza and a soda is only $18. 

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.