By Bruce Berlet
WORCESTER, Mass. – The Connecticut Whale’s 2-0 victory over the Worcester Sharks had several special features Wednesday night.
Tim Kennedy broke a scoreless tie on a power play with 5:38 left off a brilliant goalmouth pass by Michael Del Zotto, making his minor-league debut after being assigned by the New York Rangers on Monday.
Then with the Sharks pressing for the tying goal on a power play, Kennedy lifted a clearing into center ice, where Evgeny Grachev outraced and outmuscled Matt Irwin to and puck and chipped it through Alex Stalock’s legs for his first professional shorthanded goal with 2:47 to go.
Chad Johnson then capped off the delightful start to a four-game road trip with two of his 27 saves to register a second shutout in his last five starts as the Whale (19-13-2-5) won their fifth game in six starts and have points in 16 of their last 18 games (13-2-0-3). The Whale is 3-1-0-1 in five games against the Sharks (17-13-2-4), but this was the first win in regulation and the only game of the five with Worcester decided by more than one goal.
“There was momentum back and forth the whole game and guys did a good job blocking a lot of shots and let me see the shots when there were chances,” Johnson said. “They have a lot of good players so you have to be ready because they’ll fire pucks from different angles.
“It was hard for us to get good quality chances because they’re so structured the way they play. So you don’t have a lot of opportunities, so you kind of have to make the best of it. It was a tight game, so it was a good win overall.”
It appeared the teams were headed to fourth overtime game when the Whale finally converted on their fifth power play after barely setting up in the Worcester zone on two man advantages early in the third period.
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Stalock made diving save on Kennedy’s jam attempt on the second power play 3:08 into the third period, but he was helpless on the winner, the culmination of a terrific three-way play. Brodie Dupont did an excellent job getting the puck to Del Zotto in the right circle, and the 20-year-old defenseman took two strides and threw a pass to the goalmouth that Kennedy redirected into the open side of the net.
“Doobs made an unbelievable pass on his backhand, and once it came to me I knew everyone was pressuring outside,” Del Zotto said. “I took a look out of the corner of my eye first thing and saw (Kennedy) going to the net. We both kind of locked eyes, and he knew what was going on, but it all started with a great play by Dupont posting up (inside the blueline), drawing everyone and throwing the cross-ice pass. It was a great play overall.”
Kennedy concurred.
“When Brodie stopped up, I kept going down the wall and (Del Zotto) saw me coming across, and we saw each other,” Kennedy said. “I called for the puck, and he put it right on my tape. The puck kind of got tipped (by a Sharks defenseman), but it still a great pass by him and it was an open-net goal. That goal was pretty easy.
“It was a good first road game for us with what what’s ahead of us,” Kennedy added, alluding to a five-hour, after-game bus ride to Voorhees, NJ, the halfway point to Norfolk, Va., where the Whale plays Friday and Saturday night. “We weathered the storm early, came on hard in the second when we could have had a few and then got it done in the third. That’s how you have to win some games on the road. They all don’t have to be pretty.”
But Grachev gave the Whale some vital insurance with one of the prettiest goals of the season as he used his size (6-foot-4, 222 pounds) and speed to score in his sixth game since starting to help kill penalties.
“I saw one guy (Justin Braun) trying to hold the blueline and the second (Irwin) going for me,” Grachev said. “So I just protected the puck, and he (Stalock) probably thought I was going to go high, so I decided to try to smash it in low and it went in. I was lucky.”
Despite missing five injured players, including Whale killer T.J. Trevelyan, and having five players on tryout contracts in the lineup, the Sharks dominated the first 12 minutes with a dump-and-chase approach that helped produce six of the first seven shots. But Johnson made excellent stops on Andrew Desjardins off a Tomas Kundratek turnover at 48 seconds, turned aside Nick Schaus’ point shot through a screen at 1:42 and stopped Desjardins breaking in alone off the right wing at 8:11.
The Whale’s first quality chance didn’t come until Stalock (19 saves) denied Todd White’s shot from 30 feet in the slot off a 3-on-2 at 9:31. Johnson then stopped James Marcou off left wing with 4:37 left in the first period before the Whale got the game’s first power play with only four seconds to go.
Del Zotto had two excellent long-range bids kicked out by Stalock, then moments after the power play ended, Stalock made a sprawling save on Grachev, set up by Jeremy Williams at 2:01.
Johnson made a sterling right-pad save on Tommy Wingels off the right wing with 7:32 left in the period, then got his left pad on Sean Sullivan’s excellent bid from the slot during a 4-on-4 with 4:58 to go. Grachev had another quality chance on a 30-foot shot through a partial screen with 2:32 left.
The Whale had two power plays early in the third period but rarely got set up in the Sharks’ zone except when Stalock had to make a diving save on Kennedy. On an ensuing Sharks power play, Johnson was alert to stop Dan DaSilva’s deflection through a screen at 6:02, then the teams sparred before the decisive late goals.
“They came hard at the start, but we kind of weathered the storm and got stronger as the game went on,” Whale coach Ken Gernander said. “We were kind of stubborn at the start and didn’t want to put pucks deep and go to forecheck. We were trying to throw things cross-ice, but once we got our legs under us, I thought we got better.”
And Gernander could sense the winning goal developing.
“You could see Kennedy going to the net, and that’s generally the case when you see a play developing,” Gernander said. “He’s looking to you to get it to you, and you’re looking for him to put his stick on the ice. It’s not surprising that they made eye contact.”
DEL ZOTTO GENERALLY SATISFIED WITH DEBUT
Del Zotto, a member of the NHL all-rookie team last season, was sent down and replaced on the Rangers’ roster by defenseman Ryan McDonagh, who didn’t play Wednesday night when former Whale wing Mats Zuccarello scored with 1:51 left in overtime to give the Rangers a 2-1 victory over the visiting Carolina Hurricanes. Zuccarello also assisted on the Rangers’ first goal by former Wolf Pack defenseman Matt Gilroy.
Del Zotto played alongside veteran Stu Bickel, acquired from the Anaheim Ducks and Syracuse Crunch for Nigel Williams on Nov. 23. Like the rest of his new teammates, Del Zotto got off to a sluggish start in only his second games in 21/2 weeks. But also like the rest of the Whale, his game picked up, especially during the first power play when he had two excellent scoring chances while manning the point on the No. 1 unit.
“Things are a little different here with a different style, so in the beginning I just wanted to keep myself in it, not get too aggressive and start going crazy,” Del Zotto said. “But once I got in it a little bit I felt a lot better. We have a great group of guys, and my partner Stu and I hit it off right away. We had a lot of talk out there and just took it from there.
“The power play had a lot of chances, especially the first one. Then we got one at the end, and it ended up being the game-winner, so that’s all we wanted and all that matters. No matter how you do it as long as you get the job done. They did a good job pressuring most of the night, but we took what they gave us and got the win.”
The Whale scratched right wing Chad Kolarik and defenseman Wade Redden due to injuries. Redden, who has a league-high 23 assists among defensemen, didn’t make the start of the trip to Norfolk, Va., when the Whale face the Admirals Friday and Saturday night. But again demonstrating his professionalism, Redden drove to the DCU Center to watch the game and was outside the locker room congratulating his teammates after the game. “I had to keep tabs on these guys,” Redden said.
The Whale headed after the game to Voorhees, NJ, where they were scheduled to stop early Thursday morning to sleep and then practice at noon at the Flyers Skate Zone where the Philadelphia Flyers work out before finishing their bus ride to Norfolk.
Redden and Kolarik were injured in a 6-2 victory over Providence on Saturday night and missed a 3-0 loss to Manchester on Sunday and the game Wednesday night. The Sharks scratched Joe Loprieno, Frazer McLaren, Tony Lucia, T.J. Trevelyan and Cam MacIntyre. But defenseman Justin Braun was back after getting one goal and eight assists in 14 games with the San Jose Sharks.
… McDonagh was excited about getting his first call-up but realized it might be awhile before he makes his NHL debut.
“You just gotta work hard in practice and do anything to help the team,” McDonagh told the New York media after his first practice Tuesday. “I’m ready to practice. Hopefully I get into a game down the road, but I’m just here to help this team.”
McDonagh, who was among the Rangers’ final cuts out of training camp, might not play soon because the Rangers have six defensemen they like – former Wolf Pack players Marc Staal, Dan Girardi, Michael Sauer and Matt Gilroy, Michal Rozsival and Mike Eminger. Del Zotto hadn’t played in four straight games before Sunday (a 3-0 loss to the Florida Panthers), having been a healthy scratch twice, while Gilroy is getting a chance to be a regular in the top six.
“He can skate like hell, but I have no assessment at all,” Rangers coach John Tortorella said of McDonagh, who had one goal and seven assists while playing in all 38 Whale games. “I can’t tell from practice. It gives us a chance to give a look at him. Whether he plays a game or not, I don’t know, but he is growing little by little.”
Rookie center Derek Stepan played with McDonagh for two seasons at the University of Wisconsin before leaving early after leading the Badgers to the 2010 NCAA championship game, where they lost 5-0 to Boston College and top Rangers prospect Chris Kreider. Stepan and McDonagh are longtime friends who have stayed in touch during the season.
“He is a stay-at-home defenseman,” Stepan said. “He’s a big strong man (6-foot-1, 222 pounds), and he’s gonna be physical and block shots. He’s gonna bring some toughness and do all the things he needs to stay here.”
… Former Wolf Pack defenseman Terry Virtue and Hartford Whalers wing Scott Young will be among the first six inductees into the Worcester Hockey Hall of Fame on Jan. 22 at the DCU Center in Worcester. It’s “Salute to the IceCats” Night, the name of the franchise that preceded the Sharks in Worcester, and other inductees will be Kelly O’Leary, Eddie Bates, Larz Anderson and Marvin Degon Sr., father of former Wolf Pack defenseman Martin Degon.
… Before Del Zotto played and McDonagh watched Wednesday night, three top Rangers prospects battled for the bronze medal in the World Junior Championships in Buffalo, N.Y.
Chris Kreider had two goals and Ryan Bourque an assist as Team USA beat Sweden 4-2 to win the bronze medal in the World Junior Championship in Buffalo, N.Y. It was the first U.S. team win back-to-back medals and first to win a medal on U.S. soil. Kreider, Team USA’s Player of the Game, and Bourque, the youngest son of Hockey Hall of Famer Ray Bourque, were also members of last year’s team that beat Canada to win the gold medal.
Jesper Fasth, another Rangers prospect, scored Sweden’s second goal to finish with four goals and two assists in six games, tying Kreider (four goals, two assists) for most points among Rangers draftees. The Rangers selected Kreider in the first round, Bourque in the third round and Fasth in the sixth round in 2009.
In the gold medal game, Russia scored five goals in the third period for a 5-3 victory over Canada, the biggest comeback in tournament history.
WHALE TO FACE ANOTHER HOT GOALIE
The Whale will face another hot goalie this week in Cedrick Desjardins, who made 34 saves in leading the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 2-1 overtime victory over the Rangers on Sunday in his second consecutive NHL start. He had a shutout until Marian Gaborik scored a sixth-attacker goal with 45.6 seconds left in regulation, then former Providence Bruins center Nate Thompson won it just 19 seconds into overtime.
But Desjardins, recalled from Norfolk on Dec. 20, was sent back to the Admirals after the game, when it was announced the Lightning had acquired 41-year-old veteran Dwayne Roloson from the New York Islanders. Desjardins went back to the AHL despite allowing only two goals in his first two NHL games. He had 27 saves in a 4-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Dec. 30.
The Admirals won the teams’ first meeting 5-1 on Oct. 20, tying the Whale’s worst loss of the season at home. The Admirals are 0-3-1-1 in the last five games but still nine games above .500 (18-9-6-2).
Center Marc-Antoine Pouliot, the Edmonton Oilers’ first-round pick (22nd overall) in 2003 and a veteran of 179 NHL games, leads the Admirals’ balanced attack with nine goals and 19 assists in 26 games. He’s followed closely by centers James Wright (10, 16) and Paul Szczechura (9, 17), left wing Johan Harju (14, 11), center Blair Jones (9, 16) and wings Matt Fornataro (10, 14), Chris Durno (10, 13) and Mike Angelidis (11, 10). Desjardins is 12-5-1 with a 2.63 GAA, .900 save percentage and one shutout.
The Whale was 1-0-1-0 in two visits to Norfolk last season. The Admirals have won only five of the 13 home games this season but have at least a point in 11 of them (5-2-4-2).
The Whale won’t debut their new blue road jerseys until the end of their four-game road trip Jan. 14 at Portland. The new jerseys are available for purchase at the XL Center or The Hartford Store, 45 Pratt Street in Hartford. Prices, including sales tax, are $289 (authentic), $125 (senior replica) and $99 (junior replica).
The Whale returns to the XL Center on Jan. 15 to face Providence, the start of a three-game homestand at which former Boston Bruins stars Rick Middleton and Reggie Lemelin will sign autographs in the XL Center atrium from 6-7 p.m. and then drop the ceremonial first puck. They also will play in the Bruins-Whalers alumni game at Rentschler Field in East Hartford on Feb. 19 at 4 p.m. That will be followed, in the Harvest-Properties.com “Whale Bowl”, by the second AHL outdoor game between the Whale and P-Bruins at 7 p.m.
DISCOUNTED TICKETS FOR WHALE FANS
Whalers Sports and Entertainment, in association with the XL Center, is offering a discount for “Disney On Ice” shows this week to Whale fans. For discounted tickets, use the discount code WHALES and save $4. Discounted tickets start at $11 for shows Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday at 4:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the XL Center box office, online at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-745-3000. For groups of 15 or more, contact the XL Center group sales office at 860-548-2000.
… WS&E chairman and CEO Howard Baldwin will be the guest speaker at the East Hartford Chamber of Commerce breakfast series sponsored by AT&T Connecticut Tuesday at 8 a.m. at the Sheraton Hartford Hotel on East River Drive in East Hartford. Baldwin will speak about his efforts to revive the local hockey market in Hartford, the Whalers Hockey Fest 2011 at Rentschler Field in East Hartford on Feb. 11-23 and other economic development opportunities.
“I am very excited to have a man of Howard Baldwin’s experience, energy and commitment to Connecticut and the Hartford area speaking at our Chamber event,” Chamber president Ron Pugliese said. “I invite anyone who has the desire to see the Hartford area grow and prosper economically to join us on January 11.” … Howard Baldwin Jr., the new president and COO of WS&E, has a new Twitter account accessible to Whale fans at howardbaldwinjr.
… The Whale’s eighth Tip-A-Player Dinner and Sports Carnival, presented by Aetna, will be Jan. 23 at the XL Center from 4-7 p.m. Tickets are $30 for adults and $20 for children, and proceeds benefit Gaylord Specialty Healthcare at Gaylord Hospital in Wallingford. For more information, contact Lori Leniart at 860-728-3366.
ALL-STAR VOTING ENDS SUNDAY
On-line fan voting for the AHL All-Star Classic Jan. 30-31 at the Giant Center in Hershey, Pa., runs through midnight Sunday at theahl.com and facebook.com/theahl. Players receiving the most votes by position will earn berths in the starting lineups of the Eastern Conference and Western Conference teams. A committee of AHL coaches will select the remaining All-Stars, and all 30 clubs must be represented. By completing the official ballot, fans are entered to win a grand prize of a team-signed All-Star jersey. Ten more winners will receive an official All-Star Classic T-shirt.
The Hall of Fame Class of 2011, to be inducted Jan. 30 at 11 a.m., is Mitch Lamoureux, Larry Wilson and the late Harry Pidhirny and Maurice Podoloff, who grew up in New Haven and graduated from Yale. AHL Hall of Famer Bruce Boudreau, former coach of the Bears and now coach of the Washington Capitals, will be the keynote speaker, and AHL graduate and 2008 Foster Hewitt Award winner Mike Emrick will be master of ceremonies. … Wilkes-Barre/Scranton coach John Hynes has earned a spot as one of the co-coaches of the Western Conference All-Star team. He clinched the honor Saturday night when the Penguins locked up the best points percentage in the Eastern Conference as of the pre-determined deadline of this Sunday. Wilkes-Barre is 27-8-0-0 (.771) and is No. 1 in the AHL. Hynes is in his first season as Penguins coach after spending one year as the assistant to Todd Reirden. The coach whose team has the best points percentage in the Western Conference on Sunday will join Hynes. That race is led by Peoria’s Jared Bednar (.681), followed by Texas’ Glen Gulutzan (.639) and San Antonio’s Ray Edwards (.635). By virtue of Hershey winning the 2010 Calder Cup championship, Bears coach Mark French and assistant Troy Mann will guide the Eastern Conference All-Stars. … Former Wolf Pack wing Alexandre Giroux (129 points), Keith Aucoin (122), David Desharnais (119), Jerome Samson (95) and Andrew Gordon (90) were the AHL’s top scorers in the regular season and playoffs during calendar year 2010. … Greenville Road Warriors coach Dean Stork was named coach of the ECHL team that will play the Bakersfield Condors in the ECHL All-Star Classic on Jan. 26 in Bakersfield, Calif. Stork was chosen because Greenville had the ECHL’s best winning percentage as of Jan. 1 (.750, 23-7-2). Stork will coach the All-Stars with Las Vegas Wranglers coach Ryan Mougenel in his first appearance as a player or coach. The Road Warriors are affiliated with the Rangers and Flyers. … Greenville’s Dov Grumet-Morris was named ECHL Goalie of the Month for December, when he was 9-2-1 with a 1.56 goals-against average, .942 save percentage and two shutouts in 12 games, leading the Road Warriors to the best record in the league (23-7-2). Grumet-Morris, who played two games with the Whale earlier in the season, allowed two or fewer goals in 10 games and now leads the ECHL in wins (15) and GAA (1.93) and is second in save percentage (.933).
Whale 2, Sharks 0
Connecticut 0 0 2 – 2
Worcester 0 0 0 – 0
First period: No scoring. Penalties: Soryal, Ct (fighting), 3:25; Lizon, Wor (fighting), 3:25; Lawrence, Wor (hooking), 19:55.
Second period: No scoring. Penalties: Petrecki, Wor (hooking), 14:15; Dupont, Ct (holding), 14:38; Lawrence, Wor (boarding), 19:39.
Third period: 1. Conn, Kennedy 8 (Del Zotto, Dupont), 14:22 (pp). 2. Conn, Grachev 6 (Kennedy), 17:13 (sh). Penalties: Schaus, Wor (delay of game), 1:34; Kennedy, Ct (hooking), 4:15; Petrecki, Wor (delay of game), 12:49; Niemi, Ct (cross-checking), 16:02.
Shots on goal: Connecticut 9-8-4-21. Worcester 9-8-10-27; Power-play opportunities: Connecticut 1 of 5, Worcester 0 of 3; Goalies: Connecticut, Johnson 13-12-3 (27 shots-27 saves). Worcester, Stalock 15-14-2 (21-19); A: 2,438; Referees: Mark Lemelin, Ghislain Hebert; Linesmen: Todd Whittemore, Brian MacDonald.
