By Brian Ring
Hartford, CT, December 10, 2011 – The Connecticut Whale defeated the Providence Bruins, 3-0, Saturday night before a crowd of 5,598 at the XL Center in Hartford. Whale goaltender Cam Talbot (27 saves) recorded his second shutout of the season with 27 saves on the Bruins, while Chris McKelvie scored the game-winning goal, to help the Whale stop a two-game slide and improve to a perfect 3-0 against Providence this season.
Stu Bickel and Francois Bouchard also each scored once for the Whale in a three-goal third period.
“We’re thankful for a goal like [McKelvie’s],” said Whale head coach Ken Gernander. “He’s a character kid and a hard-working kid and we’re all happy for him.”
“It was a good team win,” said Talbot, who earned his seventh win of the season. “Tonight everyone was going, everyone was focused…it really helped us out tonight.”
The Whale and Bruins had played a scoreless first period, despite each team being afforded several quality opportunities. Providence netminder Michael Hutchinson (25 saves) made numerous quality saves, including a sprawling effort on Whale wing Tommy Grant. Connecticut was awarded the only power-play of the period, with the Whale’s Kris Newbury barely missing on a chance that would have given the home team a 1-0 lead.
Neither team would break through in the second frame either, despite the Whale outshooting their guests 14-9. The best chance of the period again came off the stick of Newbury, whose one-time bid found the post of the Providence net. The Whale outshot the Bruins, 22-18, after two periods of play, but both Hutchinson and Talbot remained perfect throughout.
McKelvie gave the Whale a 1-0 lead and the eventual game-winning tally at 5:08 of the third period, his deflection of Wade Redden’s shot trickling through the legs of Hutchinson. The goal was the second of the season for McKelvie, who found himself pitted against his twin, Zach, of Providence for the time in the professional ranks.
“I just kind of swung my stick…[Hutchinson] had trouble handling it and thankfully it went in,” said Chris McKelvie of his goal.
“It was fun to play against [Zach]. We were looking forward to it, I love playing against him,” he added, describing what he felt playing his brother for the first time since he played college hockey at Bemidji State. “We’ve got a kind of mutual respect for each other and just go hard against each other.”
The Whale extended their lead to 2-0 on Bickel’s first goal of the season at 10:29. Bickel’s slap shot from the point deflected off of the stick of a Providence defender to the left of Hutchinson, and ricocheted past the Bruins’ goaltender and into the cage. Tim Erixon and Andre Deveaux both assisted on the goal, and it was the third assist of the weekend for both Erixon and Deveaux, after each registered a pair of helpers in Friday’s 5-3 loss to Hershey.
Francois Bouchard iced the 3-0 victory with a half-ice empty net goal, his second goal of the campaign. Aaron Voros and Talbot were each credited with an assist on the goal.
The Whale are in action again in the back-end of this home-and-home set with the Bruins Sunday afternoon in Providence (4:05). Connecticut will return home Friday, when they play host to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in GEICO Connecticut Cup action at the XL Center (7:00).
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Providence Bruins 0 at Connecticut Whale 3 –
Saturday, December 10, 2011 – XL Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Providence 0 0 0 – 0
Connecticut 0 0 3 – 3
1st Period- No Scoring. Penalties-MacKinnon Pro (unsportsmanlike conduct), 4:43; Bartkowski Pro (boarding), 7:12; Grant Ct (roughing), 7:12.
2nd Period- No Scoring. Penalties-Bodnarchuk Pro (hooking), 3:27; Redden Ct (tripping), 19:48.
3rd Period-1, Connecticut, McKelvie 2 (Redden, Owens), 5:08. 2, Connecticut, Bickel 1 (Erixon, Deveaux), 10:29. 3, Connecticut, Bouchard2 (Voros, Talbot), 18:11 (EN). Penalties-Hamill Pro (roughing, roughing), 5:22; MacDermid Pro (roughing, misconduct – continuing altercation), 5:22; Miller Pro (fighting), 5:22; McKelvie Ct (roughing, unsportsmanlike conduct, misconduct – continuing altercation), 5:22; Owens Ct (fighting), 5:22.
Shots on Goal-Providence 9-9-9-27. Connecticut 8-14-12-34.
Power Play Opportunities-Providence 0 / 1; Connecticut 0 / 3.
Goalies-Providence, Hutchinson 1-5-0 (33 shots-31 saves). Connecticut, Talbot 7-4-0 (27 shots-27 saves).
A-5,598
Referees-Graham Skilliter (48).
Linesmen-Jim Briggs (83), Mike Baker (11)
