Jason Wilson Reassigned to Whale from Greenville

HARTFORD, January 14, 2013:  Connecticut Whale general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that the parent New York Rangers have reassigned forward Jason Wilson to the Whale from its ECHL affiliate, the Greenville Road Warriors.

CT WhaleWilson, a 2010 Ranger fifth-round draft pick (130th overall) has skated in 20 games with the Road Warriors, scoring one goal and adding four assists for five points.  The 6-2, 205-pound second-year pro also has 53 penalty minutes, which ranks him fifth on the Greenville club.  Prior to being assigned to the Road Warriors November 29, the 22-year-old Wilson had missed the Whale’s first 17 games due to injury.

Last season with Greenville, Wilson played 56 games and had four goals and 10 assists for 14 points, along with 102 PIM, the third-highest total among Greenville skaters.

The Whale are back in action tomorrow night, Tuesday, January 15, traveling to Portland to meet the Pirates in a 7:00 PM game.  All of the action of that contest can be heard live on “Beethoven Radio” AM 1290.  Fans can also listen on-line at www.ctwhale.com, and video streaming is available at www.ahllive.com).  The next home game for the Whale is Wednesday, January 23, a 7:00 battle with the Adirondack Phantoms.

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

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

2013 NCAA Men’s Basketball Rankings – Week 11 (Jan. 14)

AP & USA Today Coaches Poll

When the UConn Huskies men's basketball team takes on the Louisville Cardinals on Monday night, they'll be taking on the new No. 1 team in both polls.

UConn did return to the others receiving votes of both polls after being out last week.

The Cardinals are followed by the Indiana Hoosiers, Puke Blue Devils, Kansas Jayhawks and Michigan Wolverines in both polls.

Joining Louisville in the top 25 from the Big East are the Syracuse Orange (6/6) and Notre Dame Fighting Irish (20/20).

The Marquette Golden Eagles are ranked No. 25 in the AP Poll but are among the others receiving votes in the Coaches' Poll. The Cincinnati Bearcats are ranked No. 24 in the Coaches' Poll but are among the others receiving votes in the AP Poll.

The Huskies are joined by the Georgetown Hoyas among the others receiving votes in both polls. The Pittsburgh Panthers are among the others receiving votes in the AP Poll.

For a full look at the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Rankings – Week 11 (Jan. 14), please click on the continue reading button below if you're on the home page.

AP Top 25 USA Today Coaches Poll
RK TEAM REC PTS PVS RK TEAM REC PTS PVS
1 Louisville (36) 15-1 1,591 3 1 Louisville (18) 15-1 753 4
2 Indiana (13) 15-1 1,527 5 2 Indiana (6) 15-1 718 5
3 Duke (14) 15-1 1,501 1 3 Duke (7) 15-1 707 1
4 Kansas (1) 14-1 1,416 6 4 Kansas 14-1 680 6
5 Michigan (1) 16-1 1,415 2 5 Michigan 16-1 678 2
6 Syracuse 16-1 1,284 7 6 Syracuse 16-1 619 7
7 Arizona 15-1 1,205 4 7 Arizona 15-1 574 3
8 Gonzaga 16-1 1,141 9 8 Gonzaga 16-1 552 8
9 Minnesota 15-2 1,041 8 9 Florida 12-2 526 9
10 Florida 12-2 1,019 11 10 Creighton 16-1 489 11
11 Ohio State 13-3 939 15 11 Ohio State 13-3 436 14
12 Creighton 16-1 896 13 12 Minnesota 15-2 433 10
13 Butler 14-2 855 14 13 Butler 14-2 370 17
14 North Carolina State 14-2 836 20 14 San Diego State 14-2 366 15
15 San Diego State 14-2 704 16 15 North Carolina State 14-2 321 21
16 Kansas State 13-2 670 18 16 Missouri 12-3 298 12
17 Missouri 12-3 598 10 17 Michigan State 14-3 286 18
18 Michigan State 14-3 426 22 18 Kansas State 13-2 243 23
19 New Mexico 15-2 368 25 19 Virginia Commonwealth 14-3 178 24
20 Notre Dame 14-2 295 17 20 Notre Dame 14-2 155 16
21 Oregon 14-2 238 NR 21 New Mexico 15-2 147 NR
22 Virginia Commonwealth 14-3 212 NR 22 Illinois 14-4 125 13
23 Illinois 14-4 199 12 23 UNLV 14-3 109 19
24 UCLA 14-3 185 NR 24 Cincinnati 14-3 80 20
25 Marquette 12-3 177 NR 25 UCLA 14-3 38 NR
Dropped from rankings: Dropped from rankings:
Georgetown 19, Cincinnati 21, Wichita State 23, UNLV 24 Georgetown 22, Wyoming 25
Others receiving votes: Others receiving votes:
Cincinnati 121, Connecticut 70, Georgetown 56, Ole Miss 55, UNLV 26, Wisconsin 25, Boise State 9, Miami (FL) 9, Wichita State 6, Temple 5, Pittsburgh 2, Baylor 1, Utah State 1, Wyoming 1 Oregon 37, Georgetown 32, Marquette 23, Wisconsin 23, Wichita State 19, Ole Miss 14, Wyoming 13, Connecticut 10, Miami (FL) 8, Oklahoma State 8, Boise State 2, Bucknell 2, Utah State 2, Iowa State 1

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

Paw Prints – The Daily UConn Roundup – 1/14

UConn Huskies Daily Roundup

Paw Prints is our daily look at the happenings for the UConn Huskies football, men's basketball and women's basketball teams as well as the other sports the student-athletes engage in. We will do our best to bring you the links from all of the media that covers the Huskies on a daily basis. As always, links can be found by clicking on the read more button below if you're on the home page.

Thank you for stopping by and making SOX & Dawgs your home for UConn Huskies news.

It's game day for the UConn Huskies men's basketball team as they'll host the Louisville Cardinals at the XL Center. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN and is also available online at WatchESPN. You can also listen on the IMG/UConn Radio Network.

To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click

UConn Men's Basketball links

UConn vs. Louisville: Looking out for No. 1? Let the excitement build. [dom amore – hartford courant]

UConn Lands Big Man Amida Brimah [dom amore – hartford courant]

Some Travel Issues for Louisville [david borges – new haven register]

Amida Brimah Commits to UConn [david borges – new haven register]

2013 recruit Brimah commits to UConn [kevin duffy – ct post]

UConn-Louisville an opportunity [john silver – snyuconn.com]

UConn Vs. Louisville On [uconnhuskies.com]

Shabazz Napier was named to Big East Weekly Honor Roll [bigeast.org]

UConn readies for Louisville test [ct post]

Fresh Off Upset Of Notre Dame, UConn Faces A Tough Louisville [hartford courant]

Huskies face tough test against Louisville [new haven register]

Huskies have little time to reflect [the day]

UConn Women's Basketball links

Injury bug hits UConn women again [carl adamec – snyuconn.com]

Hartley, Stewart Are Doubtful For Louisville [john altavilla – hartford courant]

Hartley, Stewart Did Not Practice Today For Huskies [rich elliott – ct post]

Tyler Summitt Has Fond Memories Of UConn-Tennessee Series [rich elliott – ct post]

Mosqueda-Lewis Again Unloaded On Marquette [rich elliott – ct post]

Hartley, Stewart Do Not Practice Monday For Huskies [rich elliott – ct post]

Dolson spends birthday in Washington [jim fuller – new haven register]

Huskies piling up the steals [jim fuller – new haven register]

Kelly Faris named to Big East Weekly Honor Roll [bigeast.org]

UConn Women Sick Of Living Out Of Suitcases [hartford courant]

Three points from Saturday's win over Marquette [new haven register]

Other UConn related links

M & W. Swimming. Schedule Change For Meet Vs. Seton Hall [uconnhuskies.com]

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

2013 Golden Globe Winners

The 2013 Golden Globes were held on Sunday, January 13, 2013 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA and broadcast on NBC.

Golden Globe

Snubbed by the Academy in their nominations, Ben Affleck took home best director for Argo which also won best motion picture – drama. Les Miserables had a big night winning three awards.

On the television side of things, HBO's Game Change won three awards as did Showtime's Homeland. HBO's Girls took home two awards.

To see the full list of 2013 Golden Globe winners, click on the read more button below if you're on the home page.

WINNERS IN RED

BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA

ARGO

DJANGO UNCHAINED

LIFE OF PI

LINCOLN

ZERO DARK THIRTY

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA

Jessica Chastain – ZERO DARK THIRTY

Marion Cotillard- RUST AND BONE

Helen Mirren – HITCHCOCK

Naomi Watts – THE IMPOSSIBLE

Rachel Weisz – THE DEEP BLUE SEA

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA

Daniel Day-Lewis – LINCOLN

Richard Gere – ARBITRAGE

John Hawkes – THE SESSIONS

Joaquin Phoenix – THE MASTER

Denzel Washington – FLIGHT

BEST MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL

LES MISERABLES

MOONRISE KINGDOM

SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN

SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

Emily Blunt – SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN

Judi Dench – THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL

Jennifer Lawrence – SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK

Maggie Smith – QUARTET

Meryl Streep – HOPE SPRINGS

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

Jack Black – BERNIE

Bradley Cooper – SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK

Hugh Jackman – LES MISERABLES

Ewan McGregor – SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN

Bill Murray – HYDE PARK ON HUDSON

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

BRAVE

FRANKENWEENIE

HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA

RISE OF THE GUARDIANS

WRECK-IT RALPH

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

AMOUR (AUSTRIA)

A ROYAL AFFAIR (DENMARK)

THE INTOUCHABLES (FRANCE)

KON-TIKI (NORWAY/UK/DENMARK)

RUST AND BONE (FRANCE)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE

Amy Adams – THE MASTER

Sally Field – LINCOLN

Anne Hathaway – LES MISERABLES

Helen Hunt – THE SESSIONS

Nicole Kidman – THE PAPERBOY

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE

Alan Arkin – ARGO

Leonardo DiCaprio – DJANGO UNCHAINED

Philip Seymour Hoffman – THE MASTER

Tommy Lee Jones – LINCOLN

Christoph Waltz – DJANGO UNCHAINED

BEST DIRECTOR – MOTION PICTURE

Ben Affleck – ARGO

Kathryn Bigelow – ZERO DARK THIRTY

Ang Lee – LIFE OF PI

Steven Spielberg – LINCOLN

Quentin Tarantino – DJANGO UNCHAINED

BEST SCREENPLAY – MOTION PICTURE

Mark Boal – ZERO DARK THIRTY

Tony Kushner – LINCOLN

David O. Russell – SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK

Quentin Tarantino – DJANGO UNCHAINED

Chris Terrio – ARGO

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE – MOTION PICTURE

Mychael Danna – LIFE OF PI

Alexandre Desplat – ARGO

Dario Marianelli – ANNA KARENINA

Tom Tykwer, – CLOUD ATLAS
Johnny Klimek,
Reinhold Heil 

John Williams – LINCOLN

BEST ORIGINAL SONG – MOTION PICTURE

“FOR YOU” — ACT OF VALOR
Music by: Monty Powell, Keith Urban
Lyrics by: Monty Powell, Keith Urban

“NOT RUNNING ANYMORE”—STAND UP GUYS
Music by: Jon Bon Jovi
Lyrics by: Jon Bon Jovi

“SAFE & SOUND” — THE HUNGER GAMES
Music by: Taylor Swift, John Paul White, Joy Williams, T Bone Burnett
Lyrics by: Taylor Swift, John Paul White, Joy Williams, T Bone Burnett

“SKYFALL”—SKYFALL
Music by: Adele, Paul Epworth
Lyrics by: Adele, Paul Epworth

“SUDDENLY” — LES MISERABLES
Music by: Claude-Michel Schonberg
Lyrics by: Herbert Kretzmer, Alain Boublil

BEST TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

BREAKING BAD

BOARDWALK EMPIRE

DOWNTON ABBEY: SEASON 2

HOMELAND

THE NEWSROOM

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

Connie Britton – NASHVILLE

Glenn Close – DAMAGES

Claire Danes – HOMELAND

Michelle Dockery – DOWNTON ABBEY: SEASON 2

Julianna Margulies – THE GOOD WIFE

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

Steve Buscemi – BOARDWALK EMPIRE

Bryan Cranston – BREAKING BAD

Jeff Daniels – THE NEWSROOM

Jon Hamm – MAD MEN

Damian Lewis – HOMELAND

BEST TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

THE BIG BANG THEORY

EPISODES

GIRLS

MODERN FAMILY

SMASH

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

Zooey Deshanel – NEW GIRL

Julia Louis-Dreyfus – VEEP

Lena Dunham – GIRLS

Tina Fey – 30 ROCK

Amy Poehler – PARKS AND RECREATION

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

Alec Baldwin – 30 ROCK

Don Cheadle – HOUSE OF LIES

Louis C.K. –  LOUIE

Matt LeBlanc – EPISODES

Jim Parsons – THE BIG BANG THEORY

BEST MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

GAME CHANGE

THE GIRL

HATFIELDS & MCCOYS

THE HOUR

POLITICAL ANIMALS

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Nicole Kidman – HEMINGWAY & GELLHORN

Jessica Lange – AMERICAN HORROR STORY: ASYLUM

Sienna Miller – THE GIRL

Julianne Moore – GAME CHANGE

Sigourney Weaver – POLITICAL ANIMALS

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Kevin Costner – HATFIELDS & MCCOYS

Benedict Cumberbatch – SHERLOCK (MASTERPIECE)

Woody Harrelson – GAME CHANGE

Toby Jones – THE GIRL

Clive Owen – HEMINGWAY & GELLHORN

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Hayden Panettiere – NASHVILLE

Archie Panjabi – THE GOOD WIFE

Sarah Paulson – GAME CHANGE

Maggie Smith – DOWNTON ABBEY: SEASON 2

Sofia Vergara – MODERN FAMILY

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Max Greenfield  – NEW GIRL

Ed Harris – GAME CHANGE

Danny Huston –  MAGIC CITY

Mandy Patinkin – HOMELAND

Eric Stonestreet – MODERN FAMILY

Cecil B. DeMille Award

Jodie Foster

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

Patriots Close Out Texans, 41-28

Shane Vereen #34 of the New England Patriots reacts after a run in the first quarter against the Houston Texans during the 2013 AFC Divisional Playoffs game at Gillette Stadium on January 13, 2013 in Foxboro, Massachusetts.

“Coffee is for closers.”

That line comes from the film “Glengarry, Glen Ross” when a struggling salesman reaches for the office coffee pot his supervisor tells him basically that only people who do their jobs have time for coffee.

“Do your job.”  That’s a Bill Belichick mantra that every Patriots fan is or should be familiar with.  He has always felt if the players do their job good things happen will happen for the team.

The New England Patriots all deserve a cup of coffee.

Today the big difference between the Patriots and next weeks opponents the Ravens and the four other AFC teams who have been eliminated is that those two teams are closers.

Next week either New England or Baltimore will be a closer and the other will go home.  On a seasonably warm winter afternoon in Foxboro the New England Patriots earned a chance to play for their 9th AFC Championship, should they beat the Baltimore Ravens they will play in the franchises 8th Super Bowl.  A huge reason to be a closer.

They got this far because they were able to close out the Houston Texans, 41-28 in a game that wasn’t even as close as the final score indicated.

Led by 2nd year running backs Shane Vereen, who had 124 yards from scrimmage (83 receiving on 5 catches and 41 rushing on 7 carries) and 3 TD’s (2 receiving, 1 rushing) and Stevan Ridley, who had 82 yards and a TD on 15 carries and caught 1 pass for 13 yards they have advanced to host the AFC Championship game. 

The solid play of Vereen and Ridley, made up for missing RB Woodhead, who injured his thumb early and TE Rob Gronkowski, who re-injured his broken arm along with solid defense were the keys to this team win. 

The defense for the most part was solid as they kept Houston RB Arian Foster under 100 rushing yards and WR Andre Johnson under 100 receiving yards.  Foster had 90 yards on 22 carries and 40 of those came on back-to-back runs that led to a second quarter Texans touchdown.  He also added 63 receiving yards on 7 catches and had two TD’s one in the air, one on the ground.  Johnson finished with 8 catches for 95 yards. 

New England’s secondary led the way in tackles as CB Aqib Talib and S Steve Gregory each had ten tackles and S Devin McCourty and LB Jerod Mayo added 7 a piece to led the team defensively.

The biggest play in the game for the Patriots defensively actually came on special teams on the opening kickoff when McCourty ran down Danieal Manning from behind and saved a touchdown.  The Patriots defense then held on three plays inside the red zone and forced Houston to field goal.  That one play set the tone for the game.

After that it was just a matter of time before the Patriots started clicking taking a 3-0 deficit and turning it into a 17-3 lead which would be whittled down to 17-13 at the half.

A string third quarter saw the Patriots expand their lead to 31-13 and then 38-13 early in the fourth quarter after TD’s by Ridley, Vereen and WR Brandon Lloyd.

The Texans crawled back in when the Patriots defense softened up a bit to kill some clock and got to within 38-28 before a Stephen Gostkowski field goal sealed the win and closed out the Texans.

I’m looking forward to next week’s AFC title game rematch against Baltimore. After all it is Ray Lewis’ last ride and it’d be pretty sweet to see the end of the line come in Gillette Stadium.

Texans at Patriots Gamebook. This includes the box score, all the stats, play by play, drive charts and more.

Texans at Patriots Recap.

To continue reading, hit the read more button below if you're on the home page.

Turning Point(s) of the Game

S Devin McCourty’s amazing run down of Houston KR Danieal Manning on the games opening kickoff to save a TD.  Combine that with the Patriots defense holding the Texans to a field goal and that set the tone for the game.

Offensive Player(s) of the Game

RB Shane Vereen had 124 yards from scrimmage.  83 yards receiving on 5 catches and 41 yards rushing on 7 carries.  He had 3 TD’s, 1 on the ground and two off of Tom Brady passes.

Defensive Player(s) of the Game

DE Rob Ninkovich had 4 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 QB hit, 1 INT and 2 passes defensed.

Game Notes

Starters for the Patriots were:

On Offense:

  • LT Solder
  • LG Mankins
  • C Wendell
  • RG Connolly
  • RT Vollmer
  • TE Gronkowski
  • TE Hernandez
  • WR Welker
  • WR Lloyd
  • QB Brady
  • RB Woodhead

On Defense:

  • DE Ninkovich
  • DT Deaderick
  • DT Wilfork
  • DE Jones
  • LB Mayo
  • LB Spikes
  • LB Hightower
  • LCB Talib
  • RCB Dennard
  • S Gregory
  • S McCourty

Inactives for the Game:

Patriots

1. WR Kamar Aiken

2. CB Derrick Martin

3. DB Malcolm Williams

4. G Nick McDonald

5. G Markus Zusevics

6. TE Daniel Fells

7. DE Jake Bequette

Texans

1. CB Roc Carmichael

2. CB Stanford Routt

3. LB Cameron Collins

4. G Antoine Caldwell

5. T Andrew Gardner

6. G Cody White

7. NT Terrell McClain

The spread (Patriots minus 9) WAS covered.  The over/under (47.5) WAS COVERED.  I GAVE the points (Texans) and took the OVER.  I am now 4-13 vs. the spread and 11 of 17 calling the under/over.

Patriots lead the overall series vs. the Texans, 4-1 including 1-0 in the post season.

This is the Patriot 20th playoff season, it was the 30th playoff game of the Kraft Era (20-10) and the team is now 24-16 all-time in the post season.

They are now 10-6 in the divisional round of the playoffs.

The Patriots now are 10-2 at Gillette Stadium in the post season, 14-3 overall as the home team.

When the Patriots have a positive turnover ratio in a playoff game they are 18-1 on Sunday they were PLUS 1.

Bill Belichick is now 205-108 including post season. 

Belichick’s 205 wins are good for a tie for 6th all-time with Marty Schottenheimer who coached the Browns, Chiefs, Redskins and Chargers.

He is 18-7 in the playoffs, 17-6 as head coach of the Patriots in the post season.

His 18 playoff wins are the third most all-time behind only Don Shula (19) and Tom Landry (20).

Belichick is 4-1 vs. the Texans in his career, 1-0 in the post season.

Tom Brady is 17-6 in the playoffs and has an overall record of 153-45.

His 17 playoff wins are the most all-time for any quarterback.

Brady is 3rd all-time in postseason TD passes with 41.  Brett Favre is 2nd with 44 and Joe Montana leads with 45.

Brady holds the NFL record with 524 postseason completions.

Brady holds the franchise lead for most playoff games as a Patriot (23).

WR Wes Welker now has catches in 118 consecutive games including playoffs, 101 as a Patriot.  The last time Welker did not have a catch in a game was 12/24/05 as a Dolphin.

Welker is the all-time franchise leader with 61 playoff receptions.

WR Brandon Lloyd (10 yrs), CB Aqib Talib (5), DE Trevor Scott (5) and G Donald Thomas (5) all played in their first NFL playoff game.

Houston finishes the season at 13-5 including the playoffs.  They were 12-4 in the regular season and won the AFC South and were the #3 seed in the AFC.  They went 1-1 in the playoffs and lost in the Division Round for the second consecutive season.

The Texans are now 2-2 all-time in the post season.

This was the first post season game in franchise history in which the Texans did not outrush their opponent.

Houston is 1-4 all-time vs. New England and is 0-3 in Gillette Stadium.

In the Texans three losses at Gillette they’ve allowed at least 40 points in each game.

The Texans are 12-13 all-time against the AFC East including the post season.

Houston head coach Gary Kubiak is 2-2 in the post season and has an overall record of 61-55.

Kubiak is 1-3 in his career vs. New England including post season.

Houston QB Matt Schaub is now 45-39 all-time including 1-1 in the post season.

RB Arian Foster had his streak of post season 100+ yard rushing games snapped at 3 when he was held to 90 yards.

It was the second time this season that the Patriots held Foster to less than 100 yards rushing.

WR Andre Johnson has caught at least 1 pass in 107 consecutive games including playoffs.

Tony Corrente was the game referee.  The temp at kickoff was 51, cloudy and mild.

Attendance – 68,756 at Gillette Stadium, Foxboro MA.  It was the 204th consecutive shutout at a Patriots home game. 

Post Game Interviews

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and Patriots QB Tom Brady post game press conferences via patriots.com

Next Game

The Patriots host the Baltimore Ravens at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro MA on Sunday in the AFC Championship Game.  Kickoff is at 6:30 p.m. on CBS.                

Follow Steve on Twitter @SteveMichaelsII

photo credit: getty images

Hershey Bears 5, Connecticut Whale 0

Hershey, PA, January 13, 2013 – A poor first period doomed the Connecticut Whale Sunday at Giant Center, as the Hershey Bears scored four times in the first en route to a 5-0 win.

CT WhaleThe result gave the Bears a sweep of a two-game series in Hershey with the Whale, whom they bested 4-3 in a shootout Friday night.

Barry Almeida led the way for Hershey Sunday with a goal and two assists, and former Whale defenseman Tomas Kundratek had a goal and an assist.  Dany Sabourin (four saves) and Philipp Grubauer (23 saves) shared the shutout in net.

The first period was nightmarish for the Whale, as they were outshot 17-4 and gave up three power-play goals.

The onslaught started just 42 seconds in, when Almeida beat Whale goaltender Cam Talbot (26 saves) with a shot from the top of the right-wing circle.  That came with Hershey’s Garrett Mitchell down on the ice in the opposite corner and apparently injured, after coming together with the Whale’s Dylan McIlrath.

Kundratek made it 2-0 on a five-on-three man-advantage at 11:58.  The ex-Whale defenseman blasted a shot from the left circle past Talbot, off a pass from Zach Hamill.

South Windsor, CT-raised Jon DiSalvatore then scored on a backhander from the slot on another power play at 15:39, after taking a pass from Ryan Potulny.

Tom Poti, the 13th-year pro and former New York Ranger, playing his first career minor-pro game on a conditioning assignment from Washington, scored a third Bear power-play goal at 18:51.  Sneaking down from the left point, Poti got two whacks at the puck in front of the goal after Almeida centered it, and was able to put it past Talbot on the second effort.

The Whale picked up their play considerably in the second period, outshooting the Bears 12-9 despite being shorthanded three more times, but could not cut into the Hershey lead on relief goaltender Grubauer, who replaced injured starter Sabourin at the start of the second.

Despite being outshot 11-5 in the third period, Hershey scored the only goal of the frame, when Mitchell beat Talbot to the short side with a backhander at 10:25, after being set up by Almeida.

The loss dropped the Whale to 15-18-3-1 on the year and snapped a streak of four straight games (2-0-1-1) with at least a standings point.

The Whale are next in action this Tuesday night, January 15, when they travel to Portland for a 7:00 game against the Pirates.  All of the action of that game can be heard live on “Beethoven Radio” AM 1290 and on-line at www.ctwhale.com.  Video streaming is available at www.ahllive.com. 

The Whale’s next home game is Wednesday, January 23, a 7:00 game against the Adirondack Phantoms.  For that and all Whale home games, tickets start as low as $10 each ($12 each when tickets are purchased on the day of the game), at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, through TicketMaster Charge-by-Phone at 1-800-745-3000 and on-line at www.ticketmaster.com.

To continue reading, please click on the continue reading button below if you're on the home page.

Connecticut Whale 0 at Hershey Bears 5
Sunday, January 13, 2013 – Giant Center

Connecticut 0 0 0 – 0
Hershey 4 0 1 – 5

1st Period-1, Hershey, Almeida 3 0:42. 2, Hershey, Kundratek 12 (Hamill, Potulny), 11:58 (PP). 3, Hershey, DiSalvatore 11 (Potulny, Kundratek), 15:39 (PP). 4, Hershey, Poti 1 (Almeida, Sjogren), 18:51 (PP). Penalties-Sjogren Her (holding), 2:49; Oleksy Her (delay of game), 3:48; Klassen Ct (high-sticking), 11:00; Segal Ct (high-sticking), 11:31; Kolarik Ct (misconduct – unsportsmanlike conduct), 12:41; Stoa Her (misconduct – unsportsmanlike conduct), 12:41; McIlrath Ct (kneeing), 13:52; Haley Ct (boarding), 18:38.

2nd Period- No Scoring. Penalties-Segal Ct (tripping), 1:23; Collins Ct (slashing), 5:28; Kalinski Her (roughing), 11:28; Tessier Ct (tripping), 13:44.

3rd Period-5, Hershey, Mitchell 9 (Almeida, Kalinski), 10:25. Penalties-Marshall Her (closing hand on puck), 0:56; Yogan Ct (bench minor – too many men), 7:39; Parlett Ct (roughing), 10:51.

Shots on Goal-Connecticut 4-12-11-27. Hershey 17-9-5-31.
Power Play Opportunities-Connecticut 0 / 4; Hershey 3 / 9.
Goalies-Connecticut, Talbot 12-16-0 (31 shots-26 saves). Hershey, Sabourin 6-5-0 (4 shots-4 saves); Grubauer 1-1-0 (23 shots-23 saves).
A-10,452
Referees-Dave Lewis (46), Darcy Burchell (42).
Linesmen-Jud Ritter (34), Scott Pomento (25).

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

Whale Announce Roster Moves

HARTFORD, January 13, 2013:  Connecticut Whale general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that the parent New York Rangers have recalled forward Chris Kreider from loan to the Whale, and that defenseman Matt Gilroy has been released from his AHL Contract.

CT WhaleGilroy has signed an NHL free agent contract with the Rangers, and both players will be joining the Rangers for the start of their NHL training camp.

Kreider, the Rangers’ first-round pick (19th overall) in 2009, has scored five goals and added seven assists for 12 points, and registered 55 penalty minutes, in 33 games with the Whale.  The rookie out of Boston College finished last season by posting 5-2-7 in 18 playoff games with the Rangers, after winning an NCAA championship with the Eagles (23-22-45, 66 PIM in 44 GP).

Gilroy, a fourth-year pro with 194 NHL games-played to his credit, led all Whale defensemen in goals with six, and also had nine assists for 15 points, in 34 games with Connecticut, along with 14 penalty minutes.  The former Hobey Baker Award-winner with Boston University split last season between the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning (2-15-17, 16 PIM in 53 GP) and Ottawa Senators (14 GP, 1-2-3, 2 PIM), after playing his first two pro years with the Rangers.

The Whale are back in action later today in Hershey, taking on the Bears at 5:00 PM in the second of back-to-back games between the two clubs.  All of the action can be heard live on “Beethoven Radio” AM 1290.  Fans can also listen on-line at www.ctwhale.com, and video streaming is available at www.ahllive.com).  The next home game for the Whale is Wednesday, January 23, a 7:00 battle with the Adirondack Phantoms.

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

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