Here are the highlights from the St. John’s Red Storm 57-56 upset win over the UConn Huskies women’s basketball team on Saturday night at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, CT.
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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 some of the other sports. 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.
To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click
UConn Men’s Basketball links
George Blaney’s Take [Dom Amore – Hartford Courant]
Wrapping Things Up From XL [Dom Amore – Hartford Courant]
Shabazz: ‘I’ve Got to Question These Guys’ Hearts’ [David Borges – New Haven Register]
the wrap [Ed Daigneault – The Republican-American]
Notes/Quotes from Marquette: “I hate to say it, I’ve got to question a lot of these guys’ hearts.” [Kevin Duffy – CT Post]
UConn’s NCAA Tournament Resume [Kevin Duffy – CT Post]
Post-game breakdown, video: Marquette [Gavin Keefe – The Day]
Shabazz goes straight to the heart [Neill Ostrout – Journal Inquirer]
Second Gear [UConn Huskies Basketball]
Huskies Can’t Keep Up With Marquette [UConnHuskies.com]
UConn falls to cool Marquette 79-64 [CT Post]
Napier says Huskies short on heart [CT Post]
Huskies learn only social media escape is to not read it [CT Post]
Huskies Outrun, Outgunned In 79-64 Loss To Marquette [Hartford Courant]
Calhoun Awaits Results Of Spinal Treatment [Hartford Courant]
UConn Responds To Punches With Pillows [Hartford Courant]
Huskies fall at home to No. 12 Marquette [New Haven Register]
UCONN MEN’S NOTEBOOK: Shabazz Napier questions Huskies’ heart [New Haven Register]
UConn Women’s Basketball links
Video: Tiffany Hayes Honored on Senior Night [SOX & Dawgs]
Changes May Be Coming For UConn Women [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]
Big East Tiebreaker Procedure [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]
Auriemma Says He Needs Much More From Dolson [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]
Things Learned From A Loss [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]
Smith Steps Up And Nails Game-Winner For St. John’s [Rich Elliott – CT Post]
Auriemma’s Truthful With Dolson Again A Non-Factor Vs. St. John’s [Rich Elliott – CT Post]
Saturday night stunner [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]
St. John’s stops UConn’s home win streak at 99 games [CT Post]
Remember when the streak began? [CT Post]
UConn Women Stopped Short Of 100 Consecutive Home Wins [Hartford Courant]
UConn Women Notebook: Tiffany Hayes Honored Before Game [Hartford Courant]
Record home winning streak ends at 99 with loss to St. John’s [New Haven Register]
Other UConn related links
Baseball. Baseball Suffers First Setback of the Season With 9-4 Defeat to Purdue [UConnHuskies.com]
W. Ice Hockey. Huskies Fall Short of Upset Bid Against No. 9 BU [UConnHuskies.com]
W. Lacrosse. UConn LAX Opens 2012 With a 10-7 Win Over Iona [UConnHuskies.com]
Softball. Softball Postponed Due To Inclement Weather [UConnHuskies.com]
M. Ice Hockey. Men’s Hockey Dropped At Bentley, 6-1 [UConnHuskies.com]
M. Track. Huskies Sit In Sixth Place After Day One Of BIG EAST Championship [UConnHuskies.com]
W. Track. UConn’s DMR Takes Third In BIG EAST Championship [UConnHuskies.com]
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Before her UConn Huskies women’s basketball team was upset by the St. John’s Red Storm, senior Tiffany Hayes was honored as she played her final home game at Gampel Pavilion on Saturday night.
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By Brian Ring
Hartford, CT, February 18, 2012 – The Whale defeated the Worcester Sharks, 3-1, Saturday night at the XL Center before a crowd of 9,166, the second-largest of the season. Connecticut won for the seventh time in their last eight games overall (7-0-1-0).
The Whale scored three times in the third period to come from behind and beat the Sharks, with Kris Newbury’s game-winning tally coming at the 9:49 mark of the frame.
“[The Whale] stuck with it and once they got the quick one (an Andreas Thuresson goal, the Whale’s first of the game), they got a little momentum and got the second one,” said Whale head coach Ken Gernander. “It just seemed to pick up from there.”
The teams played a scoreless first period, despite the Sharks outshooting the Whale by a 14-6 margin. Cam Talbot (37 saves), making his first start for the Whale since Jan. 28, was solid in keeping the visitors off the board. The Whale’s Casey Wellman may have had the best chance of the period as he narrowly missed putting the puck past Sharks goaltender Tyson Sexsmith (35 saves) as he came through the crease.
Sharks enforcer Jimmy Bonneau would provide the first lead of the game at 6:59 of the second period, as he managed to get a second touch on a bouncing puck to redirect it past Talbot. The goal was the second of the season for Bonneau, assisted by Matt Irwin and Marek Viedensky.
The Whale outshot the Sharks, 19-12, in the second period, but they could not get anything past Sexsmith, even on two excellent one-time chances by Jonathan Audy-Marchessault.
Connecticut would finally solve Sexsmith 6:59 into the third period, as Tommy Grant’s shot deflected off of the pads of the Worcester netminder and onto the stick of Thuresson, who buried the rebound to tie the game at one. Wade Redden picked up the secondary assist in his first game back in the Whale lineup since Dec. 17.
Kris Newbury would give the Whale a quick 2-1 lead less than a minute later at 9:49, as he finished off an excellent passing play between himself and Andre Deveaux. Newbury and Deveaux exchanged several passes entering the Sharks’ end, enabling Newbury to bury his 19th of the season past Sexsmith for the game-winner.
Casey Wellman would ice the game with a bizarre empty net goal with under a minute to play, as he was hauled down before he could shoot on the vacated Sharks’ cage.
Connecticut will finish the week’s slate Sunday afternoon in Providence, when they face the Bruins (4:05 PM) looking for a perfect six-point weekend. The Whale’s next home game at the XL Center is this Friday night, February 24 vs. the Portland Pirates at 7:00.
Tickets to all 2011-12 Whale home games, are on sale now at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, as well as on-line at www.ctwhale.com and through TicketMaster Charge-by-phone at 1-800-745-3000.
The Whale and the CT Hockey Hall of Fame will partner to hold a CT Hockey Hall of Fame night at the Whale’s home game at the XL Center Saturday, March 10 vs. the Norfolk Admirals. That night will mark the enshrinement of a new class of 2012 inductees into the CT Hockey Hall of Fame, which has adopted eight members from the storied Hartford Whalers Hall of Fame. The new inductees are: Connecticut-bred Hockey Hall of Famer Brian Leetch, ex-Hartford Whalers 56-goal scorer Blaine Stoughton, former Whalers goaltender Mike Liut, former Whalers captain Pat Verbeek, Connecticut Whale/Hartford Wolf Pack franchise icon, long-time captain and current head coach Ken Gernander, three-time Olympic medalist for Team USA and all-time NCAA women’s leading scorer Julie Chu, and one of the founders of the New England Whalers, William E. Barnes. There will be an induction ceremony before the game, which faces off at 7:00 PM on March 10, and the new inductees will also be recognized on the ice during the first intermission. Fans can take home a special souvenir of the March 10 night, as 5,000 Hall of Fame posters will be given away, courtesy of SuperCuts. There will also be a special meet-and-greet event on March 10, details of which will be announced soon. This will be the first class of inductees since 1990, and further details are available at cthockeyHOF.org.
College students can get discounted tickets to Whale weekday games with the Whale’s “Ditch the Dorms” deal. For Monday through Friday home games, students who show a valid student ID at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center can get $2 off Upper Level tickets and $5 off Lower Level seats.
Save on your tickets, and get the best seats, with a ticket plan for the Whale’s 2011-12 AHL campaign, which are on sale now. For information on season seats, mini plans and great group discounts, visit www.ctwhale.com, or call the CT Whale ticket office at (860) 728-3366 to talk with an account executive today.
To continue reading, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.
Worcester Sharks 1 at Connecticut Whale 3
Saturday, February 18, 2012 – XL Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Worcester 0 1 0 – 1
Connecticut 0 0 3 – 3
1st Period- No Scoring. Penalties-Del Monte Wor (slashing), 10:03; Pelech Wor (fighting), 14:42; Nightingale Ct (fighting), 14:42.
2nd Period-1, Worcester, Bonneau 2 (Irwin, Viedensky), 6:59. Penalties-Sexsmith Wor (roughing), 2:08; Newbury Ct (hooking, unsportsmanlike conduct), 10:45; Moon Wor (hooking), 16:35.
3rd Period-2, Connecticut, Thuresson 11 (Grant, Redden), 8:52. 3, Connecticut, Newbury 19 (Deveaux), 9:49. 4, Connecticut, Wellman 17 19:23 (EN). Penalties-No Penalties
Shots on Goal-Worcester 14-12-9-35. Connecticut 6-19-13-38.
Power Play Opportunities-Worcester 0 / 2; Connecticut 0 / 3.
Goalies-Worcester, Sexsmith 10-9-5 (37 shots-35 saves). Connecticut, Talbot 11-11-0 (35 shots-34 saves).
A-9,166
Referees-Jean Hebert (43).
Linesmen-Brent Colby (7), Jim Briggs (83).
What started out as night of joy for the UConn Huskies women’s basketball team as senior Tiffany Hayes and seven team managers were honored on Senior Night, ended in stunning fashion.
Shenneika Smith’s three-pointer with eight seconds left in the game turned out to be the difference as the St. John’s Red Storm upset UConn 57-56 in front of 9,552 at Gampel Pavilion on Saturday night.
The loss for the Huskies (24-3, 11-2 Big East) ended their home winning streak at 99 games. St. John’s (18-8, 10-3) ends UConn’s streak of 261 straight home games with wins over unranked opponents.
UConn was trailing 54-53 when Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis made one of two free throws with 1:07 to go. With St. John’s down on the offensive end, Stefanie Dolson picked up a big steal. She ended up being rewarded for her effort at the defensive end with the go-ahead basket with 34 seconds to go.
St. John’s called timeout to set up their play and with the Huskies having two fouls to give, Tiffany Hayes used one of the two fouls with 19 seconds to go. After seeing UConn’s defense, the Red Storm called timeout again with 16 seconds left. Bria Hartley used the Huskies final foul with 12 seconds left.
But with tight defense on her, Smith nailed the three pointer and the Huskies brought the ball back up the court only see to Hartley’s last second three bounce off the rim leaving Geno Auriemma’s squad stunned as well as the Gampel crowd.
KML led the way for the Huskies with 12 points and had six rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots. Kiah Stokes tied her career-high of 11 points and also pulled down six rebounds while Hartley had 10 points and six rebounds as well.
Kelly Faris finished with nine points and six rebounds. Hayes, on her Senior Night, had eight points and three rebounds but turned the ball over seven times.
Connecticut native De’Shena Stevens and Nadirah McKenith led the Red Storm with 15 points each. Stevens pulled down eight rebounds while McKenith added seven rebounds and seven assists. Smith chipped in with 11 points, six rebounds and three steals.
The Huskies got out of the gates quickly in this one taking an 11-3 lead only to see the Red Storm battle back with a 12-0 run take a four-point lead. Stokes finally stopped the bleeding with a layup that was part of an 8-2 run that saw UConn go back in front 19-17.
UConn would build their lead to six points at 27-21 before St. John’s used six straight points to tie the game back up. KML hit a three to put the Huskies back in the lead but the Red Storm used a 7-2 run to take a 34-32 lead at the break. It was the first time all year that UConn trailed at the half and that included their previous two losses.
The two teams kept the game close in the second with neither team unable to get anything higher than a four point lead. UConn then went cold for six minutes from the floor and that allowed St. John’s to retake the lead setting up the final scramble.
One thing that Auriemma has been harping on is how many turnovers his team had been committing. The last time out against Oklahoma, they took great care of the ball. On Saturday night, they had 18 which St. John’s took advantage of, converting them into 20 points.
Tough loss overall for the Huskies. They definitely did not play well at all. There were a lot of times where they didn’t play like a team but rather as a group of individuals.
UConn will now have to regroup and focus their efforts on their final three Big East games of the season. The first one of those will come on Tuesday night when they head to Pittsburgh, PA to take on the Pitt Panthers. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will televised locally here in Connecticut on CPTV.
To continue reading the St. John’s Red Storm @ UConn Huskies recap, please click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.
Notes and musings:
St. John’s Red Storm @ UConn Huskies 2.18.12 box score
Here are the postgame quotes from UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma and St. John’s Red Storm head coach Kim Barnes-Arico. There are also quotes available from select UConn players.
It’s the second time this season that the UConn women and UConn men lost on the same day. Both had previously lost on January 7th.
However, it’s the first time the two teams lost at home on the same day since February 27, 1993.
The loss ended UConn’s 99 game home winning streak. Their last lost at home was against Louisville in the finals of the 2007 Big East Tournament.
The loss also ended UConn’s 261 game winning streak at home against non-ranked opponents.
UConn had also won 171 straight games against non-ranked opponents before the loss.
The starting five for the Huskies were the usual five of Bria Hartley, Caroline Doty, Tiffany Hayes, Kelly Faris and Stefanie Dolson.
UConn shot 43.1% (22-51) from the floor while St. John’s shot 38.5% (25-65).
The Huskies had 13 assists on their 22 made baskets.
UConn was 5-of-16 (31.3%) from beyond the arc. The Red Storm were 2-of-8 (25%).
The Huskies were 7-of-10 (70%) from the free throw line.
UConn won the battle of the boards, outrebounding St. John’s 37-34.
The Red Storm outscored the Huskies 32-28.
Both teams had six points on the fast break.
St. John’s had 16 points to 10 for UConn.
The Huskies had eight points off of nine Red Storm turnovers. St. John’s had 20 points off of 18 UConn turnovers.
UConn’s bench outscored St. John’s 23-4. KML and Stokes were the only bench players to play for the Huskies.
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Photo credit: AP Photo (No. 6 in gallery)
Here are the highlights (or lowlights depending on your fandom) of the Marquette Golden Eagles 79-64 win over the UConn Huskies men’s basketball team on Saturday afternoon at a sold-out XL Center in Hartford, CT.
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HARTFORD, February 18, 2012: Connecticut Whale general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that the parent New York Rangers have reassigned goaltender Jason Missiaen to the Whale from its ECHL affiliate, the Greenville Road Warriors.
Missiaen, who, at 6-8 and 220 pounds, is the tallest goaltender in North American pro hockey, is 13-10-2 in 26 games with the Road Warriors, with a 3.16 goals-against average, a 90.3% save percentage and three shutouts, tied for second-most in the ECHL.
Missiaen was signed as a free agent by the Rangers March 24, 2011, from the Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. He was a fourth-round selection (116th overall) by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2008 NHL Draft.
The Whale are in action tonight at the XL Center, in a 7:00 PM game vs. the Worcester Sharks. That is “It All Starts Here Night”, celebrating both youth hockey and the tremendous player-development record that has been the hallmark of the relationship between the Whale and their NHL parent club, the New York Rangers.
Fans who wear a youth hockey jersey to the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center will be able to purchase lower-level end-zone seats to tonight’s game for just $10 each.
In addition, all fans in attendance tonight will receive a Whale TV poster, courtesy of Webster Bank. The poster will feature the theme of the night, “It All Starts Here”, with players and staff who have sent time developing with the Hartford Wolf Pack and the Whale before being promoted to the New York Rangers, including players like Ryan Callahan, Brandon Dubinsky and Carl Hagelin.
Tickets to all 2011-12 Whale home games are on sale now at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, as well as on-line at www.ctwhale.com and through TicketMaster Charge-by-phone at 1-800-745-3000.
Save on your tickets, and get the best seats, with a ticket plan for the Whale’s 2011-12 AHL campaign, which are on sale now. For information on season seats and mini plans, visit www.ctwhale.com, or call the CT Whale ticket office at (860) 728-3366 to talk with an account executive today.
Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.
When the Titanic sunk, it was because of the fact it hit an large iceberg. With the UConn Huskies men’s basketball team’s ship back afloat after a nice game against DePaul, they were looking to keep it that way against the Marquette Golden Eagles.
But that was not in the script for UConn. Instead, they find themselves taking on water again.
Jae Crowder’s double-double helped the Golden Eagles to a 79-64 win in front of a sold-out crowd and nationally televised audience on Saturday afternoon at the XL Center in Hartford, CT.
The Huskies fall to 16-10 (6-8 Big East). The Golden Eagles improve to 22-5 (11-3).
Jeremy Lamb led the way for the Huskies with 19 points and seven rebounds. Shabazz Napier added 11 points, three rebounds, eight assists and four assists. Both Alex Oriakhi and Ryan Boatright had 10 points with Oriakhi pulling down three boards and Boatright had two.
Crowder’s 29 points and 12 rebounds paced the Golden Eagles while Darius Johnson-Odom had 24 points, three rebounds and three assists. Todd Mayo added 10 points while Junior Cadougan had eight assists.
UConn did their best to keep this one close early on in the game. After a Lamb jumper cut the Golden Eagles lead to 12-11, they used a 5-0 run to push their lead back to six points. After the teams exchanged baskets, the Huskies worked the Marquette lead back down to two points at 20-18.
With Marquette holding on to a five point lead at 27-22 after a Napier jumper, they would use an 11-2 run to open up a 14 point lead and silence the XL Center crowd. After a Roscoe Smith old-fashioned three point play, the Golden Eagles rattled off five straight points before Smith would hit a jumper late in the half to make it 43-29.
UConn would battle back in the second half cutting the lead to four at 48-44 on a 10-1 run. But then Boatright made a freshman mistake.
As the two teams were heading to their respective benches, Boatright was chirping at Mayo and was called for a technical foul. Johnson-Odom would hit the two free throws and on the ensuing possession, Crowder would nail a three and just like that Marquette held a nine point lead.
UConn would score the next four points to get the Golden Eagles lead back down to five points but that’s as close as the Huskies would get the rest of the way.
To me it looked once again like guys began to give up when things got really tough. This is unacceptable and I’m hoping the coaches saw it too.
This team has all the talent in the world. The problem is that they don’t know how to use it. We’ve seen the flashes of it, ie the DePaul win and we’ve seen the other side (ie the Louisville loss).
When it looks like somebody is going to step up and be a leader (Boatright), he goes and makes a stupid mistake. So now it’s back to square one for the Huskies.
They probably need to win their final four games and win at least one or two in the Big East Tournament to make it to the NCAA Tournament. The good thing is that for the most part, the schedule is their favor. They play a down Villanova, Syracuse, Providence and Pittsburgh. There’s definitely three winnable games in there and they know they can play with Syracuse.
First up for the Huskies is a matchup with the Villanova Wildcats on Monday night at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be nationally televised on ESPN.
To continue reading the Marquette Golden Eagles @ UConn Huskies recap, please click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.
Notes and musings:
Marquette Golden Eagles @ UConn Huskies 2.18.12 box score
Here are the postgame quotes from UConn associate head coach George Blaney and Marquette head coach Buzz Williams.
The starting five for the Huskies consisted of Ryan Boatright, Shabazz Napier, Jeremy Lamb, Alex Oriakhi and Andre Drummond.
UConn shot 45.3% (24-53) from the floor for the game while the Golden Eagle shot 44.4% (24-54).
The Huskies had just 11 assists on their 24 made baskets.
UConn was 4-of-10 (40%) from beyond the arc. On the contrary, Marquette was 10-of-22 (45.5%).
The Huskies were 12-of-21 (57.1%) from the charity stripe. That’s just pathetic. That CAN’T happen in a Big East game.
Despite having nobody over 6’7″, the Golden Eagles outrebound UConn 33-30.
Marquette outscored the Huskies 26-24 in the paint and 13-11 on the fast break.
The Golden Eagles had nine second chance points to seven for UConn.
The Huskies had 10 points off of 10 Marquette turnovers. The Golden Eagles had 15 points off of 12 UConn turnovers.
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Photo credit: Brad Horrigan – Hartford Courant (No. 18 in gallery)
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 some of the other sports. 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 Marquette Golden Eagles this afternoon at the XL Center in Hartford, CT. Tip is scheduled for 12 p.m. and the game will be nationally televised on ESPN.
It’s also game day for the UConn Huskies women’s basketball team as they’ll host the St. John’s Red Storm tonight at Gampel Pavilion. Tip is scheduled for 7:06 p.m. and the game will be broadcast locally on CPTV. It’s also Senior Night as Tiffany Hayes and seven senior managers will be honored. CPTV will have coverage of that as well so be sure to tune in around 6:40 p.m.
To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click
UConn Men’s Basketball links
With Blaney At The Helm, Huskies Staying Together – and Afloat [Dom Amore – Hartford Courant]
This and That from UConn’s Post-Practice Interviews [Dom Amore – Hartford Courant]
Calhoun Hip to “Linsanity” Three Years Ago [David Borges – New Haven Register]
Alex Oriakhi Excelling in Classroom [David Borges – New Haven Register]
Notes/Quotes from Feb. 17: “It could be the beginning of a turnaround for this season.” [Kevin Duffy – CT Post]
Game preview: UConn men host Marquette [Lee Lewis – The Republican-American]
‘Little’ Marquette heading to Hartford [Neill Ostrout – Journal Inquirer]
UConn needs 40-minute effort against Marquette [CT Post]
A UConn Win Against Marquette Would Be Huge [Hartford Courant]
UConn men seeking an energy boost [Journal Inquirer]
Beating Marquette may be signature win Huskies need [New Haven Register]
Oriakhi may be starting to come around [The Day]
UConn Women’s Basketball links
The 4-1-1 On Tiffany Hayes [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]
Stevens Has Overcome A Knee Injury To Lead Red-Hot St. John’s [Rich Elliott – CT Post]
Senior Day At Gampel Pavilion Is All About Hayes [Rich Elliott – CT Post]
Hartley Named A Lieberman Finalist [Rich Elliott – CT Post]
Game preview: UConn women host St. John’s [Lee Lewis – The Republican-American]
Hayes to be honored on Senior Day [CT Post]
Tiffany Hayes, Caroline Doty Share A Special Bond [Hartford Courant]
UConn Women On Verge Of Another Signature Win [Hartford Courant]
Love before first sight [Journal Inquirer]
Hayes has made undeniable impact in four years [New Haven Register]
UConn Football links
Big East position rankings: QB [Andrea Adelson – ESPN.com]
Other UConn related links
M. Track. Huskies In Pursuit of BIG EAST Indoor Championship [UConnHuskies.com]
W. Swimming. More School Records Fall At BIG EAST Swimming [UConnHuskies.com]
M. Swimming. Yoon Sets School Record At Day Two Of BIG EASTs [UConnHuskies.com]
M. Swimming. Grant Fecteau Has Strong BIG EAST Diving Performance [UConnHuskies.com]
Baseball. Catching Up With UConn Baseball [UConnHuskies.com]
Baseball. Huskies Shutout Indiana Behind Ward’s Four-Hitter [UConnHuskies.com]
W. Ice Hockey. Huskies Host No. 9/10 BU on Senior Day [UConnHuskies.com]
W. Track. Heather Wilson Wins BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete Award [UConnHuskies.com]
Softball. Huskies Split Opening Day At Georgia Classic [UConnHuskies.com]
M. Ice Hockey. Men’s Hockey Drops Overtime Heartbreaker To Bentley, 2-1 [UConnHuskies.com]
M. & W. Swimming. Men’s And Women’s Swimming Both In Fifth Place At BIG EAST [UConnHuskies.com]
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By Brian Ring
Hartford, CT, February 17, 2012 – The Connecticut Whale defeated the Springfield Falcons, 6-3, Friday night at the XL Center. Andre Deveaux scored twice for the Whale, including the game-winner, as did Ryan Bourque, and Mats Zuccarello (1-2-3), Kris Newbury (0-3-3) and Jonathan Audy-Marchessault (0-3-3) all recorded three points, in Connecticut’s sixth win in seven tries (6-0-1-0).
Connecticut scored three unanswered third-period goals, and would take the lead for good on Deveaux’s second goal of the night, coming at the 8:05 mark of the final frame.
“We had a strong finish, a strong third period and that ended up being the difference,” said Whale head coach Ken Gernander.
The Whale jumped out to the first lead of the game 3:26 into the first period, when Deveaux’s slap-shot from the right faceoff circle beat Springfield goaltender Paul Dainton (20 saves) for his 14th goal of the season. Zuccarello started the play at mid-ice, dishing to Newbury, who made a nice feed to a streaking Deveaux down the right wing boards.
Springfield would bring the game back to even with 7:09 left to play in the first, as Cam Atkinson scored his 28th of the season on the power-play. Whale goaltender Chad Johnson (seven saves in the first period) gave away a large rebound after denying a shot from Tomas Kubalik, and Atkinson promptly deposited it into the net for the equalizer. Martin St. Pierre also assisted on the goal, his 36th helper of the campaign.
Zuccarello would enable the Whale to head to the locker room up 2-1, as he converted a pass from Newbury. Newbury passed to Zuccarello in the slot, his stick narrowly deflecting the puck through Dainton with 6:17 left to play in the opening period.
The Falcons would tie the game back up 4:13 into the second period, as Cody Bass’s shot from the high slot fooled Cam Talbot (17 saves), who replaced Johnson in goal to start the second period. Kubalik and Brent Regner assisted on the goal.
Dane Byers would give the Falcons their first and only lead of the game at the 13:43 mark of the second, as he finished a quality passing play among himself, Kubalik and Greg Amadio. Amadio’s long stretch pass to Kubalik, combined with a poor Whale line change, allowed Byers to tap in a pass from Kubalik to the right of Talbot.
Bourque’s fourth goal of the season would once again tie the score with 1:39 left in the second. Bourque ripped a one-timer past Dainton to make it a 3-3 game headed into the third period, with Audy-Marchessault and Casey Wellman recording the assists.
The Whale would take the lead for good on Deveaux’s second goal of the night, the first of three unanswered third period goals, as Zuccarello’s pass from behind the Springfield cage found him wide open in the Falcons’ slot for an easy put-in at the 8:05 mark on the power-play.
Bourque stretched the lead to 5-3 with his second of the game with 5:03 remaining in the third, as he converted an Audy-Marchessault faceoff win, slapping the puck right off the draw past Dainton.
Wellman would seal the victory with his 16th goal, a tap-in of a Pavel Valentenko rebound, who earned an assist in his return to the Whale lineup. Audy-Marchessault also assisted on the goal, his third helper of the night.
The Whale will be back in action Saturday night at the XL Center as they take on the Worcester Sharks (7:00 PM). Connecticut will finish the weekend’s slate Sunday afternoon in Providence, when they face the Bruins (4:05 PM).
Tickets to all 2011-12 Whale home games, are on sale now at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, as well as on-line at www.ctwhale.com and through TicketMaster Charge-by-phone at 1-800-745-3000.
The Whale and the CT Hockey Hall of Fame will partner to hold a CT Hockey Hall of Fame night at the Whale’s home game at the XL Center Saturday, March 10 vs. the Norfolk Admirals. That night will mark the enshrinement of a new class of 2012 inductees into the CT Hockey Hall of Fame, which has adopted eight members from the storied Hartford Whalers Hall of Fame. The new inductees are: Connecticut-bred Hockey Hall of Famer Brian Leetch, ex-Hartford Whalers 56-goal scorer Blaine Stoughton, former Whalers goaltender Mike Liut, former Whalers captain Pat Verbeek, Connecticut Whale/Hartford Wolf Pack franchise icon, long-time captain and current head coach Ken Gernander, three-time Olympic medalist for Team USA and all-time NCAA women’s leading scorer Julie Chu, and one of the founders of the New England Whalers, William E. Barnes. There will be an induction ceremony before the game, which faces off at 7:00 PM on March 10, and the new inductees will also be recognized on the ice during the first intermission. Fans can take home a special souvenir of the March 10 night, as 5,000 Hall of Fame posters will be given away, courtesy of SuperCuts. There will also be a special meet-and-greet event on March 10, details of which will be announced soon. This will be the first class of inductees since 1990, and further details are available at cthockeyHOF.org.
College students can get discounted tickets to Whale weekday games with the Whale’s “Ditch the Dorms” deal. For Monday through Friday home games, students who show a valid student ID at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center can get $2 off Upper Level tickets and $5 off Lower Level seats.
Save on your tickets, and get the best seats, with a ticket plan for the Whale’s 2011-12 AHL campaign, which are on sale now. For information on season seats, mini plans and great group discounts, visit www.ctwhale.com, or call the CT Whale ticket office at (860) 728-3366 to talk with an account executive today.
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Springfield Falcons 3 at Connecticut Whale 6
Friday, February 17, 2012 – XL Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Springfield 1 2 0 – 3
Connecticut 2 1 3 – 6
1st Period-1, Connecticut, Deveaux 14 (Newbury, Zuccarello), 3:26. 2, Springfield, Atkinson 28 (Kubalik, St. Pierre), 12:51 (PP). 3, Connecticut, Zuccarello 11 (Newbury), 13:43. Penalties-Giroux Spr (hooking), 5:18; Cullity Spr (slashing), 9:55; Wellman Ct (hooking), 12:27; Amadio Spr (roughing), 18:54; Erixon Ct (hooking), 19:32.
2nd Period-4, Springfield, Bass 3 (Kubalik, Regner), 4:13. 5, Springfield, Byers 11 (Kubalik, Amadio), 13:43. 6, Connecticut, Bourque 4 (Audy-Marchessault, Wellman), 18:21. Penalties-No Penalties
3rd Period-7, Connecticut, Deveaux 15 (Zuccarello, Newbury), 8:05 (PP). 8, Connecticut, Bourque 5 (Audy-Marchessault), 14:57. 9, Connecticut, Wellman 16 (Valentenko, Audy-Marchessault), 17:46. Penalties-Wellman Ct (holding), 1:49; Atkinson Spr (hooking), 7:47; Bass Spr (charging), 15:44.
Shots on Goal-Springfield 8-13-6-27. Connecticut 9-9-7-25.
Power Play Opportunities-Springfield 1 / 3; Connecticut 1 / 5.
Goalies-Springfield, Dainton 6-4-0 (25 shots-19 saves). Connecticut, Johnson 15-10-5 (8 shots-7 saves); Talbot 10-11-0 (19 shots-17 saves).
A-3,962
Referees-Terry Koharski (10), Geno Binda (22).
Linesmen-Derek Wahl (46), Luke Galvin (2).
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