By Brian Ring

Portland, ME, January 2, 2012 – The Connecticut Whale were defeated in overtime, 5-4, by the Portland Pirates Monday afternoon in Maine. The Whale led by three goals at one point, and had a 4-3 lead as late as four minutes left in the third period. The Pirates’ Nathan Oystrick, however, would score once to tie the game at four and again in overtime to win the game for Portland.

Kelsey Tessier scored twice for the Whale, and Francois Bouchard and Andre Deveaux each added two assists.

Reebok/AHL Player of the Week Kris Newbury gave the Whale a 1-0 lead just 25 seconds into the opening period, after Portland goaltender Justin Pogge (16 saves) kicked out a Brendan Bell shot. The rebound found Newbury’s stick, and the Whale scoring leader fired it in for his 13^th goal of the season, also extending a Whale season-high point-scoring streak to eight games.  Deveaux recorded the secondary assist on the score.

The Whale opened up a 2-0 lead 4:23 into the period, as Tessier skated down the right wing boards and fired a wrist shot past Pogge for his fifth goal of the season. Andreas Thuresson and Bouchard both assisted on Tessier’s goal.

Connecticut finished the period with a 2-0 lead, but goaltender Cam Talbot (21 saves) had to be sharp, as he stopped all nine shots he faced in the period. The Pirates nearly got one back late in the period on the power-play, but the puck was deemed to have entered the net due to goaltender interference and an apparent Portland goal was called back.

Tessier extended the lead to 3-0 with his second goal of the game at 9:21 of the second period, deflecting Pave Valentenko’s slapshot through Pogge. Bouchard picked up yet another assist on the goal, his fifth helper in the last two games.

The goal chased Pogge, who was relieved by Marc Cheverie (20 saves) in a period that saw the Whale outshoot the Pirates, 10-2.

Portland cut the Whale lead to 3-1 on Brett MacLean’s team-leading 14^th goal of the season, as MacLean one-timed an Andy Miele pass past Talbot. Brock Trotter also earned an assist on the goal.

The Pirates’ rally continued just 59 seconds into the third period, when Matt Watkins scored on a backhander  off assists from Miele and Trotter.

Portland would complete the comeback just one second into a power-play 4:47 into the third, as Trotter scored off a Miele face-off win, tying the game at three. The puck was tipped in by Trotter, up and over Talbot’s shoulder.

Jonathan Audy-Marchessault broke up the string of three unanswered Portland goals with his 12^th of the season, which was jammed through Cheverie, putting the Whale ahead 4-3 with 10:40 remaining in the third frame.  Deveaux received the only assist on the goal.

The Pirates forced overtime with just 29.2 seconds remaining in the third, as Oystrick got one past the left pad of Talbot, who made several incredible saves during a Portland five-on-three opportunity. Oystrick’s equalizer was assisted by Trotter and MacLean.

Oystrick would strike again with the overtime game-winning tally with 33 seconds remaining, his slapshot beating Talbot with Audy-Marchessault in the penalty box. Trotter would pick up his fourth point of the night with an assist on the goal.

The Whale are back in action Friday night, when they take on the defending Calder Cup champion Binghamton Senators on the road (7:00 PM). Connecticut will return home Saturday to host the Springfield Falcons on Saturday (7:00 PM).

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Connecticut Whale 4 at Portland Pirates 5 (OT)
Monday, January 2, 2012 – Cumberland County Civic Center

Connecticut 2 1 1 0 – 4
Portland 0 1 3 1 – 5

1st Period-1, Connecticut, Newbury 13 (Bell, Deveaux), 0:25. 2, Connecticut, Tessier 5 (Thuresson, Bouchard), 4:23. Penalties-Stone Por (holding), 5:29; Newbury Ct (unsportsmanlike conduct), 7:39; Owens Ct (tripping), 17:11; Audy-Marchessault Ct (roughing), 19:25; Hextall Por (slashing), 19:25.

2nd Period-3, Connecticut, Tessier 6 (Valentenko, Bouchard), 9:21. 4, Portland, MacLean 14 (Miele, Trotter), 16:12. Penalties-Rome Por (slashing), 4:14; Bouchard Ct (hooking), 12:05; Duncan Por (hooking), 18:07.

3rd Period-5, Portland, Watkins 6 (Hextall, Duncan), 0:59. 6, Portland, Trotter 9 (Miele), 4:47 (PP). 7, Connecticut, Audy-Marchessault 12 (Deveaux), 9:20. 8, Portland, Oystrick 7 (Trotter, MacLean), 19:30 (PP). Penalties-Voros Ct (high-sticking), 4:45; Hollweg Por (tripping), 5:27; Oystrick Por (interference), 13:19; Erixon Ct (tripping), 15:01; Owens Ct (delay of game), 17:07; Avery Ct (high-sticking), 18:08.

OT Period-9, Portland, Oystrick 8 (Duncan, Trotter), 4:27 (PP). Penalties-Audy-Marchessault Ct (tripping), 2:33.

Shots on Goal-Connecticut 14-10-15-1-40. Portland 9-2-14-1-26.
Power Play Opportunities-Connecticut 0 / 5; Portland 3 / 8.
Goalies-Connecticut, Talbot 9-6-0 (26 shots-21 saves). Portland, Pogge 5-3-3 (19 shots-16 saves); Cheverie 1-0-0 (21 shots-20 saves).
A-3,524
Referees-Geno Binda (22), Mark Lemelin (41).
Linesmen-Joe Andrews (32), Landon Bathe (80).

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HARTFORD, January 2, 2012:  The American Hockey League announced today that Connecticut Whale forward Kris Newbury has been named the Reebok AHL Player of the Week for the period ending January 1.

Newbury struck for eight points in four games this past week, racking up three goals and five assists.

After chipping in an assist in the Whale’s 3-2 loss at Bridgeport last Monday, Newbury had a hand in all three Whale goals Tuesday at home in a 3-2 victory over Albany, notching a goal and two assists.  The ninth-year veteran then had two assists and four shots at Worcester Friday in a 4-3 loss, before helping the Whale ring out 2011 in fine fashion on Saturday, with two goals in a 5-2 home-ice victory over Springfield.

Newbury has strung together a Whale team season-high seven-game point-scoring streak, with four goals and 11 assists for 15 points over that span, to take over the Whale’s team point and goal-scoring leadership.  Newbury’s 30 points (12 goals, 18 assists) are good for a tie for tenth overall in the AHL.

In recognition of his Player of the Week honor, Newbury will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming Whale home game.

The Whale are back in action this afternoon, with a 1:00 PM game at Portland.  All the CT Whale Rockin’ Hockey action can be heard live on “The Rock”, 106.9 FM, WCCC, as well as on-line at www.ctwhale.com.  The Whale’s next home game is this Saturday night, January 7, as they battle the Springfield Falcons at 7:00 at the XL Center.

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.

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HARTFORD, January 1, 2012:  Connecticut Whale general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that the parent New York Rangers have reassigned goaltender Jason Missiaen from the Whale to its ECHL affiliate, the Greenville Road Warriors.

Missiaen served as the Whale’s backup in two games, after joining Connecticut from Greenville Wednesday.  In 10 ECHL games with the Road Warriors, the first-year pro is 5-3-1, with a 2.43 goals-against average, 92.6% save percentage and three shutouts.  He signed as a free agent with the Rangers March 24, 2011

The Whale return to action tomorrow, Monday, January 2, with a 1:00 PM game at Portland.  All the CT Whale Rockin’ Hockey action can be heard live on “The Rock”, 106.9 FM, WCCC, as well as on-line at www.ctwhale.com.  The Whale’s next home game is this Saturday night, January 7, as they battle the Springfield Falcons at 7:00 at the XL Center.

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.

By Brian Ring

Hartford, CT, December 31, 2011 – The Connecticut Whale defeated the Springfield Falcons, 5-2, Saturday night at the XL Center in a New Years’ Eve match-up. Francois Bouchard had three assists for Connecticut, Kris Newbury scored twice and Pavel Valentenko had the game-winner and an assist for the Whale.

The win over the Falcons improved Connecticut to a perfect 5-0-0-0 record against Springfield this season.

“I thought we did a lot of good things,” said Whale head coach Ken Gernander. “But you’ve got to continually get better as the season goes on.”

The Whale got on the board first, as Newbury tipped a Tim Erixon shot from the point past Springfield goaltender Manny Legace (29 saves). The goal gave Newbury a Whale season-high seven game point-scoring streak, over which he has gathered 15 points (4-11-15).

Tomas Kubalik tied the game for Springfield just 1:20 later, beating Whale goaltender Cam Talbot (23 saves) on a breakaway. Kubalik split the Whale defenders on the blue line before heading in for his seventh goal of the season, assisted by Andrew Joudrey and Ryan Russell.

The Falcons took the lead at the 16:00 mark of the first, as Maksim Mayorov and Dane Byers combined for a nifty passing play and a power-play goal. Byers fed Mayorov across the slot in front of Talbot, who promptly sent a return pass to the former Wolf Pack captain for an easy put-in. The goal was Byers’ eighth of the year, and was also assisted by Brett Lebda.

Andreas Thuresson would open the scoring in the second period with his second goal in as many games, wristing a rebound of a Kelsey Tessier shot past Legace to knot the game at two apiece. Thuresson’s goal at 1:06 of the second was also assisted by Bouchard.

Pavel Valentenko gave the Whale a 3-2 lead with the eventual game-winner, as Connecticut’s power-play broke through for the first of two goals on the night. Valentenko’s slap shot from the blue line went through Legace for his fourth of the season. The play was set up by Brendan Bell and Bouchard, who recorded his second assist of the game.

The Whale extended the lead to 4-2 at 4:33 of the third, as Newbury banked a puck off of the skates of Legace and in for his second goal of the night. Valentenko’s shot had hit off the end boards and was recovered by Newbury behind the cage, and Newbury had time to carefully place his shot.

Bell would push the lead to three goals at 6:11, as the Whale again came through on the power-play. Bell’s wrist shot found its way over the glove of Legace, with Bouchard tallying his third assist of the night. Erixon also assisted on the goal, his second helper of the game.

“Hopefully this gets [Bouchard] over the hump,” said Gernander. “He can make a real push and have a good second half.”

The Whale are back in action to start the New Year Monday afternoon, as they take on the Portland Pirates in Maine for a rare 1:00 PM start.  The Whale’s next home game is a rematch with the Falcons Saturday, January 7 at 7:00.

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Springfield Falcons 2 at Connecticut Whale 5
Saturday, December 31, 2011 – XL Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum

Springfield 2 0 0 – 2
Connecticut 1 2 2 – 5

1st Period-1, Connecticut, Newbury 11 (Erixon), 7:28. 2, Springfield, Kubalik 7 (Joudrey, Russell), 8:48. 3, Springfield, Byers 8 (Mayorov, Lebda), 16:00 (PP). Penalties-Klassen Ct (hooking), 14:08; Newbury Ct (hooking), 16:46.

2nd Period-4, Connecticut, Thuresson 9 (Tessier, Bouchard), 1:06. 5, Connecticut, Valentenko 4 (Bell, Bouchard), 12:42 (PP). Penalties-Audy-Marchessault Ct (tripping), 5:15; Bell Ct (holding), 7:09; Russell Spr (holding), 11:43; Prough Ct (hooking), 15:13.

3rd Period-6, Connecticut, Newbury 12 (Valentenko, Parlett), 4:33. 7, Connecticut, Bell 6 (Bouchard, Erixon), 6:11 (PP). Penalties-Nightingale Ct (tripping), 1:19; Cullity Spr (roughing), 4:23; Thuresson Ct (roughing), 4:23; Giroux Spr (hooking), 5:14; Byers Spr (roughing, roughing), 8:39; Tessier Ct (roughing), 8:39; Newbury Ct (holding), 13:35; Calvert Spr (tripping), 15:14.

Shots on Goal-Springfield 9-8-8-25. Connecticut 10-13-11-34.
Power Play Opportunities-Springfield 1 / 7; Connecticut 2 / 4.
Goalies-Springfield, Legace 7-11-1 (34 shots-29 saves). Connecticut, Talbot 9-6-0 (25 shots-23 saves).
A-5,448
Referees-Dan Dreger (51).
Linesmen-Luke Galvin (2), Marty Demers (79).

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