Connecticut Whale Wallop Manchester Monarchs 5-1

Published on December 11, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Connecticut Whale News Release


HARTFORD, Conn. - The Connecticut Whale showed little rust Saturday night after a six-day layoff, their longest of the season.

Mats Zuccarello scored twice and linemate Kris Newbury had one goal, two assists and several more good scoring chances to back the 23-save performance of Chad Johnson in a 5-1 victory over the Atlantic Division-leading Manchester Monarchs before 5,321 at the XL Center.

The Whale (11-11-2-4) have won three in a row, are 5-0-0-1 since being rebranded from the Hartford Wolf Pack, have a seven-game point streak (5-0-0-2) and are back to .500 for the first time since Oct. 23. The Whale's five goals tied their second highest total of the season to a 7-1 rout of Providence on Nov. 7, their only victory during a 1-9-2-1 slide that preceded their current 7-1-0-2 run.

Johnson extended his point streak to seven games (5-0-0-2) since a 4-3 loss at Manchester on Nov. 17. Meanwhile, the Monarchs (17-10-1-1) lost for only the fourth time in 14 games and for the first time in four meetings with the Whale.

After Jeff Zatkoff (32 saves) robbed Zuccarello in front at 5:12 and Newbury in the slot at 10:15 during a 5-on-3 power play, the Whale struck for two goals in 12 seconds and three in 3:34.

Rookie defenseman Ryan McDonagh got the Whale rolling during a power play at 12:11 with a 50-foot one-timer through a screen off a pass from veteran defenseman Wade Redden, who did a good job keeping Richard Clune's clearing attempt in the zone. It was the first goal as a pro for McDonagh, who left the University of Wisconsin after his junior year and a loss to Boston College in the NCAA title game.

"Nice one-timer with a shooter's mentality," Whale coach Ken Gernander said. "It was big goal to get on the board first with the power-play opportunity."

McDonagh enjoyed the "big win" more than the goal, though he planned to text-message his former University of Wisconsin teammate Derek Stepan, a rookie center with the parent New York Rangers who departed the Badgers after his sophomore year. And McDonagh enjoyed that it brought several hundred teddy bears to the ice as the first Whale goal on "Teddy Bear Toss" night.

"Redden put it right on a platter for me, and I was glad I could get the teddy bears on the ice early," said a smiling McDonagh, who got the puck to commemorate his first goal from trainer Damien Hess. "The past 12-15 games, I've been so much more comfortable and so much more confident, just like with our team. We're getting used to each other, and everybody is starting to feel better and confident, and that helps my game."

Even a rookie can notice how the light switch has seemingly gone on for the Whale.

"We had injuries early and just needed those Whale colors and 'Brass Bonanza.' Man, I love that tune," McDonagh said, smiling again. "I had never really heard it before because I'm from out West (St. Paul, Minn.), but I think it's great. And I feel we're getting better system-wise, so guys are in the right spots. So it's just making good passes and using my skating ability to get up the ice and keep pucks in the zone and keep things happening.

"(Assistant coach) J.J. (Daigneault) stresses to get the puck up and out of our zone because we don't want to stay there. We kind of live by that at the backend, make simple plays whether it's off the glass or hitting our winger. We're getting some more goals that way for sure. Everybody wants to stress good starts, and we've been really having some good ones lately. Maybe not as good as this one as far as scoring goals, but in general, we haven't been down in games. To get three goals in the first period only boosts the confidence of the whole team."

After McDonagh's goal, Newbury won the ensuing faceoff back to defenseman Jyri Niemi, who bided his time and sent a long diagonal pass off the far boards to Newbury, who got behind defenseman Thomas Hickey and fired a wrist shot that went in between Zatkoff's legs at 12:23.

Then with 4:15 left in the period, Zuccarello's rebound went to Newbury, who gave the puck to "The Norwegian Hobbit" for a quick finish past Zatkoff for his 11th goal in North America and the game winner.

But with the period winding down the teams skating four aside, the Monarchs got a lucky goal after a Redden turnover when Justin Azevedo's centering pass from the left boards ricocheted off Niemi's leg and past Chad Johnson with 20.1 seconds left.

"Those kind of goals happen, but when you have a good start, you can afford to give up one like that," McDonagh said. "Even though we gave up that goal in the last minute, we came in (the locker room) full of confidence, and everybody was hootin' and hollerin' and just excited to get back out there and get the offense rolling again."

Johnson kept the Whale two goals ahead when he stopped Viatcheslav Voynov breaking in off right wing on a 3-on-2 at 1:02 of the second period. Moments later, Redden jumped in to stick up for Pavel Valentenko, who had been slammed into the boards by a charging Richard Clune.

"That was great," Gernander said of Redden, a 13-year veteran making $6.5 million. "It would easy for a guy like that just to turn and let somebody handle it. But he was sticking up for his defensive partner, and that's great. It's nothing to scoff at or joke about. It's pretty admirable."

Newbury agreed.

"That gains a lot of respect around the team," Newbury said. "He's not a guy who has to do that, but he chose to. I know playing against him before in the National Hockey League, he's not afraid to drop the gloves, and he does pretty good when he does it. It's good to see everyone sticking up for each other no matter who you are. It just builds character for our team."

"We played well and were able to create some chances early. Other than first couple minutes in the second period, we seemed to control the puck pretty well and made plays when we had them. And once again we had a good defensive game andohnson) played well."

After Zatkoff stopped Newbury's one-timer after strong forechecking by the Whale, Zuccarello found Newbury in the lower right circle, broke for the net and converted Newbury's return pass into an open net at 11:57.

"Newbury is a great passer, and he found me in the open spot," Zuccarello said.

"I was surprised for a bit because (Zuccarello) fell down, and I thought they were going to control it, so I took a couple of strides back and stopped," Newbury said. "Then I realized I couldn't get to the net, so I held onto it and he created room for himself and no one took him, so I tried to put it on his stick and he put it in the back of the net.

"We had a week off and a good week of practice and wanted to start well because we knew they played last night (a 4-1 victory over Worcester). You have to give them credit because they're a good hockey team. We got a big win tonight, but next time we play we have to be ready right off the start and give them respect because they deserve it.

"But if we keep playing like this, we'll be OK. We're playing a lot better in our own end, and once you do that, guys are sticking together and we've got good goaltending. You put those three things together, and it makes for a good team game. Plus, we're putting the puck in the net a lot more than we were at the beginning of the year. When pucks start going in the net, it's funny what it does to a team. It seems everything you do goes right. We just want to keep going on with this and hopefully keep up the wins."

Only 72 seconds after Zuccarello's second goal, Evgeny Grachev took a pass from Tim Kennedy, dropped the puck to Dale Weise and went to the net to lift home a rebound to cap the scoring.

Johnson kept the Monarchs at bay with right pad save on Voynov at 7:36 of the third period and a blocker stop on Colten Teubert's bid from the right circle with 5:47 left. A minute later, Zatkoff denied Zuccarello his second hat trick in North America when he made a chest save on the speedy wing.

But the Whale capped another successful night when Devin DiDiomete took on Hickey in a fight with 1:08 left.

"We have to keep climbing the ladder and not be satisfied," DiDiomete said.

Aside from early in the second period, Gernander said his team did a lot of positive things.

"The power play was really sharp the way they were moving the puck, there were some simple plays that produced goals, we did a pretty good job breaking out of our own end, we competed well, we skated well and there were only a couple of turnovers that you'd like to have back," Gernander said. "It's a lot easier if you dictate play or forecheck or make smart decisions with the puck. If you turn it over, obviously you are reacting and on the backcheck.

"If you can start coming out of your end with sound decisions and put pucks in areas where you can pressure when you don't have the puck, it can make a big difference. We've got a full complement of players now and a bit of cohesion because of a learning curve. The fact that guys are feeling better about themselves makes it easier to buy into things when things are going well."

WEISE, REDDEN RETURN; DUPONT RECOVERED

With the return of Redden and right wing Weise, the Whale was as healthy as they had been since opening night. Weise returned after missing three games with an injury sustained in a 3-0 victory over the Adirondack Phantoms on Nov. 28 and played on a line with Kennedy and Grachev. Redden was back after missing one game with an injury sustained in a 3-1 victory over the Providence Bruins on Dec. 3 and was paired with Niemi.

Left wing Brodie Dupont was recovered from being slammed head-first to the ice without his helmet by the Worcester Sharks' Andrew Desjardins during a melee late in the second period of the Whale's 4-3 shootout victory Dec. 4. He played alongside Newbury and Zuccarello. ... The Whale scratched forward Kelsey Tessier and defensemen Jared Nightingale and Lee Baldwin. The Monarchs scratched defenseman Jake Muzzin and center Oscar Moller, who was called up by the parent Los Angeles Kings. ... McDonagh's goal resulted in several hundred teddy bears being thrown on the ice on "Teddy Bear Toss" night. Fans were encouraged to bring new, unwrapped soft toys and attach their names and phone numbers to them. When the Whale scored their first goal, the teddy bears were collected and given as holiday donations to local underprivileged kids. The teddy bear of Kyle Bourque of Massachusetts came closest to center ice, earning him four VIP tickets to the Whale's outdoor game during Whalers Hockey Fest 2011 against the Providence Bruins at Rentschler Field in East Hartford on Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. ... Since the Whale scored at least five goals, each fan won a free taco at Moe's Southwest Grill.

PHANTOMS AT XL CENTER SUNDAY AT 3

Sunday at 3 p.m., the Whale hosts the Adirondack Phantoms (4-21-2-0), who have the AHL's worst record but ended a 10-game losing streak (0-9-1-0) and a 1-18-2-0 slide since starting the season 2-2-0-0 with a 5-2 victory over the Syracuse Crunch on Friday night as rookie defenseman Erik Gustafsson had one goal and four assists. It was the longest the franchise had gone without a victory in its 15-year history, surpassing two nine-game winless streaks when the team was based in Philadelphia.

But the Portland Pirates scored two third-period goals to beat the Phantoms 2-1 Saturday night, making them 2-11-1-0 since former Whale coach John Paddock replaced the fired Greg Gilbert behind the bench on an interim basis. Gustafsson, 22, who played at Northern Michigan University, moved into a tie for the AHL scoring lead among defensemen with three goals and 17 assists in 26 games. Goalie Michael Leighton made 29 saves to earn his first victory in three tries on a conditioning stint with the parent Philadelphia Flyers, then lost Saturday night despite making 28 saves. Veteran defenseman Matt Walker is also down from the Flyers.

The Whale won the first meeting between the teams 3-0 at the XL Center on Nov. 28 behind the 25-save performance of Cam Talbot. Fans can get a $48 special that includes three tickets, three hot dogs and three drinks. They're also encouraged to bring skates as there will be a free postgame skate with some Whale players. ... Fans can give the gift of Whale hockey during the holiday season. The Whale Hockey Pack of six dark green undated flex tickets and one Heritage Connecticut Whale hat is $122, a savings of $38. Six yellow undated flex tickets and one hat are $74, a savings of $14. Holiday packages are available through Jan. 3 at the Fan Center behind Section 101 in the XL Center or by calling 860-728-3366 or visiting www.ctwhaleshop.com . ... The Whale has moved the starting time of their Jan. 1 game against Providence from 7 p.m. to 5 p.m. so it doesn't conflict with the University of Connecticut football team playing Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl, which starts at 8:30.

NATURAL HAT TRICK IN LESS THAN 16 MINUTES

In notable/Whale-related AHL action Friday night: Rookie forward Casey Wellman recorded a natural hat trick in the opening 15:42 and later added a fourth goal to lead the Houston Aeros to a 5-3 victory over the San Antonio Rampage. Wellman, who also has played in 12 games for the parent Minnesota Wild this season, more than doubled his total of three goals in his previous 13 AHL games. He became the third AHL player this season to score as many as four goals in a game, joining Oklahoma City's Linus Omark (five on Nov. 7) and former Wolf Pack forward Patrick Rissmiller of Lake Erie (four on Dec. 3). Aeros captain Jon DiSalvatore, a South Windsor native, assisted on the final Houston goal by Cody Almond, the only one not scored by Wellman. Former Rangers and Wolf Pack wing Petr Prucha scored one goal for the Rampage, whose four-game winning streak ended. ... Former Wolf Pack defenseman Lawrence Nycholat scored the decisive shootout goal as the Hershey Bears beat the Charlotte Checkers, 2-1. ... Former Wolf Pack center Corey Locke ended a six-game, goal-scoring drought with a goal and an assist to support the 25-save performance of Barry Brust and lead the Binghamton Senators to a 5-0 victory over the Albany Devils. ... Red-hot Max Pacioretty, a former standout at New Canaan High and Taft School-Watertown, scored at 2:46 of overtime to give the Hamilton Bulldogs a 3-2 victory over the Rochester Americans. Pacioretty, whose 16th goal of the season moved him back into a tie for the league lead with the Bears' Andrew Gordon, has 12 goals and two assists in his last 10 games. ... Former Quinnipiac standout Brandon Wong scored on a backhander off an assist from former Wolf Pack teammate Chris McKelvie with 6:17 left in the second period to give the Greenville Road Warriors a 2-1 ECHL victory over the Florida Everblades on Friday night. Dov Grumet-Morris, the ECHL Goaltender of the Week last week who played two games with the Wolf Pack earlier this season, made 19 saves to improve to 10-2-0. With a 5-2 win over the Florida Everblades Saturday night, the Road Warriors improved their ECHL-best record to 18-5-2. The Road Warriors are affiliated with the Rangers and Flyers.

GIROUX, WOTTON NAMED ALL-STAR GAME CAPTAINS

Former Wolf Pack/Whale forward Alexandre Giroux of the Oklahoma City Barons and Sound Tigers defenseman Mark Wotton have been named captains of the Western Conference and Eastern Conference for the AHL All-Star Classic Jan. 30-31 at Giant Center in Hershey, Pa.

AHL president and CEO David Andrews selected Giroux and Wotton in recognition of their outstanding service and leadership to the league.

Giroux has been one of the leading offensive threats in the AHL for more than a decade, totaling 316 goals, tied for 14th all-time, and 281 assists in 662 regular-season games and 100 points in 112 playoff games since turning pro with Grand Rapids in 2001. Giroux, who has played with the Wolf Pack, Binghamton, Hershey, Chicago and now Oklahoma City, was named the AHL's MVP in 2008-09 and reached three Calder Cup finals with the Bears, winning titles in 2009 and 2010. Giroux, a Quebec City native who had 60 and 50 goals in the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons, will be playing in his fourth All-Star Game (2007, '09 and '10).

Hours after being named captain on Friday, Giroux scored two goals in a 4-2 victory over the Manitoba Moose. The AHL's two-time defending goal-scoring champion has a goal in three consecutive games after going 14 games without scoring. He has 599 regular-season points (318 goals and 281 assists) in 663 AHL games.

A veteran of 849 AHL game, most among active player and 20th all-time, Wotton has worn the captain's "C" in 11 of his 14 AHL seasons, including the last five in Bridgeport. A 17-year pro, Wotton has also played for Syracuse, Utah and Hershey, where he was a member of the 2006 Calder Cup championship team before joining the Sound Tigers. A native of Foxwarren, Manitoba, Wotton's only other All-Star appearance was in 1998.

Gernander and former Whalers players Randy Cunneyworth and John Stevens are among the previous captains. On-line fan voting for the All-Star Classic runs through midnight Jan. 9 at theahl.com and facebook.com/theahl. The fans will pick the starters for each conference, and a committee of coaches will select the reserves, with all 30 teams having to be represented.

HOCKEY MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL A BIG-TIME HELP

Hockey Ministries International has helped the Hartford-area community and provided a Chapel program to the local AHL team since the Hartford Wolf Pack (now Whale) replaced the Hartford Whalers in 1997.

One of its better stories involves Jose, who appeared destined to failure when he attended a Christian Youth Hockey Camp in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, at age 10. Until then, his time was spent on the streets of Hartford, a product of the society that killed his father in a gang confrontation while Jose, then 4, watched. Jose didn't trust people and, until that week at camp, never knew the God that loved him. He opened his heart to Jesus and began an adventure of learning to follow him.

Jose, now 24, has moved out of Hartford but remains in Connecticut with his two young children. His life has had many bumps and turns, but he has landed on his feet each time and continues to hold on to the truth and faith that he found 14 years ago. He has learned God never promises life will be easy, only that He will never leave you even in the midst of difficulties.

This is the type of life-changing experience that people can be part of by supporting Hockey Ministries International, a Christian organization that used the unique hook of hockey to reach players of all ages, as well as their families, coaches, trainers and fans with the Gospel. And at Christian Youth Hockey Camps, there are Chapel programs at all levels, from the NHL to high school and other various outreaches.

"This program has yielded much fruit, and we have expanded to provide the same program in 29 of the 30 AHL teams," AHL Chapel coordinator Rick Mitera of New Britain said.

Ten Whale players usually attend Chapel sessions with Mitera after practice.

To make a donation, send a check or money order to: Hockey Ministries International, Northeast Division, 201 Skyview Drive, Cromwell, Ct. 06416. For more information on HMI, visit www.hockeyminstriesnortheast.org or contact Mitera at 860-817-6440 or rmitera@hockeyministries.org. ... The Bridgeport Sound Tigers' annual holiday toy drive runs through next Sunday. The Sound Tigers are working with the Bridgeport Fire Department to gather toys and teddy bears to be distributed to local children and families. Fans are encouraged to donate during games Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Fans also can donate throughout the week by bringing toys to the Sound Tiger office at the Arena at Harbor Yard. The toys and teddy bears will be distributed by Sound Tigers players and front office staff members. Before a game against Worcester next Sunday, the Bridgeport Fire Department will play a charity hockey game against the Worcester Fire Department to assist families of Bridgeport firefighter Michel Baik and Lt. Steven Valeasquez, who were killed in the line of duty on July 24 in Bridgeport.

LEMIEUX TO PLAY ONE MORE TIME

There should be plenty of emotion at the alumni game prior to the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.

Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux, who led the Pittsburgh Penguins to back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 1991-92 and is now principal owner of the team, will return to the ice to play in an alumni game against the Washington Capitals alumni on New Year's Eve day. It will be the first time Lemieux plays in an organized game since he announced his final retirement as a player in 2006 and comes a day before the Penguins and Capitals meet in the 2011 NHL Winter Classic.

"We all grew up playing on outdoor rinks, so we're really looking forward to having this chance to skate on the Winter Classic rink at Heinz Field," Lemieux said in a statement. "There is so much history between the Penguins and Capitals, and it will be good to get together and see friends on both benches."

The chance to play with Lemieux is already bringing out the stars. Hall of Famers Bryan Trottier and former Whalers players Ron Francis and Paul Coffey and recently retired Bill Guerin have already signed on to play for the Penguins. The Capitals' team is led by Peter Bondra and will include former Whalers defenseman Alan Hangsleben. Full rosters will be announced soon.

Tickets, priced at $25, will allow spectators to watch the alumni game at 9:30 a.m. and the Penguins' practice at 11:30 a.m. Washington's 2 p.m. practice will be closed to the public. Seating capacity for these events will be 10,000. Tickets will go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000.

Lemieux, Francis and Trottier were part of the Penguins' back-to-back championships in 1991-92, while Coffey was with the team for the first title before being traded to the Detroit Red Wings in 1992. Lemieux is the principal owner of the Penguins, while Francis is an associate head coach and director of player personnel for the Carolina Hurricanes, the former Hartford Whalers.

The alumni game and NHL team practices will be the first official events on the Winter Classic rink at Heinz Field. The Winter Classic will be played on the same rink Jan. 1 at 1 p.m.

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American Hockey League Stories from December 11, 2010


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