Johnson Leads Whale to 4-0 Win

Published on December 26, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Connecticut Whale News Release


Connecticut Whale 4, Bridgeport Sound Tigers 0

Bridgeport, CT, December 26, 2010 - Chad Johnson registered his first shutout of the season with 22 saves, and the Connecticut Whale moved into third place in the AHL's Atlantic Division, with a 4-0 victory over the Bridgeport Sound Tigers Sunday afternoon at Bridgeport's Arena at Harbor Yard.

Chad Kolarik scored two goals for the Whale, who were 3/6 on the power play, and Brodie Dupont added a goal and an assist. Jeremy Williams also scored for Connecticut, and Tim Kennedy had two assists. The victory upped the Whale's record on the season to 15-12-2-5 for 37 points, one point ahead of the idle Worcester Sharks, whose scheduled home game against the Portland Pirates was postponed due to inclement weather.

Bridgeport controlled much of the first half of the first period and had seven of the game's first 10 shots, but after Johnson and the Whale weathered that storm, they put up a pair of power-play goals 3:30 apart later in the period.

Dupont opened the scoring at 11:48 with his fourth goal of the season, burying a low shot underneath Bridgeport netminder Kevin Poulin's pads from between the circles. Kennedy shoved the puck on goal from the right-wing side of the crease, and it went off of Poulin's stick right to Dupont.

Dupont then made a pinpoint feed out of the right-wing corner to set up Williams for a 2-0 lead at 15:18. That goal came only nine seconds into a Whale man advantage, and was Williams' 18th of the season. Whale leading point-scorer Kris Newbury started the play along the right boards.

The second frame was scoreless, with the best chance for either team coming on the first shift. The Whale's Dale Weise got free in the left-wing circle, and faked around Poulin (21 saves), who had slid out to meet him. With Weise seemingly staring at an open net, one of Poulin's defenders was able to block Weise's shot, with Poulin well out of position.

Kolarik scored twice in the third, preventing a repeat of the Whale's last visit to Bridgeport November 26, when the Sound Tigers erased a 3-0 deficit in the third period before winning 4-3 in a shootout.

Kolarik scored unassisted at 6:05, after knocking down Anton Klementyev's pass near the Bridgeport blue line. Kolarik broke down left wing and, using a teammate as a decoy on a two-on-one, snapped the puck past Poulin's catching glove.

Kolarik then created the final margin with his 14th goal of the season, and tenth in 18 games since joining the Whale, on a power play with 2:48 left. Kennedy took Ryan McDonagh's feed along the goal line on the right-wing side and found Kolarik all alone in the slot. Poulin had no chance on Kolarik's high shot.

The victory improved the Whale's record in the GEICO Connecticut Cup series against the Sound Tigers to 4-1-0-1, and Connecticut now has at least a standings point in 12 of its last 13 games (9-1-0-3) and 14 of the last 16 (11-2-0-3). The shutout was the fourth of Johnson's pro career, and the Whale's third as a team this season. Cam Talbot had the first two. The Whale moved to four points ahead of the fifth-place Sound Tigers, who fell to 15-14-1-2.

ZUCCARELLO BACK AFTER STRONG NHL DEBUT

Whale wing Mats Zuccarello had an assist in the win, in his return from a productive 17:52 in his NHL debut Thursday night in the New York Rangers' 4-3 shootout loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, who won in the 11th round on a shot off the crossbar by Ryan Malone, the son of former Hartford Whalers center Greg Malone, a scout for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Zuccarello played well alongside former Hartford Wolf Pack forward Brandon Dubinsky and rookie sensation center Derek Stepan, who played with McDonagh on the University of Wisconsin team that lost 5-0 to Boston College and Rangers top prospect Chris Kreider in the NCAA title game. Zuccarello had two shots, several good scoring chances and had a "must-score goal" in the third round to extend the shootout.

"He is an interesting cat, isn't he " said Rangers coach John Tortorella, who played Zuccarello in every situation, including starting him in overtime with Stepan. "He made some plays I didn't think he could make. You see his creativity, you see his skill. I try to temper myself because you never know, but give the kid high marks.

"It's a hard thing for a coach when a kid comes up from the minors to put him in situations, but I went in with the mindset that we need skill. Our club needs skill if we are going to continue to build this, so I'm not going to hide him. So I wished him good luck when we sent him back down. He stood right in there and played really well." ... The Whale scratched defensemen Stu Bickel and Lee Baldwin and forward Oren Eizenman. The Sound Tigers scratched blueliners Dustin Kohn and Dustin Friesen and forwards Justin DiBenedetto and Jeremy Yablonski.

WHALE HOSTS PIRATES, DINEEN; FOTIU TO SIGN AUTOGRAPHS

The Whale returns to the XL Center on Wednesday night at 7 when they host the Portland Pirates (17-10-2-1), coached by former Hartford Whalers players Kevin Dineen and Eric Weinrich. Former AHL All-Star right wing Mark Mancari has been the Pirates' major threat all season with 12 goals and 18 assists in 27 games. Center Luke Adam (12, 10) is on recall to the parent Buffalo Sabres, leaving centers Matt Ellis (6, 15) and Paul Byron (9, 10) the other top offensive players, while NHL veteran Mark Parrish (5, 10) offers lots of experience. The Pirates' No. 1 goalie is Swede Jhonas Enroth (8-8-0-1, 2.90 goals-against average, .910 save percentage).

Former Wolf Pack assistant coach Nick Fotiu, one of the biggest fan favorites in the history of the Rangers and New England and Hartford Whalers, will sign autographs in the XL Center atrium from 6-7 p.m. The first 3,000 fans will receive a poster commemorating the 1986-87 Adam Division champion Hartford Whalers, who were led by Dineen, Hall of Famer Ron Francis, John Anderson, Ray Ferraro, Dave Tippett, Paul Lawless, Dean Evason, Dave Babych, Joel Quenneville, Ulf Samuelsson, Dana Murzyn, Sylvain Cote and Mike Liut. ... The Whale moved the starting time of Saturday's game against the Providence Bruins 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 kicks off at 8:30. ... 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.ctwhale.com . ... The AHL is mourning the death of Harry Pidhirny, who was to be inducted into the Hall of Fame during All-Star Classic weekend Jan. 30-31 at the Giant Center in Hershey, Pa. Pidhirny died Monday after a battle with cancer. He was 82. A native of Toronto, Pidhirny played 1,071 games over 17 AHL seasons with the Philadelphia Rockets, Springfield Indians, Syracuse Warriors, Providence Reds and Baltimore Clippers. He scored at least 20 goals in 12 consecutive seasons (1949-61), and on he tied an AHL record by scoring six times in a game on Nov. 21, 1953. He played in five All-Star Games in the 1950s and won the Calder Cup with Springfield in 1960 and 1961. Pidhirny ranks third in AHL history in games played, sixth in goals (376) and seventh in points (829). He was a member of the first class of inductees into the Springfield Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996. In lieu of flowers, the Pidhirny family requested donations be made to the Canadian Cancer Society in Harry's memory.

RENTAL SHOPPING REPLACES CHRISTMAS SHOPPING

Christmas shopping has ended, but rental shopping has is about to begin in the NHL. Teams have until the Feb. 28 deadline to try to refill their stocking for a Stanley Cup run with veterans from the also-rans that can improve their chances to win hockey's most cherished prize.

Forwards Jamie Langenbrunner ($700,000 salary cap hit), captain of the New Jersey Devils and the U.S. Olympic team this year, and Brian Rolston are prime candidates, though Langenbrunner would have to approve any deal because he has a no-trade clause. Barring an unprecedented turnaround, future Hall of Fame goalie Martin Brodeur & Co. will have their 13-year playoff run end and could set a record for worst point falloff in NHL history. The Philadelphia Flyers went from 101 points to 56 in 2006-07, then rebounded with 95 the next season.

The Devils, who have the NHL's worst record (9-23-2 before a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday night), fired Head Coach, and former long-time Devil wing, John MacLean last week and brought back Jacques Lemaire for the third time. But that didn't prevent the Devils from losing 5-1 to the New York Islanders (6-18-6, 1-17-3 during one streak, before a game against the Montreal Canadiens) despite a 35-14 shot advantage, including a stunning 29-6 in the final two periods.

"It looked like they lost their ability to play the game, which is very strange," Lemaire said. "I've never seen this in the past, never. ... It's not 'squeezing the stick,' it's worse than that."

The Rangers have seriously considered adding veteran center Brad Richards of the Dallas Stars, but the recent play of Stepan has seemingly squashed those ideas. Stepan left Wisconsin after his sophomore year and McDonagh after his junior year.

Stepan began his NHL career with a hat trick on opening night and now has a three-game goal-scoring streak, capped by a goal with 8:42 left in regulation that got the Rangers to overtime before losing in the shootout. He also scored the tying goal against the Phoenix Coyotes on Dec. 16 while playing right wing alongside captain/center and Trumbull native Chris Drury, setting up a shootout victory. He has had a few lulls but still plays beyond his 20 years.

"He's a very mature kind," Tortorella said. "He doesn't seem to get rattled."

Connecticut Whale 4 at Bridgeport Sound Tigers 0 Sunday, December 26, 2010 - Arena at Harbor Yard

Connecticut 2 0 2 - 4 Bridgeport 0 0 0 - 0

1st Period-1, Connecticut, Dupont 4 (Kennedy, Zuccarello), 11:48 (PP). 2, Connecticut, Williams 18 (Dupont, Newbury), 15:18 (PP). Penalties-Kundratek Ct (holding), 3:00; Dupont Ct (interference), 9:28; Joensuu Bri (boarding), 10:37; Romano Bri (hooking), 15:09.

2nd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Weise Ct (fighting), 6:43; Labelle Bri (tripping, fighting), 6:43; Niemi Ct (hooking), 14:19; Romano Bri (interference), 17:27.

3rd Period-3, Connecticut, Kolarik 13 6:05. 4, Connecticut, Kolarik 14 (Kennedy, McDonagh), 17:12 (PP). Penalties-Haley Bri (boarding), 8:28; Valentenko Ct (hooking), 10:10; Marcinko Bri (high-sticking), 16:12.

Shots on Goal-Connecticut 9-8-8-25. Bridgeport 9-5-8-22. Power Play Opportunities-Connecticut 3 / 6; Bridgeport 0 / 4. Goalies-Connecticut, Johnson 10-11-3 (22 shots-22 saves). Bridgeport, Poulin 9-4-0 (25 shots-21 saves). A-2,177 Referees-Geno Binda (22). Linesmen-Kevin Redding (16), Luke Galvin (2).

Bob Crawford, Director of Broadcasting and Public Relations

Connecticut Whale| XL Center

One Civic Center Plaza Hartford, CT 06103 Office: 860.541.4725 | Fax: 860.241.4226 E-mail: rcrawford@xlcenter.com

Happy Holidays!

st1:*

Connecticut

Whale 4, Bridgeport Sound Tigers 0

Bridgeport, CT, December 26, 2010 ‚¬" Chad Johnson registered his first shutout of the season with 22 saves, and the Connecticut Whale moved into third place in the AHL's Atlantic Division, with a 4-0 victory over the Bridgeport Sound Tigers Sunday afternoon at Bridgeport's Arena at Harbor Yard.

Chad Kolarik scored two goals for the Whale, who were 3/6 on the power play, and Brodie Dupont added a goal and an assist. Jeremy Williams also scored for Connecticut, and Tim Kennedy had two assists. The victory upped the Whale's record on the season to 15-12-2-5 for 37 points, one point ahead of the idle Worcester Sharks, whose scheduled home game against the Portland Pirates was postponed due to inclement weather.

Bridgeport

controlled much of the first half of the first period and had seven of the game's first 10 shots, but after Johnson and the Whale weathered that storm, they put up a pair of power-play goals 3:30 apart later in the period.

Dupont opened the scoring at 11:48 with his fourth goal of the season, burying a low shot underneath Bridgeport netminder Kevin Poulin's pads from between the circles. Kennedy shoved the puck on goal from the right-wing side of the crease, and it went off of Poulin's stick right to Dupont.

Dupont then made a pinpoint feed out of the right-wing corner to set up Williams for a 2-0 lead at 15:18. That goal came only nine seconds into a Whale man advantage, and was Williams' 18th of the season. Whale leading point-scorer Kris Newbury started the play along the right boards.

The second frame was scoreless, with the best chance for either team coming on the first shift. The Whale's Dale Weise got free in the left-wing circle, and faked around Poulin (21 saves), who had slid out to meet him. With Weise seemingly staring at an open net, one of Poulin's defenders was able to block Weise's shot, with Poulin well out of position.

Kolarik scored twice in the third, preventing a repeat of the Whale's last visit to Bridgeport November 26, when the Sound Tigers erased a 3-0 deficit in the third period before winning 4-3 in a shootout.

Kolarik scored unassisted at 6:05, after knocking down Anton Klementyev's pass near the Bridgeport blue line. Kolarik broke down left wing and, using a teammate as a decoy on a two-on-one, snapped the puck past Poulin's catching glove.

Kolarik then created the final margin with his 14th goal of the season, and tenth in 18 games since joining the Whale, on a power play with 2:48 left. Kennedy took Ryan McDonagh's feed along the goal line on the right-wing side and found Kolarik all alone in the slot. Poulin had no chance on Kolarik's high shot.

The victory improved the Whale's record in the GEICO Connecticut Cup series against the Sound Tigers to 4-1-0-1, and Connecticut now has at least a standings point in 12 of its last 13 games (9-1-0-3) and 14 of the last 16 (11-2-0-3). The shutout was the fourth of Johnson's pro career, and the Whale's third as a team this season. Cam Talbot had the first two. The Whale moved to four points ahead of the fifth-place Sound Tigers, who fell to 15-14-1-2.

ZUCCARELLO BACK AFTER STRONG NHL DEBUT

Whale wing Mats Zuccarello had an assist in the win, in his return from a productive 17:52 in his NHL debut Thursday night in the New York Rangers' 4-3 shootout loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, who won in the 11th round on a shot off the crossbar by Ryan Malone, the son of former Hartford Whalers center Greg Malone, a scout for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Zuccarello played well alongside former Hartford Wolf Pack forward Brandon Dubinsky and rookie sensation center Derek Stepan, who played with McDonagh on the University of Wisconsin team that lost 5-0 to Boston College and Rangers top prospect Chris Kreider in the NCAA title game. Zuccarello had two shots, several good scoring chances and had a "must-score goal" in the third round to extend the shootout.

"He is an interesting cat, isn't he " said Rangers coach John Tortorella, who played Zuccarello in every situation, including starting him in overtime with Stepan. "He made some plays I didn't think he could make. You see his creativity, you see his skill. I try to temper myself because you never know, but give the kid high marks.

"It's a hard thing for a coach when a kid comes up from the minors to put him in situations, but I went in with the mindset that we need skill. Our club needs skill if we are going to continue to build this, so I'm not going to hide him. So I wished him good luck when we sent him back down. He stood right in there and played really well." ‚¬Â¦ The Whale scratched defensemen Stu Bickel and Lee Baldwin and forward Oren Eizenman. The Sound Tigers scratched blueliners Dustin Kohn and Dustin Friesen and forwards Justin DiBenedetto and Jeremy Yablonski.

WHALE HOSTS PIRATES, DINEEN; FOTIU TO SIGN AUTOGRAPHS

The Whale returns to the XL Center on Wednesday night at 7 when they host the Portland Pirates (17-10-2-1), coached by former Hartford Whalers players Kevin Dineen and Eric Weinrich. Former AHL All-Star right wing Mark Mancari has been the Pirates' major threat all season with 12 goals and 18 assists in 27 games. Center Luke Adam (12, 10) is on recall to the parent Buffalo Sabres, leaving centers Matt Ellis (6, 15) and Paul Byron (9, 10) the other top offensive players, while NHL veteran Mark Parrish (5, 10) offers lots of experience. The Pirates' No. 1 goalie is Swede Jhonas Enroth (8-8-0-1, 2.90 goals-against average, .910 save percentage).

Former Wolf Pack assistant coach Nick Fotiu, one of the biggest fan favorites in the history of the Rangers and New England and Hartford Whalers, will sign autographs in the XL Center atrium from 6-7 p.m. The first 3,000 fans will receive a poster commemorating the 1986-87 Adam Division champion Hartford Whalers, who were led by Dineen, Hall of Famer Ron Francis, John Anderson, Ray Ferraro, Dave Tippett, Paul Lawless, Dean Evason, Dave Babych, Joel Quenneville, Ulf Samuelsson, Dana Murzyn, Sylvain Cote and Mike Liut. ‚¬Â¦ The Whale moved the starting time of Saturday's game against the Providence Bruins 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 kicks off at 8:30. ‚¬Â¦ 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.ctwhale.com

. ‚¬Â¦ The AHL is mourning the death of Harry Pidhirny, who was to be inducted into the Hall of Fame during All-Star Classic weekend Jan. 30-31 at the Giant Center in Hershey, Pa. Pidhirny died Monday after a battle with cancer. He was 82. A native of Toronto, Pidhirny played 1,071 games over 17 AHL seasons with the Philadelphia Rockets, Springfield Indians, Syracuse Warriors, Providence Reds and Baltimore Clippers. He scored at least 20 goals in 12 consecutive seasons (1949-61), and on he tied an AHL record by scoring six times in a game on Nov. 21, 1953. He played in five All-Star Games in the 1950s and won the Calder Cup with Springfield in 1960 and 1961. Pidhirny ranks third in AHL history in games played, sixth in goals (376) and seventh in points (829). He was a member of the first class of inductees into the Springfield Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996. In lieu of flowers, the Pidhirny family requested donations be made to the Canadian Cancer Society in Harry's memory.

RENTAL SHOPPING REPLACES CHRISTMAS SHOPPING

Christmas shopping has ended, but rental shopping has is about to begin in the NHL. Teams have until the Feb. 28 deadline to try to refill their stocking for a Stanley Cup run with veterans from the also-rans that can improve their chances to win hockey's most cherished prize.

Forwards Jamie Langenbrunner ($700,000 salary cap hit), captain of the New Jersey Devils and the U.S. Olympic team this year, and Brian Rolston are prime candidates, though Langenbrunner would have to approve any deal because he has a no-trade clause. Barring an unprecedented turnaround, future Hall of Fame goalie Martin Brodeur & Co. will have their 13-year playoff run end and could set a record for worst point falloff in NHL history. The Philadelphia Flyers went from 101 points to 56 in 2006-07, then rebounded with 95 the next season.

The Devils, who have the NHL's worst record (9-23-2 before a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday night), fired Head Coach, and former long-time Devil wing, John MacLean last week and brought back Jacques Lemaire for the third time. But that didn't prevent the Devils from losing 5-1 to the New York Islanders (6-18-6, 1-17-3 during one streak, before a game against the Montreal Canadiens) despite a 35-14 shot advantage, including a stunning 29-6 in the final two periods.

"It looked like they lost their ability to play the game, which is very strange," Lemaire said. "I've never seen this in the past, never. ‚¬Â¦ It's not ‚¬Ëœsqueezing the stick,' it's worse than that."

The Rangers have seriously considered adding veteran center Brad Richards of the Dallas Stars, but the recent play of Stepan has seemingly squashed those ideas. Stepan left Wisconsin after his sophomore year and McDonagh after his junior year.

Stepan began his NHL career with a hat trick on opening night and now has a three-game goal-scoring streak, capped by a goal with 8:42 left in regulation that got the Rangers to overtime before losing in the shootout. He also scored the tying goal against the Phoenix Coyotes on Dec. 16 while playing right wing alongside captain/center and Trumbull native Chris Drury, setting up a shootout victory. He has had a few lulls but still plays beyond his 20 years.

"He's a very mature kind," Tortorella said. "He doesn't seem to get rattled."

Connecticut

Whale 4 at Bridgeport Sound Tigers 0 Sunday, December 26, 2010 - Arena at Harbor Yard

Connecticut 2 0 2 - 4 Bridgeport 0 0 0 - 0

1st Period-1, Connecticut, Dupont 4 (Kennedy, Zuccarello), 11:48 (PP). 2, Connecticut, Williams 18 (Dupont, Newbury), 15:18 (PP). Penalties-Kundratek Ct (holding), 3:00; Dupont Ct (interference), 9:28; Joensuu Bri (boarding), 10:37; Romano Bri (hooking), 15:09.

2nd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Weise Ct (fighting), 6:43; Labelle Bri (tripping, fighting), 6:43; Niemi Ct (hooking), 14:19; Romano Bri (interference), 17:27.

3rd Period-3, Connecticut, Kolarik 13 6:05. 4, Connecticut, Kolarik 14 (Kennedy, McDonagh), 17:12 (PP). Penalties-Haley Bri (boarding), 8:28; Valentenko Ct (hooking), 10:10; Marcinko Bri (high-sticking), 16:12.

Shots on Goal-Connecticut 9-8-8-25. Bridgeport 9-5-8-22.

Power Play Opportunities-Connecticut 3 / 6; Bridgeport 0 / 4.

Goalies-Connecticut, Johnson 10-11-3 (22 shots-22 saves). Bridgeport, Poulin 9-4-0 (25 shots-21 saves).

A-2,177 Referees-Geno Binda (22).

Linesmen-Kevin Redding (16), Luke Galvin (2).

Bob Crawford, Director of Broadcasting and Public Relations

Connecticut

Whale

|

XL Center

One Civic

Center

Plaza

Hartford,

CT

06103

Office: 860.541.4725 | Fax: 860.241.4226 E-mail:

rcrawford@xlcenter.com

Happy Holidays!

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