
Whale Silence Phantoms, 6-4
Published on December 15, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Connecticut Whale News Release
GLENS FALLS, N.Y. - The Connecticut Whale hasn't had the problem scoring goals lately that they had early in the season, but they outdid themselves Wednesday night.
The Whale needed only eight shots to score four goals in the second period and then survived several ill-advised penalties in the third period to hold on for a 6-4 victory over the Adirondack Phantoms before 2,170 at the Glens Falls Civic Center.
Kris Newbury, Wade Redden, Tim Kennedy and Kelsey Tessier helped the Whale bat .500 in the second 20 minutes and score their most goals in a period this season, including two of their three on the power play. But they needed Mats Zuccarello's empty-net goal off Newbury's second assist with 25.8 seconds left to extend their season-high winning streak to five games and improve to 7-0-0-1 since being rebranded from the Wolf Pack on Nov. 27.
"We got our two points, but we weren't as disciplined as we should be and can't take that many penalties (four minors) in the third period," Whale coach Ken Gernander said. "These were some penalties we didn't need to take and some calls you don't always agree with, but if you're in the offensive zone and playing sound and on the right side of your checks, then more times than not, you're not going to take penalties. If not, you tend to play loosey-goosey.
"But they came at us hard in our building (in a 4-3 victory Sunday), and they came at us hard in the third period here. I don't think their record (4-23-2-0) is indicative of the kind of team they have. They're going to create chances and opportunities on their own, but you have to make them earn all of them. We can't give them advantages as far as manpower."
The numerous turnovers on both sides made life miserable for the goalies, who allowed nine goals on 47 shots, plus Zuccarello's empty-netter. The Whale was 3-for-6 on the power play and the Phantoms 3-for-7, including 2-for-4 in the third period.
Whale goalie Cameron Talbot made 19 saves to notch his fourth consecutive victory in his first back-to-back starts to improve to 5-2-0-0 with a 2.24 goals-against average and .924 save percentage. The Whale (13-11-2-4) notched their second victory over the AHL's worst team in three days, increased their point streak to nine games (7-0-0-2) and are two games above .500 for the first time since they were 3-1-0-1 after a 3-0 victory over Providence on Oct. 17.
That win was followed by a 1-9-2-1 slide, but the Whale have completely turned it around with a total team effort to climb into fourth place and only four points behind division co-leaders Portland and Manchester.
Kennedy had arguably his best game with a goal and two assists after having only three points in the previous nine games.
"I think he was more of the dynamic player that we're used to seeing," Gernander said. "He was using his skating and had some jump and some hop."
Kennedy said he felt it was one of his better games since being assigned to the Wolf Pack on Oct. 13.
"Just because I got three points doesn't mean it was one of my best games," said Kennedy, who has four goals and 14 assists in 24 games. "I think I've played good at some times this year but the points just haven't come. But I think it was a good strong game, our line (with Evgeny Grachev and Jeremy Williams) was going good and the power play got back on track. It was a sloppy third period, but I think if we clean that up, I think it was a good game overall."
Kennedy said work in practice on puck movement on the power play proved time well spent.
"We started off the season good on the power play and then we went dry for two weeks with some opportunities but not many goals," Kennedy said. "I think all the work just paid off. We've just been trying to move the puck around and get some shots, and we finally scored some goals."
The Whale has scored power-play goals in the last four games (6-for-21) after going scoreless (0-for-17) in the previous five games.
The Phantoms, who lost their 13th in 14 starts, nearly took an early lead, but Mike Testwuide hit the post at 8:38 of a scoreless first period in which each team had eight shots.
But the Whale took the lead for good on a 5-on-3 power play as Newbury lifted Kennedy's rebound over a fallen Brian Stewart (22 saves) at 5:04 of the second period. The goal extended Newbury's scoring streak to seven games (three goals, 11 assists).
Stewart, playing for the first time in 20 days, somehow kept it 1-0 when he reached back to keep Brodie Dupont's rebound out of the net at 6:35. But Redden took a pass from Dale Weise and fired a 50-foot shot that went in off a screened Stewart at 13:13.
On the ensuing faceoff, Kennedy stole the puck from the Phantoms' Danny Syvret and scored 11 seconds after Redden's goal. Syvret's one-timer from the right circle beat Talbot to the glove side with 5:25 left in the period, but the Whale capped their second-period outburst with the game's nicest play. Grachev rushed the puck down the right wing and passed to Justin Soryal, who dropped the puck to Tessier for a one-timer into an open net with 42.7 seconds left.
After Stewart robbed Chad Kolarik and Jyri Niemi hit the post in the first 1:32 of the third period, the Phantoms got to 4-2 when veteran Denis Hamel stole the puck from Ryan McDonagh in the left circle and beat Talbot to the low far corner at 4:01.
Just 60 seconds later, Kennedy made a brilliant pass into the high slot to Weise, who scored his third goal in two games for a 5-2 lead. But the Phantoms refused to quit, as Erik Gustafsson one-timed Syvret's pass on a 5-on-3 power play to make it 5-3 at 8:32, then Ben Holmstrom converted Hamel's rebound on another power play with 3:15 left.
But Newbury completed a three-point night when he fed Zuccarello for his 13th goal into an empty net.
"We made a lot of horrible plays," said Phantoms coach John Paddock, the former Wolf Pack coach who is 2-13-1-0 since taking over for the fired Greg Gilbert on Nov. 8, when Adirondack was 2-10-1-0. "I thought we left Stewart out to dry on most of their goals. Penalties gave us chance, but as good as the game was Sunday, I thought this was a poor game by us.
"I think they did a good job of clogging up the neutral zone and turning pucks over for two periods. I don't know if that was us or them, but that was the difference in the game."
ROUGH RIDE FOR FORMER WOLF PACK/WHALE CAPTAIN
Former Wolf Pack/Whale captain Greg Moore had always been on successful hockey teams, especially at the University of Maine and in his three seasons in Hartford. But his fifth pro season has been nothing short of a nightmare individually and team-wise.
Moore has no goals, seven assists and is minus-19 in 29 games for a team with the AHL's worst record by 12 points.
"I've been getting more chances lately, but on both of my last two best chances, my stick broke," Moore said with a smile. "This is the longest streak I've ever gone without scoring, so this is uncharted waters. But giving up is not an option."
The same could be said for the Phantoms, who are in their second season in one of the longtime hotbeds of the league partly made famous by former Whalers coach Bill Dineen, who led the former Red Wings to two Calder Cup titles.
"I've never been in a situation where I was losing so much," Moore said. "We've been out-chancing teams and putting ourselves in position to win, but for whatever reason, we've been finding ways to lose." ... The Whale scratched center Oren Eizenman and defensemen Stu Bickel and Lee Baldwin. Eizenman was replaced by Ryan Garlock, who played between Soryal and Devin DiDiomete. Bickel was replaced by Jared Nightingale, who was paired with McDonagh. Phantoms goalie Michael Leighton and defenseman Matt Walker returned to the parent Philadelphia Flyers after conditioning stints. The Phantoms also scratched goalie Johan Backlund (foot), defenseman Logan Stephenson and forwards Jonathon Kalinski and Brendan Connolly, who was returned to the ECHL's Greenville Road Warriors, who are affiliated with the Flyers and New York Rangers. ... This was one of about 300 AHL games to have two referees, Chris Brown and David Banfield.
WHALE HOSTS SHARKS IN FINAL PRE-CHRISTMAS HOME GAME
The Whale returns to the XL Center on Friday night for its final home game before Christmas against the Worcester Sharks (15-8-1-4), who are 5-1-0-1 in their last seven games but only three points ahead of the surging Whale, who are 1-1-0-1 against coach Roy Sommer's team.
The Sharks' leading scorer is right wing Jonathan Cheechoo, who had 56 goals with the San Jose Sharks in the 2005-06 season and is tied for sixth in the AHL in points (11 goals, 19 assists in 28 games) and has goals in back-to-back games (two) and four of his last six (four). Alex Stalock (13-7-0-2, 2.80 goals-against average, .905 save percentage) is usually tough on the Whale.
It's a Guida's Family "Value Night." Family value packages start as low as $48 and include three tickets, three hot dogs or pizza slices, three sodas and a Whale souvenir. Guida's Family Value Night packs are available at the XL Center box office and online at www.ctwhale.com . The first 1,000 fans will receive a free poster of wing Brodie Dupont. Fans can meet Santa in the XL Center atrium from 6-7 p.m. during which time carolers also will be entertaining. ... Howard Baldwin Jr., the newly appointed president and chief operating officer of Whalers Sports and Entertainment, has a new Twitter account that is accessible to Whale fans at howardbaldwinjr. ... 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 because of his toughness, will sign autographs in the XL Center atrium Dec. 29 from 6-7 p.m. before the Whale plays the Portland Pirates and coach Kevin Dineen, the last captain of the Whalers. ... 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 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 starts at 8:30.
DRURY RETURNS, CALLAHAN BREAK HAND
Rangers captain/center and Trumbull native Chris Drury returned to the lineup Wednesday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins after being out since the third game of the season on Oct. 15 with a re-broken left index finger. Drury, who had played a total of 9 minutes, 11 seconds this season, started on a line with Sean Avery and Erik Christensen as veteran Todd White was a healthy scratch.
But while Drury returned, former Wolf Pack right wing Ryan Callahan sustained a broken right hand when he blocked a slap shot by Penguins defenseman Kris Letang in the first period. It's a huge loss for the Rangers as Callahan is the team's second-leading scorer with 10 goals and 13 assists in 31 games. But even without Callahan, the Rangers got third-period goals from Christensen, Alex Frolov, former Wolf Pack center Artem Anisimov and Brian Boyle to wipe out a one-goal deficit and win 4-1 on the road as Henrik Lundqvist made 27 saves.
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