Whale Weekly

Published on April 2, 2012 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Connecticut Whale News Release


The Whale earned three points in the standings in three home games this past weekend, losing to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, 3-0, to start the weekend on Friday before skating in a couple close games Saturday and Sunday. Connecticut blanked the Adirondack Phantoms, 3-0, on Saturday, before falling victim to the Providence Bruins, 3-2 in overtime, on Sunday to finish the span of three games in three days. Kris Newbury posted another three-point weekend with a goal and two assists, while Kelsey Tessier tallied two goals on Saturday. Cam Talbot stopped 72 out of 75 shots on the weekend while picking up his third shutout of the season Saturday.

AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE STANDINGS

Atlantic Division

Rank Team GP W L OTL SL PTS PCT GF GA STK P10 S/O PIM

1 y St. John's IceCaps 69 40 21 5 3 88 0.638 221 192 1-0-0-0 3-6-0-1 4-3 971

2 Manchester Monarchs 71 36 31 1 3 76 0.535 191 195 1-0-1-0 6-3-1-0 5-3 1268

3 Portland Pirates 70 32 29 4 5 73 0.521 201 236 2-0-1-1 5-2-1-2 4-5 1219

4 Providence Bruins 71 32 32 3 4 71 0.500 180 202 1-0-0-0 6-4-0-0 7-4 1038

5 Worcester Sharks 69 28 30 4 7 67 0.486 183 200 0-6-0-0 2-8-0-0 2-7 1500

Northeast Division

Rank Team GP W L OTL SL PTS PCT GF GA STK P10 S/O PIM

1 Bridgeport Sound Tigers 70 37 24 3 6 83 0.593 216 206 5-0-0-1 5-4-0-1 4-6 1250

2 Connecticut Whale 70 34 24 7 5 80 0.571 201 195 1-0-1-0 4-4-2-0 7-5 1156

3 Adirondack Phantoms 70 34 32 2 2 72 0.514 187 198 0-1-0-0 5-4-0-1 3-2 1195

4 Springfield Falcons 71 33 32 3 3 72 0.507 199 218 2-0-0-0 5-4-0-1 5-3 1189

5 Albany Devils 70 30 29 6 5 71 0.507 178 207 0-1-0-0 3-6-0-1 2-5 1148

East Division

Rank Team GP W L OTL SL PTS PCT GF GA STK P10 S/O PIM

1 y Norfolk Admirals 70 49 18 1 2 101 0.721 252 172 22-0-0-0 10-0-0-0 3-2 1315

2 x Wilkes-Barre/Scr. Penguins 70 41 22 2 5 89 0.636 221 203 3-0-0-0 7-3-0-0 7-5 1109

3 x Hershey Bears 70 38 21 4 7 87 0.621 233 203 0-1-0-1 7-1-0-2 7-7 1434

4 Syracuse Crunch 70 33 27 5 5 76 0.543 224 221 8-0-1-1 8-0-1-1 6-5 1139

5 Binghamton Senators 71 28 37 4 2 62 0.437 193 227 1-0-1-0 4-4-2-0 2-2 1064

North Division

Rank Team GP W L OTL SL PTS PCT GF GA STK P10 S/O PIM

1 Toronto Marlies 71 41 23 4 3 89 0.627 203 162 3-0-0-0 8-2-0-0 2-3 1064

2 Lake Erie Monsters 72 34 28 3 7 78 0.542 177 201 1-0-0-0 3-3-1-3 5-7 1228

3 Rochester Americans 69 32 25 8 4 76 0.551 203 203 0-2-1-0 4-3-2-1 6-4 960

4 Grand Rapids Griffins 69 31 28 6 4 72 0.522 223 221 0-1-0-0 5-5-0-0 4-4 1080

5 Hamilton Bulldogs 70 32 31 2 5 71 0.507 172 208 2-0-0-0 6-4-0-0 2-5 1139

Midwest Division

Rank Team GP W L OTL SL PTS PCT GF GA STK P10 S/O PIM

1 Chicago Wolves 69 38 25 3 3 82 0.594 191 175 2-0-1-0 6-3-1-0 2-3 997

2 Charlotte Checkers 68 35 24 3 6 79 0.581 190 186 2-0-0-1 4-5-0-1 5-6 979

3 Peoria Rivermen 71 37 30 2 2 78 0.549 206 190 1-0-0-0 5-4-0-1 5-2 1068

4 Rockford IceHogs 71 34 29 2 6 76 0.535 198 214 5-0-0-1 6-3-0-1 6-6 1328

5 Milwaukee Admirals 68 34 28 2 4 74 0.544 187 178 0-1-0-1 4-4-0-2 3-4 977

West Division

Rank Team GP W L OTL SL PTS PCT GF GA STK P10 S/O PIM

1 y Oklahoma City Barons 70 42 19 4 5 93 0.664 202 166 0-1-0-0 6-2-1-1 5-5 1040

2 Abbotsford Heat 70 36 26 3 5 80 0.571 174 191 2-0-0-1 4-4-0-2 6-5 1175

3 San Antonio Rampage 70 37 28 3 2 79 0.564 182 191 0-1-0-0 4-5-0-1 5-2 935

4 Houston Aeros 70 32 23 5 10 79 0.564 187 192 0-3-2-1 4-3-2-1 5-10 914

5 Texas Stars 70 30 36 2 2 64 0.457 209 231 0-1-0-0 3-7-0-0 3-2 908

This week:

The Whale enter the second-to-last weekend of the regular season with one home game and a pair of tough Pennsylvania road games on the schedule. Friday night, the Whale will host the Manchester Monarchs at the XL Center (7:00 PM faceoff), before heading to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to meet the Penguins for the final time this season on Saturday (7:05). On Sunday, the Whale will meet the Hershey Bears, also for the final time this season (5:00).

Friday, April 6 vs. Manchester Monarchs at the XL Center, 7:00 PM

- 5,000 fans at this game will receive a free Whale team poster, courtesy of AT&T the Real Yellow Pages.

- This is the fifth of six meetings this season between the Monarchs and the Whale, the second of the season against Manchester at the XL Center

- As at every remaining Friday-night Whale home game in the regular season, fans can take advantage of a special meal combo deal at this game. A hot dog and a 12-ounce soda is only $5.

- The Whale have taken all four tilts against the Monarchs this season, including the last, a 5-3 win in Manchester back on March 11.

- Casey Wellman has led the Whale with five points against the Monarchs (3g-2a-5pts.) in three games, while Andreas Thuresson has scored three times versus Manchester for four points (3-1-4).

- Justin Azevedo is one of three Monarchs with three points against Connecticut this season (2-1-3).

- The Monarchs lost two out of three games this past week, losing to Portland Friday before defeating Worcester on Saturday. Manchester finished the weekend with an overtime loss at Bridgeport.

- The Monarchs occupy the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference with 76 points, tied with the seventh-seeded Syracuse Crunch.

- Television - this game features the third of three live "Whale TV" telecasts on CPTV Sports, presented by Webster Bank, with Bob Crawford and Garry Swain at the mikes. CPTV Sports is available on Comcast cable channels 185, 187 and 744 and on the Cox Communications cable system channel 144.

- Radio - CT Whale "Rockin' Hockey", live with Mark Bailey, on "The Rock" 106.9 WCCC-FM, and on-line at www.ctwhale.com.

Saturday, April 7 at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza), 7:05 PM

- The Whale meet Penguins for the final time this season on Saturday, their second trip of the year to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

- Connecticut has lost two out of three meetings with the Penguins to date, including a 3-0 shutout this past Friday at the XL Center.

- The Whale defeated the Penguins, 1-0 in a shootout, in the second game of the season October 9 in Wilkes-Barre, in their only previous visit of the year.

- Jonathan Audy-Marchessault is the only active Whale player with a goal against the Penguins this season, while Mike Vernace tallied a pair of assists for Norfolk against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton prior to joining the Whale.

- The Penguins have won three straight games to clinch a playoff berth, and they currently sit in fourth place in the Eastern Conference playoff picture.

- Ben Street (1-2-3) and Alex Grant (2-1-3) have both tallied three points over their last three games for the Pens.

- Radio - CT Whale "Rockin' Hockey", live with Bob Crawford on "The Rock" 106.9 WCCC-FM, and on-line at www.ctwhale.com.

Sunday, April 8 at Hershey Bears (Giant Center), 5:00 PM

- The Whale clash with the Hershey Bears Sunday evening for the final time this season. Connecticut has won two of their first three meetings with Hershey.

- Connecticut defeated the Bears, 4-1, in their last head-to-head tilt on Feb. 4 in Hershey. Tommy Grant had two goals in that game to lead the Whale.

- Andre Deveaux (1-2-3), Kelsey Tessier (1-2-3) and Tim Erixon (0-3-3) have all notched three points against Hershey this season.

- Keith Aucoin, currently on recall with the parent Washington Capitals, has tallied five assists against the Whale, while Ryan Bourque's brother Chris has gathered four points (2-2-4).

- The Bears lost back-to-back games on Saturday and Sunday this past weekend, but have clinched a playoff spot, as they currently stand in fifth place in the Eastern Conference with 87 points.

- Hershey will take on arch-rival Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Friday, and the Syracuse Crunch Saturday, before hosting the Whale to close out the weekend.

- Radio - CT Whale "Rockin' Hockey", live with Bob Crawford on "The Rock" 106.9 WCCC-FM, and on-line at www.ctwhale.com

"Whale TV", presented by Webster Bank:

- The following special "Whale TV" selections are available this week to Comcast Xfinity on Demand customers throughout New England, in the "Get Local" folder of Comcast's On Demand Service:

o Brendan Bell Interview (Whale Special Events folder) - Whale veteran defensive stalwart Brendan Bell talks to Bob Crawford, the voice of the Whale, about the Whale's defense and playoff push.

o Whale vs. Adirondack Highlights (Game of the Week folder) - highlights package of the Whale's solid effort against division-rival Adirondack from this past Saturday night.

- Every week, CPTV Sports will air an edited re-broadcast of a Whale game, on "Whale TV Replay". CPTV Sports is available on Comcast cable channels 185, 187 and 744 and on the Cox Communications cable system channel 144.

o This Tuesday night at 7:00 PM, Whale TV Replay will feature a re-broadcast of the Whale and Adirondack's Northeast Division skirmish from Saturday night.

Recent Transactions:

Tim Erixon - Returned to the Whale by the NY Rangers March 29

Marek Hrivik - Signed by the Whale to an Amateur Tryout (ATO) agreement March 31

Whale Tales:

Whale season seat-holders who reserve their full-season 2012-13 Whale tickets by April 13 will receive access for four people to the luxurious CT Whale Director's Suite at the XL Center, for one Whale 2012-13 home game. This allows the opportunity to watch the game alongside Whale executive personnel and special guests, and to enjoy all of the high-end amenities of the Director's Suite. Additionally, all Whale full-season 2012-13 subscribers who purchase by April 13 will receive a custom-made, high-quality season ticket-holder jersey fleece. The jersey fleece will be exclusive to Whale full-season ticket-holders, and will feature a "Season Ticket Holder 2012-13" patch that designates it as a unique item. For more information on purchasing Whale season tickets, call (860) 728-3366, visit the Season Ticket Holder table behind Section 101 at a Whale home game or log on to www.ctwhale.com.

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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American Hockey League Stories from April 2, 2012


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