Whale Weekly

Published on April 9, 2012 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Connecticut Whale News Release


The Whale clinched its 14th playoff berth in 15 seasons of existence this past weekend, winning two out of three games. Connecticut improved to 5-0-0-0 against the Manchester Monarchs this season with a 2-1 overtime win Friday night at the XL Center, but struggled again against Scott Munroe and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Saturday in a 3-0 loss on the road. Connecticut would rebound with a solid 1-0 victory over the Hershey Bears Sunday afternoon, allowing the Whale to clinch a playoff spot thanks to Cam Talbot's shutout in goal and Pavel Valentenko's game-winning tally. Casey Wellman had a hand in two important goals this weekend, scoring the overtime winner on Friday and assisting on Valentenko's goal on Sunday.

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 73 42 23 5 3 92 0.630 234 208 1-0-0-0 4-5-0-1 4-3 1017

2 Manchester Monarchs 72 36 31 2 3 77 0.535 192 197 1-0-2-0 5-3-2-0 5-3 1274

3 Portland Pirates 73 34 30 4 5 77 0.527 213 246 2-0-0-0 5-2-1-2 5-5 1265

4 Providence Bruins 73 34 32 3 4 75 0.514 187 204 3-0-0-0 7-3-0-0 7-4 1066

5 Worcester Sharks 72 29 31 4 8 70 0.486 189 209 0-1-0-1 2-7-0-1 2-8 1579

Northeast Division

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

1 x Bridgeport Sound Tigers 73 39 25 3 6 87 0.596 224 213 0-1-0-0 7-2-0-1 4-6 1310

2 x Connecticut Whale 73 36 25 7 5 84 0.575 204 199 1-0-0-0 4-4-2-0 7-5 1212

3 Adirondack Phantoms 73 36 33 2 2 76 0.521 197 207 0-1-0-0 6-3-0-1 3-2 1242

4 Springfield Falcons 74 34 34 3 3 74 0.500 210 228 0-1-0-0 4-6-0-0 5-3 1236

5 Albany Devils 73 30 32 6 5 71 0.486 184 217 0-4-0-0 3-7-0-0 2-5 1226

East Division

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

1 y Norfolk Admirals 73 52 18 1 2 107 0.733 261 175 25-0-0-0 10-0-0-0 3-2 1402

2 x Wilkes-Barre/Scr. Penguins 73 43 23 2 5 93 0.637 229 207 2-0-0-0 7-3-0-0 7-5 1180

3 x Hershey Bears 73 38 23 4 8 88 0.603 237 211 0-3-0-2 5-3-0-2 7-8 1540

4 Syracuse Crunch 73 35 28 5 5 80 0.548 233 227 1-0-0-0 7-1-1-1 7-5 1194

5 Binghamton Senators 74 28 40 4 2 62 0.419 196 239 0-3-0-0 3-6-1-0 2-2 1155

North Division

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

1 y Toronto Marlies 74 44 23 4 3 95 0.642 213 167 6-0-0-0 8-2-0-0 2-3 1110

2 Lake Erie Monsters 74 36 28 3 7 82 0.554 183 205 3-0-0-0 4-3-0-3 5-7 1273

3 Rochester Americans 73 34 26 9 4 81 0.555 213 214 2-0-1-0 3-3-3-1 6-4 1024

4 Grand Rapids Griffins 72 32 29 7 4 75 0.521 231 230 0-1-1-0 4-5-1-0 4-4 1112

5 Hamilton Bulldogs 73 32 34 2 5 71 0.486 174 217 0-3-0-0 5-5-0-0 2-5 1182

Midwest Division

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

1 Chicago Wolves 72 40 26 3 3 86 0.597 199 179 2-0-0-0 7-2-1-0 2-3 1013

2 Milwaukee Admirals 72 38 28 2 4 82 0.569 200 182 4-0-0-1 7-1-0-2 4-4 1004

3 Peoria Rivermen 74 39 31 2 2 82 0.554 214 197 0-1-0-0 4-5-0-1 5-2 1076

4 Charlotte Checkers 72 35 28 3 6 79 0.549 195 204 0-4-0-0 3-6-0-1 5-6 1016

5 Rockford IceHogs 73 34 31 2 6 76 0.521 202 220 0-2-0-0 6-3-0-1 6-6 1361

West Division

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

1 y Oklahoma City Barons 73 43 21 4 5 95 0.651 206 172 0-2-0-0 5-4-0-1 5-5 1074

2 x Abbotsford Heat 74 40 26 3 5 88 0.595 192 197 6-0-0-1 7-1-0-2 6-5 1217

3 Houston Aeros 73 33 24 5 11 82 0.562 194 200 1-0-0-1 2-4-2-2 5-11 928

4 San Antonio Rampage 72 38 29 3 2 81 0.562 185 195 0-1-0-0 5-4-0-1 5-2 947

5 Texas Stars 72 30 38 2 2 64 0.444 213 238 0-3-0-0 3-7-0-0 3-2 927

This week:

The Whale enter the last week of the regular season with three more games against opponents in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race. The Whale will head to Portland to face the Pirates Wednesday night (6:30 PM faceoff), before the last Whale home game of the season Friday night, "Fan Appreciation Night" against the Manchester Monarchs at the XL Center (7:00). Connecticut will wrap-up their regular season slate with a road contest against the Syracuse Crunch on Saturday (7:30).

Wednesday, April 11 at Portland Pirates (Cumberland County Civic Center), 6:30 PM

- The Whale face the Pirates in their final regular season head-to-head tilt Wednesday, their eighth meeting of the season.

- Connecticut has won three of seven meetings with the Pirates on the year, but lost their last contest, 4-1, back on March 23 in Hartford.

- The Whale have yet to win on Portland's home ice this season, losing two one-goal decisions and one two-goal decision on the road against the Pirates.

- Jonathan Audy-Marchessault leads the Whale with seven points against the Pirates this year (4-3-7), while Tommy Grant (3-3-6) and Kelsey Tessier (2-4-6) have each gathered six points.

- Andy Miele has paced the Pirates in scoring against the Whale with eight points on the season (1-7-8).

- The Pirates have won two straight games headed into this week's action, and are tied with the Manchester Monarchs for a share of the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, at 77 points apiece.

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

Friday, April 13 vs. Manchester Monarchs at the XL Center, 7:00 PM

- This is "Fan Appreciation Night" at the XL Center, the Whale's last home game of the regular season. Five-thousand will receive a green Whale bracelet, courtesy of Xfinity.

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

- Fans can take advantage of a special Friday-night meal combo deal at this game. A hot dog and a 12-ounce soda is only $5.

- The Whale have taken all five tilts against the Monarchs this season, including the last, a 2-1 overtime win here in Hartford this past Friday.

- Casey Wellman has led the Whale with six points against the Monarchs (4g-2a-6pts.) in four games, while Andreas Thuresson has scored three times versus Manchester for five points (3-2-5).

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

- The Monarchs lost their last two games to fall into a tie with the Portland Pirates for the last playoff spot at 77 points.

- Manchester will face Worcester on the road on Tuesday before meeting the Whale Friday.

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

Saturday, April 14 at Syracuse Crunch (Onondaga County War Memorial at Oncenter), 7:30 PM

- The Whale finish out the regular season with their second game of the year against the Syracuse Crunch, their only visit of the season to Syracuse.

- Connecticut defeated the Crunch, 3-1, on February 7 in their only previous meeting of the year.

- Scott Tanski had one goal in that game to back a 23-save performance from Whale goaltender Chad Johnson.

- Jean-Francois Jacques had the only goal of the game for Syracuse, with Devante Smith-Pelly picking up the lone assist.

- The Crunch have a hold on seventh place in the Eastern Conference, four points behind the Whale, entering the week, winning two of their last three games with victories over Hershey and Binghamton.

- Syracuse will visit in-state rival Rochester Friday night before taking on the Whale Saturday.

- 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 Marek Hrivik Interview (Whale Special Events folder) - Recent Whale addition Marek Hrivik chats with Bob Crawford, the voice of the Whale, about Hrivik's transition to the AHL from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

o "CIGNA Hockey in the Streets" Feature (Whale Special Events folder) - Whalers Sports & Entertainment's Garry Swain, the former New England Whaler, and Bob Crawford showcase the East Hartford graduation ceremony of the Whale's "CIGNA Hockey in the Streets" program.

o Whale vs. Manchester Highlights (Game of the Week folder) - full highlights of the Whale's key Eastern Conference matchup from this past Friday vs. Manchester, that features a thrilling ending.

- 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's skirmish with their arch-rivals the Providence Bruins from last Sunday at the XL Center.

Recent Transactions:

Christian Thomas - Reassigned by the NY Rangers to the Whale from Oshawa (OHL) April 3

Shane McColgan - Signed by the Whale to an Amateur Tryout (ATO) agreement April 4

Jeff Prough - Returned by the Whale on loan to Greenville (ECHL) April 5

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 9, 2012


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