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Whale win in shootout

March 22, 2013 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Connecticut Whale News Release


Hartford, CT - The Connecticut Whale closed out a season series with the Hershey Bears on Friday night in Hartford, opening a three-in-three weekend at home, skating to a 3-2 shootout victory with help from some less frequent scorers. Nick Palmieri opened scoring, while Sam Klassen assisted on both Whale goals on the night.

"That was a welcomed surprise," Whale coach Ken Gernander said. Gernander added, of a two on one that Klassen slid to shut down late in the second, "He did a nice job there, it's not like these (the Bears) aren't highly skilled players."

Palmieri opened scoring in the first with a backhand that snuck through Bears netminder Philipp Grubauer. Despite a shot that Gernander agreed Grubauer could have handled, Palmieri put in a great effort in the zone to earn the chance. His 13th of the season came at 5:32 from Klassen.

Hershey knotted things up with 7:44 to play in the period. Emerging from the corner, Jon DiSalvatore connected with Jeff Taffe in the slot for a one-timer, that banged off the skates of Nicolas Deschamps and passed Jason Missiaen, who started his fourth straight game in the Connecticut goal.

The Whale nearly found a lead late in the period with more strong play from Klassen, jumping to glove a puck at the point and feeding a backhand to Kris Newbury for a Dylan McIlrath chance. Kelsey Tessier hit the post on the short side moments later with four minutes left. The first would end tied at one apiece.

The Bears picked up the offense in the second. After sustaining the offensive zone for several minutes, former Hartford Wolf Pack Boyd Kane jabbed a puck ahead from the point to Ryan Potulny. Potulny's shot rang in off the elbow of the goal frame and gave Hershey a 2-1 lead.

In the closing minute of the second, Klassen catalyzed a second goal, passing across the blueline to Blake Parlett. Parlett then fed Newbury on the half-boards and one-timed a return pass around a Benn Ferriero screen to even things up at 2-2. Parlett said of his season's sixth goal, "Our forwards were doing a great job of cycling all night on their D. It seemed like their wingers were collapsing a bit which opened up the points. The forwards kept throwing it up to us, the d to d was open all night so it worked out, we got a goal off it."

McIlrath went for elbowing in the early minutes of the third following a collision with Missiaen that turned in to a shoving match. Following the kill, he emerged from the box and took the puck in alone on Grubauer, but was hauled down on the way with no penalty awarded.

Grubauer then came up with four huge stops in a row, as Ferriero and Newbury tried to jam one home. On the play, Brandon Mashinter slapped Grubauer's stick away from him and was called for interference. A Ryan Stoa penalty would negate the Bears' power play with 35 seconds remaining on Mashinter's minor.

Regulation ended in a draw, and the teams exchanged chances in the extra five minutes; the most exciting of which was a Christian Thomas penalty shot after he was hooked on the way to Grubauer's crease with 1:42 left. Grubauer turned him away and a shootout score from Kris Newbury, coupled with a perfect five for five performance from Missiaen, earned Connecticut the win.

Missiaen was stellar in goal again with 35 saves, while Grubauer turned away 26 of 28 he faced.

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