Wolf Pack Tie For Second Place In Division

January 30, 2006 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Connecticut Whale News Release


The Wolf Pack won three out of four games last week, to head into the AHL's All-Star break tied for second place in the Atlantic Division. The Pack beat Springfield, 6-3, on Wednesday night at the Hartford Civic Center, before splitting a home-and-home series with Lowell. The Lock Monsters handed the Wolf Pack their most lopsided loss of the season Friday in Lowell, an 8-2 verdict, but the Pack rebounded with a 4-2 victory in Hartford Saturday. The Wolf Pack finished out the weekend by defeating the Albany River Rats at home Sunday, winning by a final of 5-4. Alexandre Giroux had seven points, including four goals, in the four games, and Thomas Pöck continued his strong offensive output, generating four points (1-3-4) in Wednesday's game and 2-4-6 for the week. This morning the parent New York Rangers reassigned center Bruce Graham and defenseman Rory Rawlyk to Charlotte of the ECHL.

This week: After playing eight games in a span of 12 days, the Pack have only one game on the schedule, Saturday's visit to division-leading Portland (7:05), in the succeeding 11 days. The league breaks this week for the 2006 Rbk Hockey AHL All-Star Classic, which takes place Tuesday and Wednesday nights at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg.

Tuesday, January 31 - 2006 Rbk Hockey AHL All-Star Classic - CCM AHL All-Star Skills Competition (MTS Centre, Winnipeg), 8:00 p.m. * The Planet USA and Canadian All-Star squads showcase their skills in a dozen different tests of hockey ability. * The Wolf Pack will be represented on the Planet USA side by goaltender Al Montoya and defenseman Thomas Pöck. * Broadcast - live telecast on FSN New England, NHL Center Ice and Fox College Sports (digital); free live video webcast on B2 Networks via www.theahl.com.

Wednesday, February 1 - 2006 Rbk Hockey AHL All-Star Classic - AHL All-Star Game (MTS Centre, Winnipeg), 8:00 p.m. * The 19th All-Star game in AHL history, the 12th since the event was revived during the 1994-95 season, and the ninth since the Canada vs. Planet USA format was adopted for the 1998 All-Star Classic. * Broadcast - live telecast on NHL Center Ice and Fox College Sports (digital), and delayed broadcast at 11:00 p.m. on FSN New England; free live video webcast on B2 Networks via www.theahl.com.

Saturday, February 4 at Portland (Cumberland County Civic Center), 7:05 p.m.

* The first-place Pirates (28-12-4-3, 63 pts.) lead the Wolf Pack and Manchester by a margin of four points in the Atlantic Division. * The Pirates broke a four-game losing streak (0-3-1-0) with a 3-2 shootout win in Springfield on Sunday. * Three of Portland's top four scorers, Dustin Penner (26-27-53 in 34 GP), Corey Perry (16-18-34 in 19 GP) and Ryan Getzlaf (8-25-33 in 17 GP), are currently on recall to Anaheim, leaving Darien, CT native Ryan Shannon (14-33-47 in 38 GP) as the leading point-getter on the Pirates' roster. * The Pack are 2-4-0-0 in six games on the year vs. the Pirates, and are 1-2-0-0 on the road. * Broadcast - live on the web at: www.hartfordwolfpack.com or watch on B2 Networks! Go to www.hartfordwolfpack.com for details.

Injury Report: Ivan Baranka - hip flexor strain (day-to-day) Dave Liffiton - concussion (indefinite). Bryce Lampman - dislocated left shoulder (out for the season). Dale Purinton - broken right pinky finger (2-3 weeks).

Recent Transactions: Martin Sonnenberg - acquired by the New York Rangers from Phoenix, in exchange for Jeff Taffe, and assigned to the Wolf Pack 1/24. Bruce Graham - reassigned by the New York Rangers from the Wolf Pack to Charlotte (ECHL) 1/30. Rory Rawlyk - reassigned by the New York Rangers to the Wolf Pack from Charlotte (ECHL) 1/28, and returned to Charlotte 1/30.

Practice: All Wolf Pack practices are open to the media at the Hartford Civic Center or Champions Skating Center in Cromwell. As schedules are subject to last-minute changes, please call the public relations department at (860) 246-7825 before attending a practice.

Tue. January 31 No practice (AHL All-Star Break) Wed. February 1 No practice (AHL All-Star Break) Thur. February 2 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., Champions Skating Center Fri. February 3 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., Champions Skating Center Sat. February 4 Game at Portland Sun. February 5 No practice Mon. February 6 10:00 - 10:30 a.m., Champions Skating Center

Pack Tracks: The Wolf Pack's annual Kids' Club Day is coming up Sunday, February 12th from 9:30 AM to 1:00 PM at the Hartford Civic Center. Members of the Wolf Pack Kids' Club, presented by Brigham's Ice Cream, can watch a Wolf Pack practice, meet the players and much more. Members will receive their player trading cards, plus other special gifts, at Kids' Club Day. All current members are invited to attend, and new members can register at the event and join in the fun.

On Monday, February 20th the Wolf Pack will be holding their 2006 "Tip-a-Player" Dinner and Sports Carnival, on the ice at the Hartford Civic Center. The event is presented by Aetna and benefits Gaylord Hospital. Dinner will be served by the Wolf Pack players, and the evening also features a silent auction, raffles and games, great food provided by area restaurants, and tours of the Wolf Pack locker room. For more information, contact the Wolf Pack office at (860) 246-7825.

The second annual "Sonar's Edu-Skate" game will take place Wednesday, March 22nd, when the Wolf Pack host the Manchester Monarchs at the Hartford Civic Center. Special faceoff time is 11:00 am. All school groups can attend this game for the special price of $8.00 per ticket. Join the Wolf Pack for interactive learning about health, geography, math...and more. All students and teachers will receive a Wolf Pack pencil and Edu-Skate workbook. For more details call the Wolf Pack ticket office at (860) 548-2000.

Individual tickets for Wolf Pack games are on sale now at the Hartford Civic Center Box Office and all Ticketmaster locations including Filene's at the Buckland Hills Mall and at the Westfarms Mall. Tickets may also be charged by phone at (860) 525-4500, (203) 744-8100, (203) 624-0033 or (413) 733-2500 or online at www.Ticketmaster.com. Season tickets, five, 10 and 20 game packages and group tickets are also available. Contact 860-548-2000 for more details.

The new Acoustic Café Volume 5 CD is now available, at all Strawberries, FYE and Big Y World Class Market locations. Proceeds benefit the Hartford Wolf Pack Community Foundation, and the CD costs just $9.65. Acoustic Café Volume 5 features live performances by Alanis Morrissette, Lenny Kravitz, Duran Duran, Gavin DeGraw, among others.

The Hartford Wolf Pack "Pack Shop", located at 100 Allyn Street in downtown Hartford, is open from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, as well as two hours prior to and one hour after each and every Wolf Pack home game, including Saturday and Sundays. A full line of Wolf Pack merchandise is available, while a limited selection of items will still be available in the Civic Center Mall before games.

TRACK THE PACK AT WWW.HARTFORDWOLFPACK.COM



American Hockey League Stories from January 30, 2006


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