WOLF PACK/WHALE WEEKLY: October 18 – 24, 2010 

The Wolf Pack/Whale (3-1-0-1, 7 pts.) played their first road action, and their first three-games-in-three-days situation, this past week, and banked a total of five out of a possible six points.  A trip to Albany on Friday night produced a 3-2 shootout loss to the Devils, but the Wolf Pack/Whale rebounded on Saturday night to post their first road win, a 2-1 GEICO Connecticut Cup triumph in Bridgeport.  The team finished the weekend with its first shutout of the season, and first since November 14 of last season, blanking the Providence Bruins 3-0 in Providence.  Cam Talbot made 41 saves in net in that game, becoming the first Wolf Pack goaltender ever to record a shutout in his first pro start.  Leading the way offensively during the week for the Wolf Pack/Whale, with four points apiece, were Jeremy Williams (2-2-4) and Kris Newbury (0-4-4).

This week:

The Wolf Pack/Whale start a five-game homestand with three games against East-Division opponents this week.  The 3-0-0-0 Norfolk Admirals invade the XL Center on Wednesday night for a 7:00 game, after which the Binghamton Senators come to town on Friday at 7:00.  The week concludes with a battle between the Wolf Pack/Whale and the Syracuse Crunch Saturday night, with faceoff at 7:00.

Wednesday, October 20 vs. Norfolk at the XL Center, 7:00 PM

· The Admirals, who missed the playoffs by a margin of two points last season (39-35-3-3, 84 pts.), are off to a 3-0-0-0 start in the East Division this year, under new head coach Jon Cooper.  Norfolk is the top affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

· This is the first of four meetings on the season between the Wolf Pack/Whale and Admirals.  The Wolf Pack went 1-2-1-0 in last year’s season series, and lost both of their home games against Norfolk.

· Marc-Antoine Pouliot, who spent all but four games of last season in the NHL with Edmonton, leads the Admirals in points with 1-6-7, and Paul Szczechura is the club’s leading goal-scorer (3-1-4).  Goaltenders Dustin Tokarski and Cedrick Desjardins have combined to allow only six goals on 101 shots in the team’s three games, for a 94.1% overall save percentage.

· Radio – live with Bob Crawford in HD on WTIC’s 96.5 HD 2 and on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com and www.wtic.com. 

Friday, October 22 vs. Binghamton at the XL Center, 7:00 PM

· Fans can meet WWE Superstar MVP before this game in the XL Center Atrium, starting at 6:00 PM.  MVP will be signing autographs as WWE prepares for Fan Appreciation Day at the XL Center on Saturday, Oct. 30 (3:00 PM).

· This is the first of two games on the year between the Wolf Pack/Whale and the Senators, who are Ottawa’s top player-development affiliate.  The Wolf Pack claimed one point in two games against Binghamton last year, with a regulation loss and a shootout loss.

· Kurt Kleinendorst has replaced Don Nachbaur behind the Binghamton bench for this season, and Kleinendorst has guided the Senators to a 2-3-0-0 record for four points through their first five games.

· Last year’s Wolf Pack scoring leader, Corey Locke (31-54-85 in 76 GP last season with the Pack), who signed as a free agent with Ottawa this summer, is tied for the Binghamton team scoring lead with defenseman Andre Benoit.  Locke has a goal and five assists for six points in the Senators’ five games.

· Radio – live with Bob Crawford in HD on WTIC’s 96.5 HD 2 and on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com and www.wtic.com. 

Saturday, October 23 vs. Syracuse at the XL Center, 7:00 PM

· The Crunch has a new NHL affiliate this year, the Anaheim Ducks, after playing the previous ten seasons as the top affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

· Syracuse also has a new coach this year, Mark Holick.  Through four games the Crunch have compiled a 1-2-0-1 record for three points, and have scored a league-low seven goals.

· The Crunch has given up a total of only nine goals in its four games.  J.P. Levasseur has played two games in goal, going 0-1-1 with four goals-against on 66 shots (1.93 GAA, 93.9% save percentage), and Timo Pelmeier has played the other two, posting a 1-1-0 mark and allowing four goals on 70 shots (2.02, 94.3).

· This is the first of two 2010-11 battles between the Wolf Pack/Whale and Crunch, who split a pair of games last year, the Crunch winning 2-1 at home November 21 and the Pack scoring a 2-1 home shootout victory January 3.

· Radio – live with Bob Crawford in HD on WTIC’s 96.5 HD 2 and on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com and www.wtic.com. 

Recent Transactions:

Tim Kennedy – loaned to the Wolf Pack/Whale by the New York Rangers October 13.

Dov Grumet-Morris – signed to Professional Tryout (PTO) agreement by the Wolf Pack October 18.

Pack Tracks:

The Wolf Pack will officially be re-branded as the Connecticut Whale on November 27 for a game at the XL Center vs. the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.  The Wolf Pack’s final home game at the XL Center will be on November 13 vs. the Springfield Falcons. There will be several events commemorating the 13-plus year Wolf Pack history that night.  A “Hartford Distributors/Bud Light All-time Wolf Pack Team” will be announced at the November 13 game, and fans are invited to cast their votes for the team, starting this Wednesday, October 20, at CTWhale.com and at various retailers, courtesy of Hartford Distributors and Bud Light.

Individual tickets for Wolf Pack/Whale home games are on sale now at the XL Center Box Office and all Ticketmaster locations. Tickets may also be charged by phone at 1-800-745-3000 or online at www.hartfordwolfpack.com.

For information on Wolf Pack/Whale ticket packages, group sales and VIP packages, call (860) 728-3366

Once again this season, the Wolf Pack are partnering with WTIC Radio to air Wolf Pack hockey action.  All of the Wolf Pack’s regular-season and playoff games will air on 96.5 WTIC-FM’s HD 2 channel and will be streamed on-line at www.wtic.com. Select games will be carried live on the 50,000-watt AM powerhouse, WTIC NewsTalk 1080. 

The AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack/Connecticut Whale is operated by Whalers Sports and Entertainment, a Hartford-based sports marketing and event firm founded by Howard Baldwin.  The team is the top player-development affiliate of the NHL’s New York Rangers.

Since 1972, the CT Lottery has generated more than $19.3 billion in sales and has transferred nearly $6.7 billion to the state’s General Fund.  Prizes have exceeded more than $11.1 billion.  Purchasers must be 18 years or older.  If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-346-6238.  For more information about the Connecticut Lottery Corporation, call (860) 713-2000, or visit the CT Lottery web site at ctlottery.org.

TRACK THE PACK/WHALE AT WWW.HARTFORDWOLFPACK.COM