WOLF PACK/WHALE WEEKLY: November 15-21, 2010 

The Wolf Pack (4-9-2-2, 12 pts.) logged a regulation loss and a shootout loss in two home games this past week.  The Toronto Marlies came to the XL Center on Tuesday night, and handed the Wolf Pack their second shutout defeat of the season, by a 4-0 final.  Then Saturday night marked the franchise’s final home game as the Wolf Pack before the official re-branding to the Connecticut Whale, as the Pack took on the Springfield Falcons.  A season-high crowd of 7,385 saw an entertaining, back-and-forth game that was eventually won by the Falcons in a shootout, 4-3.  Jeremy Williams scored two of the Wolf Pack’s three goals in that game, and Chad Kolarik, acquired Thursday from Springfield’s parent club, the Columbus Blue Jackets, also scored against his old team, in his first game with the Wolf Pack.

This week:

After playing 11 of their first 17 games at home, the Wolf Pack start five straight games on the road with a “school-day special” in Manchester Wednesday.  That game faces off at 11:00 AM, and is the first of four away games in five days.  Friday finds the Wolf Pack in Springfield, for a 7:30 date with the Falcons.  Then it’s on to Binghamton to battle the Senators on Saturday night (7:05), before the Wolf Pack finish off the weekend at two-time defending Calder Cup-champion Hershey at 5:00 on Sunday.

Wednesday, November 17 at Manchester (Verizon Wireless Arena), 11:00 AM

· This special school-day morning game is the third meeting of the year between the Wolf Pack and Monarchs.  Manchester has won both of the previous two, including a 3-2 decision November 5 in the Wolf Pack’s only previous visit to Manchester.

· The Monarchs snapped a three-game losing streak Sunday, with a 4-2 home win over Springfield.  That boosted Manchester’s record to 8-6-1-1 for 18 points and kept the Monarchs in second place in the Atlantic Division, one point ahead of Worcester and Springfield.

· Bud Holloway, who scored the game-winning goal in Manchester’s 3-2 home victory last time the Monarchs and Pack met, scored twice in Sunday’s Monarch win over Springfield.

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

Friday, November 19 at Springfield (MassMutual Center), 7:30 PM

· After Saturday’s 4-3 shootout loss at home to the Falcons, the Wolf Pack are 0-1-1-1 in the season series vs. their I-91 rivals.  The Falcons won the only previous matchup in Springfield, 3-2, on October 30.

· Former Wolf Pack captain Dane Byers set up the game-tying goal, and scored the shootout-ending marker, in the Falcons’ victory Saturday in Hartford.  That was Byers’ first game with Springfield, after he was traded by the New York Rangers to Columbus, the Falcons’ parent club, on Thursday.

· The Falcons had a 2-1 lead going into the third period of their game in Manchester Sunday, but surrendered three third-period scores in what would turn out to be a 4-2 defeat.  That dropped Springfield’s record to 8-6-0-1 for 17 points, tied with Worcester for third place in the Atlantic.

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

Saturday, November 20 at Binghamton (Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena), 7:05 PM

· Binghamton (7-7-1-1, 16 pts.) has lost its last two games, including an 8-3 blowout in Hershey Sunday.  The Senators stand fifth in the East Division, two points behind Norfolk and one point ahead of Syracuse.

· Former Wolf Pack Corey Locke, who had 85 points (31-54-85) in 76 games with the Pack last year, is currently leading the AHL in scoring with 6-17-23 in 16 games.  Locke is currently on a ten-game point-scoring streak (5-12-17) and has 12 points (3-9-12) in his last six games.

· This is the second of two games on the season between the Wolf Pack and Senators.  Binghamton won the first, 1-0, October 22 in Hartford.

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

Sunday, November 21 at Hershey (Giant Center), 5:00 PM

· The Bears captured their second consecutive Calder Cup championship last season, finishing the run with a six-game win over the Texas Stars in the Finals, after a 60-win, 123-point regular season.

· The Bears, under second-year head coach Mark French, are currently tied with Charlotte for second place in the East Division with a record of 9-5-0-1 for 19 points, three points behind division-leading Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

· Alex Giroux, who bested the 50-goal mark both of the past two seasons with the Bears, left the organization as a free agent this summer, and defending AHL scoring champion (35-71-106 in 72 GP last year) Keith Aucoin has been injured (5-13-18 in 11 GP), but Andrew Gordon has scored the second-most points in the league, with 10-12-22 in 15 games.

· This is the first of two games on the season between the Wolf Pack and Hershey.  The Bears swept a pair of meetings last year, including a 9-2 pounding of the Wolf Pack December 6 in Hershey.

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

Recent Transactions:

Brandon Wong – loaned by the Wolf Pack to Greenville (ECHL) November 9.

Dane Byers – recalled from the Wolf Pack and traded to Columbus November 11.

Chad Kolarik – loaned to the Wolf Pack by the New York Rangers, after being acquired from Columbus, November 11.

Pack Tracks:

The next home game at the XL Center is Saturday, November 27, a GEICO Connecticut Cup battle with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, and that night the franchise will officially be re-branded the Connecticut Whale.  The night is presented by Xfinity, and the first 3,000 fans will receive a green Whale T-shirt.  Faceoff as usual is 7:00 PM.

Individual tickets for Whale home games are on sale now at the XL Center ticket office and all Ticketmaster locations. Tickets may also be charged by phone at 1-800-745-3000 or online at www.CTwhale.com.  Tickets start at $7 each at the XL Center ticket office on game day.

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

Once again this season, the Wolf Pack/Whale are partnering with WTIC Radio to air Wolf Pack/Whale hockey action.  All of the Wolf Pack/Whale’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.

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