WHALE WEEKLY: December 20-26, 2010 

The Whale won two out of three games this past week, to up their record to 14-12-2-4 for 34 points.  Connecticut outlasted the Adirondack Phantoms Wednesday in Glens Falls, NY, 6-4, before returning home and winning its second overtime game of the season, a 3-2 decision Friday night over the Worcester Sharks.  That was the Whale’s sixth straight win, and the team’s tenth straight game without a regulation loss (8-0-0-2), but both of those streaks were snuffed out Sunday afternoon, when the Whale were blanked 5-0 in Syracuse by the Crunch.  That was the first regulation loss in ten games (8-1-0-1) since the re-branding to the Whale from the Hartford Wolf Pack November 27.  Kris Newbury was the club’s top offensive performer in the week’s three games, with a goal and three assists, and is tied for second in the AHL in helpers (27).

This week:

The Whale’s last game before Christmas is this Tuesday night, December 21, a trip to Manchester to take on the division-leading Monarchs.  That game faces off at 7:00.  The next action after that is the day after Christmas, this Sunday, December 26, as the Whale travel to Manchester for a 3:00 GEICO Connecticut Cup battle with the Sound Tigers.

Tuesday, December 21 at Manchester (Verizon Wireless Arena), 7:00 PM

· The Monarchs swept three divisional games this past weekend, beating Portland 4-3 at home on Friday and 2-1 in overtime in Portland on Saturday, and knocking off Worcester by a 2-1 score on Sunday in Manchester.  Those three victories jumped the Atlantic Division-leading Monarchs (20-11-1-1, 42 pts.) up to five points ahead of second-place Portland.

· After losing the first three games of their season series with the Monarchs, the Whale won the last meeting by a convincing 5-1 score December 11 at the XL Center.  The Whale have lost a pair of one-goal games in their first to visits of the season to Manchester, 3-2 on November 5 and 4-3 on November 17.

· Rookie goaltender Martin Jones was the winner in net in the Monarchs’ last two victories, allowing a total of only two goals on 67 shots.  Jones ranks second among AHL backstops in goals-against average (1.60) and save percentage (95.0).

· 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, December 26 at Bridgeport (Bridgeport’s Arena at Harbor Yard), 3:00 PM

· The Sound Tigers are 5-1-0-1 in their last seven games, and stand one point behind the fourth-place Whale in the Atlantic Division standings with a record of 15-13-1-2 for 33 points.

· This game starts the second half of the ten-game GEICO Connecticut Cup series, in which the Whale currently sport a 3-1-0-1 record.  Connecticut is 1-1-0-1 in three previous visits to Bridgeport.

· Sound Tiger forward Micheal Haley, who had one goal in his first 27 games of the season, has strung together a four-game goal-scoring streak during which he has lit the lamp six times.

· 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:

Dale Weise – recalled from the Whale by the New York Rangers December 17 and returned December 18.

Whale Tales:

The Whale’s next home game is next Wednesday, December 29, as Kevin Dineen brings his Portland Pirates to town for a 7:00 game.  The first 3,000 fans into the game that night will receive a poster commemorating the 1986-87 Adams Division-champion Hartford Whalers squad, and former Whaler and New York Ranger fan favorite, and ex-Hartford Wolf Pack assistant coach, Nick Fotiu will be making a special appearance to sign autographs and meet and greet fans.

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

Give the gift of Whale hockey this holiday season, with a Whale Holiday Pack, the perfect stocking stuffer for any hockey fan.  A package of six dark green-section undated flex tickets, plus a heritage Connecticut Whale hat, is just $122, a savings of $38.  And a yellow-section package of six undated flex tickets and a hat is only $74, a $14 savings.  Holiday Packs are available at the Fan Center behind section 101 at Whale home games, or by calling the Whale at 860-728-3366.

The merchandise stands at the XL Center are carrying a full selection of Whale items, including hats, t-shirts, hoodies, jackets, pucks, mini-sticks and even plush toy whales.  Whale merchandise is also available at the Whale Pro Shop in the Hartford Holiday Store, which is located at 45 Pratt St. in downtown Hartford and is open 10 AM to 4 PM Monday through Saturday, and two hours before every home game.  Fans preferring to shop on the web can check out the Whale selection on-line at www.ctwhaleshop.com.

Once again this season, the Whale are partnering with WTIC Radio to air Whale hockey action.  All of the 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 next scheduled broadcast on WTIC NewsTalk 1080 is Saturday, January 29, when the Whale host the Portland Pirates at 7:00 PM.

The AHL’s 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.

CATCH THE WHALE AT WWW.CTWHALE.COM