WHALE WEEKLY: January 17-23, 2011 

The Whale (21-16-2-5, 49 pts.) concluded a four-game road-trip Friday in Portland, falling to the Pirates by a 3-0 score. The Whale then returned home for a pair of weekend tilts, facing the Providence Bruins and the AHL-leading Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Late goals from Oren Eizenman and Brodie Dupont could not save the Whale from falling to the Bruins, 3-2, on Saturday, but Connecticut bounced back to beat the Penguins, 6-3, on Sunday, ending Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s seven-game winning streak. Chad Kolarik scored two short-handed goals in Sunday’s first period, a franchise record, and also contributed two assists in the victory, while Cam Talbot made 27 saves in net.

This week:

The Whale will host the North Division-leading Hamilton Bulldogs Friday night (7:00 PM faceoff) on Guida’s Family Value Night and “City of New Britain Night”, in a rare tilt with a Western Conference opponent, before heading up I-91 to visit the Springfield Falcons on Saturday (7:30 PM faceoff).

Friday, January 21 vs. Hamilton at the XL Center, 7:00 PM

· This game will feature a special appearance by ex-Hartford Wolf Pack favorites Todd Hall and Terry Virtue, two of the more significant names in the history of the franchise.  Hall and Virtue will be meeting and greeting fans, and signing autographs, in the XL Center atrium from 6:00-7:00 PM and will also drop a ceremonial first puck.

· Being a Friday night, this is a Guida’s Family Value Night.  Family Value packages start as low as $48 and include three tickets, three hot dogs or pizza slices, three sodas and a Whale souvenir. Guida’s Family Value Night packs are available at the XL Center ticket office and on-line at www.CTwhale.com.

· This is also “City of New Britain Night” at the XL Center.  The New Britain Rock Cats’ mascot, Rocky, will be on hand, and there will be an autograph session with a Rock Cats player, as well as a Rock Cats giveaway.  Also, the New Britain High School Marching Band will perform the National Anthem and will also play before the game and during the first intermission.

· Hamilton has won two straight games, and holds a two-point lead over the-second place Manitoba Moose in the AHL’s North Division with a record of 23-13-1-4, good for 51 points.

· Friday’s contest will be the first of two meetings between the Bulldogs and the Whale.  Hamilton won both games of last year’s season series, 4-1 in Hartford December 19 and 3-2 in a shootout March 6 in Hamilton.

· The Bulldogs have a record of 10-7-0-4 on the road, and have dropped three of their last four decisions as the visitor.

· Hamilton fired 47 shots against the Syracuse Crunch in Friday’s 1-0 shootout win, and Curtis Sanford made 22 saves for the shutout. Sanford owns the best goals-against average in the AHL at 1.74.

· 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, January 22 at Springfield (MassMutual Center), 7:30 PM

· The Falcons have lost three straight games, and currently sit in sixth place in the Atlantic Division with a record of 18-19-1-3 for 40 points, nine points behind the Whale.

· Saturday’s meeting will be the fifth of the season between the Falcons and the Whale.  Connecticut has beaten Springfield just once this season, but only one loss has come in regulation (1-1-1-1). The teams have not played since a 5-2 Connecticut win on November 19 in Springfield.

· Including Saturday’s game, the Whale and Falcons will meet six more times this season, three each at home and on the road.

· Defenseman John Moore will represent Springfield at the 2011 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Capital BlueCross, which takes place January 30-31 in Hershey, Pa.  Moore has 16 points (2-14-16) this season as a rookie, and he leads all Falcons defensemen in scoring.

· 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, January 23 – Whale “Tip-a-Player” Dinner and Sports Carnival – XL Center, 4:00-7:00 PM

Aetna presents the eighth annual Whale “Tip-a-Player” Dinner and Sports Carnival this Sunday, January 23, “on the ice” at the XL Center from 4:00-7:00 PM.  The Whale players will be serving dinner, and competing for “tips”, to benefit Gaylord Specialty Healthcare.  Adult tickets are $30 and children’s tickets are $20 each.  For more information, contact Lori Leinart in the Whale office at (860) 728-3366.

Recent Transactions:

Sam Klassen – reassigned by the New York Rangers to the Whale from the Greenville Road Warriors January 10.

Chris Chappell – reassigned by the New York Rangers to the Whale from the Greenville Road Warriors January 11.

Whale Tales:

Individual game tickets for the February 19, 2011 outdoor AHL game between the Whale and the Providence Bruins are on sale now at www.ticketmaster.com.  Tickets for the AHL game, which begins at 7:00 PM at Rentschler Field, also include the Hartford Whalers legends vs. Boston Bruins legends game at 4:00 PM that day.  The two games comprise the February 19 “Harvest-Properties.com Whale Bowl”, the featured event of the two-week “Outdoor Harvest-Properties.com Whalers Hockey Fest” spectacular that will feature numerous collegiate, high school, prep school and youth hockey games.   Additional teams and events are still being added to the schedule, which can be found at www.ctwhale.com.  Ticket prices range from $20 to $85 and tickets can be purchased on-line via Ticketmaster, at the Bushnell box office from Monday through Friday, 12 noon-5:00 PM., or by calling the Connecticut Whale at 860-728-3366.  Tickets purchased on-line can be printed immediately (via Ticketmaster).

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

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, 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 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.

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