WHALE WEEKLY: February 8-13, 2011 

The Whale (24-21-2-5, 55 pts.) started this past weekend by snapping a four-game home losing streak Friday night with a 3-2 win over the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. The Whale then traveled to Portland for the first game of a home-and-home set with the Pirates, coming from behind to take the road tilt, 4-3. Chad Kolarik scored two goals for Connecticut and Kris Newbury recorded his second-straight game-winning tally. The Whale finished their slate of three games in three nights on Sunday, falling to the Pirates, 3-2, at the XL Center.

This week:

The Whale take to the road, to play the first three games of a four-game road trip leading up to the Harvest-Properties.com Whale Bowl on February 19. Connecticut will head to Canada to take on a pair of North Division foes when they face the Toronto Marlies on Wednesday morning (11:00 AM faceoff), before heading to Hamilton to take on the Bulldogs Friday (7:00 PM). The Whale will then face the Atlantic Division-rival Providence Bruins Sunday afternoon at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center (4:05 PM faceoff).

Wednesday, February 9 at Toronto (RICOH Coliseum), 11:00 AM

· The Marlies have alternated wins and losses in their last five games, and currently stand in third place in the AHL’s North Division with a record of 24-20-0-7 for 55 points, three shy of third-place Lake Erie.

· Wednesday morning’s tilt with Toronto will be the second and final game of the season between the Marlies and the Whale.  The Marlies shut out Connecticut, 4-0, in their first meeting on Nov. 9.

· Toronto’s leading scorer, Mike Zigomanis (8-24-32 in 43 GP), notched one goal and one assist in the Marlies’ first meeting with the Whale this season.

· The Marlies defeated the Rochester Americans in their last action, downing their division rivals 3-1 on Feb. 5.

· Toronto has the most road points in the league (15-11-0-5, 35 pts.), but is ranked just 27^th at home with a mark of 9-9-0-2.

· The Marlies are the only team in the AHL that has neither won nor lost in overtime this season.

· 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, February 11 at Hamilton (Copps Coliseum), 7:00 PM

· The Bulldogs (28-16-1-4, 61 pts.) have lost three of their last four games, to fall one point behind the North Division-leading Manitoba Moose.

· This will be the second and final matchup of the year between Hamilton and Connecticut.  The Bulldogs took the first meeting with the Whale, 7-3, back on Jan. 21 at the XL Center.

· Rookie defenseman Brendon Nash scored four (1-3-4) of his 23 (3-30-23 in 48 GP) points on the season against Connecticut in that January 21 game.

· Goaltender Curtis Sanford holds the second-best goals-against average (1.74) and save percentage (.938) among all AHL netminders.

· Despite losing three out of their last four, the Bulldogs are on a 7-3-0-0 run over their last ten contests, and six straight games from January 12-26.

· 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, February 13 at Providence (Dunkin’ Donuts Center Providence), 4:05 PM

· The Bruins (23-23-3-1) have lost their last two games, both on the road, and are currently tied with the Springfield Falcons with 50 points, good for a share of fifth place in the Atlantic Division.

· Providence has met the Whale five times previously this season, winning both of the last two head-to-head contests, both at the XL Center.  The Whale are 2-0-0-0 on the year in Providence, with a 3-0 triumph October 17 and a 3-1 victory December 3.

· Maxime Sauve has scored four times for the Bruins against the Whale, and none of his other teammates have scored more than once against Connecticut.

· The Bruins were beaten, 4-3, by the Charlotte Checkers in their last action on Sunday. Trent Whitfield scored twice for Providence, notching his first multi-goal game of the season.

· 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:

Evgeny Grachev – Returned to the Whale by the New York Rangers February 1.

Kris Newbury – Returned to the Whale by the New York Rangers February 3.

Dov Grumet-Morris – Signed by the Whale to Professional Tryout (PTO) agreement February 3.

Pier-Olivier Pelletier – Released by the Whale from Professional Tryout (PTO) agreement February 4.

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 2011 spectacular that also showcases numerous collegiate, high school, prep school and youth hockey games.   A full Harvest-Properties.com Whalers Hockey Fest 2011 schedule can be found at www.ctwhale.com.  Harvest-Properties.com Whale Bowl 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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