TALBOT AND OTHER NEWS 

At the Whale Bowl, Cam Talbot told Howlings that he needed more practice time, but that he could have played if he was called upon to that his ankle was healed.

Meanwhile, Dov Grumet Morris has played exceptionally well between the pipes for the 28-22-2-6 Connecticut Whale going 4-1-1 and even in the two games he’s lost, the shellacking in Toronto and then in the shootout at the Whale Bowl, Grumet-Morris was not the reason the team lost.

Therefore with Talbot back and with Chad Johnson still technically the number one goaltender, although with his game struggling, despite Monday’s win, it’s looking like Grumet-Morris may have assumed that role, someone had to go. Talbot is that odd man out and he’s been assigned to the Greenville Road Warriors of the ECHL where he and Nic Riopel will share the starting duties.

Here’s the official release:

TALBOT ASSIGNED TO GREENVILLE

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Has Missed Last 14 Games due to Injury

HARTFORD, CT:  Connecticut Whale general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that the parent New York Rangers have reassigned goaltender Cameron Talbot from the Whale to the team’s ECHL affiliate, the Greenville Road Warriors.

Talbot, a rookie out of the University of Alabama-Huntsville, has been out of action since being injured in a 6-3 win January 16 vs. the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, missing a total of 14 games.  Talbot has compiled an 8-3-2 record in 13 games of action with the Whale this year, and carries a 2.42 goals-against average and a 91.9% save percentage, and has one shutout.

Talbot signed with the Rangers as a free agent March 30, 2010, after three seasons at UAH.

The Whale are next in action this Thursday night, February 24, in their first of two games in Charlotte, NC against the Charlotte Checkers (7:00 PM faceoff, WTIC HD-2, www.ctwhale.com, www.wtic.com).  Connecticut and Charlotte will tangle again Saturday night at 7:00, before the Whale return to the XL Center for a home game Wednesday, March 2 against the Springfield Falcons at 7:00.

Tickets for all 2010-11 Whale home games are available now at the XL Center box office, through Ticketmaster Charge-by-Phone at 1-800-745-3000 and on-line 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 AHL’s CT 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.

In other Whale related news, the public skate at Rentscheler Field that was scheduled for tomorrow has been cancelled.

Here’s that release:

Hartford, CT …  Whalers Sports and Entertainment president and COO Howard Baldwin, Jr. announced today that the public skating sessions planned tomorrow, Tuesday, February 22, at the Harvest-Properties.com Whalers Hockey Fest 2011 outdoor rink at Rentschler Field have been cancelled.  This includes the sessions open to the general public and the Connecticut Whale season ticket-holder skate.

“Taking into account all that the ice has been through with the extreme weather conditions, we feel strongly that this is the safe thing to do,” Baldwin, Jr. said.  “We are tremendously grateful for the support that we have received from all of our great fans who have attended the Harvest-Properties.com Whalers Hockey Fest events.  And we look forward to welcoming fans to open skates at the XL Center following our remaining Sunday Whale home games, and our season ticket-holders to their exclusive skate with the Whale players at the XL Center next Monday, February 28.”

The Harvest-Properties.com Whalers Hockey Fest 2011 concludes tonight with youth hockey action, and www.cthockeyleague.com recreational games.  The highlight of the biggest event in Connecticut hockey history was this past Saturday’s Harvest-Properties.com Whale Bowl, which drew an American Hockey League-record crowd of 21,673 to an AHL battle between the Whale and the Providence Bruins, preceded by a Whalers legends vs. Boston Bruins legends game.

(Photo courtesy of Flickr)