BOB CRAWFORD’S WHALE WEEKLY 

WHALE WEEKLY: October 3-9, 2011

The Whale are set to hit the road this weekend, as they open up the 15^th season of American Hockey League action in the city of Hartford. Connecticut will begin the year with a pair of road tilts, as they open the season Saturday at Adirondack to face the Phantoms before heading south to take on the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Sunday.

This week:

The Whale open up the 2011-12 season with two straight road games this weekend, beginning with Saturday’s meeting with the Adirondack Phantoms in Glens Falls, NY (7:00 PM). Connecticut will then face the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Sunday (5:05 PM) at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in the first of four games with the Pens this season.

Saturday, October 8 at Adirondack (Glens Falls Civic Center), 7:00 PM

· The Whale will be a part of the Phantoms’ home opener on Saturday, for the first of four meetings with their new Northeast-Division rivals this season.

· Joe Paterson will be back behind the bench for Adirondack in his first full season with the team, after he was brought on as mid-season replacement last year and led the team to a 25-16-0-8 record in the season’s last 49 games.

· The Phantoms have retained the services of last year’s team leading scorer, Denis Hamel, who recorded a 50-point campaign last season, and also acquired veteran goaltender Jason Bacashihua.

· The Whale went a perfect 4-0-0-0 against the Phantoms last season, although two of the games were decided by one goal, including one which went down to a shoot-out.

· Radio – the premiere broadcast of CT Whale “Rockin’ Hockey”, live on “The Rock”, 106.9 WCCC-FM with Bob Crawford, and on-line at www.ctwhale.com.

Sunday, October 9 at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza), 5:05 p.m.

· The Whale take on the Penguins Sunday afternoon, in the first of four meetings during the season with their East Division opponent.

· Connecticut swept the two-game season series with the Penguins last season, outscoring the eventual AHL regular season champions 11-5.

· Whale goaltender Cam Talbot earned the win between the pipes in both of the contests against the Penguins, posting a 2.50 Goals Against Average and a .918 Save Percentage in those games.

· Kris Newbury (2-1-3), Dale Weise (0-3-3) and Wade Redden (1-2-3) all recorded three points against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last season.

· Radio – “Rockin’ Hockey” live with Bob Crawford on “The Rock”, 106.9 WCCC-FM, and on-line at www.ctwhale.com.

Recent Transactions:

Andre Deveaux – Assigned to the Whale by the NY Rangers Sept. 27.

Dan Lawson – Released from Whale Training Camp Sept. 27.

Andreas Thuresson – Assigned to the Whale by the NY Rangers Sept. 27.

Ryan Bourque – Assigned to the Whale by the NY Rangers October 1.

Chris Chappell – Reassigned from Whale Training Camp to Greenville (ECHL) October 1.

Tim Erixon – Assigned to the Whale by the NY Rangers October 1.

Carl Hagelin – Assigned to the Whale by the NY Rangers October 1.

Kale Kerbashian – Reassigned from Whale Training Camp to Greenville (ECHL) October 1.

Jerry Kuhn – Reassigned from Whale Training Camp to Greenville (ECHL) October 1.

Jason Missiaen – Reassigned from Whale Training Camp to Greenville (ECHL) October 1.

John Mitchell – Assigned to the Whale by the NY Rangers October 1.

Kris Newbury – Assigned to the Whale by the NY Rangers October 1.

Blake Parlett – Assigned to the Whale by the NY Rangers October 1.

Jeff Prough – Reassigned from Whale Training Camp to Greenville (ECHL) October 1.

Connor Shields – Reassigned from Whale Training Camp to Greenville (ECHL) October 1.

Dale Weise – Assigned to the Whale by the NY Rangers October 1.

Tayler Jordan – Released from Whale Training Camp October 2.

Max Campbell – Reassigned from Whale Training Camp to Greenville (ECHL) October 3.

Brendan Connolly – Reassigned from Whale Training Camp to Greenville (ECHL) October 3.

Sam Klassen – Reassigned from Whale Training Camp to Greenville (ECHL) October 3.

Matt Rust – Released from Whale Training Camp October 3.

Jason Wilson – Reassigned from Whale Training Camp to Greenville (ECHL) October 3.

Whale Tales:

The Whale’s regular-season home opener is coming up next Saturday, October 15, a GEICO Connecticut Cup game vs. the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.  Five-thousand fans at that game will receive a free Whale magnetic schedule, sponsored by Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.  Tickets to that game, and all 2011-12 Whale home games, are on sale now at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, as well as on-line at www.ctwhale.com and through TicketMaster Charge-by-phone at 1-800-745-3000.

Save on your tickets, and get the best seats, with a ticket plan for the Whale’s 2011-12 AHL campaign, which are on sale now. For information on season seats, mini plans and great group discounts, visit www.ctwhale.com, or call the CT Whale ticket office at (860) 728-3366 to talk with an account executive today.

The AHL’s Connecticut Whale is operated by Whalers Sports and Entertainment, a Hartford-based sports marketing and event firm founded by Howard Baldwin and Howard Baldwin, Jr..  The team is the top player-development affiliate of the NHL’s New York Rangers.

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