Tag Archives: Connecticut Whale

GAME FOUR: A THING OF BEAUTY

     VERSUS     

EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINAL SERIES: GAME FOUR

BY: BRUCE BERLET (Special to Howlings)

After a tough one-goal loss to the Norfolk Admirals on Sunday night, Connecticut Whale coach Ken Gernander said he had few complaints, just a wish for his team to improve on the minutiae, those little things that can mean the difference in any sport, especially in the playoffs.

One night later, the Whale parlayed more aggressive goaltending by Cam Talbot and stellar penalty killing, especially late in the second period and early in the third, into a 4-1 victory at the XL Center that evened their AHL Eastern Conference semifinal at two games each.

“We had some great shot blocks,” Whale coach Ken Gernander said. “The defensemen had good anticipation, and we had real good all-around penalty killing. Jordan Owens and Ryan Bourque had those shots, and those are the plays that can rally a team when they see guys lay it on the line like that to get their job done.”  Continue reading

BALDWIN, JR. STEPS DOWN AS WHALE PRES

HOWARD BALDWIN, JR. TO STEP DOWN AS WHALERS SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT PRESIDENT

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Mark Willand to Head Company’s Operations

Whalers Sports & Entertainment chairman and CEO Howard Baldwin, Sr. announced today that Howard Baldwin, Jr. is stepping down as WSE president and COO, effective immediately.

Baldwin, Jr., who had been serving in his role as president and COO since December 10, 2010, will remain with WSE in an important advisory capacity, continuing to act as a liaison between the company and its financial partners.

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GAME THREE: MINUTIAE

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EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINAL SERIES: GAME THREE

BY: BRUCE BERLET (Special to Howlings)

When you’re playing a team that has won 33 of 35 games since Super Bowl Sunday, including a North American professional hockey league record 29 in a row, every little action and reaction can be critical.

 The Connecticut Whale learned that lesson Sunday night, failing to convert several good scoring chances early in the second period before allowing three goals in 6:09, enabling the Norfolk Admirals to rally for a 4-3 victory before 3,319 at the XL Center and a 2-1 lead in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal.

“If you look at our overall body of work, I’ve got no complaints,” Whale coach Ken Gernander said. “I thought we did a heck of a job, worked hard, finished our hits, did a lot of good things. Now it comes down to the minutiae, and we’re just going to have to play even closer to the vest because our margin of error isn’t that great given they’re a good team.  Continue reading

BERLET SPOTLIGHT: DEVEAUX TO PLAY

BY: Bruce Berlet (Special to Howlings)

The Connecticut Whale will have right wing Andre Deveaux in Game 3 of their American Hockey League Eastern Conference semifinal against the regular season champion Norfolk Admirals.

An AHL official said Saturday that he didn’t expect Deveaux to be suspended despite receiving two game misconducts, including one for abuse of officials, at 6:08 of the third period of the Admirals’ 4-1 victory in Game 2 on Friday night in Norfolk, Va. Deveaux, who scored the Whale’s lone goal, got into a fight with Brandon Segal and continued the scrap while the Admirals right wing was down after linesman Tommy George tried to separate the combatants. It took several minutes to get Deveaux off the ice, and he was assessed 27 minutes in penalties, including the two game misconducts.  Continue reading

HOWLINGS TICKET SPECIAL – WHALE GM 3

EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS

It’s YOUR…

Connecticut Whale

vs.

Norfolk Admirals

GAME THREE 

May 6th, 2012 7:00 P.M

XL Center

 (Click onto  PURCHASE TICKETS and print right from home)

SPECIAL CODE: PLAYOFFS

Howlings Reader’s Special:

Regular ticket price of $25 lower bowl seats for adults  REDUCED!

$17 for lower bowl tickets 
$13 for upper bowl tickets

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GAME TWO: WHISTLES WHACK WHALE

     VERSUS     

EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINAL SERIES: GAME TWO

Looking to build off a tremendous performance in Game One of their Eastern Conference semi-final series, the Connecticut Whale returned to The Scope in Norfolk, Virginia Friday for Game Two of their Best-of-Seven series with the number one seeded Norfolk Admirals. But, everything that went right for the visitors in Game One seemed to abandon them in Game Two as they dropped a 4-1 decision evening the series with the Admirals at a game apiece.

The Whale’s ultimate undoing was a combination of outrageously bad refereeing, exacerbated by a lack of overall team discipline and most importantly, a failure to capitalize on their scoring chances.  The Admirals meanwhile received strong performances from several players including Mike Kostka and Tyler Johnson who each had a goal and an assist. The big difference was the out-of-this-world goaltending Norfolk got from Dustin Tokarski (3-1-0, 27 saves) en route to their victory in front of 4,859. Continue reading

BERLET SPOTLIGHT: RYAN CALLAHAN

BY: BRUCE BERLET ( Special to Howlings)

Kevin Dineen was known as “the John Wayne of the Hartford Whalers.”

The Florida Panthers coach, who should have been among the three finalists for the Jack Adams Award as NHL Coach of the Year, was the guts of the Whalers in their heyday and appropriately the captain who scored the final goal in franchise history in a 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on April 13, 1997.  Continue reading

HAWK’S EYE: A TALE OF TWO THOMAS’

BY: Bob Crawford, (Voice of the CTWhale)

The pressure cooker of pro sports can make for some strange situations, and hockey history has seen many a family battle, with gentlemen sharing the same last name going up against one another in opposing jerseys.

Most of those have been sibling clashes, with brother combinations like Phil and Tony Esposito, the Staal brothers, the Sutter clan, Scott and Rob Niedermayer, Keith and Wayne Primeau, etc., knocking heads.

The current Connecticut Whale vs. Norfolk Admirals series, though, features a father and son locking horns, in the Whale’s Christian Thomas and his dad, Steve. Continue reading

LIVE FROM HARTFORD – IT’S GAME FOUR

CPTV SPORTS TO AIR GAME FOUR OF WHALE VS. ADMIRALS SERIES LIVE

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Monday’s Game will be First Franchise Postseason Telecast since 2004 

Whalers Sports & Entertainment announced today that Game Four of the Eastern Conference Semifinal Calder Cup Playoff series between the Connecticut Whale and the Norfolk Admirals will be aired live state-wide on CPTV Sports this Monday, May 7. Continue reading

CTWHALE RD 2: GAME ONE – ANDREAS THE GIANT

     VERSUS     

GAME ONE

A thrilling first round series concluded for the Connecticut Whale knocking off their intra-state and franchise rival Bridgeport Sound Tigers in dramatic fashion with a 4-3 in overtime completing the three game sweep on April 22nd at the XL Center.  For the New York Rangers’ top farm club that meant travelling to Virginia to battle the AHL’s top seeded team, the red hot Norfolk Admirals. Despite a franchise record ten-day break between games, the Whale responded by posting their fourth straight win, second straight in overtime on Andreas Thuresson fluke goal at 2:53 of overtime at The Scope in front of 3,223 Wednesday night.

“Owie (Jordan Owens) was driving good to the net,” Thuresson told the Whale’s Bob Crawford about the game-winner. “I just shot it through (Owens’) legs and through the defenseman’s legs, hopefully for a rebound for him or for Bourqueie (Ryan Bourque) driving the net, and it ended up going in.  That’s what happens in playoffs.” Continue reading