The Whale (17-20-3-1, 38 pts.) had a busy four-game week this past week, and went 2-2-0-0 in the four contests, which were all on the road. Both wins were at Atlantic Division-leading Portland, as the Whale beat the Pirates 6-1 on Tuesday night, snapping a franchise record-tying eight-game Portland home winning streak, and then hung a 4-1 loss on the Pirates in a return engagement Saturday. On Friday night in Springfield, though, the Whale were beaten 4-2 by the Falcons, and Connecticut dropped a 4-1 decision to the Bruins in Providence on Sunday. Kris Newbury had five goals (5-1-6) in the four games, including two-goal outings Tuesday and Friday, and linemate Chad Kolarik struck for 1-4-5 on the week. AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE STANDINGS Atlantic Division Rank Team GP W L OTL SL PTS PCT GF GA STK P10 S/O PIM 1 Portland Pirates 41 24 15 1 1 50 0.610 123 123 0-2-0-0 6-4-0-0 2-1 825 2 Manchester Monarchs 41 20 17 2 2 44 0.537 118 109 3-0-0-0 6-4-0-0 1-2 577 3 Providence Bruins 38 20 15 0 3 43 0.566 95 104 1-0-0-0 4-5-0-1 4-3 686 4 Worcester Sharks 40 19 17 1 3 42 0.525 101 118 0-4-0-1 3-6-0-1 5-3 870 5 St. John's IceCaps 41 18 20 1 2 39 0.476 98 118 3-0-0-1 4-4-1-1 1-2 576 Northeast Division Rank Team GP W L OTL SL PTS PCT GF GA STK P10 S/O PIM 1 Springfield Falcons 39 24 9 3 3 54 0.692 133 94 6-0-1-0 8-1-1-0 2-3 599 2 Bridgeport Sound Tigers 40 19 17 2 2 42 0.525 126 131 0-1-0-0 4-5-1-0 2-2 877 3 Albany Devils 37 15 13 1 8 39 0.527 97 101 1-0-0-2 5-3-0-2 0-8 564 4 Connecticut Whale 41 17 20 3 1 38 0.463 111 128 0-1-0-0 4-4-1-1 1-1 765 5 Adirondack Phantoms 38 17 19 1 1 36 0.474 91 107 2-0-0-0 4-5-0-1 4-1 823 East Division Rank Team GP W L OTL SL PTS PCT GF GA STK P10 S/O PIM 1 Binghamton Senators 39 25 10 1 3 54 0.692 126 96 0-2-0-0 6-3-0-1 0-3 765 2 Syracuse Crunch 39 24 10 2 3 53 0.679 134 108 0-3-0-0 6-3-1-0 1-3 961 3 Hershey Bears 41 20 18 2 1 43 0.524 106 99 0-1-1-0 4-5-1-0 3-1 673 4 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 39 19 17 2 1 41 0.526 93 97 4-0-0-0 5-4-1-0 3-1 768 5 Norfolk Admirals 39 15 21 2 1 33 0.423 93 120 0-2-0-0 1-7-1-1 4-1 835 North Division Rank Team GP W L OTL SL PTS PCT GF GA STK P10 S/O PIM 1 Toronto Marlies 38 23 12 1 2 49 0.645 129 97 1-0-0-0 6-3-0-1 2-2 643 2 Abbotsford Heat 40 21 12 3 4 49 0.613 90 81 4-0-0-0 5-4-0-1 3-4 528 3 Lake Erie Monsters 41 22 16 2 1 47 0.573 128 125 3-0-0-0 7-3-0-0 5-1 702 4 Rochester Americans 39 21 15 2 1 45 0.577 134 121 2-0-0-0 6-4-0-0 4-1 647 5 Hamilton Bulldogs 40 13 21 1 5 32 0.400 85 129 0-3-0-2 2-5-0-3 1-5 792 Midwest Division Rank Team GP W L OTL SL PTS PCT GF GA STK P10 S/O PIM 1 Grand Rapids Griffins 39 23 12 2 2 50 0.641 129 109 2-0-0-0 6-2-1-1 4-2 733 2 Chicago Wolves 37 19 13 3 2 43 0.581 101 101 1-0-0-0 6-3-0-1 2-2 461 3 Rockford IceHogs 41 20 19 1 1 42 0.512 128 132 0-2-0-0 4-6-0-0 2-1 1118 4 Milwaukee Admirals 39 17 16 3 3 40 0.513 98 111 0-3-1-1 3-4-1-2 2-3 469 5 Peoria Rivermen 41 18 19 2 2 40 0.488 103 131 1-0-0-0 5-5-0-0 5-2 592 South Division Rank Team GP W L OTL SL PTS PCT GF GA STK P10 S/O PIM 1 Charlotte Checkers 42 25 12 2 3 55 0.655 132 104 1-0-0-0 7-2-1-0 2-3 563 2 Texas Stars 42 25 12 3 2 55 0.655 123 109 3-0-0-0 9-1-0-0 3-2 550 3 Oklahoma City Barons 40 19 16 2 3 43 0.537 122 127 1-0-0-0 3-6-1-0 2-3 658 4 Houston Aeros 40 18 15 4 3 43 0.537 111 115 0-4-2-0 2-5-3-0 3-3 490 5 San Antonio Rampage 42 17 21 0 4 38 0.452 105 118 0-1-0-0 6-4-0-0 0-4 684 This week: After playing six straight and 11 out of 15 on the road, the Whale start a six-game homestand with three home outings this week, leading into the AHL All-Star break. Connecticut hosts the Adirondack Phantoms on Wednesday night at 7:00, the Manchester Monarchs invade the XL Center on Friday night (7:00) and the Springfield Falcons visit on Saturday evening (7:00). The Whale are 7-10-1-0 on home ice for the year, but have won their last two home games, both by shutout. Wednesday, January 23 vs. the Adirondack Phantoms at the XL Center, 7:00 p.m. * The Whale's only previous action against the division-rival Phantoms was a home-and-home series on back-to-back nights earlier this month. The Whale shut Adirondack out, 3-0, at the XL Center on January 4, and then the Phantoms broke back with a 2-1 overtime win the next night in Glens Falls. * The fifth-place Phantoms (17-19-1-1, 36 pts.) have won their last two games and stand two points behind the Whale in the Northeast Division. * Rookie goaltender Cal Heeter has won three of his last four decisions, after going 1-7-1 in his previous nine. * For this and all Whale home games, tickets start as low as $10 each ($12 each when tickets are purchased on the day of the game), at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, through TicketMaster Charge-by-Phone at 1-800-745-3000 and on-line at www.ticketmaster.com. * Radio - live with Bob Crawford and Mark Bailey on "Beethoven Radio" AM 1290, and on-line at www.ctwhale.com. Video streaming at www.ahllive.com. Friday, January 25 vs. the Manchester Monarchs at the XL Center, 7:00 p.m. * At this and all Whale Friday-night home games, fans can enjoy $1 hot dogs and $2 beers until the end of the first intermission. * The Monarchs (20-17-2-2, 44 pts.) are second only to the Portland Pirates in the Atlantic Division. Head Coach Mark Morris' Monarchs have won three straight and six of their last eight, and trail the Pirates by six points. * Monarch third-year pro Brandon Kozun (11-18-29 in 39 GP) finished last week on a six-game point-scoring streak (2-4-6). * This is the first of three visits on the year by the Monarchs to the XL Center, where the Whale went 2-0-0-1 against Manchester last season. The Whale have split a pair of road meetings with the Monarchs this year, losing 9-2 on December 8 and responding for a 5-2 victory December 21. * For this and all Whale home games, tickets start as low as $10 each ($12 each when tickets are purchased on the day of the game), at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, through TicketMaster Charge-by-Phone at 1-800-745-3000 and on-line at www.ticketmaster.com. * Radio - live with Bob Crawford and Mark Bailey on "Beethoven Radio" AM 1290, and on-line at www.ctwhale.com. Video streaming at www.ahllive.com. Saturday, January 26 vs. the Springfield Falcons at the XL Center, 7:00 p.m. * The Whale are 2-2-0 against the Falcons in Springfield this year, but have lost their previous two home games to their I-91 rivals by a combined margin of 15-2, a 10-2 defeat November 4 and a 5-0 loss December 2. * Former Whale Jonathan Audy-Marchessault (16-28-44 in 39 GP) has risen to a tie for second in the AHL in assists, and to third in points, with a seven-game point streak in which he has amassed 7-7-14. Audy-Marchessault has 1-10-11 in six prior games against Connecticut, and has combined with fellow ex-Whale Tim Erixon (4-5-9) for 20 points vs. their old team. * The Falcons (24-9-3-3, 54 pts.) are missing four of their top eight scorers to recall to the parent Columbus Blue Jackets, but are 6-0-1-0 in their last seven games and 8-1-1-0 in their last 10, and have opened up a 12-point margin on second-place Bridgeport in the Northeast Division. * For this and all Whale home games, tickets start as low as $10 each ($12 each when tickets are purchased on the day of the game), at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, through TicketMaster Charge-by-Phone at 1-800-745-3000 and on-line at www.ticketmaster.com. * Radio - live with Bob Crawford and Mark Bailey on "The Rock" 106.9 WCCC-FM. All Whale Saturday night games this year will be beamed on The Rock 106.9 WCCC's 50,000 watts of power. Also available on-line at www.ctwhale.com. Video streaming at www.ahllive.com. Sunday, January 27 and Monday, January 28 - 2013 Dunkin' Donuts AHL Star Classic in Providence, RI The AHL's annual All-Star showcase pits the best of the Eastern Conference going up against the top Western Conference talent, in the Pepsi AHL All-Star Skills Competition Sunday, January 27, starting at 7:00 PM, and the 2013 Dunkin' Donuts AHL All-Star Game Monday, January 28, with faceoff 7:00, both at the Dunkin' Donuts Center Providence. Chad Kolarik will represent the Whale on the Eastern Conference squad, and Whale head coach Ken Gernander will be enshrined into the AHL Hall of Fame at the 2013 MetLife Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Ceremony Monday morning at Veterans Memorial Auditorium. Whale Community Appearances: The Whale have the following appearances scheduled this week. For further information on these, or any other Whale community initiatives, contact Whale community relations manager Frank Berrian, at (860) 541-4728: * Wednesday, January 23, 9:30-11:30 AM, Farm Hill Elementary School, 390 Ridge Rd., Middletown, CT Pucky, the Whale's lovable mascot, brings the Whale's "We Believe" tour to Farm Hill Elementary's STARR assembly. * Thursday, January 24, 6:00-7:00 PM, Northern Middlesex YMCA, 99 Union St., Middletown, CT Pucky brings the Whale's "CIGNA Hockey in the Streets" program to Middletown, sharing the fun and health benefits of floor hockey with a group of local youngsters. * Friday, January 25, 9:30-10:30 AM, Breakthrough Magnet School, 290 Brookfield St., Hartford, CT Pucky meets and greets students at Breakthrough Magnet School. * Friday, January 25, 11:00 AM-12:30 PM, Great Path Academy, 60 Bidwell St., Manchester, CT Pucky hobnobs with students at Great Path Academy. Recent Transactions: Tommy Grant - recalled by the New York Rangers from the Whale, and traded to San Jose, January 16. Brandon Mashinter - loaned to the Whale by the New York Rangers, after being acquired in a trade from San Jose, January 16. Brandon Segal - recalled by the New York Rangers from the Whale January 16 and returned January 19. Whale Tales: Whale fans can present their Whale ticket stub at the Russian Lady, which is located at 191 Ann Uccello Street, directly across from the XL Center, and not only skip the line at the door, but get in with no cover charge as well. Before and after Whale games, fans showing their Whale tickets at the Tavern Downtown, located just steps from the XL Center at 100 Allyn St. in Hartford, can enjoy $3 Bud and Bud Lights. At every Sunday Whale home game this year, fans can take advantage of the Whale's "Click It or Ticket Sunday Family Value Packs", which include a ticket, a hot dog or a pizza slice and a soda, all for just $18. The next Sunday home outing at the XL Center is February 17, a 3:00 PM game vs. the Manchester Monarchs. Season tickets for the Whale's 2012-13 AHL season are still available. For information on season seats, and all of the Whale's many ticketing options, visit www.ctwhale.com, or call the CT Whale ticket office at (860) 548-2000 to talk with an account executive today.
