No Live Coverage This Weekend

Whalers are on at 3p in Brooklyn today against the Aviators, and home tomorrow to take on the Frenzy for a 6pm showing.

Being that it is, in fact, New Year's Eve, the debauchery begins in an hour or two and I won't be around to give a rundown of the game. I will see some of you at the home game tomorrow though.

That being said, by Monday morning I'll have a review on the first half of the season along with plans for the second half.

That'll be all until 2011...

Hoping everybody has a safe, happy, and prosperous New Year! Let's Go Whalers!

Transaction News, New Year's Eve

Three more on tap for today.

• Madsen traded to New York for future considerations. Fine, he didn't do much anyway. 
• Kapteina waived this morning. Good. Had somebody not told you, you wouldn't have had any idea he was actually on the team anyway. And all the legal controversy made the team look bad, too.
• Though the trade was made yesterday, Skoggard officially signed with Danbury today. Still no idea what we want with him.

Transaction News, 12/30: Danbury signs Skoggard

Lots of transactions happening today. Looks like everybody doing their end of year housecleaning. We'll get to the important stuff at the end.

New York Aviators: Ryan Hitchcock waived.
100 Islands Privateers: Schwartz, Jones, Colosimo waived. Romeo activated from IR
Cape Cod Barons: Boyer, Gehring recalled by Riverhawks. Peter Skoggard traded to Danbury. No return specified.

Skoggard to Danbury really confuses me. He was definite starter material for the Barons and won more often than not. He's still one of the highest rated goalies in the league. Wondering right now if he wasn't willing to move with the team to their new home. Regardless, I can't envision Danbury being terribly interested in a shake-up of their goaltending roster because both Niedert and Donovan have performed admirably when called upon, Donovan more so lately.

I think it would be more likely that Skoggard is trade bait or that Danbury wants to carry three goalies, as unlikely as that may seem.

More to come.

Barons move to Cape Cod

I'm not sure how I like the sound of the Cape Cod Barons, but they're playing again, and that's the more important thing. The team is to report to their new home immediately after New Year's, and their first game will be at home on January 6th.

My big question right now is in the (link below) wording of "shortened home schedule". When they say that, I'm hoping they mean "clearly half the season is already over" and not "we're giving them a bye through certain games".

More to come as I hear it.


http://bcbarons.pointstreaksites.com/view/bcbarons
http://www.newstimes.com/news/article/Federal-Hockey-League-s-Broome-County-Barons-927511.php

Game 24: Away v. Privateers, Wednesday December 29th

9:28: Game over. 5-0 Privateers.

9:25: 3 minutes left. Shots in the third 11-9 Privateers.

9:20: 5 minutes left in the game.

9:14: Mahesh, 2 for tripping.

9:09: 11 minutes left in the period. Shots 4-2 Privateers.

9:02: 5 minutes into a quiet 3rd period. Only 2 shots on goal by the Privateers so far.

8:56: Start of 3.

8:36: End of the 2nd. 5-0 Privateers. Shots are 24-18 in their favor.

8:32: Beedle, 2 for hooking. Privateers powerplay.

8:30: 5 and a half minutes left in the 2nd. McAllister scores to make it 5-0 Privateers. Wondering if Donovan will be pulled...

8:24: Byrd scores 75 seconds later to make it 4-0.

8:23: Panetta scores to make it 3-0.

8:21: Halfway through the period.

8:17: Too many men on the ice for the Privateers, 2 minute penalty to Poliakov.

8:14: Fight between Willock and Pearson. Bout time we see the Schott injury from the last game boil over.

8:10: 5 past. Shots in the second Danbury 5, Privateers 1.

8:04: Goupil scores 90 seconds in. 2nd goal of the night. 2-0 Privateers.

7:59: Start of the 2nd.

7:41: End of 1. 1-0 Privateers. Shots 13-10 Privateers.

7:38: Willock takes a 2 minute slashing call with a minute left in the powerplay. Will give 50 seconds of 4 on 4 followed by 70 seconds of 5 on 4 for the Privateers.

7:36: 3 and a half minutes left in the period, McAllister takes 2 for tripping. Whalers powerplay.

7:32: Six and a half left in the period. Shots are 9-6 Privateers.

7:26: At 9:22, Goupil converts on the powerplay to make it 1-0 Privateers.

7:23: Schott, 2 minutes for interference. Just under 10 left in the period.

7:18: 5 minutes in. Shots 4-2 Danbury.

7:14: 3 minutes in. Shots on goal 3-1 Danbury.

7:10: Puck drop on Period 1, live from 1000 Islands.

Going to do pre-game and live coverage in the same post tonight since I didn't wake up until 3pm. Nasty bug floating around lately and I feel like I got hit by a truck. Plan is probably to watch some hockey and crawl right back into bed.

Whalers dropped a 3-1 decision to the Warriors last night in what was perhaps the most abysmal demonstration of what a powerplay should look like that I have ever seen. 0 for 6, nearly 4 minutes of 5 on 3 play, and less than a shot on goal per minute. Tie game going into the last minute of regulation when the Warriors sunk it. On the other hand, for very limited play time, Donovan was absolutely amazing in net and it's good to know we have a very capable backup.

• The Privateers are presently second place in the league with 34 points, 10 ahead of the 3rd place Aviators, and 12 ahead of Danbury. 
• The have the #1 powerplay in the league which converts at nearly 26%
• Danbury, however, still has the best penalty kill, clicking at nearly 86% success
• Don't even want to talk about Danbury's powerplay. They need some SERIOUS work on that front. 
• This week Danbury dropped below .50 and has officially allowed more goals than it has scored. We need to see some big changes going into the new year in order to lock down a playoff spot. 
• Puck drop at 7:05 (Really, I swear!) and live coverage to come then

Live Game Coverage, v. Warriors December 28th

10:06: Delisle scores the empty netter to make it 3-1 Warriors, Final.

10:04: Mahfouz scores with 48 seconds left in regulation to make it 2-1 Warriors. Timeout Danbury.

10:03: One minute left in regulation.

10:00: 2 and a half left. 1-1.

9:57: 5 minutes left.

9:51: No tally on the powerplay. 8 and a half to go.

9:49: Van Hoof, 2 for tripping. Whalers powerplay.

9:47: Danbury PK is over, and successful. Just about halfway through.

9:42: Velasquez, 2 for interference. Warriors get 26 seconds of 5 on 3 and the rest of it as 5 on 4.

9:40: 5 minutes gone in the period.

9:35: Malloy and Brunet go at it. Brunet, double minor for checking from behind. Malloy, 2 for roughing. Should wind up with a Danbury powerplay somewhere after all this gets sorted out.

9:33: Tripping minor on Karlov 44 seconds in. Warriors 5 on 4 PP.

9:30: Start of 3.

9:11: End of the 2nd. 1-1.

9:03: 6 and a half minutes remaining. 1-1.

8:55:  Mahfouz and Malloy take coincidental roughing.

8:53: Van Hoof scores for the Warriors 22 seconds later to make it 1-1.

8:50: Sean O'Malley tallies with 8 minutes left to make it 1-0 Whalers.

8:44: 5 minutes in. Still 0-0. SOG 16-14 Warriors.

8:43: Reanalysis, absolute brawl right now. That Arnott call is a game misconduct. Quenneville and Mahfouz both take roughing calls. The first is a 2 minute minor, the second is a 5 minute major.

8:41: 18:48, Arnott takes a 5 minute major for checking from behind. Sellitto takes a 2 minute minor for roughing. Warriors are 5 on 3 for the next 2 minutes.

8:36: Start of the 2nd.

8:10: End of the first. Penalty minutes 10-4 Warriors, SOG 11-9 Warriors.

8:05: 60 seconds left in the period.

8:04: With all of the PP time elapsed, Guy takes a 2 minute call for interference. 4 minutes left in the period. Shots on goal are 7-6 Warriors.

8:04: Quenneville takes a 2 minute roughing penalty for the Warriors. 2 minutes of 5 on 3 play for Danbury.

8:01: Refs determined that high sticking call to be a double minor. 3 and half of 5 on 4.

8:00: Danbury logs its first powerplay shot on goal with 42 seconds left in the powerplay. Not what we were hoping for. With 36 seconds left, Ste Marie takes a 2 minute high sticking call, giving Danbury 36 seconds of 5 on 3 and a minute and 24 of 5 on 4.

7:57: Trevisani takes a 2 minute tripping call for the Warriors, giving Danbury 2:52 of powerplay time.

7:55: Swamp and Fulton take coincidental roughing penalties.

7:54: Halfway through the period. Shots are 7-2 Warriors.

7:51: 7 minutes elapsed. Shots on goal are Warriors 5 to Danbury 2. Still 0-0, no penalties.

7:48: Fulton logs Danbury's first shot on goal nearly 5 and a half minutes in.

7:47: Just over 5 in. Warriors starting to pile the shots on goal, putting 3 more on in under two minutes.

7:45: 4 minutes in. Shots on goal still 1-0 Warriors.

7:44: Clean game so far. 16:45 remaining in the 1st. Warriors with the first shot on goal.

7:40: Start of the first period.

7:22: While you're waiting, the new Whalers Weekly just came out. Lynn Beedle interview this week. http://tinyurl.com/2egpn25

7:05: Minor slip on my part earlier, puck drop scheduled for 7:35, not 7:05. Live in 30.

Pre-Game: Away v. Warriors, Tuesday December 28th

First Place Akwesasne against 5th Place Danbury tonight. Danbury is away, and puck drop is at 7:35. Live game coverage to come at that point.

• Danbury has played the Warriors twice this season and lost both games 7-4
• Danbury signed Mike Sellitto (RW) to a contract today and shelved Madsen for the time being. No word on duration yet.
• Sellitto, as far as I know, is property of the New York Islanders of the NHL and played in their training camp this past summer. 
• Blanchette was the other recent pickup for Danbury, and tallied 2 points in his first game. Hopefully he keeps that going, because we're going to need all the points we can get tonight. 
• Warriors PP is still clicking at an absolutely lethal 25%, which means it would be a fantastic coincidence if somebody poured some Nyquil in Guy's gatorade this morning, because I'm getting sick of pointless penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct costing us goal(s). 
• Velasquez, Karlov, and Siefert are still leading Danbury in points, but their tallies are quite literally half of what the Warrior's top line is producing. Would love to know what those guys are getting paid under the table in addition to their salaries to play in an A league. 
• League standings are tight, and a win tonight brings Danbury from 5th to 3rd place. The Warriors remain in 1st either way.

More to come...

Live Game Coverage, v. Aviators December 23rd

9:20: Game over. 5-2 final. Yup, going to be a long few days on the road.

9:19: Schott takes a tripping minor on the same play. Coincidental, no powerplays.

9:18: 60 seconds left. Whalers PP for an Inman slashing minor.

9:15: Holmes converts for NY with 2:11 to go. 5-2 Aviators. There goes another road game.

9:13: Three and a half left...still 4-2. Whalers in possession.

9:07: Blanchette converts on the powerplay for Danbury to make it 4-2 Aviators. Assists by Hellemeyer and Caranci.

9:04: Goffredo takes a hooking minor at 10 in. Whalers PP.

9:01: Puntureri scores to make it 4-1 NY.

9:00: 7 in, nothing noteworthy.

8:57: 5 in, nothing noteworthy.

8:50: Start of the 3rd.

8:31: End of the 2nd. 3-1 New York. Shots are 27 Danbury to 23 New York

8:24: 5 minutes left in the period.

8:21: Thomson scores for New York at 7:09 to make it 3-1 Aviators.

8:18: 2 minutes for interference on Caranci at 8:51. Aviators PP.

8:12: 11 left in the second, Danbury dominating the SOG for the last 3 minutes.

8:04: Danbury answers literally 7 seconds later. Caranci from Blanchette and Guy to make it 2-1. Wow!

8:03: Timmons converts on the powerplay at 16:01. 2-0 NY.

8:01: Blanchette, 2 for elbowing @ 16:37. Aviators PP.

7:55: Start of the 2nd.

7:38: End of 1st. 1-0 NY.

7:36: Felten scores with 76 seconds left to make it 1-0 New York.

7:32: With 2:40 left in the period, Hager takes a holding penalty. Aviators PP.

7:31: 3 minutes left in the first. Scoreless, even strength. Shots are 10 Danbury to 7 NY.

7:28: Five minutes left in first. Still scoreless.

7:25: Rush takes a 2 minute hooking call for NY. Whalers PP.

7:20: 9 minutes left in the first, still scoreless.

7:12: Just about 5 minutes in. Holmes takes a 2 minute tripping call for Aviators. Whalers PP.

7:08: Puck drop, we're live.

Pre-Game: Away v. Aviators, Thursday December 23rd

Tonight the Whalers play game #22 against the New York Aviators in Brooklyn. It's a big night for the team with lots of roster moves being made early this morning. Live coverage to follow as always at 7pm.

Danbury: 22 games (10-9-2) 22 points
New York: 23 ganes (10-10-2) 22 points

• Danbury and New York both have 22 points, but Danbury has the fourth and final playoff spot on virtue of being a game in hand on New York. This is a must win game for the Whalers tonight. 
• JR Bria and Matt Nelson were both released by the Whalers this morning. No word yet on whether another team will be picking either of them up on waivers. Neither brought anything special to the team so I'm not considering them a big loss. 
• Steve McClellan was activated from IR this morning. In 5 games with the Whalers he's been pointless with a -5 rating and 5 penalty minutes. Not sure what, if anything, he'll be contributing. 
• Adam Blanchette signed with the Whalers and will be playing tonight. He has past CHL experience with Rio Grande, Tulsa, and New Mexico. 
• Peter Garrett also signed and will be playing tonight. I'll update when I find out more.
• As of the beginning of this week I heard we had signed a third player as well, but I don't want to throw the name out there and be wrong, so I'll wait until I hear something else. 
• Perhaps most stunningly, Lucas Schott is back in the lineup and ready to skate tonight, less than a week after a high stick by Ryan Pearson sent him to the hospital in need of six root canals to repair ten and a half teeth. I'm not sure if the pain still hasn't set in or if Lucas is genuinely that much of a badass, but it'll be good to have him back tonight. 

Whalers Weekly Column

Starting this week I'll have some work on the official side of things as well with an article in the Whalers Weekly newsletter.

Nick Niedert Interview


As always, I hope you enjoy! Comments and questions are always appreciated!

Rumor Mill, December 21st

Take all of the below with a grain of salt. I'm not attributing it to anybody in particular, but I have faith in the people I heard all of this from this evening. Consider it a holiday around the league update.

• For the Whalers; Augie is done with Danbury for sure. Via Herm Sorcher, CEO of the Whalers. "We have nothing but good things to say about Augie as a person, but after his injury he just didn't get back to the skill level we expected of him". So, Augie won't be coming back to Danbury in the foreseeable future. (Reliability: HIGH)
• Broome has not yet announced yet, but has found a new home in Vermont. All signs point to the inevitability that their exhibition game there was an effort to scout out a new home. The players will be moving with the team, and they'll more than likely be playing out of Green Mountain Arena in Morrisville Vermont. (Reliability: Moderate to High)
• The league has already received expansion requests, and we're looking at 2 "Midwest" teams joining in for the 2011-2012 season at the earliest. In this case I think "Midwest" to us will mean something like Pennsylvania, but more teams is never a bad thing. (Reliability: Moderate)

As always, I'll be the first to update if anything changes. I'll be at the arena for a while tomorrow, and if I don't hear anything then, I'll be back Thursday night with Away game coverage. 

Broome Folds; Scheduled Games Postponed Indefinitely

Broome's postponed game Friday night was certainly a sign of things to come. Over the course of the weekend they've completely moved out and suspended all of their games indefinitely. Bad news for the League, folks. Let's hope they get this sorted out soon. Click the article title for a link to the full release, but here's a few excerpts.

"The team will no longer be playing out of Chenango Ice Rink," said Phil DeFranco, Chief Administrator of the FHL. "We just didn't have the attendance. We thought putting the team there was a good idea, but we found out having an AHL team (the Binghamton Senators) a few miles away was just a bad move. We thought we'd get better crowds, but the ownership was losing money hand over fist. They have a good team; it's just attendance. We had several groups of people who had shown interest in having a team next year, and they wouldn't be opposed to hosting the team for the remainder of this season."  We are looking for the best option at this time."

"If that night had gone well, ownership might have stuck it out for (Friday's) game and (Sunday's) game," DeFranco said. "If you can't get at least 500, 600 people to come out for Johnny Bower, something's wrong.

"We have three offers right now, two in Canada and one in New England. We are hoping to make a deal within the next 48-72 hours and start playing a revised schedule to make up those games after Christmas."'

Head Coach/General Manager Greg McCauley and the team's 18 players are expected to move on with the team when it finds a new home.

As we hear more about where (if) they are moving, I'll let you know. 

Weekend Wrap Up

It's been a long weekend with a lot of ups and downs, but Danbury made the best of it. We won't be seeing our boys at home now until New Year's Day as they start a six game road stand (would love to meet and maim the guy who writes the schedule for the league) this week, visiting every team in the league at least once.

• Danbury lost 4-3 on the road against Rome Thursday night, 7-4 at home against the Warriors Friday night, and won 4-2 Saturday night against the Privateers, giving them 2 points out of a possible 6 for the weekend 
• The Aviators only got a point out of their weekend game, which ties them with Danbury in points. However, Danbury has a game in hand, which means they advance back into the 4th place playoff spot for the time being. 
• In Saturday night's game, Lucas Schott did not return to the ice after a blatantly intentional-and very dirty- high stick by the Privateer's Ryan Pearson. He left the building via ambulance, and last I heard had some serious damage to his mouth; a few teeth definitely got moved around. Not expecting him to return to the ice for a few weeks at the absolute and unlikely minimum. May be another waiver situation, which is unfortunate because I'm a huge fan of his play. Will keep you updated. 
• No word on any new signings, though talk around the rumor mill is that Danbury is still looking to shake the roster up a little bit to see what falls out. 
• More to come throughout the week as I get some more time in at the Arena. 

Game 19: Away v. Rome, Thursday December 16th

9:18: Danbury unable to convert one more time. Final score 4-3 Rome.

9:14: Willock scores with 2:56 left to make it 4-3 Rome.

9:10: Nucci's hat trick goal puts Rome up 4-2. 5 minutes to go.

9:05: Arnott takes 2 for hooking with 9 minutes left.

8:56: 13 minutes left, shots are 35-27 Rome.

8:48: Caranci tallies for Danbury. 3-2 Rome

8:44: Nucci scores to make it 3-1 Rome.

8:43: Start of 3.

8:26: Heated brawl between Fulton and LaPorte. Rome tallies with half a minute left to make it 2-1, End of 2.

8:23: 3 left in the 2nd.

8:17: 7 minutes left, 25 shots to 13. 1-1.

8:11: 11 minutes left in the 2nd. 23 shots Rome to 11 shots Danbury. 1-1.

8:04: Fives minutes into the 2nd. 21 shots to 10, Rome. 1-1. 40 seconds of overlapping penalty time off a  hooking call on Hager and a high sticking call on Rome's Monte.

7:57: Start of 2.

7:38: 16 seconds later Skinner answers to make it 1-1. End of the 1st.

7:36: Karlov tallies with exactly 4 left to make it 1-0 Danbury.

7:32: 6 left in the first, 10 shots Rome to 7 shots Danbury

7:25: Rome powerplay. Karlov, 2 for tripping at 9:55.

7:23: Just about 10 minutes in. Shots are 9-3 in favor of Rome, still scoreless.

7:17: 5 minutes in. Rome with 2 shots, Danbury with 2. 0-0.

7:08: We're underway in Rome.

Danbury's last game was home against Rome this past weekend. A wild back-and-forth night ended in a 5-4 shootout win for the Whalers. They meet tonight in the first of three consecutive games for the Whalers that will inevitably make a very long weekend.

• Danbury currently sits at 5th place in the league with 20 points. 
• Rome is in last place with 14 points. 
• A win for Danbury tonight will put them one point ahead of the Aviators with 22, and they'll still have a game in hand. 
• Against Rome this season Danbury is 2-1.
• Dabkowski is still injured and out indefinitely.
• Augie DiMarzo was waived today, and Center Brett Kapteina signed. No word on whether or not DiMarzo will be picked back up once his knee heals. 

Whalers Ticket Giveaway Week 4!

As always, this week's ticket winner will be picked early Friday afternoon. The winner will join us in a VIP Suite for the January 7th game against the New York Aviators. Contestants should keep their response to a paragraph max, and submit their response to mmaher7@gmail.com. If you submitted a response in prior weeks but did not win, you are welcome to try again!

This week's question:

"The best hockey game to watch comes when the Whalers play what other team?"

Good luck!

Game 17 Updates

9:50: Furious comeback by New York leaves us at 5-5, end of 3. They took a penalty toward the end and Danbury is going to start OT with just over a minute worth of PP time. Nobody scores in OT, Shootout goes 7 rounds, and New York wins it 6-5.

8:46: End of 2nd, 5-2 Danbury. Pelle fought again, this time against Arnott. Aviators converted on the powerplay for their goal. Danbury goals by Karlov and Schott in the 2nd. Shots are presently 21 Danbury to 22 NY.

7:45: End of the 1st, 3-1 Danbury. Looks like they have the fire they needed after that embarrassing game last weekend. Karlov and Malloy scored on powerplay chances, Siefert scored at even strength. 30 seconds in Malloy went after Pelle. Nice to have him back! Lots of tussling back and forth in the first period, and even some from Druce, who got a tripping penalty for it. I'm expecting the snarl to keep up in the 2nd as well.

Game 17: Away v. Aviators, Friday December 10th

Danbury is away in Brooklyn tonight for a 7pm puck drop.

• Whalers have not played since their 3-0 home loss to the Aviators last weekend. They play back to back games this weekend, coming home tomorrow night to take on Rome Frenzy. 
• Malloy is back in the lineup for Danbury, and we're looking at a possible return for DiMarzo
• Aviators were in Broome yesterday and won 4-1 
• Danbury is currently at 4th place in the standings, 16 games played (8-7-1) 17 points
• Aviators are in 3rd place, 17 games played (9-7-1) 19 points
• A win tonight will get Danbury back into 3rd place on the merit of having a game in hand. 
• More at 7p

Whalers Ticket Giveaway Week 3 Winner!

This week's question asked why you would rather watch hockey than any other game on a Friday night. 

Christin Cole is the winner this week, telling the Whalers Blog: 

I would rather be watching hockey than any other game on a Friday night because it is the most energizing, heart pumping, fast paced sport there is. How many other sports can you watch where a brawl breaks out and amplifies the crowd just as much as scoring points? I do not believe you will find that in soccer or football. Hockey gets the entire crowd's adrenaline pumping with each check, save and shot. I love going to hockey games and feeling like I am a part of the team, cheering and yelling for them to score. The rowdy atmosphere doesn't compare to any other sporting event you could watch, or better yet attend. There are so many unexpected events that occur, you never know what to expect when you watch hockey. One minute it can be a three on two going to goal and then all of a sudden there can be a breakaway down the other end and the crowd is on their feet all in a matter of seconds. It's the skill, intensity, and exhilarating experience that keeps us coming back for more!! This isn't your back and forth, pass a ball down a court boring business, this is hardcore in your face action and I LOVE every minute of it! Always have, always will-wouldn't watch any other sport! Go Whalers! 

Christin will be joining us in a VIP Suite on January 7th at home against the Aviators! 

There are 3 weeks left in the contest and 3 more chances to win a seat! Check back in tomorrow for pre-game coverage, and Monday morning for round 4 of the contest!

Malloy Back In Danbury

Quick update for everybody who's been asking; As of today, Danbury has reacquired Malloy from the Aviators in a cash trade for an undisclosed amount. He should be in the lineup for the next game.

Whalers Ticket Giveaway Week 3!

This morning begins the third week of the Suite ticket giveaway for the January 7th game against the Aviators. Readers will have until 10am Friday to submit their responses for this week, and the winner as well as runner ups will be announced here Friday afternoon. This week I want to open it up a little bit so that people who aren't as familiar with the players can get in on it. 

This week's question:

Why would you rather be watching hockey than any other game on a Friday night?

Responses can be emailed to mmaher7@gmail.com with "Whalers Ticket Contest" in the subject, or posted in the comments section here. Please limit responses to 1 paragraph or less. You are only allowed one answer, so if I get more than one, anything after the first doesn't count.

Good luck everybody!

Game 16 Recap: 3-0 NY

Since last night was too much of a disaster to do much from the stands, here's a brief recap.

• Siefert, Willock, DiMarzo MIA: No idea why they weren't playing EDIT@15:37: DiMarzo still out w/ knee injury after that slash to his leg 2 games back. 
• Final Score 3-0 New York breaks Danbury's undefeated home record and ensures that Niedert is no longer the only goalie with a shutout
• Scoreless first period, with a Danbury penalty about a minute in that gets killed successfully
• Aviators get two breakaways off poor Danbury defensive play and Niedert stones both
• Five and a half in, Holmes scores for NY after a mad scramble in front of the net to make it 1-0 NY
• 9 minutes into the 2nd, O'Malley gets a breakaway. At the center of the faceoff circle as he attempts his shot, an Aviators player dives and trips him. No penalty shot given. 
• 14 minutes in there's another scramble in front of the net that knocks it off the moorings behind Niedert. Aviators pass it out to Goffredo in the circle, who takes a one timer and bangs it in, about 8 seconds after the net had been knocked off. Referees allow the goal. 
• Guy gets two shorty shots toward the end of the second. Misses on one, gets tripped on the second, again no penalty shot. 
• With just about a minute left in the game, Aviators get another powerplay and convert to make it 3-0 after Corey Fulton decided to pummel Felten. 
• Final shots on goal: New York 42 to Danbury 24. Safe to say that the ONLY player who showed up for Danbury last night was Nick Niedert, who recorded a 92.85 save % in the 3-0 loss. Can't say he didn't do his share.
• Overall, a night punctuated by lots of poor, uninspired play on Danbury's part. As much as we would love to see the home record kept alive, they didn't deserve to be on the ice last night, nevermind deserving of a win. 

Game 16: Home v. Aviators, Saturday December 4th

Puck drop at 7pm tonight against the Aviators

• Looks like this is going to be Danbury's 3rd standing room only game of the season!
• Danbury dropped it 8-6 to the Aviators last night in Brooklyn and look to rebound tonight in front of a capacity 2200+ crowd
• And they're all wearing white! First attempt at a Whiteout for Danbury and if the hype is any indication it's going to be intense! 
• After yesterday Danbury dropped to 3rd place in the league and is currently down on 2nd place Privateers by 3 points. They play tonight as well against The Warriors. Must-Win game for Danbury to maintain standings. 
• It sounds like I'll be too swamped in my seat to do play by play updates tonight, so I'll shoot for between periods at the minimum. 
• See everybody there!

Game 15: Away v. Aviators, Friday December 3rd

9:24: 8-6 final score, NY wins. Back on tomorrow night in Danbury.

9:18: NY for Interference, Danbury for Tripping, 2 each. 4 left in the game.

9:14: 5 minutes left...

9:08: Nelson tallies with 11 left. 8-6 NY.

9:07: Hellemayer tallies with 12 left to make it 8-5 NY

9:03: Obelnicki and Fulton, coincidental roughing minors.

9:01: O'Malley scores to make it 8-4 NY.

8:59: Puntureri scores to make it 8-3 NY

8:56: Thomson takes a 2 minute holding call for NY, negating the powerplay.

8:55: Adler, 2 for hooking; another NY PP.

8:53: Felten scores unassisted to make it 7-3.

8:52: Start of 3.

8:35: Danbury is going to have about a minute of PP time at the beginning of the 3rd on a late NY hooking call.

8:30: End of 2. 6-3 Aviators.

8:23: Just under 5 left in the 2nd.

8:19: Adler takes 2 for tripping with 7 and a half left. Aviators PP.

8:14: Halfway through the 2nd period. Obelnicki scores to make it 6-3 NY. Arnott takes 2 for cross checking. Aviators PP.

8:12: Scampoli scores, 5-3 NY.

8:10: Karlov scores 6 minutes in to make it 4-3 NY.

8:04: Inman takes a roughing penalty for NY 2 minutes in.

8:00: Start of 2.

7:40: End of 1. 4-2 NY.

7:38: Velasquez tallies with 90 seconds left in the first to make it 4-2 NY.

7:37: 2 left in the first.

7:34: Goffredo scores with 4 left to make it 4-1 NY.

7:33: 5 minutes left in the 1st.

7:26: Halfway through the first. 3-1 NY. Goffredo takes 2 for slashing, Danbury PP now.

7:15: Thomson scores 3:15 in for NY. 3-1 NY.

7:12: Serse scores 2:05 in for NY. 2-0 NY. O'Malley answers 30 seconds later to make it 2-1 NY.

7:10: Puntureri scores 1:16 in for the Aviators. 1-0 NY.

7:08: Puck drop, we're on! Niedert v. Dundovich in net tonight.

Whalers Ticket Giveaway Week 2 Winner

This week's question was "Who is your favorite Whalers defenseman?"

The winner for this week's VIP ticket giveaway for the January 7th game against the New York Aviators is Breanna Barksdale, who wrote: "My favorite Whalers Defenseman is Paul Arnott. Paul is my favorite d-man because he is not just a fantastic player but has a wonderful personality. He is very friendly and knows how to make you laugh. On the ice he is a hell of a player who knows how to make the game interesting and knows how to do his job right. Off the ice he is a great person to hang out with and definetly someone who's nice to be around."


Certainly testament to the claim that although playing in Danbury may be hell on ice, every player on the team is, when it comes down to it, as much of a gentleman on the ice as they are off. 


Congratulations to Breanna! Week 3 starts on Monday morning!