Valentenko Late Goal Propels Whale to Victory

Eurohockey.com

His high octane slapshot has been like a wild young baseball pitcher powerful,but all over the place, but not tonight.

Valentenko slipped over smartly from his left point area to take a perfect pass from winger Jordan Owens and cranked his cannon shot that beat Hershey goalie Braden Holtby cleanly as he was screened as Whale rookie winger Scott Tanski and Valentenko's former defense partner in Hartford Czech Tomas Kundratek were tied up in front with 4:04 left in regulation.

"It was a great pass (from Jordan Owens) and its my job to hit the net," said Valentenko of his second goal as in as many games." did he ever rip the twine.  

He battled a groin injury  in training camp and for the first month of the regular season and is just getting back into his groove of shot blocking specialist and his Al MacInnis like shot.

"I'm in good shape now and we have forwards helping me and we are helping them. That was my first ever game winning goal,". Good timing can be added to his resume and earned the game first star.

He could have been the goat as Hershey had scored just 4:07 earlier when the AHL's leading scorer Keith Aucoin was able to corral his own rebound and fired it a shot that deflected off hi skate and past goalie Chad Johnson. The goal was credited to Graham Mink who waived his stick at the puck and Valentenko made it clear it was his skate, "he never touched it," remarked the rearguard.

The game's sub-plot was Hershey's Chris Bourque who played against his brother Ryan with their Hall of Fame father Ray Bourque and mother Christiane and faithful from Botsford, Massachusetts in attendance.

Chris didn't disappoint early firing a bullet through a crowd wide open at the right wing faceoff circle it bounced off Johnson and in the net at 12:03 of the first. Just 2:01 later the Whale answered as Norwegian sniper Mats Zuccarello converted rookie Jonathan Audy-Marchessault's pass with a snapshot for his 4th of the season. Marchessault now has a point in four straight games and five of the last six.

Johnson who played the game under the weather battling the flu was superb in the second period when Hershey made a strong effort to take control of the game. HE STOPPED Matt ford on a wraparound attempt at 19 seconds and again Ryan Potulny (game high 5 shots on goal) at the one minute mark. Johnson rejected three quality chances late in the period on Graham Mink, Jacob McFlickier and Patrick McNeill.

Aaron Voros in his 4th game of his PTO contract grabbed a 2-1 lead for the Whale with first goal taking a clearing pass that came off the stanchion and fired it off the right post, off the crossbar and in at 14:20 of the second.

NOTES: Swedish defenseman Tim Erixon was playing so well for the Whale logging over 20 minutes a game was a scratch with an upper body injury.but Jared Nightingale returned from his upper body injury… Hershey Mattias Sjorgren returned to his native Sweden to play for Farjestad BK in the Swedish Elite League for the remainder of the season…Five former Hartford players are on the Hershey roster in aforementioned Kundratek, Andrew Carroll, Matt Ford, Julien Brouliette and captain Boyd Kane who was a veterans scratch and had picked up a double game misconduct the previous game … Crowd was announced at 1,917,but only about 500 were in attendance….Whale play in providence Friday night, Springfield Saturday night and host the defending Calder Cup champion Binghamton Senators at 3pm on Sunday….Former Whale goalie Dov Grumet Morris who was with Lorenskog IF won his first two games in San Antonio  stopping 51 of 52 shots.         

 

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