Wolf Pack Sign Former Quinnipiac Star Zach Tolkinen

Former Quinnipiac star Zach Tolkinen, the newest member of the Hartford Wolf
Pack, skated 33 games this season with the Maine Mariners of the ECHL.

HARTFORD—The Hartford Wolf Pack announced today that the team has signed defenseman Zach Tolkinen to a Professional Tryout (PTO) agreement. This is the second stint on the Wolf Pack roster for Tolkinen. He did not see any action on an earlier PTO, which he signed January 19 and from which he was released later that same night.

A fifth-year pro out of Quinnipiac, Tolkinen has skated in 33 games this season with the Wolf Pack’s ECHL affiliate, the Maine Mariners, notching one goal and 11 assists for 12 points and serving 19 PIMs. The 6-3, 190-pound native of Lino Lakes, MN, has played in a total of 297 ECHL games in his career, with the Elmira Jackals, Missouri Mavericks, Rapid City Rush, Wheeling Nailers and the Mariners, amassing 15 goals and 56 assists for 71 points, along with 214 PIM.

Prior to turning pro, the 29-year-old Tolkinen played four years at Quinnipiac. The blue-liner suited up for 135 career games and registering nine goals and 38 assists for 47 points, plus 151 penalty minutes.

The Wolf Pack’s first action after the AHL All-Star break is tomorrow night, Friday, Feb. 1, when they travel to Springfield to take on the Thunderbirds. Faceoff is 7:05 PM, and all the action can be heard live on News Radio 1410 AM, and 100.9 FM, WPOP, and on-line at www.newsradio1410.com and iHeartRadio. Video streaming is available at theahl.com/AHLTV.

The next Wolf Pack home game is this Saturday night, February 2, a 7:00 PM game vs. the Rochester Americans. That is “‘90’s Throwback Night”, featuring a fanny pack giveaway to the first 2,000 fans, presented by ProHealth Physicians.

Tickets for all 2018-19 Wolf Pack home games are on sale now at the Agera Energy Ticket Office at the XL Center, on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com and by phone at (877) 522-8499. Tickets purchased in advance for kids 12 or younger start at $13 each, and all tickets will have a $3 day-of-game increase.

Season ticket information for the Wolf Pack’s 2018-19 AHL season can be found on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com. To speak with a representative about all of the Wolf Pack’s many attractive ticketing options, call (855) 762-6451, or click here to request more info.

—Staff Reports

Dal Colle, Toews Recalled by Islanders

Devon Toews (pictured) and Michael Dal Colle have been recalled from the
Bridgeport Sound Tigers by the parent New York Islanders.

BRIDGEPORT—The New York Islanders announced today forward Michael Dal Colle and defenseman Devon Toews have been recalled from the team’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

A third-year forward, Dal Colle collected 24 points (seven goals, 17 assists) in 60 AHL games last season and earned his first NHL recall in January of 2018, playing four games with the Islanders, including his NHL debut in the club's 7-2 win over the New York Rangers on Jan. 13.

The Woodbridge, Ont., native ranked fifth on the Sound Tigers in scoring as a rookie in 2016-17, producing 41 points (15 goals, 26 assists) in 75 games. He made his pro debut on Apr. 15, 2016 against the Portland Pirates and scored his first pro goal in just his sixth game on Oct. 21, 2016 against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Prior to turning pro, Dal Colle played four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with the Oshawa Generals and Kingston Frontenacs from 2012-16. He earned 316 points (131 goals, 185 assists) and a plus-76 rating in 246 career games, and helped Oshawa win the 2015 Memorial Cup Championship while playing with Islanders prospect Mitch Vande Sompel. The 6'3, 198-pound forward was also named to the 2015 CHL Memorial Cup All-Star Team in 2014-15 and was selected as an OHL All-Star three times.

Dal Colle has two points (one goal, one assist) and a plus-three rating in 13 games with the Islanders this season, including his first NHL goal on Jan. 17 against the New Jersey Devils. In the AHL, the 22-year-old leads the Sound Tigers in goals (16) and is third in points (28) in 29 contests this year. He participated in the 2019 AHL All-Star Classic in Springfield, Mass. last weekend and finished the All-Star Challenge with one goal, one assist, and one shootout tally. Dal Colle was also named the CCM/AHL Player of the Week for Dec. 9-16 after scoring five goals, including his first pro hat trick and overtime-winner, in just three games. He was selected by the Islanders in the first round (#5 overall) of the 2014 NHL Draft.

Toews, 24, has five points (three goals, two assists) in 15 games with the Islanders this season, including his NHL debut on Dec. 23 against the Dallas Stars. He scored his first NHL goal in overtime on Jan. 3, helping the Islanders defeat the Chicago Blackhawks at NYCB Live.

In the AHL, Toews recorded 19 points (five goals, 14 assists) in 24 games with the Sound Tigers this season, which ranked second among team defensemen and fourth overall at the time of his first NHL recall on Dec. 19. He was also tied for ninth among all AHL defensemen in scoring and 11 of his 19 points have come on the power play, which leads the Sound Tigers and is tied for third-most among AHL blue-liners.

A third-year pro, Toews spent each of the past two seasons in the AHL, collecting 67 points (13 goals, 54 assists) in 106 games with the Sound Tigers. He was named to the AHL's All-Rookie team at the completion of the 2016-17 season after he led all rookie defensemen in scoring and finished fourth in the league amongst all defensemen. Toews represented the Sound Tigers at the 2017 AHL All-Star Classic and won the fastest skater competition.

Prior to turning pro, Toews played three seasons with the Quinnipiac University Bobcats. He had a career year in his third and final season at Quinnipiac, recording seven goals and 23 assists for 30 points in 40 games. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound blue-liner posted 67 points (12-55-67) in 108 collegiate games and helped the Bobcats to the National Championship game in 2016.

Selected by the Islanders in the fourth round (108th overall) of the 2014 NHL Draft, Toews played for the Surrey Eagles in the British Columbia Hockey League for two seasons before joining the collegiate ranks. The Abbotsford, B.C., native won the BCHL Championship in 2013 and was given the Coastal Conference's Defensive Award as the best defenseman.

On Deck

The Sound Tigers will host the Lehigh Valley Phantoms tomorrow night in their first game back from the 2019 All-Star Break. First puck drops at 7 p.m. at Webster Bank Arena. The game will be streamed on the Sound Tigers Radio Network, and can be viewed live via AHLTV. Pre-game coverage is set to begin at 6:45 p.m.

Upcoming Promos

The Sound Tigers offer an extensive promotional schedule, including Hockey Weekend in Connecticut (Feb. 23-24), Hockey and Hops (St. Patrick’s Day, Mar. 17) and Princess Night (Mar. 30). To view a complete promotion schedule, HERE.

For additional details or to reserve a group outing for any giveaway or theme night, please call the Sound Tigers' front office at (203) 345-2300 ext 7.

—Staff Reports

Huskies Roll to 36-Point Thrashing of UCF

Napheesa Collier led the way with 23 points, while three other Huskies scored in
double digits in UConn's 93-57 victory over UCF on Sunday. (Photo courtesy
Jason Reider)

By Bob Phillips

HARTFORD—Tied for the conference lead? Seriously? OK… semantics I suppose.

Napheesa Collier led all scorers with 23 points, powering the University of Connecticut Huskies, ranked No. 3 coming into the contest (more on that later) to a resounding 93-57 victory before 12,139 fans at the XL Center on Sunday. Megan Walker added 21 points—shooting 60 percent from the floor—while Crystal Dangerfield chipped in with 17 and Katie Lou Samuelson 15 for the Huskies, who improved to 18-1 (17-0 in the American Athletic Conference).

Kayla Thigpen led the Knights, who saw their seven-game winning streak snapped, with 14 points followed by Nyala Shuler and Sianni Martin with 13 points each.

“If you execute the game plan and the ball gets where it needs to get at the time the ball needs to get there, you end up with a pretty good shot,” said UConn head coach Geno Auriemma, explaining his team’s total dominance over the nearest “competition” in the conference. “The way we came out with energy and edginess was a big factor. When we play like that on the defensive end the offensive tends to be sharper.”

With nine rebounds vs. Central Florida, Collier now needs just two more boards and 37 points to become only the fifth player in UConn women’s basketball history with 2,000 or more points and 1,000 or more rebounds.

"Coach [Auriemma] has been really challenging us all year, especially leading up to this game, that we need to have more aggression and more energy,” said the 6-2 senior from O’Fallon, MO, who was named to the Final Four All-Tournament Team last season. “So, I think we just decided that we were going to do that today and that's the same mindset that we need to have every game."

After the Huskies raced out to an 8-0 lead about a minute and a half into the contest, the lead grew to 24-14 at the first turn. By intermission, it was 61-36 Connecticut rendering the second half moot.

"When you are playing a game and everything is half-court, then every possession becomes life or death,” Auriemma observed. “Today because of our offense, we got a lot of great looks early on. We made a bunch during the stretch when we blew the game open. We ran the floor pretty well today, and our transition game was good because we had people to throw the ball to up ahead." 

Auriemma was effusive in his praise for his team, pointing to Walker in particular, calling it “her best game as a Husky.”

“Yeah it was fair,” said the 5-5 junior from Murfreesboro, TN. “This was a big game, and I knew I wanted to set a tone and have my teammates back me up. I think we did a great job—everybody."

The win gave Connecticut the sole No. 1 position in The American standings. Since the Huskies have never lost a game—regular season on championship tournament—since the AAC was formed in 2013, the likelihood of UConn falling from the top perch roughly the same as the Giants winning the 2020 Super Bowl and Eli Manning earning his third Super Bowl MVP.

Virtually non-existent, in other words.

Second-place UCF fell to 17-3, 6-1. So the next time you hear another conference team compared to the Huskies, please take that comment with a grain of salt. “Tied for first”? That one needs an asterisk, for sure. 
#UConnWBB

 #UConnHuskies #college\basketball

Things don’t get easier for the Huskies who know travel to Louisville where they will challenge the No. 3 Cardinals on Thursday night. The game will be televised live on ESPN, with a 7 p.m. ET tip-off st the KFC Yum! Center.

We’re No. 2

Earlier today, the Huskies moved up to the No. 2 position in The Associated Press women’s basketball poll, thanks largely to Notre Dame, the former No. 1 team, dropping a 78-83 decision to unranked North Carolina on Sunday. Baylor, formerly No. 2, moved to the top spot, while Louisville, Oregon and Notre Dame followed UConn in AP’s national rankings.

Baylor’s last visit to the top of the heap came in the 2012-13 season, when the Lady Bears were No. 1 in the final poll—including the final 11 weeks of the season.

"Anything that's considered positive for our program and Baylor we welcom," Baylor coach Kim Mulkey said. "But really, what does it mean? It doesn't mean anything. It doesn't win a championship for you. It just puts a bigger target on your back."

The 17-1 Lady Bears received 24 of 28 first-place votes in the AP poll.

—with staff reports

@uconnwomensbasketball @uconnhuskies #uconnhuskies