Playoffs Await Falcons
April 5, 2013 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Springfield Falcons News Release
Hartford, Conn. - The Springfield Falcons reserved a spot in the 2013 Calder Cup Playoffs following their game against the Connecticut Whale on Friday night at the XL Center.
Springfield's frequent visits to the win column in 2012-2013 allowed the club to earn the seventh postseason appearance in franchise history despite undergoing a 4-3 defeat to the Whale (34-27-5-3). The Falcons (39-20-5-4) clinched their berth after Providence defeated Albany and Portland beat Manchester, which guaranteed that no team outside of the Eastern Conference's top eight could reach Springfield in the standings by the end of the regular season.
Springfield was one of four teams in the conference to seal a position in the postseason on Friday. Binghamton, Providence, and Syracuse all qualified for the playoffs as well.
Next up for the Falcons is the F.G. (Teddy) Oke Trophy as the Northeast Division champions. Springfield's magic number to clinch the Northeast is four points over Connecticut heading into Saturday.
For more information about Falcons playoff ticket information, click here. Springfield's postseason schedule will be announced on FalconsAHL.com when available. The AHL's regular season ends on Sunday, Apr. 21.
The Falcons dominated the first period, scoring twice and outshooting the Whale, 12-1. Springfield netted its goals just 21 seconds apart off of deflections in front on blue-line bids.
With a delayed penalty on the way to Connecticut, Nick Holden received the puck at the left point from Michael Chaput and sent it toward the net. Spencer Machacek tipped Holden's shot past Whale goaltender Cam Talbot for his first goal as a Falcon at 11:04, as Springfield took a 1-0 lead.
Holden and David Savard remained on the ice following the initially tally, and the Falcons struck again. Savard flicked a wrister from the right edge of the blue line, and Matthew Ford redirected it into a tight space in the top-left corner of the cage at 11:25, making it 2-0, Springfield.
The Whale recovered in the second, though, and used the momentum of a Mike Vernace shot just 13 seconds into the period to commence a four-goal middle-stanza rally. Vernace's wrister fluttered through a screen and over Falcons netminder Curtis McElhinney's glove and in, putting the Whale on the board, 2-1.
Christian Thomas picked off a pass in Springfield's end and fed Marek Hrivik, who blasted a puck home from the right circle after missing the previous 35 games with an injury, tying the contest, 2-2, at 11:29.
Brandon Segal capitalized on a Falcons turnover and deposited a return pass from Kris Newbury on a give-and-go from the slot at 16:00, as Connecticut gained the advantage, 3-2.
Playing in his first North American professional contest, Jesper Fast found room in the bottom of the left circle on the power play and drove a puck over McElhinney's stick and in at 19:11, as the Whale opened their cushion to 4-2.
Ryan Russell corralled a puck off of a face-off in Connecticut's end and guided a shot from the top of the left circle past a screen by Andrew Joudrey and in at 7:25 of the third, as Springfield closed to within a goal, 4-3.
The Falcons would get no closer however. Talbot stopped Springfield's biggest threat, a Ryan Craig shot from a Joudrey set up past the halfway point of the third, and the Whale won, 4-3.
McElhinney (27-14-3) saw his winning streak end at four games. He saw only 16 shots, making 12 saves. Talbot (24-24-1) set aside 21 of Springfield's 24 opportunities.
The Falcons head to Worcester on Saturday and Portland on Sunday. After playing at Adirondack on Friday, Apr. 12, the Falcons return home for Fan Appreciation Weekend, hosting Providence on Saturday, Apr. 13, and Connecticut on Sunday, Apr. 14. For full details of Fan Appreciation Weekend, click here.
Single-game tickets to see the Falcons in 2012-2013 can be purchased at the MassMutual Center Box Office from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. through game time on Saturday home dates, and starting four hours prior to Sunday home contests. Fans can also purchase tickets by logging onto Ticketmaster.com. For information about discounted group packages to Falcons home games, call (413) 739-GOAL (4625).
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