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Falcons Weekly Notes

November 26, 2012 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Springfield Falcons News Release


Springfield, Mass. - The Springfield Falcons (10-3-1-3) earned points in two of three games this past weekend, taking the Portland Pirates and Manchester Monarchs to overtime on Friday and Saturday before falling in regulation in the waning moments of Sunday's game against the Connecticut Whale. The Falcons emerged from the week with the lead in the Northeast Division and in second place in the Eastern Conference, trailing only the Syracuse Crunch for the top spot.

Springfield plays its second-consecutive three-in-three stretch this upcoming weekend, venturing to Manchester on Friday before returning home to host the Monarchs on Gary Rome Auto Group Night on Saturday. The Falcons then take the marathon-distance trip to the XL Center on Sunday to finish off the weekend against the Whale.

Saturday's game will begin with a ceremonial puck drop by Gary Rome, owner of Gary Rome Auto Group and one of the Falcons' valued corporate partners, along with his dog Jack. The first 3,000 fans into the building that night will receive a postcard with details about a Gary Rome Auto Group Facebook promotion, which includes a grand prize of dinner for two at Picks Restaurant, an overnight stay at the Sheraton Monarch Place, and tickets to a Falcons game. Visit GoToGary.com for details on Gary Rome Hyundai in Holyoke, Mass. and Gary Rome Kia in Enfield, Conn.

As part of the evening, fans are encouraged to bring a toy to donate to Toys for Tots, a program run by the United States Marine Corps which distributes toys to children whose parents cannot afford to buy them gifts for Christmas. The Toys for Tots bins will be located next to the Pride table in the concourse under section 29 and will be manned by on-site Marines. As an incentive to support this program, any fan who brings a toy for donation will receive a free ticket voucher for the Falcons' home game on Saturday, Dec. 15 when Springfield welcomes St. John's to the MassMutual Center at 7:30 p.m. (one voucher per person).

Fans will be invited to participate in a holiday sing-a-long during the intermissions. Santa Claus will also be venturing down from the North Pole to meet and greet Falcons fans and hang out with his friend Screech.

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).

WEEK IN REVIEW

Portland 6, Springfield 5 (OT)

Cumberland County Civic Center

Friday, November 23

The Falcons appeared to be in control of their opening game of the weekend, taking a 4-1 lead early in the second period on a Cam Atkinson goal. The Pirates then turned the middle frame into a wild affair, scoring four-straight times to earn a 5-4 advantage. Sean Collins struck late in the second, evening the score, 5-5, and eventually forcing overtime. Oliver Ekman-Larsson ended the game just 19 seconds into the extra session, driving a puck in from the slot to give Portland the victory.

Manchester 4, Springfield 3 (SO)

MassMutual Center

Saturday, November 24

After establishing an early 1-0 lead on a Ryan Johansen power-play goal, the Monarchs strung together three-straight man-advantage tallies of their own to secure a 3-1 advantage through the opening 20 minutes. Jake Hansen's first professional goal in the second period started Springfield's comeback bid, while Cam Atkinson converted for the second-straight night in the third to direct Springfield back to overtime. Following a scoreless sudden-death stanza, the Monarchs outscored the Falcons 3-1 in the shootout, with Nick Drazenovic notching Springfield's lone marker, as Manchester prevailed with the 4-3 win.

Connecticut 3, Springfield 2

MassMutual Center

Sunday, November 25

The Falcons rallied for the third-straight time on the weekend, trailing 1-0 and 2-1 but fighting back both times on goals by Sean Collins, who scored twice in a game for the first time in his pro career. Springfield appeared to be heading to overtime once again, but Ryan Bourque stunned the Falcons and the MassMutual Center crowd by sneaking a shot by Paul Dainton from the left circle with just 15.6 seconds left in regulation, as Connecticut emerged victorious, 3-2.

WEEK AHEAD

Friday, Nov. 30 - Springfield at Manchester, 7:00 p.m., Verizon Wireless Arena

Saturday, Dec. 1 - Springfield vs. Manchester, 7:00 p.m., MassMutual Center

Sunday, Dec. 2 - Springfield at Connecticut, 5:00 p.m., XL Center

SEVEN FOR SAVARD

With an assist on Sean Collins' second-period goal on Sunday, David Savard extended his point streak to seven games, the longest by any Falcon this season. Savard has two goals and six assists for eight points during his streak, which is the longest by a Falcon since Matt Calvert posted points in eight-straight games last March.

COLLINS SETTLES IN

After posting three points (1g-2a) in his first 10 games of the season, Sean Collins has become a consistent contributor to Springfield's offense. The rookie from Cornell University has four goals and an assist for five points in the last five contests.

HANSEN TAKES ADVANTAGE

After seeing little game action early in the season, Jake Hansen has made the most of his recently-increased role. Hansen, who was a scratch from Oct. 28 through Nov. 16, cracked the Falcons' lineup on Nov. 17 in Norfolk. The White Bear Lake, Minn. native strung together points in three-straight games (1g-2a) upon returning to the ice before having his scoring streak snapped on Sunday.

CELEBRITY SERVERS THIS TUESDAY AT PASQUALE'S

Players from the Falcons will trade their hockey sticks for trays at Pasquale's Restaurant & Tavern in East Longmeadow on Tuesday, Nov. 27 from 6 to 8 p.m.

During this "Celebrity Servers" event, Falcons players will serve food and drinks while taking orders from customers. This event is a great opportunity for fans to meet and get to know their favorite Falcons players at one of the most popular restaurants in the Springfield area.

Pasquale's Restaurant & Tavern is located at 642 North Main Street in East Longmeadow.

PLAYERS TO SERVE MEALS AT FRIENDS OF THE HOMELESS

Falcons players will serve meals to and interact with residents of Friends of the Homeless at 755 Worthington St. in Springfield this Thursday, Nov. 29.

Friends of the Homeless operates the largest emergency shelter for adult individuals in Western, Mass., provides services aimed at ending homelessness, and operates 110 low-income housing units. In addition to providing emergency shelter for adult men and women, Friends of the Homeless also owns and operates a resource center at their Worthington Street campus in Springfield.

MOVEMBER GOAL ECLIPSED

The Falcons' month-long effort to raise $1,000 for Movember turned into a success at Saturday's "Movember Night presented by Baystate Health" at the MassMutual Center. Cash donations raised at the Movember table, which was manned by wives and girlfriends of Falcons players, put the club over its goal. The players have generated $1,118 at the time of publication for Movember, a program geared around raising awareness of prostate cancer and other men's health issues. To donate to Movember on behalf of the Falcons, click here.

FALCONS CONTRIBUTE TO MEMORIAL FUND

Falcons Account Executive Ted Niemiec presented a check last week for the Kevin E. Ambrose Memorial Fund to the Greater Springfield Credit Union. The donation included proceeds raised from Hometown Heroes Night presented by MGM Springfield at the Falcons' game on Nov. 9 at the MassMutual Center. Ambrose, a 36-year veteran Springfield police officer was killed in the line of duty this past spring. Prior to Hometown Heroes Night, Ambrose's son Kyle and granddaughter Victoria participated in a ceremonial puck drop at center ice.

To make a donation to the Kevin E. Ambrose Memorial Fund, contact Julia Lavoie of the Greater Springfield Credit Union at (413) 782-3161 ext. 105 or at jlavoie@grscu.org.

BID NOW ON HOMETOWN HEROES JERSEYS

Falcons fans can bid now on game-worn jerseys from the club's Hometown Heroes Night presented by MGM Springfield.

The jerseys of Andrew Joudrey, Tomas Kubalik, John Moore, and Ryan Russell are currently up for auction, with bidding ending on the evening of Thursday, Nov. 29. This American-flag style jersey is decorated with stars and stripes on the sleeves, front, and back of the sweater to commemorate the theme of the Nov. 9 game.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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