Falcons Begin Season's Second Half in Hartford on Wednesday

Published on January 18, 2005 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Springfield Falcons News Release


Springfield, Mass. – After closing out the first half of the season with a 4-3 come-from-behind overtime win over the Worcester IceCats on Saturday, the Springfield Falcons kick off the second half on Wednesday with a trip to Hartford to face the Wolf Pack. The Falcons will host a pair of division rivals in the Lowell Lock Monsters and the Providence Bruins at the Springfield Civic Center on Friday and Saturday.

The Falcons defeated the Wolf Pack, 4-3, in a wild game at The Nest on Jan. 8 – the last meeting between the clubs. It is one of only two losses for Hartford in the team's last eight games. Through five games in the season series, the home team has won every contest.

The Lock Monsters, whose roster includes 14 skaters that played in the National Hockey League last season, are riding a current AHL-high six-game winning streak. Three Lock Monsters have reached the 40-point plateau this season including recent NHL first-round draft selections C Eric Staal and RW Chuck Kobasew.

Top Boston Bruins prospects LW Andy Hilbert (44 pts), C Brad Boyes (41pts), and C Patrice Bergeron (34 pts) have paced Providence in scoring this season. Bergeron was recently named Most Valuable Player of the 2005 World Junior Championship and ranked fifth in scoring among NHL rookies last season.

Team Notes: After returning to the Falcons on Thursday from a three-game assignment with the Johnstown Chiefs of the ECHL, D Doug O'Brien scored the game-winning overtime goal in a 4-3 win over the Worcester IceCats at the Civic Center on Saturday.... After losing 9-0 to Worcester in their home opener on Oct. 23, the Falcons have won three of their last four meetings the IceCats.... C Craig Darby needs two goals to reach 200 for his AHL career.... LW Nikita Alexeev's next game will be his 200th as a professional.... LW Ryan Craig played his 100th AHL game on Friday versus Lowell.

Roster Update: The Falcons released LW Brandon Elliott from his amateur tryout today. Elliott collected seven penalty minutes in two games with Springfield.... LW Adam Henrich was recalled to the Falcons from the Johnstown Chiefs of the ECHL on Monday. Henrich posted three points (2g, 1a) in six games with Johnstown after being assigned on Jan. 6.... D Brian Chapman missed both games last weekend with an injury .... RW Shane Willis has missed the last seven games with an injury.... D Andreas Holmqvist has sat out the last ten games with an injury.

Upcoming Opponents:

Falcons at Hartford Wolf Pack

Hartford Civic Center

Wednesday, Jan. 19

The Falcons make their fourth of five visits to Hartford this season. The Falcons are 2-3-0-0 versus the Wolf Pack as the home team has won each game of the season series. Springfield is 30-41-6 all-time against the Wolf Pack.... Craig has scored four goals in the five match-ups versus Hartford this season.... G Jamie Storr has registered a 2-2-0 record, 2.22 goals against average, and .932 save percentage against the Wolf Pack this season.... RW Jozef Balej has collected six points (2g, 4a) versus the Falcons to lead Hartford. Wolf Pack G Jason LaBarbera has compiled a 2-0-1 record, 0.98 GAA, and .963 SV% in the season series.... The Wolf Pack have won their last seven home games.... Hartford D Lawrence Nycholat is riding a nine-game assist streak, recording a total of 10 assists during that span.... RW Jeff Hamilton is riding an eight-game point streak, posting 11 points (4g, 7a) during the ran.... Wolf Pack C Alexandre Giroux has posted 14 points including eight goals over the last ten games.... The Wolf Pack leads the AHL in penalty killing (89.8%).... Former Falcons LW Trevor Gillies has been out of Hartford's lineup since Dec. 18 with an injury.

Falcons vs. Lowell Lock Monsters

Springfield Civic Center

Friday, Jan. 21

The Falcons meet the Lock Monsters for the second consecutive Friday at the Civic Center. It will be the fifth overall meeting this season between the Atlantic Division rivals. Springfield carries a 1-3-0-0 record this season and 20-24-4 all-time record versus Lowell.... With wins in each of their last six games, the Lock Monsters own the AHL's longest current winning streak.... Craig (3g), Darby (1g, 2a), and RW Darren Reid (3a) have each posted three points for the Falcons versus Lowell this season.... Staal has recorded seven points (1g, 6a) against Springfield.... Lowell has converted five of 13 power plays (38.5%) versus the Falcons this season.... The Monsters have outscored their opponents, 124-88, this season.... LW Colin Forbes leads the AHL in plus/minus at +28. Staal is tied for second in the league at +24.... Kobasew's 22 goals this season ranks fifth in the AHL.... G Cam Ward, who made 38 saves in a 2-0 shutout of the Falcons last Friday, ranks sixth in the league with a .934 SV% and is eighth with a 2.09 GAA.... Staal has registered eight assists over his last five games.

Falcons vs. Providence Bruins

Springfield Civic Center

Saturday, Jan. 22

The Falcons host the Bruins at The Nest for the third time in less than a month on Saturday. The game marks the seventh of ten scheduled meetings between the teams this season. The Falcons are 1-5-0-0 this season and 44-61-5 all-time against the P-Bruins.... Henrich, recalled from Johnstown on Monday, leads the Falcons against the Bruins with four points (3g, 1a) in five games.... Boyes paces Providence versus Springfield with nine points (2g, 7a) this season.... Toivonen has been in net for all six previous meetings, registering a 1.84 GAA and .932 SV%.... The Bruins have won one of their last five games (1-3-0-1).... LW Andy Hilbert leads Providence and is tied for second in the AHL in scoring with 44 points (19g, 25a). Hilbert's 175 shots on goal this season are the most in the league.... Bergeron has posted seven points (3g, 4a) in six games since returning from the World Junior Championship.... The P-Bruins rank fourth in the AHL in power-play success (19.5%).... The Bruins are 0-2 in overtime and 1-6 in shootouts this season.... Providence has accumulated an Atlantic Division-high 1144 penalty minutes this season.

January 21 Discount Through Eastfield Mall: Fans can purchase tickets for the Springfield Falcons' game on Friday, January 21 versus the Lowell Lock Monsters for a discounted price of $10 per ticket through the Eastfield Mall. Bring just $20 in receipts from Eastfield Mall merchants dated within the past 30 days to Mall Services to take advantage of the offer. For more information, please call (413) 543-8000.

Radio Broadcasts: Tune into The ZONE – Sports Radio 640 to hear each Falcons' games this week. The Voice of the Falcons, Marc Shelanski, calls the action. The pre-game show begins 30 minutes prior to the opening face-off. Fans can also listen via the Internet by clicking on the MassLive.com Cybercast icon on the Falcons' official web site, www.falconsahl.com.

Tickets: Tickets for Falcons' home games can be ordered in person or by phone through the Springfield Civic Center box office located along East Court Street. To order by phone, please call (413) 787-6600 or (800) 639-8602. Tickets can also be ordered online by visiting the Falcons' official web site, www.falconsahl.com. Groups of 15 or more can receive discount savings by contacting the Falcons' team office at (413) 739-3344. Group tickets must be ordered in advance.

This Weekend's Game Schedule:

Wed., Jan. 19 Falcons at Hartford Wolf Pack 7:05 PM Hartford Civic Center The ZONE

Fri., Jan. 21 Falcons vs. Lowell Lock Monsters 7:35 PM Springfield Civic Center The ZONE

Sat., Jan. 22 Falcons vs. Providence Bruins 7:05 PM Springfield Civic Center The ZONE

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American Hockey League Stories from January 18, 2005


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