Falcons Fall against Pirates for Fourth Straight Time
December 27, 2015 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Springfield Falcons News Release
Springfield, MA - The Springfield Falcons fell behind early on Sunday to the Portland Pirates and could never recover, losing 5-1 at the Mass Mutual Center.
The Pirates got two early opportunities on the power play, but failed to convert as Niklas Treutle made numerous saves on penalties against Justin Hache and Christian Thomas. Portland, after failing to score on the man advantage, would break the ice late in the first period as Shane Harper found Wade Megan who slipped into the offensive zone and got separation from the Falcons' defense. After gaining separation, Megan fired a shot that beat Treutle glove-high to give Portland a 1-0 lead at 15:14.
Portland added to their lead early in the second period as they created traffic in front of the Falcons' net. Wayne Simpson fired a shot on net that Treutle stopped, but Jonathan Racine banged home the rebound for the first of his career. The goal, scored at 5:52, saw Dylan Olsen also register an assist. Just under a minute later, at 6:31, John McFarland got open in the slot and beat Treutle with a shot over his shoulder. Rob Schremp and Chase Balisy picked up the assists. Portland added another insurance marker at 16:49 as Harper scored his third of the season on a long shot from the point. Racine and Greg McKegg would tally the assists.
The Falcons came out firing in the third period, outshooting the Pirates by a 9-1 margin in the frame's first ten minutes. Springfield was rewarded for their efforts at the 5:24 mark as Jon DiSalvatore would push the puck in the slot for Craig Cunningham. The captain poked it past Mike McKenna to put the Falcons on the board. Philip Samuelsson also picked up an assist on the goal to move the game to a 4-1 score in favor of the Pirates. Portland would regain their four-goal lead, however, as Kyle Rau sent home a feed from Harper at 11:20. McKegg added his second assist of the night on the goal. Harper concluded the night with one goal and two assists. Treutle made 31 saves for the Falcons but his record fell to 6-7-1 on the season. McKenna made 34 saves in the win improving his record to 12-7-1 on the year.
The Falcons return to the ice on Wednesday night as they host the Providence Bruins at the MassMutual Center in their final game of 2015. Puck drop for the game is at 7:00 p.m. and can be heard live on NewsRadio560 WHYN. The Falcons will also be at home on Friday night, January 1, hosting the Bridgeport Sound Tigers at 7:00 p.m.
Springfield Falcons ticket packages are on sale now. To reserve your seats, call 413-739-GOAL (4625) or visit the team office inside the MassMutual Center Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For all the latest Falcons information and updates, follow the Birds at www.falconsahl.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/falconsahl and on Twitter (@TheFalconsAHL) using #YourTownYourTeam.
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