Falcons Fall in Manchester, 4-3
December 12, 2004 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Springfield Falcons News Release
Manchester, NH â The Springfield Falcons came up short in a 4-3 defeat to the AHL-leading Manchester Monarchs before a crowd of 8.602 at the Verizon Wireless Arena on Sunday. Jason Jaspers, Nikos Tselios, and Shane Willis provided the scoring for the Falcons as the team outshot the Monarchs, 33-25, in the game. The league's top scorer, Michael Cammalleri, registered three points in the contest with a goal and two assists.
The game held many similarities to the Falcons overtime loss to the Monarchs by the same score in the last meeting between the clubs on Nov. 27 in Springfield. Rookie center Matt Ryan again potted the game-winning goal to break a 3-3 tie. Ryan, who scored in overtime in the last match-up, connected for his sixth goal of the season at 8:57 of the third period to provide the difference-maker.
Ryan tallied the game winner off the rebound of a shot by right wing Dan Welch. Rookie Petr Kanko also assisted on the goal.
Falcons goaltender Jamie Storr finished the game with 21 saves while Manchester's Matthieu Garon stopped 30 of 33 shots from Springfield.
The Falcons were held scoreless on five power-play opportunities while the Monarchs converted one of four chances with the man advantage.
The Falcons took a 1-0 lead 2:17 into the game when Jaspers capitalized on a turnover by Monarchs defenseman Denis Grebeshkov by lifting a shot over Garon and under the crossbar. The unassisted goal was the second marker for Jaspers since he was re-acquired by the Falcons on Nov. 20.
Tselios followed 6:55 later with his second goal of the season and first with the Falcons to double the team's lead. Forwards Adam Henrich and Mitch Fritz registered assists on the tally.
Right wing Tom Kostopoulos put the Monarchs on the board with a put back of the rebound of a shot by Grebeshkov at the 12:21 mark.
Springfield regained a two-goal lead with 3:28 left in the opening frame when Willis scored his 11th goal of the season. Ryan Craig stole the puck from Monarchs blue liner Joe Rullier and fed it to Willis who promptly beat Garon with a shot from the right face-off circle.
However, the Falcons were unable to hold the high-powered Monarchs at bay after building the 3-1 lead.
Cammalleri scored his league-leading 22nd goal of the season with 45 seconds remaining in the first period to reduce Manchester's deficit to one.
Center Yannick Lehoux pulled Manchester even in the game at 8:55 of the second period with a goal to complete a three-on-one rush. Lehoux's linemates Cammalleri and Dustin Brown collected assists on the tally.
The Falcons held an 11-9 shot advantage in the third period, but Ryan was the only player to find the back of the net.
The loss was the Falcons' fifth straight. The Monarchs were able to snap their own three-game losing streak with the victory. Manchester is 5-0 versus Springfield this season.
The Falcons will face the Philadelphia Phantoms at the home arena of their NHL-affiliate Tampa Bay Lightning, the St. Pete Times Forum, in their next game on Wednesday. Game time is 7:35 p.m. Tune into the The ZONE â Sports Radio 640 or click on the MassLive CyberCast link on falconsahl.com to hear the live action. The game will also be televised on the Sunshine Network. Springfield's J.T. Sports Pub, Champions Sports Bar, and Hooters will show the Sunshine Network telecast.
For a complete box score of Sunday's game, please click on the following link: http://www.theahl.com/AHLBoxscores0405/139584.html
Three Stars of the Game:
Michael Cammalleri â Manchester
Matt Ryan â Manchester
Dustin Brown â Manchester
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American Hockey League Stories from December 12, 2004
- Phantoms cruise to 5-1 win over Milwaukee - Adirondack Phantoms
- Moose sweep Road Runners - Manitoba Moose
- Falcons Fall in Manchester, 4-3 - Springfield Falcons
- Clowe's four-point effort leads Barons past Ducks - Cincinnati RailRaiders
- Boyes paces Bruins' win - Providence Bruins
- Monarchs Get Untracked With 4-3 Win - Manchester Monarchs
- Monarchs, Holland Agree To Terms - Manchester Monarchs
- AHL announces suspensions - AHL
- Bulldogs Win Third Consecutive Game - Hamilton Bulldogs
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