Falcons Fall Short to Whale
Published on December 3, 2011 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Springfield Falcons News Release
The Springfield Falcons fell to the Connecticut Whale on Saturday night by a 6-3 decision at the MassMutual Center. The Falcons looked poised to defeat the division-rival Whale with a 3-1 lead at the beginning of the third period, but five power play goals in the final frame gave Connecticut their fourth straight win on Saturday night.
The Falcons played 6:26 of the first period on the power play, but were unable to take the lead over the Whale. Springfield took 10 shots on goal and held the Whale to only two shots in the period, but the game remained scoreless after one period of play.
Falcons head coach Rob Riley says his team is finding it hard to capitalize when it counts. "You always need another one or two goals to put teams away and were haven't been able to get that this year," said Riley.
In the second period, the Falcons built a lead over the Whale with a pair of goals. Dane Byers notched his fifth goal of the season, knocking home a rebound off a shot from Alexandre Giroux at 2:34. The Falcons' lead doubled at 5:00 with Tim Spencer redirecting a shot from Wade MacLeod to put the birds up 2-0. Ryan Bourque put the Whale on the board at 8:09, squeaking the puck through the pads of Falcons' goaltender Allen York. The second stanza ended with the Falcons on top 2-1.
Five power play goals in the third period gave Connecticut the edge. The Falcons began the third period with a goal scored by Byers at 2:17 to give the Falcons a 3-1 lead. In a span of 11:57, the Whale managed to tally five goals to capture the win. Andre Deveaux scored back to back goals in the third, leading the Whale to a 6-3 finish.
Whistles became an issue for the Falcons in the third period; coach Riley says it took its' toll. "We were a little thin on defense, we were killing a lot of penalties and guys were getting tired. That's what happens," said Riley. "Right now we aren't creating enough breaks for ourselves."
Spencer scored his first goal of the season in the game and the Falcons outshot the Whale 42-26.
The Falcons return to action on Sunday afternoon for a 3 pm matchup against the Portland Pirates at the MassMutual Center. The Pirates fell to the Falcons 4-1 on November 11th in the teams' only other meeting of the season. Sundays contest will mark the third game in three days for the Falcons.
American Hockey League Stories from December 3, 2011
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- Crunch Dominate Penguins for 5-2 Win - Syracuse Crunch
- Sharks Slip Past B-Sens, 2-1 - Binghamton Senators
- Falcons Fall Short to Whale - Springfield Falcons
- Poulin Backstops Sound Tigers to 3-1 Win Over Devils - Bridgeport Islanders
- Whale Win Big on the Road - Connecticut Whale
- Stars End Checkers' Streak - Charlotte Checkers
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- Wolves Send Friesen and Testwuide to Missouri - Chicago Wolves
- Mueller Recalled by Nashville - Milwaukee Admirals
- J.F. Jacques Recalled to Anaheim - Syracuse Crunch
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- Barons Game Notes - December 3 - Oklahoma City Barons
- Gameday Preview - Texas Stars at Charlotte Checkers - Texas Stars
- Admirals Recall Forward Philip-Michael Devos from ECHL's Florida Everblades - Norfolk Admirals
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