Falcons Fall to Penguins, 4-1
March 8, 2015 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Springfield Falcons News Release
Springfield, Mass. - The Springfield Falcons fell to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, 4-1, this afternoon at the MassMutual Center.
This is the Falcons' third straight loss and puts the team at 32-22-6-0 on the season and second in the Northeast Division with 70 points. Springfield has been unable to top Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in all four match-ups this season, ending the series 0-4-0-0.
Falcons goaltender Oscar Dansk turned aside 23 of 27 shots on goal. Penguins goaltender Matt Murray stopped 32 of 33, allowing his first goal in 304 minutes and 11 seconds, a new American Hockey League record. Springfield could not convert on four power play opportunities, while the penalty kill unit was successful in shutting down three-of-four Wilkes-Barre/Scranton man-advantages.
The Penguins were first on the board just after the halfway mark of the opening period. Tom Kostopoulos picked up the rebound of Andrew Ebbett's shot and beat Dansk five-hole to go ahead, 1-0. Conor Sheary earned credit for the secondary assist.
The Penguins struck again on a second chance shot to take a 2-0 lead at the 6:38 mark of the second period. Dansk made the save on Scott Wilson's initial shot, but was unable to make it across to the crease, leaving the net open for Adam Payerl to chip in the rebound. Jayson Megna earned a point on the play.
Andrew Ebbett redirected a cross-crease feed from Sheary late in the second to give the Penguins a three-goal lead. Kostopoulos grabbed his second point of the game with the secondary helper.
Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond added one more for the Penguins at the 14:56 mark of the final frame before the Falcons responded. Just moments after the Falcons killed off a tripping minor on Thomas Larkin, Letourneau-Leblond received the puck from the corner and lit the lamp. Bobby Farnham and Matia Marcantuoni assisted on the goal.
Dana Tyrell broke the three-game scoreless draught against the Penguins, notching the first tally of the season-series with 1:11 remaining in the contest. Tyrell grabbed a pass from Sean Collins and scored on Murray on the breakaway, ending the goaltender's shutout streak.
The team was unable to initiate a comeback and were downed by the Penguins, 4-1.
The Falcons are back in action on Friday, March 13 when they host the Hartford Wolf Pack at 7 p.m. at the MassMutual Center.
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 back-to-back Northeast Division Champions at www.falconsahl.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/falconsahl and on Twitter ( @TheFalconsAHL ) using #SPRFalcons!
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