Falcons Halt Skid with 4-2 Win over Hershey
March 16, 2005 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Springfield Falcons News Release
Springfield, Mass..â The Springfield Falcons scored four unanswered goals en route to a 4-2 win over the Hershey Bears at the Springfield Civic Center on Wednesday night. Right wing Jim Campbell posted a goal and an assist while forward Justin Kelly scored in his first game with the Falcons since being called up on Monday. Nikita Alexeev and Ryan Craig, each of whom played for Hershey last season, also tallied goals. Springfield goaltender Brian Eklund turned aside 25 of 27 shots. The win ended a six-game losing streak for the Falcons.
Hershey took a lead 4:21 into the game when center Marek Svatos received a pass at the bottom of the left face-off circle and whirled to put a low shot into the corner of the net. The goal, the 14th of the season by Svatos, came three seconds after Hershey's first power play expired.
The Falcons rebounded by converting their first man advantage of the game 2:48 later. Campbell one-timed a pass by center Craig Darby with a blast from the top of the right circle. The Worcester native broke his stick on the shot, but put enough steam on it to beat Hershey netminder Peter Budaj. The goal was Campbell's second with the Falcons since joining the club from the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on February 25.
Alexeev scored by tipping in a puck after Evgeni Artukhin had redirected a shot by defenseman Doug O'Brien to provide the Falcons a 2-1 advantage with 8:05 left in the opening frame. The goal was Alexeev's 12th of the campaign to establish a new high for his professional career.
Craig added to the Falcons' lead by scoring the team's second power-play goal of the night with 4:28 left in the second period. The forward collected the rebound of a shot by Campbell before shoveling the puck in with a backhand for his team-leading 23rd of the season.
Kelly, in his regular-season Falcons' debut, made the score 4-1 by patiently lifting a puck over Budaj from the edge of the crease 3:10 into the third period. Forward Nick Tarnasky set Kelly up in the slot with a pass out of the left wing corner.
The Bears pulled back to within two just 1:32 later when center Ryan Steeves scored his fourth goal of the campaign on a shot from the left circle that went off Eklund's glove.
However, Eklund and the Falcons held Hershey at bay the rest of the way. Eklund recorded his 10th victory of the season with his 25-save performance.
The Falcons finished two-for-five on the power play and successfully killed off each of the Bears' six opportunities with an extra man.
Hershey held a 27-22 shot advantage in the game.
The Bears remain seven points behind the idle Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for the fourth and final playoff spot in the East Division after the loss.
The Falcons will return to the Civic Center ice for home games on Friday and Saturday nights against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers and Albany River Rats respectively. To purchase tickets, visit the Springfield Civic Center box office, call (413) 787-6600 or (800) 639-8602, or to order online, log onto www.falconsahl.com.
For a complete box score of Wednesday's win, please click on the following link: http://www.theahl.com/AHLBoxscores0405/140130.html
Three Stars of the Game:
1. Jim Campbell â Springfield
2. Ryan Craig â Springfield
3. Doug O'Brien - Springfield
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