Falcons Host Monarchs Tonight
December 10, 2005 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Springfield Falcons News Release
On Saturday night, the Springfield Falcons and Manchester Monarchs will meet for the fifth time this season and third time at the MassMutual Center. The Falcons have a record of 1-1-1-1 against the Monarchs this season with three of the previous four games going into overtime. Springfield recently defeated the Monarchs in their last game against each other, 1-0, on Saturday, December 3 at the Verizon Wireless Arena. Jim Campbell scored the game-winner in the extra session on a perfect pass from captain Ryan Craig. Gerald Coleman collected his first professional shutout in the victory.
Springfield looks to continue their steady play tonight after picking up a point in the standings last night against the Hartford Wolf Pack. The Falcons rallied from a 2-0 deficit, but lost in the shootout collecting a point in the standings for the fourth time in their last five games. Andre Deveaux collected a goal and an assist last night earning the game's second star, while rookie Ryan Vesce and veteran Jim Campbell also scored for the Falcons. Vesce is tied with Norm Milley for the Springfield lead in scoring against Manchester this season with five points each in four games. The Falcons currently have a record of 13-9-1-3 good for 30 points in the very competitive Atlantic Division. Springfield will conclude their weekend in Providence on Sunday for a matinee contest against the Bruins.
Manchester heads back into Springfield having defeated the Portland Pirates last night, 3-1, improving their record to 16-4-1-3 good for 36 points and first-place in the Atlantic Division. Veteran forward Brad Smyth scored his ninth goal of the season and added one assist in earning the game's first star last night. Goaltender Adam Hauser was once again solid in goal stopping 34 of the 35 shots he faced earning the game's second star. Similar to the Falcons, the Monarchs continue to play several games decided by one goal or less this season. Manchester has picked up a point in 14 of their last 15 games posting a record of 11-0-1-2 in that span. Five of the 11 wins in that span were decided in the shootout. Konstantin Pushkarev and Denis Grebeshkov each lead Manchester in scoring against Springfield this season with six points each in four games.
EXTENDING THE STREAK: Falcons center Andre Deveaux extended his scoring streak to three games last night (two goals and two assists) scoring his third marker of the season and adding one assist. Deveaux helped the Falcons quickly erase a 2-0 deficit in the second period last night setting up Campbell for Springfield's first goal of the night, followed by his own tally just 1:26 later. Deveaux has picked up a point in five of his last seven games and has three goals and five assists along with 54 penalty minutes in 24 games this season. Deveaux is in his second season of professional hockey after spending last season with the Falcons. Deveaux was signed as a free agent by Springfield's NHL affiliate, the Tampa Bay Lightning, on September 15, 2004.
FALCONS PLAYER STREAKS: The Falcons enter tonight's game with several players assisting with the offense this season. Zbynek Hrdel collected an assist last night giving him points in back-to-back games. Jim Campbell scored his eighth goal of the season last night giving him points in back-to-back games and two goals and one assist in his last four games. Captain Ryan Craig has earned a point in four of his last five contests, while Nick Tarnasky has also collected a helper in back-to-back games. Veteran defenseman Anders Eriksson also has points in consecutive games with his assist last night.
MONARCHS PLAYER STREAKS: Manchester center Connor James scored his seventh goal of the season last night giving him goals in two consecutive games. James has seven goals and nine assists for 16 points in 24 games this season. Brad Smyth picked up a goal and an assist last night extending his scoring streak to two games. Smyth colleted his 300th goal of his AHL career on Sunday, December 4 making him only the 17th player in the seven-decade history of the league to reach that plateau. Smyth is a veteran of more than 800 professional games, including 88 games in the NHL. Smyth, who has twice scored 50 or more goals in an AHL season, is in his second campaign with the Monarchs.
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