Falcons Host Monarchs Tonight
Published on January 2, 2009 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Springfield Falcons News Release
GAME SETUP: The Springfield Falcons and Manchester Monarchs meet for the fifth time this season when they face-off on Friday night at the MassMutual Center. Overall, this will be Manchester's third visit to The Nest this season where the Falcons and Monarchs have split a pair of games. The Falcons won the first two meetings of the season series, but the Monarchs responded with back-to-back wins over Springfield last weekend. Since December 6, this will be the fourth match-up between these two Atlantic Division rivals.
Ryan Potulny is currently the Falcons' active leader in scoring against the Monarchs with two goals and one assist for three points in four games. Springfield captain Tim Sestito is tied with Potulny for the active lead in goals against Manchester this year with two each.
Marty Murray leads Manchester in scoring against Springfield this season with one goal and three assists for four points in four games. David Meckler leads the Monarchs in goals against the Falcons this campaign with a pair of markers. Goaltender Jonathan Bernier has appeared in all four games against Springfield posting a 2.51 goals against average and .900 save percentage.
The Falcons head into Friday's contest looking to snap a seven-game winless streak (0-6-1-0) after being shut out by the Hershey Bears, 2-0, in their most recent game on Wednesday afternoon. The Falcons outshot the Bears 30-27 in that contest with Springfield netminder Jeff Deslauriers stopping 25 of 27 shots in his 2008-09 Falcons debut. The Falcons currently have a record of 12-17-4-1 good for 29 points and seventh place in the Atlantic Division. Springfield will play three divisional games this weekend as they host Manchester tonight, Providence on Saturday and head to Portland on Sunday.
The Monarchs head into Springfield having won four straight games after breaking a four-game losing streak in Springfield on December 26. The Monarchs have climbed into fourth place in the Atlantic Division standings with a record of 16-14-0-4 good for 36 points. Manchester has allowed two goals or less in every game during their four-game winning streak, including a 4-2 win over the Providence Bruins on New Year's Eve. The Monarchs also start a stretch of three games in three days this weekend as they host Grand Rapids on Saturday followed by a trip to Lowell on Sunday.
BUSY WEEK OF TRANSACTIONS: The Falcons announced Monday that goaltender Jeff Deslauriers has been assigned to Springfield by the Edmonton Oilers for a two-week conditioning assignment. Deslauriers made his 2008-09 Falcons debut on Wednesday afternoon against Hershey. In six games with the Oilers this season, Deslauriers has posted a 3-2-0 record with a 2.73 goals against average and a .915 save percentage. During the 2007-08 campaign, Deslauriers was named Springfield's Most Valuable Player posting a record of 26-23-5 with a 2.90 goals against average and .912 save percentage in 57 games with the Falcons.
The Falcons also announced Monday that forward Adam Huxley has been recalled from their ECHL affiliate, the Stockton Thunder, while goaltender Glenn Fisher and defenseman Rob Bina have been assigned to the Thunder. Huxley started the season with the Falcons and he has played in two games collecting five penalty minutes. In 26 games with the Thunder, he had six goals and 92 penalty minutes ranking second on Stockton in penalty minutes.
MONARCHS PLAYER NOTES:
-Marty Murray is currently on a two-game scoring streak having collected one goal and two assists in that span. Overall, Murray has registered at least a point in three of his last four games.
-Scott Parse has three goals in his last four games and overall he has tallied a marker in five of his last nine games.
-Dusty Collins is currently on a three-game scoring streak and he has goals in back-to-back games. In eight games since joining Manchester, he has three goals and one assist.
-Goaltender Jonathan Bernier has won his last four starts posting a 1.75 goals against average in that span. Bernier has started the last six straight games for Manchester.
American Hockey League Stories from January 2, 2009
- Whitfield's Hat Trick is Enough for Peoria - Peoria Rivermen
- P-Bruins Defeat Bears 7-2 - Providence Bruins
- Crunch Bitten by Bulldogs in Hamilton - Syracuse Crunch
- Klinkhammer Tallies Late, Leads Hogs Over Wolves - Rockford IceHogs
- Wolf Pack Reach 500-Win Milestone - Connecticut Whale
- Hometown Hero Lifts Amerks Over Moose in Manitoba - Rochester Americans
- Falcons Beat Monarchs 3-2 In Shootout - Springfield Falcons
- Flames Earn First Ever Overtime Win - Abbotsford Heat
- Moose Fall to Amerks, 2-1 - Manitoba Moose
- Bulldogs Defeat Crunch 4-3 - Hamilton Bulldogs
- Nine Round Finale - Manchester Monarchs
- B-Sens Stump Aeros, 4-0 - Binghamton Senators
- 'Dogs Earn 4-3 Comeback Win - Hamilton Bulldogs
- Albany Halts Streaking Penguins - Albany River Rats
- Phantoms Clipped In OT By Sound Tigers, 2-1 - Adirondack Phantoms
- Griffins Lose to Wolf Pack 3-1 - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Armstrong, Sharks Trick Admirals - Worcester Sharks
- Aeros Shutout by Binghamton 4-0, Trip Continues Tomorrow Night - Houston Aeros
- Four 3rd Period Goals by Toronto Sink Chops, 6-1 - Iowa Chops
- Sharks Take a Bite Out of Admirals - Norfolk Admirals
- Griffins' Streak Ends, Pare's Continues During 3-1 Loss at Hartford - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Iggulden's OT Winner Gives Sound Tigers a Comeback Victory Over Philadelphia - Bridgeport Islanders
- Senators Assign Ilya Zubov To Binghamton - Binghamton Senators
- Start Time For Wolf Pack's January 17th Home Game Changed - Connecticut Whale
- Giroux Named Reebok Edge/AHL Rookie of the Month - Adirondack Phantoms
- Santorelli Named CCM/AHL Player of the Month - Milwaukee Admirals
- River Rats Host Post-Game Skate Tomorrow - Albany River Rats
- Brian Elliott Named Reebok X-Pulse/AHL Goaltender of the Month - Binghamton Senators
- Milwaukee's Mike Santorelli named CCM/AHL Player of the Month - AHL
- Phantoms' Giroux named Reebok Edge/AHL Rookie of the Month - AHL
- Senators' Elliott named Reebok X-Pulse/AHL Goaltender of the Month - AHL
- San Jose Sharks Recall Defenseman Derek Joslin From Worcester - Worcester Sharks
- Worcester Sharks Announce "Piccadilly Pub Shuffle Hockey" contest - Worcester Sharks
- Moose recall Howes, re-assign Labelle to Victoria - Manitoba Moose
- Crunch Return Blair Yaworski to Johnstown - Syracuse Crunch
- AHL Quick Hits - AHL
- Admirals Return Home Saturday Night - Milwaukee Admirals
- Flames Reassign Forward Brett Sutter - Abbotsford Heat
- Bulldogs sign Mike Minard to P.T.O. - Hamilton Bulldogs
- Falcons Host Monarchs Tonight - Springfield Falcons
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