Falcons Host Pack Tonight

February 9, 2007 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Springfield Falcons News Release


The Springfield Falcons and Hartford Wolf Pack will meet for the sixth time this season and third meeting at the MassMutual Center Friday night. The Falcons are 2-3 against the Wolf Pack this season, including 1-1 in Springfield this year. These two teams haven't met since January 21 when the Falcons dropped a 2-1 decision to the Wolf Pack at the Hartford Civic Center. Hartford's Ivan Baranka scored the game-winner early in the third period while on the man advantage in that contest, while Hartford outshot Springfield 55-22 in the game. Falcons goaltender Karri Ramo made 53 saves back on January 21, while Doug O'Brien scored Springfield's lone goal. The Falcons won two of the first three meetings between these Atlantic Division rivals this year, but the Pack have won the last two contests in the season series.

Falcons forward Marek Kvapil leads Springfield in scoring against Hartford this year with two goals and three assists for five points in five games played. Captain Norm Milley leads the Birds in goals against the Pack this season with three goals in four games, while goaltender Karri Ramo has only allowed five goals in three games against Hartford this year good for a 1.68 goals against average and .962 save percentage.

Wolf Pack forward Nigel Dawes leads Hartford in scoring against Springfield this year with two goals and two assists for four points in four games played. Goaltenders Stephen Valiquette and Al Montoya have shared duty against the Falcons this season. Valiquette has a record of 2-1 with a 2.01 goals against average and .902 save percentage in three games, while Montoya is 1-1 with a 2.02 goals against average and .930 save percentage in two games against the Birds.

The Falcons enter tonight's game having lost to the Lowell Devils 2-1 Wednesday night at the Paul Tsongas Arena. Springfield will be looking to snap a 0-7-0-1 stretch and gain some ground in the Atlantic Division standings. The Falcons have a record of 22-28-0-2 on the season good for 46 points and seventh place in the standings. Springfield is three points behind sixth place Portland and five points behind fifth place Lowell.

The Wolf Pack has gone 7-3-0-0 over the last 10 games, but lost to the Providence Bruins 4-2 Wednesday night at the Dunkin Donuts Center. The Pack and Bruins combined for five third period goals Wednesday night with Hartford outshooting Providence 41-22. Hartford is currently in third place in the Atlantic Division standings with a mark of 27-19-3-0 good for 57 points.

FALCONS PLAYER MOVEMENT: The Falcons announced Thursday that defenseman Doug Andress and forward Brandon Elliott have been recalled from their ECHL affiliate, the Johnstown Chiefs. The Falcons also announced that forward Adam Henrich has been reassigned to the Chiefs.

Andress is currently third on Johnstown in scoring with 10 goals and 16 assists for 26 points in 43 games this season. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound blueliner is also second on the Chiefs in power play goals with five. Andress played in three games with Springfield during the 2005-06 campaign and scored his first AHL goal as a member of the Falcons last year.

Elliott has played in 38 games with Johnstown this year and has produced 10 goals, four assists, 14 points and 99 penalty minutes. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound native of Orangeville, Ontario is in his second season of pro hockey after being drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the fifth round (158th overall) in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. Elliott spent the entire 2005-06 season with Johnstown collecting 10 goals, seven assists, 17 points and 207 penalty minutes.

Henrich has appeared in 11 games with the Falcons recording two goals and two assists for four points. In 26 games with the Chiefs this season, Henrich has eight goals and 14 assists for 22 points and is currently sixth on Johnstown in scoring.

A NEW PAIR ARRIVE: The Tampa Bay Lightning announced on February 1 they have acquired right wings Kyle Wanvig and Stephen Baby from the Atlanta Thrashers in exchange for defenseman Andy Delmore and right wing Andre Deveaux. Both Wanvig and Baby made their Springfield debuts last Friday, February 2 in Syracuse and Wanvig recorded his first point as a Falcon on Wednesday, February 7 at Lowell.

Wanvig, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound native of Calgary, Alberta, has played in 64 career NHL games, all with the Minnesota Wild. He has scored five career goals with nine career assists including one power play goal. His best season came in 2005-06 when he appeared in 51 games with the Wild and scored four goals with 12 points. He has played 26 games with the Chicago Wolves this season and scored 10 goals while dishing out 11 assists.

Wanvig played on the Houston Aeros with Lightning goaltender Johan Holmqvist when the netminder was named Calder Cup MVP and won the AHL Championship in 2003. Wanvig, 26, played his junior career in the Western Hockey League where he played 266 games and scored 107 goals while registering 205 points. He was also named the 2001 Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy recipient as the most valuable player of the Memorial Cup. He was selected by the Boston Bruins in the third round, 89th overall, in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft and was redrafted by Minnesota in the second round, 36th overall, at the 2001 NHL Entry Draft.

Baby, a 6-5, 230-pound native of Chicago, Illinois, made his professional debut in 2003-04 with Chicago of the AHL and has since played in 179 games. During his AHL career he has scored 28 goals and dished out 32 assists. Baby has also appeared in 16 Calder Cup playoff games in his career and scored one goal while recording five points. This season, Baby, 27, has played in eight games with the Wolves and scored one goal while recording two assists. He played his collegiate hockey at Cornell where he played in 134 games and scored 29 goals while recording 115 points. He served as the team captain for the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons and was the two-time ECAC Defensive Forward of the Year during those same seasons. Baby was drafted by Atlanta in the seventh round, 188th overall, at the 1999 NHL Entry Draft.

WOLF PACK TRANSACTIONS: New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced Wednesday that defenseman Bryce Lampman has been reassigned to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League (AHL).

Lampman, 24, has skated in 43 games with Hartford this season, collecting five goals and 10 assists for 15 points, along with a plus-six rating and 48 penalty minutes. He currently ranks second on the Wolf Pack in plus/minus (plus-six) and third among team defensemen with 15 points. The 6-1, 205-pound defenseman has also appeared in one game with the Rangers, making his season debut on February 3 at Tampa Bay.

WOLF PACK PLAYER STREAKS: Hartford left wing Lauri Korpikoski extended his scoring streak to four straight games Wednesday night colleting one goal and three assists in that span....Hartford rookie Ryan Callahan recorded a hat trick against Houston back on January 27. Callahan, who leads Hartford in scoring with 29 goals and 13 assists for 42 points in 45 games, scored five goals in four games from January 20-27....Hartford has a pair of goaltenders in the top 10 in goals against average this season in Stephen Valiquette and Al Montoya. Valiquette has a 2.32 goals against average which ranks fifth, while Montoya has a 2.40 goals against average good for seventh in the AHL.



American Hockey League Stories from February 9, 2007


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