Falcons Host Pack Tonight

Published on February 10, 2007 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Springfield Falcons News Release


The Springfield Falcons and Hartford Wolf Pack will meet for the seventh time this season and fourth meeting at the MassMutual Center Saturday night. The Falcons are 2-4 against the Wolf Pack this season, including 1-2 in Springfield this year. These two teams just played against each other last night in Springfield with Hartford earning a 2-1 victory.

Falcons forward David Spina scored the lone goal for Springfield, while Brandon Dubinsky and Dane Byers converted for the Pack. Springfield goaltender Karri Ramo was once again steady in goal for the Falcons making 39 saves, while Hartford netminder Steve Valiquette made 23 saves in collecting the win. Following tonight's game, these two I-91 rivals will not meet again until Sunday, March 11 when the Falcons visit the Hartford Civic Center.

The Falcons will be looking to snap a 0-8-0-1 stretch and gain some ground in the Atlantic Division standings. The Falcons have a record of 22-29-0-2 on the season good for 46 points and seventh place in the standings. Springfield will conclude their weekend in Manchester on Sunday for a matinee against the Monarchs.

The Wolf Pack has gone 7-3-0-0 over the last 10 games and snapped a brief two-game losing streak last night. Hartford is currently in third place in the Atlantic Division standings with a mark of 28-19-3-0 good for 59 points. The Pack is only one point behind second-place Providence.

A SALUTE TO "MR. FALCON": The Falcons will host "Rob Murray Night" tonight at the MassMutual Center when they host the Hartford Wolf Pack. Murray's jersey #23 will be unveiled in the MassMutual Center rafters as part of a special pre-game ceremony.

"Rob has always been known as Mr. Falcon and we are very excited to host such a special night for an individual who really deserves this moment," said Falcons President and General Manager Bruce Landon. "Rob exemplified what being a member of the Falcons organization is all about; hard work, dedication and a commitment to being a true professional both on and off the ice."

Murray spent parts of eight seasons with the Falcons from 1994-2003 and along with John Stevens, was named one of the original co-captains of the Falcons in their inaugural season of 1994-95. The Toronto, Ontario native remains the Falcons all-time leader in games played (501), assists (157), and penalty minutes (1,531). Murray is second on the Falcons all-time list in points (218) and is fifth in goals (61).

"Rob was a true leader on the ice," said Landon. "He was with us during our inception and was very instrumental in guiding his teammates to five straight years in the playoffs from 1995-2000."

Murray's most productive offensive season with the Falcons occurred during the 1994-95 campaign when he registered 16 goals and 38 assists for 54 points and 373 penalty minutes in 78 games. During the 1996-97 campaign, Murray helped lead Springfield to within one win of earning a spot in the Calder Cup Finals recording two goals and three assists for five points and 66 penalty minutes in 17 post-season games that year.

Murray concluded his playing career in Springfield during the 2002-03 campaign and on February 28, 2003, he became only the sixth player in American Hockey League history to play in 1,000 career games. Murray remains sixth on the league's all-time games played list with 1,018 in 15 professional seasons. Murray is also second on the AHL's all-time penalty minutes list with 2,940. Murray's #23 is only the second retired number in Springfield Hockey history along with Eddie Shore's #2.

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. Both Andress and Elliott were in the lineup on Friday night against Hartford.

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 has points in two consecutive games with Springfield.

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.

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 PLAYER STREAKS: Hartford center Brandon Dubinsky was the game's first star last night with one goal and one assist. Dubinsky now has two goals and one assist in his last two games. Left wing Lauri Korpikoski has points in four of his last five games 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 14 assists for 43 points in 46 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 2.27 goals against average which ranks fifth, while Montoya has a 2.40 goals against average good for seventh in the AHL.

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American Hockey League Stories from February 10, 2007


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