Falcons Host Pirates Saturday Night

Published on October 18, 2008 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Springfield Falcons News Release


The Springfield Falcons and Portland Pirates meet for the first time this season in the Falcons' 2008 home opener at the MassMutual Center presented by Punderson Oil. The Falcons and Pirates will meet a total of 10 times this year as the two Atlantic Division foes continue their rivalry with the Pirates introducing a new National Hockey League affiliate in the Buffalo Sabres.

Following tonight's contest, the Falcons and Pirates will not meet again until Friday, November 7 when Springfield heads north to Portland for the first time this campaign. Overall, tonight will be the 123rd all-time meeting between the Falcons and Pirates with Springfield holding an advantage at 61 wins, 48 losses and 13 games that have been decided in overtime or a shootout.

The Falcons head into Saturday's action with a record of 1-1-1-0 on the young season good for three points and a second place tie with the Lowell Devils in the Atlantic Division. Springfield lost a 6-3 decision to the Providence Bruins on Friday night receiving goals from Jake Taylor, Ryan Potulny, and Derek Bekar. The Falcons once again rallied from an early deficit to climb within a single goal in the third period, but couldn't find the equalizer in the final frame.

The Falcons opened their 2008-09 season with three straight games on the road as they beat the Hartford Wolf Pack by a score of 4-3 on October 11, while also earning a point in Providence on October 12 with a 4-3 setback in overtime. Including tonight's game, the Falcons will play four of their next five games on home with their only road visit in that stretch occurring on Sunday, October 19 in Manchester.

The Pirates head into Springfield having not played since last Saturday, October 11 when they beat the Manchester Monarchs on home ice by a score of 6-3 in their season opener. Portland received a big night from right wing Mark Mancari as he recorded a hat trick and two assists earning the game's top star. Rookie Nathan Gerbe collected two assists in his pro debut, while veteran Tyler Bouck chipped in with two goals and one assist as well. Goaltender Adam Dennis was steady between the pipes stopping 31 of 34 shots on the night. The Pirates will head home after tonight's contest to host the Providence Bruins on Sunday afternoon.

FALCONS PLAYER NOTES

- Left Wing Viacheslav Trukhno leads the Falcons in scoring on the young season with four assists in three games. The second-year pro has picked up at least one assist in all three games this season.

- Assistant captain Ryan Potulny leads the Falcons in goals with three markers in three games. Potulny scored a pair of goals in his Falcons debut on October 11 at Hartford, including the game-winning goal in the third period.

- Tyler Spurgeon has collected at least one assist in all three games this season.

- Rob Schremp made his 2008-09 Falcons debut on October 17 at Providence collecting one assist. Schremp led the Falcons in scoring during the 2007-08 campaign with 23 goals and 53 assists for 76 points in 78 games.

- Rookie Taylor Chorney made his pro debut on October 11 at Hartford and collected an assist in each of his first two pro games, including an assist on Ryan Potulny's game-winner on October 11 at Hartford.

- Defenseman Theo Peckham recorded his first two-goal game of his pro career on October 12 at Providence, including the game-tying marker on that night.

PIRATES PLAYER NOTES

Fourth year pro Mark Mancari is off to a fast start collecting three goals and two assists in his first game this season. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound native of London, Ontario played in all 80 games for the Rochester Americans last year leading the team in scoring with 21 goals and 36 assists for 57 points and 78 penalty minutes. He was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the seventh round (207th overall) in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft and has played in three career NHL games with the Sabres picking up one assist.

Rookie Nathan Gerbe recorded two assists in his pro debut last Saturday against Manchester. The native of Oxford, Michigan led Boston College to a National Championship last season when he tallied 35 goals and 33 assists for 68 points in 43 games. He was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the fifth round (142nd overall) in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

Veteran Tyler Bouck is back for his second season with the Pirates after appearing in 79 games with Portland during the 2007-08 campaign. The 28-year-old native of Camrose, Alberta has played in 91 career NHL games.

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American Hockey League Stories from October 18, 2008


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