Falcons Host Pirates Tonight
April 15, 2006 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Springfield Falcons News Release
The Springfield Falcons and the Portland Pirates conclude the 2005-06 regular season tonight at the MassMutual Center. The two teams met last night at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland with the Falcons falling to the Pirates 3-1.
Falcons rookie goaltender Gabe Winer made his American Hockey League debut Friday night in Portland making 39 saves. Winer joined the Falcons on April 11 signing an Amateur Tryout Agreement with Springfield after spending some time with the Falcons' ECHL affiliate, the Johnstown Chiefs. Winer recently completed his senior season at UMass- Amherst. Nick Tarnasky scored Springfield's lone goal last night, his 14th marker of the year and second goal in as many games.
The Pirates received goals from Ryan Shannon, Aaron Gavey and Pierre Parenteau last night, while goaltender Jani Hurme made 14 saves picking up the win between the pipes. The Falcons and Pirates will conclude their 2005-06 season the same it way it all started as the these two Atlantic Divison rivals played their season opener at the MassMutual Center.
PRODUCTION CONTINUES: Jason Jaspers and rookie Ryan Vesce continue to remain at the top of the Falcons scoring list heading into tonight's game. Jaspers has 66 points (29g, 37a) in 76 games. The 5-foot-11, 207-pound Thunder Bay, Ontario native collected one goal and two assists in Thursday's 5-3 loss to the Albany River Rats earning the game's first star. Vesce has registered at least a point in seven of his last nine games, collecting three goals and eight assists for 11 points in that span. The Lloyd Harbor, New York native has played in all 79 of Springfield's games this season; the only member of the team who has not missed a game this year. In those 79 games, Vesce has collected 65 points (18g, 47a). The 2004 Cornell University graduate is currently ranked fifth in the AHL in rookie scoring.
PIRATES DEBUT: The Portland Pirates signed right wing Matt Auffrey to an ATO on April 6th. The 6-foot-2, 203-pound Cincinnatti, Ohio native played in 59 games with the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) where he collected 50 points (24g, 26a). Auffrey made his professional debut on Wednesday night in Lowell where he earned an assist in the Pirates' 5-4 shootout victory over the Lowell Lock Monsters.
ROSTER CHANGES KEEP ON COMING: The Falcons signed two new players on Tuesday. Goaltender Gabe Winer signed an Amateur Tryout Agreement (ATO) with Springfield. The 5-foot-10, 190-pound rookie played in seven games with the Johnstown Chiefs of the ECHL before arriving in Springfield and earned a 3.66 goals against average and a .910 save percentage with a record of 2-2-1 with the Chiefs. In Winer's four seasons with the UMass-Amherst Minutemen, he finished his collegiate career with a record of 50-52-10, including five shutouts. The Stoughton, Massachusetts native posted a 2.71 goals against average and a .891 save percentage.
The Falcons also signed forward Mike Ouellette to an Amateur Tryout Agreement (ATO). The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Kamloops, British Columbia native just finished his collegiate career at Dartmouth College as captain with 58 goals and 80 assists for 138 points in 136 career games. Prior to college, he spent two seasons with the Merritt Centennials of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) where he collected 138 points (66g, 72a). Ouellette made his professional debut on Thursday night in the Falcons' 5-3 loss to the Albany River Rats.
Ouellette and Winer join rookies Kevin Croxton, P.J. Atherton and Jared Nightingale as first-year players making their AHL debuts with the Falcons. The Tampa Bay Lightning, Springfield's NHL affiliate, reassigned Jay Rosehill and Jonathan Boutin to the Johnstown Chiefs on Monday as the Chiefs began their journey through the Kelly Cup Playoffs. Both players played a role in the Chiefs opening series win against the Trenton Titans. Rosehill, a 6-foot-3, 210-pound defenseman, was in the lineup for both Monday and Tuesday's victories over the Trenton Titans and Boutin earned the 4-3 victory on Tuesday night.
OUTSTANDING COACH: Portland Pirates head coach Kevin Dineen has been named the winner of the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award as the AHL's Outstanding Coach for the 2005-06 season, as voted by members of the media in each of the league's 27 cities. Dineen has led the Pirates to a 52-19-5-3 record, earning their first-ever division title. The Pirates have been in first place in the Atlantic Division since December 10th. With their 112 current points, the Pirates have surpassed the season points earned by any Portland team in the city's 28-year AHL history.
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