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Falcons Host Sharks Saturday Night

January 26, 2008 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Springfield Falcons News Release


GAME SETUP: The Springfield Falcons and Worcester Sharks will meet for the second time this week when they go head-to-head at the MassMutual Center on Saturday night. This will be the last game before the AHL All-Star Break with the AHL Skills Competition occurring on Sunday, January 27, followed by the AHL All-Star Game on Monday, January 28. These two Atlantic Division rivals just played each other this past Monday at the MassMutual Center with the Sharks beating the Falcons in overtime by a score of 3-2. Tom Cavanagh netted the game-winner in the extra session as Worcester scored the game-tying goal in the final minute of regulation. The Falcons are 0-1-1-1 in three games against the Sharks with the last two contests going to the extra session. Following tonight's game, these two teams will not see each other again until February 24 when the Falcons travel to the DCU Center.

Falcons forward Ben Simon is tied for the team lead in points against the Sharks this season with two, including a team-leading two goals against Worcester. Jean-Francois Jacques (1g, 1a), Rick Berry (0g, 2a) and T.J. Kemp (0g, 2a) also have a pair of points against Worcester this season. Worcester's Lukas Kaspar and Graham Mink are tied for their respective club lead in scoring against Springfield this campaign with one goal and three assists each.

The Falcons head into Saturday's action having earned a point in each of their last two games going 0-0-1-1 in that span. Springfield earned a point Friday night at Providence with a 4-3 shootout loss to the Bruins. The Falcons rallied from an early 1-0 deficit to take a 3-1 second period lead on goals from Ryan O'Marra, Marc Pouliot and Liam Reddox. Providence evened the score with a pair of goals from Wacey Rabbit before the middle period was complete. Springfield earned a point on Monday as well against the Sharks. The Falcons are now tied with the Manchester Monarchs for fourth place in the Atlantic Division with 48 points. Tonight will be the Falcons last game in January as they head into February, where they will play eight of their 13 games that month on home ice.

The Sharks head into Springfield having lost to the Hartford Wolf Pack on Friday evening by a score of 3-1. Patrick Traverse scored Worcester's lone goal of the game, while goaltender Taylor Dakers stopped 24 of 27 shots on goal. Worcester has currently lost two straight games as they were shutout by the Manchester Monarchs by a score of 2-0 this past Wednesday. The Sharks currently have a record of 18-18-3-3 good for 42 points, only six points behind both Springfield and Manchester. Worcester is 1-5-0-1 in their last seven games.

FALCONS TRANSACTIONS: The Falcons announced on Thursday that they have loaned left wing Ryan Flinn to the Hershey Bears, while the Washington Capitals have loaned right wing Stephen Werner to the Falcons. Werner, who made his Falcons debut Friday night at Providence, is in his second full season of professional hockey after completing a four-year collegiate career at UMass-Amherst from 2002-2006. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound native of Chevy Chase, Maryland has split the last two seasons between the Hershey Bears and the ECHL's South Carolina Stingrays. In 25 games with South Carolina this season, Werner has six goals and 15 assists for 21 points and 24 penalty minutes. In eight games with the Bears during the 2007-08 campaign, he has collected one goal and four assists for five points and two penalty minutes. Werner was selected by the Washington Capitals in the third round (83rd overall) in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. Flinn has played in 24 games with the Falcons this season registering one assist and 82 penalty minutes. Flinn spent the 2006-07 campaign with the AHL's San Antonio Rampage picking up two goals and four assists and totaling 166 penalty minutes.

FALCONS PLAYER NOTES: Rookie Ryan O'Marra has goals in back-to-back games and he has collected at least a point in three of his last four games....Defenseman Danny Syvret returned to the Falcons lineup on Friday after missing 14 games total, five due to spending time with Team Canada at the Spengler Cup, while nine games missed were due to sickness. Syvret collected one assist on Friday night against Providence.

SHARKS TRANSACTIONS: The Worcester Sharks announced on Friday that right wing Devin Setoguchi, center Tomas Plihal, goaltender Thomas Greiss and defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic have been assigned to Worcester by the San Jose Sharks. Setoguchi has split time between San Jose and Worcester this season. In 27 games with the Sharks, he has posted 11 points (nine goals, two assists) and in 12 games with Worcester, he has nine points (one goal, eight assists). He was originally drafted by San Jose in the first round (8th overall) in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. Plihal was recalled to San Jose for the first time this season on Jan. 20. He made his season debut on Jan. 22 against the Chicago Blackhawks and is a +1 in two games. In 20 games with Worcester, he has 11 points (five goals, six assists) and was second on the team with a +4. He was originally drafted by San Jose in the fifth round (140th overall) in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. Greiss was recalled to San Jose on Jan. 8. He made his NHL debut on Jan. 13 at Anaheim, making 25 saves in an overtime loss. With Worcester, he has posted a 12-10-1 record, along with a 3.03 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage. He was originally drafted by San Jose in the third round (94th overall) in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.

Vlasic is in his second season with San Jose. This year, he has posted five points (five assists) while playing in all of the Sharks 49 games. He was originally drafted by San Jose in the second round (35th overall) in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

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