Falcons Host The Pirates Tonight
December 12, 2009 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Springfield Falcons News Release
The Springfield Falcons and Portland Pirates meet for the fourth time this season when they get together on Saturday night at the MassMutual Center starting at 7 pm. The Falcons are 2-1 against the Pirates this year including victories on October 3 and November 8, followed by a 3-2 loss most recently on November 29. Following tonight's game, the next three games of this season series will take place at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland, Maine, including a match-up on December 18 in Portland. Tonight will be the 136th all-time meeting between the Falcons and Pirates with Springfield holding a 68-53-14 edge in the all-time series.
The Falcons return to action tonight looking to snap an eight-game winless streak (0-6-1-1) after losing to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers by a score of 6-2 last night. The Falcons fell behind 6-1 in the second period Friday night after Bridgeport scored five unanswered goals in the middle frame. The Falcons will have goaltender Devan Dubnyk back in their lineup for Saturday's game against Portland, while netminder Andrew Perugini was reassigned back to Springfield's ECHL affiliate, the Stockton Thunder. Dubnyk has played in 18 games for the Falcons this year posting a record of 9-8-1 with a 2.77 goals against average and.924 save percentage. Dubnyk, who was recalled by the Edmonton Oilers on November 22, has been in goal for nine of Springfield's 10 wins this season.
Falcons forward Colton Fretter scored his team-leading 12th and 13th goals of the year last night, while linemate Charles Linglet added a pair of assists. Fretter is second in the AHL in goals, while Linglet remains in a tie for second place in the AHL in scoring with seven goals and 23 assists for 30 points in 28 games. Linglet's 23 assists is tied for the league lead in that category.
The Pirates head into Springfield having defeated the Hartford Wolf Pack by a score of 5-2 last night in Hartford. Portland used four third period goals to take control of a tied hockey game entering the third period. Cody McCormick led the Pirates' offense with two goals on Friday night, while Tyler Ennis, Brad Larsen and Philip Gogulla also tallied for Portland. Goaltender Jhonas Enroth stopped 16 of 18 shots in the win.
Portland has been one of the hottest teams in the AHL since November 12. The Pirates have collected at least a point in 13 of their last 14 games going 8-1-3-2 in that span. Portland currently has a record of 13-11-3-2 good for 31 points in a very competitive Atlantic Division.
PLAYERS RETURNING FROM EDMONTON: Over the last week, the Falcons have received five players back from their NHL affiliate, the Edmonton Oilers. Starting on December 4, Colin McDonald returned to the Falcons after making his NHL debut on November 27 against San Jose and scoring his first NHL goal on November 28 at Vancouver. Ryan O"Marra and Taylor Chorney returned to the Falcons on December 6. O'Marra recorded his first NHL point on November 28, while Chorney returned to Springfield for the first time since October 12. Captain Dean Arsene returned to Springfield on December 10 after appearing in his first two NHL games with the Oilers, and goaltender Devan Dubnyk came back to the Falcons on December 12 after making his NHL debut on November 28 at Vancouver.
GERBE GETS THE CALL AND CONVERTS: Nathan Gerbe scored his first National Hockey League goal and added an assist to lead the Buffalo Sabres to a 3-0 shutout win over the Washington Capitals at the HSBC Arena on December 9. Gerbe, who was recalled from the Portland Pirates earlier that day, netted the first of his NHL career on the power play at 14:42 of the second period to give the Sabres a 2-0 advantage. He also assisted on Buffalo's first goal and was named the game's second star. He played a total of 14:28 in his 11th career NHL game.
LEADING ROOKIE: Portland rookie forward Tyler Ennis continues to lead all AHL rookies in scoring with nine goals and 14 assists for 23 points in 29 games. The Edmonton, Alberta native is currently tied with Mark Mancari for the team lead in points with 23.
American Hockey League Stories from December 12, 2009
- Monsters Bitten By Wolves - Cleveland Monsters
- Hugs And Fists: B-Sens Brawl With Crunch, Win 6-3 - Binghamton Senators
- Toivonen Slams Door on Rampage - Peoria Rivermen
- Rampage Capsized By Rivermen 3-1 - San Antonio Rampage
- Griffins' Offense Stifled in 3-1 Loss to Milwaukee - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Monarchs Collect Toys But No Win - Manchester Monarchs
- IceHogs Edge Stars 3-2 - Texas Stars
- Wolf Pack Edge Sound Tigers In Overtime, 2-1 - Bridgeport Islanders
- Wolf Pack defeat Sound Tigers in OT - Connecticut Whale
- Admirals Trample Moose 5-4 - Norfolk Admirals
- Falcons Lose To Pirates 7-1 - Springfield Falcons
- Adirondack's Offense Erupts For Seven Goals In Win Over Penguins - Adirondack Phantoms
- Crunch Fall to Binghamton - Syracuse Crunch
- Rats Edge P-Bruins 3-1 - Albany River Rats
- Amerks Fall To Hershey In Battle Of AHL's Oldest Teams - Rochester Americans
- Admirals Edge Moose, 5-4 - Manitoba Moose
- Pirates Bomb Falcons - Portland Pirates
- Cloutier, IceHogs Solve The Stars - Rockford IceHogs
- Six Straight Goals Lift Wolves Over Monsters, 6-2 - Chicago Wolves
- Rockford Back In Texas, Palmer Loaned Back To Brahmas - Rockford IceHogs
- Rangers Recall Chad Johnson From Wolf Pack, Assign Matt Zaba - Connecticut Whale
- Columbus Assigns Center Derek Mackenzie; Crunch Recall Goaltender Dan Taylor - Syracuse Crunch
- Lightning Return Center Blair Jones To Admirals - Norfolk Admirals
- Hurricanes Assign Michael Leighton To Albany - Albany River Rats
- Falcons Host The Pirates Tonight - Springfield Falcons
- Pens Ice B-Sens 3-2 In Overtime - Binghamton Senators
- Houston Aeros Fall to Peoria Rivermen 2-1 - Houston Aeros
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