Falcons Playoff Game Preview: Game 2, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
April 28, 2013 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Springfield Falcons News Release
2. Springfield Falcons (1-0) vs. 7. Manchester Monarchs (0-1)
Game 2, Springfield leads series, 1-0
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals (best-of-five)
Sunday, April 28, 2013, 4 p.m.
MassMutual Center
TICKETS: (413) 739-GOAL, MassMutual Center Box Office, Ticketmaster.com
RADIO: (presented by FalconsWireless.com) WHYN NewsTalk 560 AM/WHYN.com
WEBCAST: AHLLive.com
IN JUST A FEW HOURS...
The Springfield Falcons will attempt to take a 2-0 lead in their best-of-five Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series against the Manchester Monarchs when they host Game 2 at the MassMutual Center, with the first drop of the puck scheduled for 4 p.m.
Cody Bass scored 10:36 into the first overtime of Game 1 on Saturday night at the MassMutual Center, as the Falcons returned to postseason competition in dramatic fashion with a 2-1 sudden-death victory over the Monarchs. Blake Parlett also scored for Springfield, connecting on a penalty shot in the second period, while Curtis McElhinney stopped 29 of Manchester's 30 attempts.
The Falcons and Monarchs head to Manchester for Game 3 on Thursday, May 2 at 7 p.m. at the Verizon Wireless Arena. If necessary, Game 4 would be played in Manchester on Saturday, May 4 at 7 p.m.
Should the series go the distance, Springfield would host Game 5 on Sunday, May 5 at 4 p.m.
Below is the Falcons' opening-round schedule:
Game 1 - Saturday, Apr. 27, MassMutual Center, Springfield 2, Manchester 1 (OT)
Game 2 - Sunday, Apr. 28, 4 p.m., MassMutual Center
Game 3 - Thursday, May 2, 7 p.m., Verizon Wireless Arena
Game 4 - Saturday, May 4, 7 p.m., Verizon Wireless Arena (if necessary)
Game 5 - Sunday, May 5, 4 p.m., MassMutual Center (if necessary)
Tonight's broadcast is presented by FalconsWireless.com and starts at 3:45 p.m. on WHYN 560 AM, WHYN.com, the iHeartRadio App, or AHLLive.com.
Single-game tickets to watch the Falcons compete in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals are on sale now at the MassMutual Center Box Office, or online at Ticketmaster.com. For information on cost-saving postseason ticket packages, call (413) 739-GOAL (4625) or click here.
TRYING FOR TWO
The Falcons have won the first two games of a series three times in their history. Springfield has a 2-1 record when beginning a series with a pair of victories.
SUDDEN-DEATH HEROICS
Cody Bass, who won the 2011 Calder Cup championship with Binghamton, celebrated his return to playoff action by scoring the overtime-winning goal on Saturday. Bass' tally was his first in the playoffs since he scored the winning goal in Game 4 of the Calder Cup Final on June 3, 2011, a 3-0 Binghamton victory over Houston. Springfield improved to 7-3 in postseason overtime action. The victory in sudden death was the Falcons' first in the playoffs since Apr. 15, 2000, when Springfield defeated Hartford in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, 6-5. The Falcons had not won a game in overtime since Nov. 16, 2011 against Worcester. Springfield had dropped eight-straight sudden-death decisions since its last victory.
BLAKE'S BIG GOAL
Blake Parlett netted Springfield's first postseason goal on Saturday Frederik Sjostrom scored in a 2-1 loss to Hamilton on Apr. 21, 2003. Parlett scored on a penalty shot just past the halfway point of the second period. The penalty-shot attempt was the Falcons' first in their postseason history.
CURTIS COMES UP CLUTCH
Curtis McElhinney stopped 29 of 30 shots on Saturday, earning his first postseason victory in exactly six years. McElhinney's last victory in the Calder Cup Playoffs came on Apr. 27, 2007, a 3-2 victory in overtime by Omaha over Iowa in Game 4 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals.
STREAK STAYS ALIVE
Springfield has won 23-straight games when leading after two periods dating back to the regular season. The Falcons had a league-best 35 wins when taking an advantage into the third (35-1-0-0) in 2012-13. Springfield is 15-3 in its postseason history when carrying a lead into the final frame.
A GOOD START
The Falcons won the first game of a series for the fourth time in franchise history on Saturday (4-7).
WHO NEEDS THREE?
Saturday's victory was the Falcons' third in their playoff history when scoring under three goals, and first since Springfield beat Providence on May 3, 1997, 2-0, in Game 2 of the Northern Conference Semifinals.
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