Falcons' Three-Game Weekend Highlighted by Saturday's Home Opener

Published on October 22, 2004 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Springfield Falcons News Release


Springfield, Mass. – In the second weekend of the AHL season, the Springfield Falcons (1-2-0-0, 2 pts.) will host their 2004-05 home opener at the Springfield Civic Center on Saturday against the Worcester IceCats. Game time for the contest is 4:05 p.m. The Falcons announced on Thursday a change in the game's start time so that fans could both attend the Falcons' game and watch the Boston Red Sox in Game 1 of the World Series on Saturday evening.

The Falcons will also visit the Portland Pirates in a 7:05 p.m. game tonight and then, following Saturday's home opener, wrap up the three-game weekend against I-91 rivals, the Hartford Wolf Pack, in Connecticut at 4:05 p.m. on Sunday.

Tonight's game will be broadcast on KIX 97.9 FM. Saturday and Sunday's tilts will be carried on The ZONE – Sports Radio 640.

Team Notes: Falcons C Craig Darby's next assist will be his 400th as a professional.... RW Shane Willis is two points shy of 300 for his pro career.... LW Steve McLaren played in his 300th AHL game on Sunday at Providence.... LW Adam Henrich, who scored two goals in his pro debut versus the Providence Bruins last Friday, is tied for second among AHL rookies in goal scoring (2).... D Mike Egener leads rookies in the league in penalty minutes (PIM) with 21.... RW Darren Reid collected an assist in his first pro game last Friday and is one of three rookies to have scored a shorthanded goal this season after tallying in Worcester on Saturday.... Willis and D Marc Busenburg share the team lead in plus/minus at +2.... The AHL Board of Governors approved an increase in the number of skaters in a team's game lineup from 17 to 18 (in addition to two goaltenders) effective immediately.

Roster Update: The Falcons signed veteran defenseman Brian Chapman to an AHL contract on Monday. Chapman, who captained the Manitoba Moose for four of his six seasons with the club, was a member of the Springfield Indians' 1991 Calder Cup championship team.... LW Mitch Fritz is out of the Falcons' lineup with an injury suffered in preseason.... D Gerard Dicaire continues to rehab following off-season surgery.

Upcoming Opponents:

Falcons at Portland Pirates

Friday, Oct. 22

The Falcons face the Pirates (2-1-0-0, 4 pts.) in the 83rd all-time meeting between the clubs in the first of 10 encounters this season. The Falcons own an all-time record of 42-31-9 against the Pirates. Springfield was 2-5-3-0 versus Portland last season.... Pirates C Trent Whitfield is tied for fifth in AHL scoring in the young campaign with six points (3g, 3a).... Portland D Steve Eminger is tied for second in scoring among AHL blue liners with four points (1g, 3a).... Maxime Oullette has been in net for each of the Pirates' first three games, compiling a 3.02 goals against average (GAA) and .902 save percentage (SV%).... Former Albany River Rat RW Carlyle Lewis has collected 21 PIM in two games played.... Portland is tied for second in the AHL in power-play success (30.0%) in converting six-of-20 man advantages.... The Pirates scored all five goals of a 5-4 win over St. John's on Sunday in the first period.... The Falcons and Pirates will meet again next Friday in Springfield.

Falcons vs. Worcester IceCats

Saturday, Oct. 23

The Falcons will look to avenge a 7-2 loss in Worcester (1-1-0-0, 2 pts.) last Saturday in the second of ten match-ups between the teams this season.... Springfield is 37-47-14 all-time versus the IceCats.... The Falcons were 3-4-2-1 against Worcester last season.... Rookie D Dennis Wideman registered an AHL season-high five points (2g, 3a) against Springfield on Saturday. Wideman leads league rookies and defensemen with six points (2g, 4a) this season.... The ‘Cats power play leads the AHL with a 31.6% success rate.... Worcester's average of 4.50 goals per games ranks fourth in the league.... The IceCats lead the AHL in both shots on goal per game (42.0) and shots against (19.5 per game) in the young season.... IceCats netminder Curtis Sanford ranks eighth in the league with a GAA of 1.84.... Former Hobey Baker Award winner LW Peter Sejna has posted five points (1g, 4a) in two games.... The Falcons will next face Worcester on Saturday, Nov. 13 at the Springfield Civic Center.

Falcons at Hartford Wolf Pack

Sunday, Oct. 24

The Falcons travel south to challenge the Wolf Pack (1-0-0-0, 2 pts.) in the first of ten meetings this campaign.... Springfield compiled a 3-5-2-0 record versus Hartford last season and are 28-38-6 all-time against the franchise.... The Wolf Pack is the only AHL team to have only played one game this season.... C Layne Ulmer recorded an assist on both Hartford goals in a 2-1 win over Philadelphia last Saturday in their only previous game of the campaign.... Reigning AHL MVP G Jason LaBarbera stopped 21 of 22 shots in the Wolf Pack's season-opening win.... Team captain Ken Gernander returns for his eighth season with the Wolf Pack and his 11th in the New York Rangers' organization.... The Falcons will again visit Hartford on Sunday, Nov. 7 in the next match-up between the rivals. The Wolf Pack will travel to Springfield for the first time this season on Saturday, Nov. 20.

Upcoming Promotions:

MVP.Pub Magnetic Schedule Night – Saturday, Oct. 23: Fans in attendance will receive a Falcons' magnetic schedule courtesy of MVP.Pub.

Radio Broadcasts:

Catch the live broadcast of Friday's contest versus Portland on KIX 97.9 FM. The Falcons will return to their normal radio flagship station, The ZONE – Sports Radio 640, for Saturday and Sunday's games. Voice of the Falcons Marc Shelanski calls the action. The pre-game show starts 30 minutes prior to the opening face-off. Fans can also listen live on the Internet by clicking on the MassLive.com Cybercast icon on the Falcons official web site, www.falconsahl.com. Friday's game will not be available through MassLive.com.

Tickets:

Tickets for all Falcons' home games can be ordered in person or by phone through the Springfield Civic Center box office located along East Court Street. To order by phone, please call (413) 787-6600 or (800) 639-8602. Tickets can also be ordered online by visiting the Falcons official web site, www.falconsahl.com.

This Week's Game Schedule:

Fri., Oct. 22 Falcons at Portland Pirates 7:05 PM Cumberland County Civic Center KIX 97.9

Sat., Oct. 23 Falcons vs. Worcester IceCats 4:05 PM Springfield Civic Center The ZONE

Sun., Oct. 24 Falcons at Hartford Wolf Pack 4:05 PM Hartford Civic Center The ZONE

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American Hockey League Stories from October 22, 2004


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