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Falcons to Host Monarchs and 'Cats During Busy Weekend

November 9, 2004 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Springfield Falcons News Release


Springfield, Mass. – The Springfield Falcons (2-7-1-1, 6 pts) will challenge two of the most potent offenses in the American Hockey League this weekend. The Manchester Monarchs will visit the Springfield Civic Center for a 7:35 p.m. game on Friday evening. The Worcester IceCats will be in town on Saturday night for a contest that begins at 7:00 p.m. The Falcons will travel to New Hampshire to face the Monarchs on Sunday. Game time is 4:05 p.m.

Manchester (4.56 goals per game) and Worcester (4.00 gpg) rank first and second respectively in the AHL in scoring this season. Four players from the Monarchs rank on the AHL's Top Ten scoring list this season. The IceCats have outscored their opponents, 30-14, while posting a record of 6-0-1-0 over their last seven games.

The Falcons displayed offensive firepower of their own in a 6-5 comeback overtime win over the Portland Pirates at the Civic Center on Friday in a game that highlighted last weekend for the club.

Week in Review (1-2-0-0):

Falcons – 6 vs. Portland – 5 (Overtime)

Friday, November 5

LW Adam Henrich scored 2:58 into overtime to complete a comeback win in which the Falcons trailed 5-1 late in the second period. Fellow rookies RW Darren Reid and D Paul Ranger assisted on the game-winning goal. RW Shane Willis sent the game to the extra session by scoring his second goal of the game with 13 seconds remaining in regulation. Willis (1g, 2a), Reid (0g, 3a), and C Jarrod Skalde (1g, 2a) each posted three points in the game for the Falcons. D Doug O'Brien and RW Evgeni Artukhin also scored for Springfield.

SOG: 25 SOGA: 33 PP: 2-for-5 PK: 3-for-6

Falcons – 3 at Lowell – 4

Saturday, November 6

Forwards Ryan Craig and Nick Tarnasky scored goals in the first period to provide the Falcons with a 2-0 lead. However, the Lock Monsters scored four unanswered goals en route to a win in the first meeting of the season between the intrastate rivals. Artukhin scored for the second straight night for the Falcons. D Mike Commodore (1g, 1a) and C Eric Staal (0g, 2a), the second overall selection in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, collected two points apiece for Lowell.

SOG: 17 SOGA: 38 PP: 1-for-4 PK: 1-for-3

Falcons – 1 at Hartford – 4

Sunday, November 7

Craig opened scoring with a first-period goal for the second consecutive game. Hartford C Alexandre Giroux responded with a power-play marker 4:13 later to knot the game. D Craig Weller followed with two goals to lead the Wolf Pack to the win. Hartford improved its record to 9-0-0-0 with the victory to remain the last undefeated team in the AHL.

SOG: 18 SOGA: 38 PP: 0-for-3 PK: 2-for-5

Team Notes: Craig has scored a goal in four of the last five games. Craig's five goals for the season surpass his AHL total for the 2003-04 campaign when he skated for the Hershey Bears.... Willis had registered at least a point in five of the last six games (2g, 5a).... O'Brien posted both his first goal and first assist as a professional in Friday's win over Portland. Ranger and D Mike Egener also collected their first pro points with assists in Friday's game.... All three meetings between the Falcons and Pirates this season have been tied after regulation.... Reid registered a total of five assists in back-to-back games on Friday (3a) and Saturday (2a). The 21-year-old is tied for third in assists among AHL rookies with six for the season.... Henrich (3g, 4a) and Reid (1g, 6a) are tied, among others, for sixth in rookie scoring with seven points each.... Henrich's overtime tally on Friday was his second game-winning goal of the season to tie him with Norfolk Admirals LW Rene Bourque for the AHL lead among rookies in the category.... C Craig Darby collected his 650th point of his pro career with an assist in Hartford.... Willis played in his 450th pro game on Sunday at Hartford.... D Harlan Pratt skated in his 100th AHL game on Sunday.... The Falcons have accumulated the most penalty minutes (304) in the Atlantic Division this season.

Roster Update: RW Nikita Alexeev and LW Mitch Fritz are currently out of the Falcons lineup due to injuries.... D Gerard Dicaire continues to rehabilitate from off-season surgery.

Upcoming Opponents:

Falcons vs. Manchester Monarchs

Friday, Nov. 12

Falcons at Manchester Monarchs

Sunday, Nov. 14

The Falcons face the Monarchs (8-1-0-0, 16 pts) in the second and third meetings between the teams this season. Manchester upended the Falcons, 4-2, at the Civic Center on Oct. 30. Craig and Tarnasky scored for Springfield in the game. RW Brad Smyth (1g, 2a) and C Michael Cammalleri (3a) each collected three points for the Monarchs.... Manchester RW Dustin Brown, the 13th overall pick in the 2003 NHL Draft, scored five goals in two games last week to garner the AHL Player of the Week honor.... The Falcons hold an all-time record of 8-12-1 versus Manchester.... Manchester's Cammalleri (6g, 10a) and C Yannick Lehoux (9g, 7a) are tied with Edmonton RW Tony Salmelainen for third in AHL scoring with 16 points.... Lehoux is riding a six-game scoring streak with 10 points (4g, 6a) during the run.... Monarchs LW Noah Clarke and D Joe Rullier share the league lead in plus/minus at +10.... Manchester G Mathieu Garon is tied for sixth in the AHL with a 1.84 goals against average this season. Garon recorded a GAA of 2.27 and .921 save percentage in 19 games with the Montreal Canadiens last season.

Falcons vs. Worcester IceCats

Saturday, Nov. 13

The Falcons host the Worcester IceCats (7-2-1-0, 15 pts) in the third match-up of the campaign between the clubs.... Springfield is 37-49-14 all-time against the ‘Cats.... The St. Louis Blues announced today that they have agreed to sell the IceCats and that the AHL team would be moving to Peoria, Illinois to play next season.... Worcester ranks fifth in the AHL in power-play success (20.9%). The ‘Cats are tied for second in the league in penalty killing in road games (94.1%).... Worcester has outscored opponents, 14-3, in the third period of games this season.... ‘Cats blueliner Dennis Wideman shares the AHL lead in scoring among both defensemen and rookies with 12 points (3g, 9a).... Worcester G Curtis Sanford is tied for second in the league in wins (6) and is tied for sixth in GAA (1.84).

Upcoming Promotions:

Nabisco Night – Friday, Nov. 12: Fans can receive a $3 discount on a ticket to Friday's game against Manchester at the Civic Center box office with a UPC code from an Oreo Cookie package.

Scout Night – Saturday, Nov. 13: Scout groups can purchase tickets (minimum 10) to Saturday's game versus Worcester for $9 each. Thursday is the deadline to order. Contact Falcons Director of Marketing Carole Appleton at 739-3344 ext. 112 for more information.

Fisher Nuts Give-a-way – Saturday, Nov. 13: Fans in attendance at Saturday's contest will receive a package of Fisher Nuts upon exiting the game.

Radio Broadcasts:

Friday's Falcons game will not be carried on radio. Saturday's contest versus Worcester and Sunday's game at Manchester will be broadcast on The ZONE – Sports Radio 640. Voice of the Falcons Marc Shelanski will describe the action. 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.

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. Groups of 15 or more can receive discount savings by contacting the Falcons' team office at (413) 739-3344. Group tickets must be ordered in advance.

This Week's Game Schedule:

Fri., Nov. 12 Falcons vs. Manchester Monarchs 7:35 PM Springfield Civic Center No Radio

Sat., Nov. 13 Falcons vs. Worcester IceCats 7:05 PM Springfield Civic Center The ZONE

Sun., Nov. 14 Falcons at Manchester Monarchs 4:05 PM Verizon Wireless Arena The ZONE

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