Falcons Visit Portland on Thursday and Worcester on Sunday

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


Springfield, Mass. – The Springfield Falcons look to build on wins in their last two games when the club visits the Portland Pirates on Thursday and the Worcester IceCats on Sunday. The Falcons scored a goal in each period to defeat the Albany River Rats, 3-1, at the Springfield Civic Center on Saturday. The team downed the Lowell Lock Monsters, 3-2 in a shootout, at Tsongas Arena on Sunday. Falcons G Brian Eklund registered wins in both games while C Craig Darby scored a goal in each contest.

In facing the Pirates on Thursday, the Falcons will look to gain on the team directly ahead of them in the Atlantic Division standings. All four of the previous meetings between Springfield and Portland this season have been extended to overtime after being tied at the end of regulation. On Sunday, the Falcons will be making their third of five trips this season to the DCU Center in Worcester. The St. Louis Blues, the parent club of the IceCats, announced last month that the AHL franchise would be sold and moved to Peoria, Ill. prior to next season.

Team Notes: Eklund stopped 85 of 88 shots in three games last weekend. The netminder entered Friday's game at the start of the second period, turning aside all 18 shots he faced, in a 3-2 loss at Providence. Eklund made 31 saves in Saturday's 3-1 win over Albany and 36 stops in Sunday's 3-2 shootout win at Lowell. The Braintree, Mass. native also denied all four shootout attempts by the Lock Monsters in the win.... A goal by Albany center Pascal Rheaume in the third period on Saturday broke a streak of 128:25 in which Eklund had not given up a goal.... Darby posted his 550th AHL point with a first-period goal on Saturday.... RW Shane Willis registered his 100th career AHL assist on Saturday versus Albany .... D Nikos Tselios is two points shy of 100 for his pro career.... D Harlan Pratt collected assists in back-to-back games on Saturday and Sunday.... LW Adam Henrich is tied for 11th in scoring among AHL rookies with 15 points (5g, 10a).... LW Jean-Francois Soucy ranks second among rookies in penalty minutes with 116.... The crowd of 13,424 witnessing last Wednesday's game versus the Philadelphia Phantoms at the St. Pete Times Forum was the most highly attended Falcons game in the history of the franchise – home or away.

Roster Update: D Darren Rumble announced his retirement as a player on Friday. Rumble remains with the team as an assistant coach.... RW Evgeni Artukhin will complete his ten-game suspension by sitting out Sunday's game in Worcester. The forward will be eligible to return to the Falcons' lineup when the team hosts the Providence Bruins at the Civic Center on Dec. 30. Artukhin was issued the suspension by the AHL for making contact with an official on Dec. 4 when the Falcons faced Albany.... D Mike Egener has missed the last 15 games with an injury.

Upcoming Opponents:

Falcons at Portland Pirates

Cumberland County Civic Center

Thursday, Dec. 23

The Falcons face the Pirates (11-13-3-3, 28 pts) in the fifth of ten meetings between the teams this season. The clubs have split the previous four season match-ups with the Falcons winning the last two. The Falcons won the most recent encounter by a score of 2-1 in overtime at The Nest on Dec. 3. Willis ended that contest with the game-winning goal.... All four prior meetings this season have been tied at the end of regulation with three games being decided in overtime and one in a shootout.... The Falcons are 44-32-10 all-time against Portland.... The Pirates are 1-4-1-1 over their last seven games.... Willis has posted five points (3g, 2a) to lead Springfield in scoring versus the Pirates this season.... Falcons C Ryan Craig

has registered four points (2g, 2a) in the season series.... G Jamie Storr has recorded a 2.37 goals against average (GAA) and .922 save percentage (SV%) in four games against Portland this season.... RW Graham Mink has paced the Pirates with five points (3g, 2a) against the Falcons.... RW Boyd Gordon has collected four assists versus Springfield.... Portland G Maxime Ouellet has registered a 1.91 GAA and .929 SV% in two games against the Falcons.... The Pirates have converted five of 25 power-play chances (20.0%) in the season series.... Portland ranks ninth in the AHL in power-play success (16.7%) and 15th in penalty killing (83.5%).... The Pirates have won five games in overtime this season – the second-most in the league.... Portland is 9-1-3-3 in one-goal games.... Pirates RW Jared Aulin has tallied six points (1g, 5a) over his last four games.... LW Tomas Fleischmann has notched five points (3g, 2a) in his last four contests.

Falcons at Worcester IceCats

DCU Center

Sunday, Dec. 26

The Falcons visit the IceCats (17-9-1-2, 37 pts) for the third time in the fifth overall match-up between the clubs this campaign.... Worcester has claimed three of the four prior season meetings, including a 1-0 win at the DCU Center on Dec. 10.... The Falcons carry an all-time record of 38-50-14 versus Worcester.... Willis has scored three of Springfield's six goals against the IceCats this season.... Rookie D Dennis Wideman has registered seven points (2g, 5a) including five (2g, 3a) on Oct. 16 versus the Falcons to lead Worcester.... RW Alexei Shkotov was reassigned from the ‘Cats to Voskresensk Khimik in Russia on Monday.... The IceCats have outscored opponents, 32-21, in the third period of games this season.... Worcester is 8-1-0-1 when tied after the first period.... The ‘Cats are 8-2-1-2 in one-goal games this season.... The IceCats have won their last three home games.... Wideman shares (with RW Mike Glumac) the team lead in scoring with 20 points (7g, 13a) and is tied for second among AHL rookies.... Worcester G Jason Bacashihua has posted a 4-1-0 record, 1.48 GAA, and .942 SV% over his last six games.... The Falcons will host the IceCats at the Civic Center on Jan. 15 in the next meeting between the clubs following Sunday.

Upcoming Community Events:

Falcons Toy Collection brought to you by Kraft Foods – December 30 & January 1 – Fans are encouraged to bring an unwrapped toy to the game and receive a discount coupon for the Wednesday, February 23rd game vs. Norfolk.

Toys will be distributed to the Baystate Medical Center's Children's Hospital and Shriners Hospitals in February.

"A Touch of Class" Cocktail Event sponsored by The Delaney House – The Springfield Falcons and The Delaney House in Holyoke have teamed up for a very special "Dress to the Nines" event on Wednesday, January 26th from 5:30-8 p.m. Falcon players will be on hand as your hosts. The event will involve player auctions. Tickets are $25.00 each and are on sale now at 413-739-3344, via email at cappleton@falconsahl.com, or Falcons home games through Jan. 15. Proceeds to benefit Springfield Falcons Charities, Inc. The perfect Holiday gift for the ultimate Falcons fan. Items up for bid include:

-General Manager for a Day with Bruce Landon -Golf Afternoon with a Player

-Go-Kart Racing with Players -Tampa Bay Lightning Merchandise

-Personal Training Session with Strength & Conditioning Coach Adam Rambo

Falcons Team Store at Tower Square Open for Last Minute Holiday Shopping - The Springfield Falcons retail store on the upper level shopping plaza in Tower Square remains open for this Holiday Season. Located near the food court the Falcons Team Store will have all the items you need for that special Falcons' fan on your holiday list this year! Hours of operation are:

December 22nd and December 23nd, 10:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

** December 24th store hours 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.**

The store will be closed, December 25th and 26th.

Radio Broadcasts:

Tune into The ZONE – Sports Radio 640 to hear both Falcons' games this week. Voice of the Falcons Marc Shelanski calls the action. The pre-game show begins 30 minutes prior to the opening face-off. Sunday's contest will be broadcast in its entirety following NFL football. Fans can also listen via the Internet by clicking on the MassLive.com Cybercast icon on the Falcons official web site, www.falconsahl.com.

Tickets:

Tickets for 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:

Thur., Dec. 23 Falcons at Portland Pirates 7:05 PM Cumberland County Civic Center The ZONE

Sun., Dec. 26 Falcons at Worcester IceCats 4:05 PM DCU Center The ZONE

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American Hockey League Stories from December 22, 2004


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