Falcons Weekly Notes

Published on April 30, 2013 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Springfield Falcons News Release


Springfield, Mass. - The Springfield Falcons received overtime goals from Cody Bass in each of their opening two games of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Manchester Monarchs this past weekend at the MassMutual Center to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series. With one victory over the final three contests of the series, Springfield would advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The Falcons' first chance to move on in the Calder Cup Playoffs is this Thursday, when Springfield and Manchester play Game 3 of the series at the Verizon Wireless Arena, with the opening face-off set for 7 p.m.

Below is the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals schedule:

Game 1 - Saturday, Apr. 27, MassMutual Center, Springfield 2, Manchester 1 (OT)

Game 2 - Sunday, Apr. 28, 4 p.m., MassMutual Center, Springfield 3, Manchester 2 (OT)

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)

The Falcons are guaranteed to play at least one more home game this year. If Manchester wins Games 3 and 4, a decisive Game 5 would be in Springfield on Sunday, May 5 at 4 p.m. The MassMutual Center Box Office would open on Sunday at 10 a.m. if Game 5 is necessary. Should the Falcons prevail in either Game 3 or 4, Springfield would play a minimum of two home games in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Semifinals. For information on cost-saving postseason ticket packages, call (413) 739-GOAL (4625).

WEEK IN REVIEW

Springfield 2, Manchester 1 (OT)

Game 1, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

Saturday, Apr. 27

MassMutual Center

The Falcons returned to the ice for postseason action for the first time since Apr. 21, 2003, and had their reunion with the playoffs in front of an enthusiastic crowd of 3,705 fans at the MassMutual Center on Saturday. Following a scoreless first period, Blake Parlett received a penalty shot moments after serving a minor infraction. Parlett beat Manchester goaltender Martin Jones with a backhander, giving Springfield its first goal of the postseason and a 1-0 lead. The Monarchs, who were blanked by Springfield netminder Curtis McElhinney in the last meeting of the regular season on Mar. 20, broke through in the third period for the tying goal when Brian O'Neill redirected Nick Deslauriers' point shot into the net, making it 1-1. Boone Jenner had Springfield's best chance to reclaim the lead late in the game, but Jones stopped his bid with a minute remaining in the third period. Halfway through the first sudden-death overtime session, Springfield took Game 1 when Cody Bass tipped in a Ryan Russell shot on the doorstep.

Springfield 3, Manchester 2 (OT)

Game 2, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

Sunday, Apr. 28

MassMutual Center

Aiming to up its series lead to 2-0, Springfield capitalized right away on a shorthanded opportunity to take an early lead. Ryan Russell banked a pass off the boards with the Falcons on a penalty kill to Trent Vogelhuber, who backhanded his breakaway attempt off of Martin Jones and in for the 1-0 edge. Manchester battled back to take its first lead with a goal later in the first, and then one in the second. Nick Deslauriers, who set up the Monarchs' lone goal in Game 1, feathered a shot by Curtis McElhinney on the power play from the right circle. Anthony Stewart put Manchester on top, 2-1, when he stole a puck along the goal line and jammed it by McElhinney. Springfield, which led the AHL with 70 power-play goals in the regular season, notched its first of the playoffs in the third to tie the game, 2-2, when David Savard rocketed a shot by Jones on the Falcons' sixth man-advantage chance of the contest. Moments later, Jonathan Audy-Marchessault appeared to give the Falcons command of the game when he deflected in a Boone Jenner centering feed. Audy-Marchessault was ruled, however, to have kicked the puck in, maintaining the 2-2 tie. In overtime, McElhinney fought off several Monarchs opportunities before the Falcons began to chip away at Jones. Bass, for the second time in under 24 hours, came through with the overtime winner. After Vogelhuber won a face-off for Russell, Cody Goloubef wristed a puck off of Jones' right pad, and Bass buried the rebound, as Springfield won Game 2, 3-2.

WEEK AHEAD

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)

BASS MAKES AHL HISTORY

Cody Bass became the third player in AHL history to score overtime goals in consecutive games of a playoff series when he netted the sudden-death tally in each of the first two contests of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals this past weekend. Chris VandeVelde did it last year for Oklahoma City in Games 3 and 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals against San Antonio, while Jim Wiemer became the first to accomplish that feat, doing it for Rochester against New Haven in Games 3 and 4 of the Northern Division Final in 1983.

Bass, whose two playoff overtime goals place him first in Falcons history, was the only skater in Springfield's lineup this past weekend with a Calder Cup championship to his resume. In 2011, Bass won a ring with Binghamton and scoring the winning goal in Game 4 of its Calder Cup Final series against Houston. Greg Amadio, Bryan Helmer, and Andrew Joudrey also have won Calder Cup championships, but were inactive on Saturday and Sunday.

The AHL's record for overtime goals in a postseason is two, which had been done most recently by VandeVelde in 2012. Bass would break that record by registering another sudden-death goal in the remainder of this year's Calder Cup Playoffs.

STRONG START FOR MCELHINNEY

Curtis McElhinney, an AHL Second-Team All-Star in 2012-13, had a strong start to the playoffs by allowing three goals in nearly 150 minutes over two games. McElhinney set a career postseason high with 29 saves on 30 shots in Game 1, and then broke that mark with 41 denials on 43 tries in Game 2. He leads the AHL through the first weekend of playoff action with a .959 save percentage and a 1.21 goals-against average, while tying for first with two victories. His first win of this year's playoffs came six years to the day after logging his last postseason victory, which came on Apr. 27, 2007, a 3-2 victory in overtime by Omaha over Iowa in Game 4 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals.

PARLETT PITCHES IN

Blake Parlett scored Springfield's first goal of the postseason on the club's first penalty-shot attempt in its playoff history on Saturday. Parlett's goal was his second-career postseason tally. He scored for Connecticut in his rookie season of 2010-11 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against Portland.

A PAIR OF FIRSTS

Trent Vogelhuber and David Savard each posted the first goal of their playoff careers in Sunday's win. Vogelhuber's shorthanded goal was Springfield's first of that variety in the playoffs since Reggie Savage scored with the Falcons down a man in Game 1 of the Northern Conference Final on May 18, 1997, a 6-2 Falcons victory over Hershey.

THE EARLY LEADER

Ryan Russell's three assists make him the Falcons' scoring leader through two games. Russell assisted on each of Cody Bass' overtime goals, and also angled a bank pass off the boards to Trent Vogelhuber to set up his Game 2 tally. This marks Russell's fifth-career playoff appearance. He won the ECHL's Kelly Cup Championship with Cincinnati in 2008, and skated in the Calder Cup Playoffs with Hamilton in 2009, 2010, and 2011. Russell has 28 points (15g-13a) in 47-career AHL playoff outings.

WHAT ELSE IS NEW?

Nick Holden, who set a Falcons single-season record with a +24 rating in 2012-13, leads Springfield with a +3 mark through two postseason games.

POSITIVE BEGINNING

The Falcons have won the first two games of a playoff series for the fourth time in franchise history. Springfield took Games 1 and 2 of the Northern Conference Semifinals against Providence in 1997, eventually winning the series, 4-1. The Falcons then had a 2-0 lead that year in the Northern Conference Finals versus Hershey before falling 4-3. Springfield swept Hartford in the 2003 Eastern Conference Qualifying Round, 2-0.

WORKING OVERTIME

In the postseason, the Falcons are now 8-3 in sudden death. Game 2 was the longest contest in the club's history, lasting 78:44. Their prior longest game occurred on Apr. 13, 1997, when Springfield defeated Portland at home, 3-2, in Game 3 of the Northern Conference Quarterfinals, 74:05 into the action. The Falcons have never been to multiple overtimes.

Springfield did not win in sudden-death overtime during the 2012-13 regular season. The Falcons had dropped eight-straight overtime decisions dating back to their last win in the extra session on Nov. 16, 2011 against Worcester.

SUNDAY SUCCESS SUSTAINED

The Falcons are now 15-3 on Sundays this year after going 14-3 during the regular season.

FINDING WAYS TO WIN

Springfield won Game 1 when leading after two periods, and was victorious in Game 2 when facing a deficit after 40 minutes. The Falcons led the league with 35 victories in 2012-13 when leading after two (35-1-0-0) and have collected wins in 23-straight games in that situation. Springfield posted three wins during the regular year when trailing after two, with its first coming in Manchester on Nov. 30. That evening, the Falcons fought back from a 3-0 third-period gap to beat the Monarchs, 5-4.

HOT AT HOME

Springfield is 2-0 at home in the playoffs and, combined with the regular season, is 26-10-1-3 at the MassMutual Center this year. Dating back to Dec. 30, the Falcons have won 20 of 25 games on home ice.

MAYDAY

When the puck drops on Game 3, the Falcons will be playing hockey in May for the third time in franchise history, and first since 1997.

GET YOUR FALCONS PLAYOFF GEAR AT A GREAT VALUE!

Fans are encouraged to wear their red, white, and blue apparel to Falcons playoff games. The best place to purchase Falcons gear is at the Falcons Nest Pro Shop, located inside the team office at 45 Falcons Way, during normal business hours or online by clicking here.

Among the Falcons merchandise items that are currently on clearance are adult and youth Reebok alternate jerseys, winter jackets, and women's zip-up hoodies.

The Falcons Nest Pro Shop moves to the MassMutual Center concourse behind section 27 during all home games.

FALCONS NEST PRO SHOP AT 45 FALCONS WAY STORE HOURS

Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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American Hockey League Stories from April 30, 2013


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