AHL American Hockey League

McSorley's Falcons flying high

Published on February 10, 2003 under American Hockey League (AHL) News Release


SPRINGFIELD, MA ... The city of Springfield has long been one of the storied members of the AHL, ever since the Springfield Indians became a founding franchise of the American Hockey League in 1936. This year, with a rookie head coach and a crop of talented players, the Springfield Falcons are poised to return to the Calder Cup Playoffs.

In his first year behind the bench, 17-year NHL veteran defenseman Marty McSorley has his Falcons in position to reach the AHL postseason for the first time in three years. Springfield's current five-game unbeaten streak, which included victories over division leaders Providence and Binghamton, has allowed the Falcons, the shared affiliate of the Phoenix Coyotes and Tampa Bay Lightning, to climb to within four points of seventh place in the Eastern Conference.

Rookie Jeff Taffe leads the Falcons in scoring with 36 points in 40 games, while also skating in 12 NHL games with the Coyotes. Taffe was selected to participate in the 2003 Dodge AHL All-Star Classic and contributed a goal and an assist for the PlanetUSA AHL All-Stars.

Taffe is one of 17 Falcons to skate in the NHL this season. Ramzi Abid remains third on Springfield's scoring list but has found himself a home in Phoenix, where he has 17 points in 24 NHL games. Brian Holzinger, a Calder Cup champion with Rochester in 1996, has split the year between Springfield and Tampa, recording 22 points in 16 AHL contests.

On Jan. 17, Springfield's fortunes may have turned with the debuts of a pair of players. Goaltender Jean-Marc Pelletier, acquired by Phoenix on New Year's Eve, made his first Falcons appearance that night and has since gone 7-1-2 with a 1.87 goals against average in 10 games with Springfield. Sheldon Keefe, reassigned by Tampa Bay that same day, has recorded eight goals, 12 points and a plus-11 rating in 12 games since returning to the Falcons' nest.

Springfield's veteran leader is captain Rob Murray, who is on the verge of becoming the sixth player in AHL history to play in 1,000 regular season games. Murray currently has 993 AHL games to his credit, including 476 in a Falcons uniform.

As they continue to jell as a team and create a stir in the AHL standings, the Falcons are looking to build on a tradition that has brought seven Calder Cup titles to Springfield through the years.

AHL TAKES A T.O. ... A press conference on Tuesday afternoon will officially announce the arrival of the Toronto Roadrunners as the AHL's 29th active franchise. Beginning play in 2003-04, the Roadrunners will be the top development team for the NHL's Edmonton Oilers. The event, scheduled for 2:00 p.m. ET on the renovation site of the Ricoh Coliseum, will include Roadrunners chairman and CEO Lyle Abraham and president Ernie Coetzee, as well as Oilers executive vice president and general manager Kevin Lowe.

BEARS CROON FOR CHARITY ... The Hershey Bears raised nearly $30,000 on Sunday night at a charity dinner for the Christine Ostwinkle Foundation for Lupus. Players earned tips by waiting on tables and singing karaoke throughout dinner. A silent auction featured many NHL autographed jerseys, sticks, and photos, along with many other items. Christine Ostwinkle, the sister-in-law of Bears defenseman Brent Thompson, died in 2000 from complications due to lupus.

LUCKY FAN WINS SIM JERSEY ... Chicago Wolves season-ticket holder Chris Connell of Glenview, Ill., has been selected as the winner of the AHL's Select the All-Star MVP contest on theahl.com. Connell correctly selected Utah Grizzlies forward Jon Sim as the most valuable player of the 2003 AHL All-Star Game last week. Connell will be presented with Sim's game-worn All-Star jersey prior to the Wolves' game against Utah on Mar. 1.

OFF THE ICE ... One lucky fan will be presented with a half-carat heart-shaped diamond from Bradley's Jewelers prior to Syracuse's Valentine's Day game against Rochester... The Grand Rapids Griffins traded their hockey sticks for waiters' trays on Monday night for the second annual Tip-a-Griffin event at five local Applebee's restaurants, raising funds for Habitat for Humanity... With more than 90 inches of snow already having fallen locally this winter, the Rochester Americans have kicked off their Shovels for Sharing campaign, collecting snow shovels for local families in need, agencies or area businesses... Dan Loiselle of Scarborough, Me., was welcomed as the two millionth fan in Portland Pirates history on Sunday... Philadelphia's third annual Children's Miracle Network Helping Hands Auction raised $6,500 through the auction of signed and framed finger-paint handprints from Phantoms and Flyers players... Utah mascot Grizzbee is scheduled to appear at three local school's D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program graduations.

ETC. ... The Binghamton Senators will take on the St. John's Maple Leafs at Ottawa's Corel Centre on Saturday afternoon... Milwaukee's Cameron Mann posted back-to-back four-point nights over the weekend... Steve Ott recorded two goals and two assists in Utah's 7-2 win over Worcester on Friday... Chicago's J.P. Vigier has 13 points during his current seven-game scoring streak... Providence boasts four 20-goal scorers in Andy Hilbert (26), Matt Herr (24), Lee Goren (21) and Martin Samuelsson (20)... The Bruins are 13-0-3-0 in their last 16 home games, Houston is 9-0-2-0 in its last 11 at home and Norfolk has gone 7-0-2-0 in its last nine on the road... San Antonio is 17-5-6-2 against opponents from outside the West Division... After setting an AHL record with eight overtime wins last season, Hartford is 0-4-7 in OT games this year... With several large crowds over the weekend, including 14,926 at Allstate Arena for Chicago's Sunday matinee with Norfolk, the AHL has surpassed the four-million mark for the season... 2003 AHL All-Star Game MVP Jon Sim will participate in a live chat on theahl.com on Tuesday, Feb. 11, at 3:00 p.m. ET.

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American Hockey League Stories from February 10, 2003


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