Rookie winger lights up Syracuse

by Ed Gonser
December 21, 2002 - American Hockey League (AHL)

Syracuse-(December 21, 2002) -- Jeff Taffe scored three goals, the third on the power play in overtime, for the Springfield Falcons in a 5-4 win over the Syracuse Crunch Saturday at the Onondaga County War Memorial at Oncenter.

It was the second three-goal game of the season for the rookie forward, both against Syracuse. It was also the second time the winger, with the laser guided shot, banged home the game-winner in overtime.

The former Minnesota Golden Gopher is enjoying the month of December scoring eight of his 13 goals so far this month.

Brian Holzinger, in his last game of a six-game conditioning assignment from the Tampa Bay Lighting, centered Taffe and Frank Banham. Holzinger added four assists while Banham and Taffe each had one helper that gave the trio a total of nine points in the game.

On the game-winner Taffe blasted a shot from the top of the faceoff circle to the right of Syracuse goalie J. F. Labbe. The shot caught the top corner on Labbe's stick side. Labbe in his final game of a three-game conditioning assignment from the Columbus Blue Jackets stopped 36 shots in the loss.

Taffe opened the scoring with a power play goal just before the game was five-minutes old.

Syracuse answered 43 seconds later on a shorthanded goal by Mathieu Darche. Darche intercepted a the puck at the Falcons' blueline and broke in all alone. Springfield leads the league in allowing shorthanded goals with 14.

Taffe gave the Falcons back the lead with a goal from a sharp angle to Labbe's left just past the seven-minute mark of the first period.

Matt Davidson and Kent McDonell gave Syracuse its only lead with power play goals in the second period but before the period was over Jason Bonsignore and Darren Rumble put Springfield on the board and back in the lead.

A perfect drop pass from Andrej Nedorost to Mike Pandolfo sent the game into overtime. Pandolfo cruising down the slot buried his first goal of the year ripping the net behind Falcons' goalie Patrick DesRochers just past the five-minute mark of the third.

DesRochers made 31 saves in the game.

American Hockey League Stories from December 21, 2002

• Rookie winger lights up Syracuse - OSC Original by Ed Gonser
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• Flames Fall 7-4 to the Monarchs - Saint John Flames
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• Monarchs Sweep Flames In Harbour Station Scorefest - Manchester Monarchs
• Bulldogs extend unbeaten streak to franchise record 10 games - Cincinnati RailRaiders
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• Commodore Recalled by Anaheim - Cincinnati RailRaiders
• Crunch Sign Defenseman Jason Crain - Syracuse Crunch
• Griffins Head into Holidays with 1-0 Win - Grand Rapids Griffins
• Columbus Returns Pascal Leclaire to Syracuse - Syracuse Crunch
• Cincinnati Mighty Ducks Tonight - Cincinnati RailRaiders

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