Taffe Nets Overtime Game-Winner in 1-0 Falcons Victory
October 29, 2003 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Springfield Falcons News Release
Springfield, MA â Jeff Taffe scored the game's only goal with 53 seconds remaining in the overtime period as the Springfield Falcons overcame the Norfolk Admirals, 1-0, at the Springfield Civic Center on Wednesday evening. Falcons netminder Jean-Marc Pelletier made 27 saves to register the 15th shutout of his career. Frederik Sjostrom and Igor Knyazev collected assists on Taffe's game-winner. Norfolk goaltender Craig Anderson turned aside 22 of 23 shots in the hard-luck loss. The Falcons' record on the season improved to 4-3 with the victory.
Knyazev's block of a slap shot in the Falcons' defensive zone began an odd-man rush for the club on the lone tally of the game. Sjostrom carried the puck down the right wing after collecting it near the Springfield blue line. With one Norfolk defender back, Sjostrom fed Taffe who one-timed the game-ending shot from between the face-off circles.
Each team came close to connecting prior to Taffe's marker. Springfield center Chris Ferraro hit the post with a wrist shot from the high slot with 11:00 remaining in regulation. Admirals defenseman Anton Babchuk's slap shot 1:30 into overtime glanced off the post to Pelletier's glove side.
The Falcons finished the game 0-for-7 on the power play including a five-on-three man advantage that lasted 1:45 in the first period. The Admirals, who entered the game with the most power-play goals in the AHL (11), failed to score on four chances.
With the goal, Taffe grabbed a share of the AHL's scoring lead along with Manitoba right wing Fedor Fedorov at 11 points. Taffe is also tied with Fedorov for second-place on the league's goal-scoring rankings with six markers this season.
The Falcons will next face-off against the rival Wolf Pack in Hartford on Saturday. Listen to Falcons broadcaster Marc Shelanski's call of the action on The ZONE â Sports Radio 640 AM beginning with the pregame show at 6:35 pm.
The Falcons will take the home ice again on Sunday versus the Providence Bruins. Game time is 4:05 pm. For information on tickets and group discounts, please contact the Falcons team office at (413) 739-3344.
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