NEWS AND NOTES FROM AROUND THE NEST

By:  Damon Markiewicz

May 4, 2009 - The Springfield Falcons head into the first week of May continuing their off-season game plan of making sure their ticket package holders and corporate partners are renewed for the 2009-10 season.

Listed below are some tidbits from around The Nest:

  • It was nice to see the Falcons and WHYN AM 560 get together and renew their radio contract for the 2009-10 campaign. The voice of the Falcons, Mike Kelly, will also be back in the booth for his third season with the Falcons since arriving in Springfield at the start of the 2007-2008 campaign.  As fans around Springfield have come to realize, this city has been home to many great play-by-play broadcasters over the last 15 years.  John Forslund was behind the microphone for Springfield's last two Calder Cup Championships in 1990 and 1991 before moving on to the Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes organization, where he remains.  Fans can also see Forslund doing play-by-play for many NHL games on Versus.  Everyone has seen Dan Orsillo move on to greatness on NESN as the Boston Red Sox play-by-play man, as well as Orsillo assisting with MLB playoff games on TBS in October.  Orsillo was the voice of the Falcons from 1994-1996 before Chris Kerber took over starting in October of 1996.  Kerber recently concluded his ninth season as the radio voice for his hometown St. Louis Blues.  John Michael, who was with the Falcons from 2005-2007, remains in Cleveland with the AHL's Lake Erie Monsters. It's only a matter of time before both John Michael and Mike Kelly graduate to the NHL. 

 

  • The Stockton Thunder continue to roll along in the Kelly Cup Playoffs as they head into Monday night's Game 5 tied with the Las Vegas Wranglers 2-2 in their second round best-of-seven series.  Cory Urquhart and Ryan Huddy, who both saw time with the Falcons this year, have continued to lead Stockton's offense.  Rob Bina, Garet Hunt and Jamie Bates have also had a solid post-season with the Thunder.  Bates has a league-high eight-game scoring streak in the playoffs.

 

  • Former Falcons defenseman Joe Corvo scored his third career NHL playoff goal on Sunday night against the Boston Bruins.  Corvo is in his second season with the Carolina Hurricanes and the 31-year-old native of Oak Park, Illinois is a veteran of 434 NHL games.  Corvo started his pro career with the Falcons during the 1998-99 season when he scored five goals and 15 assists for 20 points in 50 games.  Corvo originally started his pro career within the L.A. Kings organization after playing his college hockey with Western Michigan.

 

  • Congratulations to Glens Falls, NY in the return of AHL hockey to the Adirondack region for next year.  Glens Falls has a loyal hockey fan base that deserves an AHL team and I am looking forward to heading up to the North Country next season.  From 1980-1992, Adirondack was home to four Calder Cups. 

 

  • Happy Birthday to Devan Dubnyk, who turned 23 on May 4.  Geoff Paukovich stopped by the Falcons Office on Monday afternoon.  Paukovich was in town to have a check-up on a hand injury he suffered late in the season.
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