DUBNYK LEADS FALCONS OVER PACK

 

By Andrew Tressler:

October 17, 2009 - The Springfield Falcons won their second straight game on the weekend with a 2-1 hard fought victory against the Hartford Wolf Pack in front of 3,823 at the MassMutual Center on Saturday night.  Springfield remained undefeated at home this year and they are 3-3 now on the young season. 

LIVE BOX SCORE

The third period was an intensity filled 20 minutes. After a big penalty kill for the Falcons that gave them the momentum, Charles Linglet was able to connect on his second goal of the game to give the Falcons a 2-0 lead.

“Once we got the second goal I think the intensity level picked up...,” said Falcons Head Coach Rob Daum about the momentum swings in the third period, “From that point on it was a little bit chaotic and we would have liked to have turned that around, but we weathered the storm and came out with the win.”

Following the goal, Wolf Pack’s Brodie DuPont took a shot at Falcons Ryan Potulny as he took him down to the ice. This led to a power play opportunity for the Falcons. A goal was scored during the power play, but unfortunately for the Falcons it was a shorthanded goal by Hartford’s Michael Sauer to cut the lead to 2-1. This gave the momentum to the Wolf Pack in a period that saw multiple swings of momentum.

The end of the game intensified as the fans were on the edge of their seats for the final minutes of the game. With less than a minute left, Jake Taylor was penalized for a delay of game as he shot the puck into the stands. This allowed the Wolf Pack one more chance to tie the game, with a 6 on 4 man advantage because they pulled their goalie. The Falcons and goalie Devan Dubnyk were able to withstand the barrage of shots by Hartford to seal the 2-1 divisional win. Dubnyk was able to make 33 saves of the 34 shots on goal.

“As a goalie you have to stay focused in times like the second period,” said Dubnyk, “Where they are not really getting much and we are hammering them in their zone. There’s going to be swings in game when they’re coming and it’s my job to make sure I stop them.”

Earlier in the game was filled with physical play as well by these Interstate 91 rivals. The first period ended with neither team able to get on the scoreboard ending in a scoreless tie. Despite the physical play, the referees were letting the teams play only calling one penalty in the period. The physical play from the first meeting between the Falcons and Wolf Pack on Oct. 10 has carried over to tonight’s game.

During the first meeting, the teams combined for 96 minutes worth of penalties. Tonight’s game was entirely different story with the teams’ only combining for 14 penalty minutes.

“I think the last two games we’ve been really disciplined,” said Dubnyk about the team’s lack of penalties recently, “Which wasn’t the case last weekend and it shows our game. When we play like we did last night and tonight, 5 on 5, there are not a lot of teams that can keep up with us.”
 
Eliminating their amount of penalties has been a point of emphasis throughout the week for Daum and the Falcons. It looks like the problem has been fixed, at least in the two home games this weekend where Springfield has had a total of 23 penalty minutes.

With less than a minute into the second period, Linglet scored the first goal of the game after a Wolf Pack mishandle of the puck. Assisting on the play was newly acquired forward Chad Wiseman, recording his second point with the Falcons in as many games. The acquisition of Wiseman seems to be already paying dividends for Springfield.

“That’s something we’ve been talking about and not turning the puck over,” said Linglet about taking advantage of the opponent’s mistakes, “And it happened to them and we were ready and we jumped on it...He [Chad Wiseman] made a beautiful pass and I just had to shoot it in.”

The Wolf Pack had a good opportunity to tie the game up a few minutes later in the second period, but were unable to get a shot off after a great setup pass right in front of the goal. This missed opportunity was just one of many for the Wolf Pack. Springfield did a solid job of taking advantages of Hartford’s mistakes. The Falcons led 1-0 at the end of the second period.

Despite being outshot 33-14, the Falcons were able to convert more often than their opponent to earn their third win of the season and get to the .500 mark with a 3-3 record.

“It’s so hard to win on the road,” said Coach Daum, “So you have to make sure that you take care of your own building.  So far we’ve been able to do that and we now have to find ways to win games on the road.”

The Falcons will play tomorrow afternoon in Manchester, NH at 3pm to take on the Monarchs for the second time this weekend after defeating them Friday night 4-1.

Game Notes:
Liam Reddox returned from a one game suspension he received from the AHL...It was Chicopee Night at the MassMutual Center, including a Puck Drop by Mayor of Chicopee Michael D. Bissonnette and his family...Wolf Pack goalie Miika Wiikman got his first start of the year...The official attendance in tonight’s game was 3,853.

Falcons Lineup

Liam Reddox – Ryan Potulny – Colton Fretter
Charles Linglet – Chad Wiseman – Chris Minard
Kip Brennan – Ryan O’Marra – Colin McDonald
Viacheslav Trukhno – Geoff Paukovich – Ryan MacMurchy

Theo Peckham – Alex Plante
Dean Arsene – Jake Taylor
Chris Armstrong – Cody Wild

Devan Dubnyk
Aaron Sorochan

Falcons Scratches: Matt Nickerson (Healthy), Johan Motin (Healthy), Bryan Lerg (Healthy)
 

GAME NIGHT NOTES.....................

Game Setup:  The Springfield Falcons and Hartford Wolf Pack meet for the second time this season when they get together at the MassMutual Center on Saturday night.  The Falcons lost to the Wolf Pack last Saturday, October 10, by a score of 7-3 at the XL Center in Hartford.  The two teams combined for 96 penalty minutes in that contest.  Ryan Potulny, Geoff Paukovich and Chris Armstrong scored for the Falcons, who battled back from an early 3-0 first-period deficit.  Hartford’s Pierre Parenteau netted a hat trick for the Wolf Pack.

    The Falcons enter tonight’s game having defeated the Manchester Monarchs on home ice last night by a score of 4-1.  After falling behind 1-0, the Falcons scored four unanswered goals, including three goals in a 57-second span in the second period.  Chad Wiseman, Colton Fretter and Geoff Paukovich all converted for the Falcons in the second period, while Colin McDonald added an empty net goal.  Springfield had 11 different players record at least a point in the win last night.  Goaltender Devan Dubnyk was steady earning his second victory of the campaign stopping 27 of 28 shots on goal.

    The Wolf Pack lost to the Portland Pirates by a score of 6-3 last night in Portland, Maine.  Hartford found themselves in a 4-0 hole through two periods, but did outshoot Portland 30-24 in the game.  The Pirates used three power play goals, while Hartford was 0-5 on the man advantage.  Andres Ambuhl, Paul Crowder, and Bobby Sanguinetti all scored for Hartford Friday night.

FALCONS DEBUT:  The Falcons announced Tuesday they have signed veteran forward Chad Wiseman to a Professional Tryout Agreement (PTO).   Wiseman made his Falcons’ debut Friday scoring his first goal and earning the game’s third star.

Wiseman is in his ninth professional season after spending last year with the Lowell Devils where he collected nine goals and 10 assists for 19 points in 23 games.  The 6-foot-1, 209-pound native of Burlington, Ontario is a veteran of 415 AHL games having recorded 123 goals, 173 assists good for 296 points.  He has scored 15 or more goals in a season six times in his AHL career. 

Wiseman has also played in 48 career Calder Cup Playoff games collecting 11 goals and 19 assists for 30 points in his post-season career.  He was originally drafted by the San Jose Sharks in the eighth round (246th overall) in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft.  Wiseman has played in nine career NHL games having picked up one goal and one assist. 

WOLF PACK TEAM NOTES:  Pierre Parenteau is the early season leader for the Pack in scoring with four goals and three assists for seven points in five games.  Parenteau is tied with a handful of players for the third most points in the AHL entering Saturday’s action…….Hartford’s Corey Locke is tied for the league lead in goals with five markers in five games.  Locke is also tied for the league lead in power play goals with four……Rookie Paul Crowder is tied for third in the AHL in rookie scoring with two goals and three assists for five points in five games……Defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti is tied for the third most points among all AHL defensemen thus far this year with one goal and five assists for six points. 

###