FIVE POWER PLAY GOALS LEAD BRUINS PAST FALCONS
By: Mike Hopey
January 30, 2010 - The Providence Bruins scored five power-play goals to help them breeze past the Springfield Falcons 8-2 on Saturday night in front of 6,287 fans at the MassMutual Center. The Bruins got multi-goal nights from Mikko Lehtonen and Jordan Knackstedt and a three point game from winger Brad Marchand. Colton Fretter added two goals of his own for the Falcons in the loss.
“We didn’t compete at the level we have to compete at and when you don’t compete in this league that is the result,” said Coach Rob Daum after the game. “There was a chance there at one point to get back into the game, but that didn’t happen.”
Providence built the lead early with a pair of power-play goals from Jeff Penner and Andy Wozniewski. Springfield managed to gain their own fortune on the power-play when Fretter scored his 19th goal of the season at 7:31 of the second period to make the score 2-1.
The Bruins responded a few minutes later when Marchand scored another Bruins power-play goal from Trent Whitfield and Alain Goulet. Providence added a 4th marker at 13:09 with Knackstedt’s 1st goal of the night. Jamie Arniel then capitalized on a rare penalty shot opportunity to increase the Providence lead to four. The Bruins final tally of the second period came on the power-play again. This time Lehtonen took a cross ice feed from Jeff Penner and one-timed the puck past J.P. Levasseur in the final two minutes of the period.
The Falcons made a change in goal to start the third period replacing Levasseur with Andrew Penner. Penner, in only his 3rd appearance for the Falcons, turned away 8 shots in the period. Penner’s highlight save of the game came when he stoned Providence’s John Lammers on the door-step. Fretter added his second tally of the night at 16:09 of the period. Slava Trukhno had assists on both Fretter goals to increase his season total to nine.
Former University of New Hampshire star Kevin Reagan turned away 21 shots in only his 11th game of the season for the Bruins. Providence added two goals in the final two minutes of the game from Lehtonen and Knackstedt, who each collected their second goals of the game. In total, Providence went 5-for-6 on the power-play.
Cody Wild and J.F. David each picked up assists in the Falcons’ loss. Whitfield and Goulet recorded two assists each for the Bruins. Penner and Wozniewski each added assists to go along with their goals. In all, Providence had seven players with multi-point games. Lehtonen's two goals helped him take the team lead in goals with 14 tallys on the year.
Fretter’s two goals brought his team leading total to 20 markers for the year. His power-play goal in the second period was his 11th power-play goal of the season, which ties him for second in that category in the AHL with Hershey’s Andrew Gordon.
The Falcons and the Bruins will skate again tomorrow at 4:05 in Providence at the Dunkin Donuts Center.
3 Stars of the Game:
1- PRO Brad Marchand
2- PRO Mikko Lehtonen
3- SPR Colton Fretter
Springfield Falcons Lineup
(12) Geoff Paukovich - (22) Ryan O'Marra - (18) Colin McDonald
(14) Chris Minard - (15) Chad Wiseman - (7) Charles Linglet
(19) Colton Fretter - (9) Liam Reddox - (11) Slava Trukhno
(26) Kip Brennan - (28) Rick Cleaver - (39) Jason Pitton
(3) J.F. David - (21) Alex Plante
(25) Jake Taylor - (33) Sasha Pokulok
(37) Cody Wild - (36) Tarkir
(31) J.P. Levasseur
(35) Andrew Penner
FALCONS SCRATCHES - Matt Nickerson (Injured), Johan Motin (Healthy), Ryan MacMurchy (Healthy), Rob Hisey (Injured), Bryan Lerg (Family Reasons), Theo Peckham (Injured), Dean Arsene (Injured), Chris Armstrong (Injured), Kelly Czuy (Injured), Bryan Ewing (Healthy)
PRE-GAME NIGHT NOTES.....................
Game Setup: The Springfield Falcons and Providence Bruins meet for the seventh time this season when they get together on Saturday night at the MassMutual Center starting at 7:30 pm. The Falcons are 1-3-2-0 against the Bruins this year, including 1-0-2-0 at The Nest. All three games played in Springfield between these two teams this year have been decided by one goal or less, including a 2-1 Springfield win back on January 2. The Falcons and Bruins will complete a home-and-home series Sunday afternoon at the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, RI.
The Falcons enter tonight’s game having defeated the Norfolk Admirals 3-2 in overtime Friday night at the MassMutual Center. Liam Reddox scored the game-winner in overtime, his 11th goal of the season, while goaltender J.P. Levasseur stopped 33 of 35 shots earning his fifth win of the year. Springfield has won four of their last six games overall, including three straight wins in overtime games.
The Bruins enter tonight’s contest having lost to the Manchester Monarchs Friday night by a score of 2-0 despite outshooting the Monarchs 34-25. Providence has lost three of their last four games, with their only win in that stretch occurring last Sunday when Providence blanked the Falcons 3-0.
FALCONS NOTES
• Goaltender J.P. Levasseur has won five of his last six starts in goal posting a .930 save percentage in that span.
• Forward Liam Reddox has been credited with the game-winning goal in three of Springfield’s last four wins.
• Colton Fretter scored his team-leading 18th goal of the season on Friday night.
• Defenseman Zach Tarkir assisted on Liam Reddox’s game-winning goal last night, Tarkir’s first point as a Falcon.
• J.F. David returned to the Falcons lineup on Friday after missing 17 games due to injury and added his first assist as a Falcon.
BRUINS NOTES
• Goaltender Dany Sabourin has stopped 49 of 50 shots over his last two games, including a shutout on January 24 against the Falcons.
• Jeff LoVecchio has scored a goal in three of his last four games and is currently tied with Mikko Lehtonen for the club lead in markers with 12.
Newest Falcon: The Falcons announced Thursday they have signed forward Bryan Ewing to a Professional Tryout Agreement (PTO).
Ewing is in his second season of professional hockey and has split time this year between the ECHL’s Reading Royals, Toledo Walleye and AHL’s Rockford IceHogs. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound native of Wheeling, West Virginia was the 2008-09 ECHL Rookie of the Year when he collected 43 goals and 48 assists for 91 points in 67 games with the Wheeling Nailers.
Prior to turning pro, Ewing spent four seasons at Boston University from 2004-2008. He had his most success during his senior season when he led the team in assists, finished second in goals and points, and was named an NCAA Second Team All-American.
Falcons Player Movement Recap: Taylor Chorney was recalled to the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday, January 26. Chorney has played 23 games for the Falcons this season recording four goals and five assists. He rejoins the Falcons’ National Hockey League affiliate where he has played in 15 games and recorded one assist.
Bruins Player Movement: The Providence Bruins announced Wednesday that the National Hockey League's Boston Bruins have assigned forward Trent Whitfield to Providence.
Whitfield, 32, returns to Providence from his second stint in Boston this year. During his most recent NHL run, which began on January 8, the veteran appeared in seven games for the parent Bruins, averaging 19 shifts and 14 minutes per game. Whitfield registered his first Boston point with an assist on January 21 against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
In 26 games for Providence, the club's captain is tied for fourth on the team in scoring with 20 points and shares third place with nine goals. Whitfield registered points in three straight P-Bruins games just prior to his recall from Dec. 29 - Jan. 2, totaling two goals and two assists. The 12th year pro and native of Alameda, Saskatchewan, was signed by Boston as a free agent on July 13, 2009. Whitfield was originally selected by the Bruins 100th overall in round four of the 1996 NHL Entry Draft.
On Monday, the Providence Bruins announced that the National Hockey League's Boston Bruins have assigned forward Drew Larman to Providence.
Larman, 24, has enjoyed two recalls to Boston this season, going scoreless in four games overall while averaging roughly eight minutes of ice-time per contest. The undrafted center was first recalled by the parent Bruins on January 18, making his Boston debut that afternoon against the Ottawa Senators. In Providence this season, Larman has appeared in 43 games with nine points, including five goals and four assists.
Prior to signing with Boston on July 13, 2009, Larman spent the majority of his first four pro seasons with the Rochester Americans, twice winning the team's McCulloch Trophy for outstanding community service. The fifth-year pro enjoyed previous NHL experience with the Florida Panthers, dressing for 22 games with three points (2g, a) from 2006-08. In his career, the Canton, Michigan, native has suited up for 296 games between the regular season and playoffs, amassing 106 points (55g, 51a).
