FALCONS FALL TO BRUINS 3-1
By: Mike Hopey
February 13, 2010 - Kevin Reagan made 37 saves for the Providence Bruins as they skated past the Springfield Falcons 3-1 on Saturday night in front of 5,123 fans at the MassMutual Center. Chris Armstrong scored the Falcons lone goal on the power-play, but Providence got goals from Brad Marchand, Zach Hamill, and Jordan Knackstedt in the winning effort.
“Our execution wasn’t what we would like it to be. We really didn’t make any plays when we had chances to,” said Coach Rob Daum.
Big hits and a scoreboard malfunction provided the excitement early in the first period. The Falcons set a physical tone early against the Bruins that continued throughout the game. Theo Peckham and Kip Brennan laid some big hits on the Bruins that got a rise out of the 5,000 plus fans.
Marchand roofed a pass from Knackstedt to open the scoring in the 9th meeting between the teams. The Falcons generated a chance with a minute left when they turned a Providence shot off the post into a 2-on-1. They Falcons could not capitalize on the opportunity, but Andy Wozniewski was called for interference on the play giving the Falcons the game's first power-play with 58 seconds left in the 1st frame.
Liam Reddox had a chance early for the Falcons, but could not slid it through through on the doorstep. Hamill increased the Providence lead to 2-0 with a goal snuck under the cross bar and over Devan Dubnyk's shoulder. Springfield responded with a flurry of scoring chances, but Providence starter Reagan turned away the Falcon onslaught. The Falcons had another power-play chance, but still could not beat Reagan. The Bruins beat Dubnyk for a third time when Knackstedt one-timed a pass from Trent Whitfield. The Falcons finally beat Reagan with a power-play goal tipped past the Providence goalie by Armstrong at 19:06 of the 2nd period.
The Falcons continued to turn up the pressure on Reagan, but their frustrations continued as the New Hampshire alum made save after save in the final frame. Providence had a chance to increase the lead on a power-play, but Dean Arsene swept the puck away from the open net. The Falcons made a final push to get back in the game beginning with a power-play late in the period but Reagn continued his solid play while he earned his 6th win of the season.
J.F. David was a late addition to the lineup after defenseman Alex Plante was injured after a collision during warm-ups.
The Falcons will skate again tomorrow at 3 p.m. against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on the road in Connecticut.
3 Stars of the Game:
1. PRO Jordan Knackstedt (G,A)
2. PRO Trent Whitfield (2 A)
3. PRO Kevin Reagan (37 saves)
Springfield Falcons Lineup
Charles Linglet (7) - Chad Wiseman (15) - Chris Minard (14)
Slava Trukhno (11) - Rob Hisey (13) - Colton Fretter (19)
Liam Reddox (9) - Ryan O'Marra (22) - Colin McDonald (18)
Kip Brennan (26) - Geoff Paukovich (12) - Bryan Lerg (16)
Chris Armstrong (32) - Taylor Chorney (4)
Theo Peckham (24) - Jake Taylor (25)
Dean Arsene (29) - J.F. David (3)
Devan Dubnyk (40)
J.P. Levasseur (31)
Falcons Scratches - Alex Plante (Injured), Matt Nickerson (Healthy), Johan Motin (Healthy), Ryan MacMurchy (Injured), Cody Wild (Healthy), Kelly Czuy (Healthy), Jason Pitton (Healthy), Sasha Pokulok (Healthy)
