FALCONS WEEKLY NOTES: FEB. 26

Springfield, Mass. - The Springfield Falcons (30-14-4-3) returned to the ice on Friday with an exciting 5-2 victory over the Bridgeport Sound Tigers at the MassMutual Center that featured a 2012-2013 AHL single-game high 244 penalty minutes. The Falcons took to the road on Saturday and Sunday, dropping decisions of 3-0 and 5-1 to the Syracuse Crunch and Worcester Sharks. Springfield's lead in the Northeast Division stands at 10 points with four games in hand over the Connecticut Whale entering the 21st week of the season.

The Falcons return to the MassMutual Center to host Adirondack this Friday, concluding their suspended Feb. 17 contest at 6:05 p.m. before playing a full game versus the Phantoms at 7:30 p.m. Springfield welcomes Providence to The Nest on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. and finishes its home three-in-three on Sunday, taking on the Sharks at 3:00 p.m.

Each home game this weekend is jam-packed with exciting promotions:

Friday vs. Adirondack (7:30 p.m.): Irish Night/Flat-Screen Friday
Saturday vs. Providence (7:00 p.m.): Pink In The Rink Night presented by TD Bank to benefit the Mary Kay Foundation/Pink Thundersticks Giveaway/Cycle Saturday
Sunday vs. Worcester (3:00 p.m.): Youth Jersey Giveaway presented by Dunkin Donuts/Postgame Skate with Falcons Players/Food Drive to benefit Food Bank of Western Massachusetts

For complete details of this weekend's promotions, click here.

Single-game tickets to see the Falcons in 2012-2013 can be purchased at the MassMutual Center Box Office from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. through game time on Saturday home dates, and starting four hours prior to Sunday home contests. Fans can also purchase tickets by logging onto Ticketmaster.com. For information about discounted group packages to Falcons home games, call (413) 739-GOAL (4625).

Click here for the Falcons' individual statistics.
Click here for the AHL standings.

WEEK IN REVIEW

Springfield 5, Bridgeport 2
Friday, Feb. 22
MassMutual Center
Click here for the box score.
Click here for the highlights.

The Falcons dominated the game through the first two periods, outshooting Bridgeport, 22-10, and carrying a 3-0 lead into the final 20 minutes on goals by Cody Goloubef, Cody Bass, and Ryan Russell. The fireworks commenced at 4:27 of the final frame, as Bass and Dalton Smith along with Bridgeport's Mike Halmo and Matt Donovan received game misconducts during the first of three brawls. At 7:51, the Sound Tigers' Scott Campbell was ejected during the contest's second major incident. Ryan Craig and Bridgeport's Nathan McIver received the sixth and seventh game misconducts of the contest at 9:29 during the final pile-up. In the meantime, Andrew Joudrey had scored on a shorthanded penalty shot at 6:19 to build Springfield's advantage to 4-0. Ryan Johansen connected at 17:32 to make it 5-0, while Kirill Kabanov ended Curtis McElhinney's shutout bid just 18 seconds later. Jon Landry struck with eight seconds left in the game, as Springfield prevailed, 5-2. The 244 penalty minutes posted by the two teams were the most in a game during the current AHL season.

Syracuse 3, Springfield 0
Saturday, Feb. 23
Oncenter War Memorial Arena
Click here for the box score.
Click here for the highlights.

The Falcons traveled to Syracuse trailing the Crunch by one point for the top spot in the Eastern Conference, but could not beat goaltender Cedrick Desjardins. Allen York put together a dazzling display in net, stopping the first 37 shots he faced before Mark Barberio lit the lamp for Syracuse at 4:37 of the third period. Pierre-Cedric Labrie exited the penalty box, snuck in from behind the net, and slid the puck past York at 12:35 of the final frame, opening Syracuse's edge to 2-0. J.T. Brown's empty-net goal with 27 seconds remaining sealed the game, 3-0. York set a career high with 43 saves.

Worcester 5, Springfield 1
Sunday, Feb. 24
DCU Center
Click here for the box score.
Click here for the highlights.

James Livingston and Matt Pelech scored on two of Worcester's first three shots, as the Sharks established an early two-goal lead. Michael Chaput's snap shot off a face-off win by Jonathan Audy-Marchessault halfway through the game banged into the net off the crossbar and brought Springfield to within a goal, 2-1. The Falcons would draw no closer, however, as Worcester struck three times in the final stanza. Sebastian Stalberg converted from the right-wing boards, Marek Viedensky finished off a two-on-one rush, and Danny Groulx drove home a left-point shot on the power play, as the Sharks prevailed, 5-1. The Falcons made Alex Stalock work for the victory, firing 38 shots on the Worcester goaltender. Stalock responded with 37 saves to tie Thomas Greiss at 74 victories, the most in Sharks history. The loss was Springfield's first of the season by more than three goals.

WEEK AHEAD

Friday, Mar. 1 - 6:05 p.m., Springfield vs. Adirondack, MassMutual Center (Conclusion of Feb. 17 game), 7:30 p.m., Springfield vs. Adirondack, MassMutual Center
Saturday, Mar. 2 - 7:00 p.m., Springfield vs. Providence, MassMutual Center
Sunday, Mar. 3 - 3:00 p.m., Springfield vs. Worcester, MassMutual Center

FIGHT NIGHT AT THE NEST

Springfield entered Friday's game as one of three AHL teams without a game misconduct or a match penalty, and the only club without a 10-minute misconduct. That all changed 4:27 into the third period, as Dalton Smith received both a game and 10-minute misconduct, with the rookie totaling a 2012-2013 Falcons-high 29 penalty minutes. Cody Bass and Ryan Craig also registered game misconducts on Friday, as Springfield more than tripled its previous peak of 29 penalty minutes from earlier this season with 95 during the contest. Prior to Friday, the Falcons' most recent game misconduct was taken by Aaron Bogosian on Apr. 1, 2012 in Worcester. The highlights of Friday's game earned instant popularity on YouTube, gaining over 25,000 views over the weekend.

NEW TEAM RECORD

The Falcons added to their 2012-2013 resume on Friday by reaching 30 wins faster than they ever had in their 19-year history. Friday's contest was Springfield's 49th game of the season, and the Falcons greeted the 30-win mark six contests quicker than they did in the 1995-1996 campaign.

JOHANSEN EQUALS ATKINSON

Cam Atkinson played his last game with the Falcons on Jan. 6 before being recalled to Columbus at the start of the NHL season, and he departed Springfield with the club lead at 17 goals. No Falcon was able to reach Atkinson until Ryan Johansen flicked a snap shot over Kevin Poulin's glove late on Friday night. Johansen rejoined Atkinson in Columbus on Sunday, and both of Springfield's leading goal scorers are now with the Blue Jackets.

SHORTHANDED SPECIALIST STRIKES

Andrew Joudrey deposited his second shorthanded goal of the season and third of his Falcons career on Friday night, firing in Springfield's first penalty-shot goal since Mar. 10, 2012 (Cody Bass). Joudrey received the game's first start for the second-straight Friday, after helping the Falcons battle successfully through seven penalty kills one week earlier in a 3-1 win over Worcester on Feb. 15.

STREAKS END IN SHUTOUT DEFEAT

The Falcons were shut out for the first time all season and in nearly a calendar year on Saturday in Syracuse, and the long point streaks of Ryan Craig and Ryan Johansen ceased as a result. Craig had tied Cam Atkinson one night earlier for the longest point streak by a Falcon all season at nine games (4g-7a), but he went without a goal or an assist for the first time since Jan. 25. Springfield's captain also saw his six-game road assist streak (0g-10a) end. Johansen's streak stopped at seven games (5g-4a), as he was held off the board for the first time in an AHL game since Jan. 5. Cody Goloubef's three-game goal streak was halted on Saturday as well (3g-1a). Springfield went without a goal for the first time in 66 games, dating back to Mar. 9, 2012 in Manchester.

NEAR THE TOP

Jonathan Audy-Marchessault is fourth in the AHL with 49 points and is tied for second in the league with 33 assists while also posting 16 goals. Audy-Marchessault is searching for his first goal since Jan. 15, when he achieved his first professional hat trick in a 7-5 win in Manchester.

SUNDAY RUN ENDS

The Falcons lost their first Sunday road game of the season in Worcester and fell for the first time on the final day of the weekend since Nov. 25 against Connecticut. Springfield is now 10-2-0-0 in Sunday action this season, with a 5-1-0-0 mark on the road.

PENALTY KILL FINALLY GIVES IN

Springfield was perfect on its first 11 penalty kills of the weekend before Danny Groulx scored late for Worcester on Sunday. Including their Feb. 17 suspended game, the Falcons had successfully thwarted 26-straight opposing power plays and were 34/35 on the kill dating back to Feb. 2 before Groulx's goal. Worcester became the first team to score on the power play against Springfield since Bridgeport did on Feb. 12. The Falcons are fourth in the league on the penalty kill at 86.1%.

STILL IN FIRST

Springfield moved into first place in the Northeast Division when play ended on Oct. 26, and has held that spot for four-straight months.

HELMER REACHES MILESTONE

Bryan Helmer participated in his 1,300th professional contest on Sunday in Worcester at the DCU Center, a building in which he once served as captain for the IceCats.

RARE OCCURRENCE

Springfield and Syracuse were scoreless through two periods on Saturday, marking just the second time this season that the Falcons played in a game that went into the third period deadlocked, 0-0. Tim Erixon scored twice in the third period for Springfield in a 2-0 Falcons victory over Connecticut on Nov. 9.

TWO-GOAL BARRIER SNAPPED

The Falcons had not allowed more than two goals in a period in 26-straight games after last allowing three in the second and third periods in a 6-3 loss to Providence on Dec. 14. Springfield's long run was snapped over the weekend, however, as the Falcons relinquished three goals in the third to both Syracuse and Worcester.

TRANSACTIONS UPDATE

There have been six player transactions involving the Falcons over the past week.

Feb. 25 - Sean Collins, assigned by Columbus
Feb. 25 - Cody Goloubef, recalled by Columbus
Feb. 24 - Ryan Johansen, recalled by Columbus
Feb. 23 - Nick Drazenovic, recalled by Columbus
Feb. 20 - Nick Drazenovic, assigned by Columbus
Feb. 19 - Nathan Moon, recalled from Evansville

RECAPPING FEBRUARY

Springfield went 5-3-1-0 during the second month of the 2013 calendar year. Ryan Craig led the Falcons with 10 points (4g-6a), while Nick Drazenovic topped Springfield with a +4 rating.

BLUE JACKETS RETURN HOME

Columbus ended its six-game road trip on Sunday with a 1-0 loss in Chicago to the Blackhawks. Steve Mason made 26 saves on 27 shots in the defeat. The Blue Jackets return home on Tuesday night to host the Dallas Stars before getting another crack at the Blackhawks on the road on Friday.

INTERACTIVE FLOOR HOCKEY EVENT A ROUSING SUCCESS

Wednesday's "Interactive Floor Hockey Event" at Tower Square was a success, with approximately 200 attendees playing various floor hockey games with seven Falcons players, including captain Ryan Craig. Click here to view photos from the event.

LOCK IN YOUR SEAT FOR 2013-2014

Falcons fans are invited to reserve their ticket packages for the 2013-2014 season. Fans can to stop by "Ticket Headquarters" behind section 31 at The Nest during any Springfield home game to lock in their spot for the Falcons' 20th AHL season.

Adult season ticket prices remain the same for 2013-2014, giving fans the opportunity to watch the Falcons compete in all 38 home contests at the MassMutual Center for only $13/game. Season ticket packages in 2013-2014 will come with a no-waste guarantee, giving fans the opportunity to exchange their unused tickets for future home games. Fans can also take advantage of 22 and 10-game ticket packages next season.

The Falcons will also continue to offer flex packages for fans who want to choose what games they want to attend and how many people they want to bring to each contest. Flex packages are broken down into 44, 20, and 12-ticket plans.

Youth ticket packages and flex plans are also available in 2013-2014 for children ages 14 and under.

A $50 non-refundable deposit per seat is required.

NOMINATE A HERO AMONG US

Throughout the season, fans can submit a nomination for TD Bank's "Heroes Among Us" program. Nominees can include teachers, doctors, firefighters, community volunteers, and other individuals you think deserve to be honored at a Falcons game. For more information and to nominate, click here.

SHOP AT THE FALCONS NEST PRO SHOP

Fans can purchase their favorite team gear and apparel at the Falcons Nest Pro Shop, located inside the team office at 45 Falcons Way, during normal business hours or online by clicking here.

The Tower Square location of the Falcons Nest Pro Shop is also open for the remainder of the season 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. each Wednesday and Thursday.

The Tower Square venue, located at 1500 Main St. in downtown Springfield, gives fans a chance to browse a wide variety of Falcons merchandise and ticket packages in a popular downtown location.

The Falcons Nest Pro Shop moves to the MassMutual Center concourse behind section 27 during all home games.

FALCONS NEST PRO SHOP AT 45 FALCONS WAY STORE HOURS

Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

TOWER SQUARE STORE HOURS

Wednesday, Thursday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.