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Date: 12/4/2015
SPRINGFIELD – The Springfield Falcons won the first game of a three-game set, but couldn’t carry the success through the weekend.
Nicklas Treutle registered his second consecutive shutout with 36 saves in a 2-0 victory against the Hartford Wolf Pack on Nov. 27.
The teams skated scoreless for a majority of the first period with the Falcons unable to convert on their two power plays. Alex Grant eventually gave the Falcons a 1-0 lead with 3:33 left in the period. Michael Bunting picked up his first professional point by assisting on the goal. Bunting gained entry into the zone and fed Grant with a pass at the point. The defenseman fired home his fourth of the season with a slap shot. Philip Samuelsson also assisted on the goal.
Hartford tested Treutle with 21 shots during the period but the Falcons netminder stopped all the scoring chances to hold the game to a 1-0 Falcons lead heading into the third period.
The third period remained scoreless until the closing minutes when Hartford pulled goaltender Mackenzie Skapski. Lucas Lessio broke up a play at center ice to score on the empty net with 1:09 left and give the Falcons a 2-0 victory.
On Nov. 28, the Falcons lost an early lead and fell against the Albany Devils by a 4-3 score.
The Falcons’ power play tallied the first goal of the game with a rebound from Greg Carey for his seventh of the season. The goal was scored 8:13 into the contest with assists credited to Tyler Gaudet and Derek Smith.
Close to three minutes later, Albany tied the game at one with an even strength goal from Corey Tropp. The forward scored his fifth of the season by banking a pass off Philip Samuelsson from behind the net. Mike Sislo assisted on the goal. With 51 seconds left, Reid Boucher scored five-hole on Treutle to give the Devils a 2-1 lead. Brandon Burlon assisted on the goal.
Domenic Monardo tied the game at two with a rebound goal off of a Grant slap shot. Lessio also tallied an assist on Monardo’s first goal of the year coming at 9:38 in the second period.
The Devils regained the lead with Greg Wolfe scoring his first of the season at 13:05. Ben Thomson and Ryan Kujawinski assisted on the goal to give Albany a 3-2 lead heading into the third period.
Monardo tallied his second of the night 3:12 into the third frame with a deflection goal on a Grant shot. Samuelsson also assisted to tie the game at three. Paul Thompson scored 5:10 later to once again, regain the Devils lead with a goal on the power play. His fifth of the season was assisted by Matt Lorito and Marc-Andre Gragnani and completed the scoring on the night. Yann Danis stopped 19 shots. Treutle made 33 saves.
On Nov. 29, the Falcons surrendered four third period goals and fell by a score of 6-2 to the Portland Pirates on Sunday night at the MassMutual Center.
The Pirates struck first in the game thanks to a backhand goal from Rocco Grimaldi, his first of the season. The goal occurred 12:16 into the contest with Rob Schremp and Garrett Wilson tallying the assists. Just under five minutes later, Portland had numerous scoring chances after a Falcons penalty, but Louis Domingue stood tall making numerous key stops.
Lessio tied the game at one with a rebound goal off of a Daniel New slap shot from the point. Jon DiSalvatore was credited with an assist on the goal, his first point as a member of the Falcons, which came at the 1:08 mark of the second period. The Falcons nearly scored another goal with about three minutes remaining as Laurent Dauphin’s rebound bid was somehow denied by a sprawling Sam Brittain.
Wayne Simpson would score early in the third period as Wilson sprung him in on a one-on-one. Simpson would evade the defender and snap a shot past the blocker of Domingue to put the Pirates up 2-1. Cameron Gaunce would also record an assist on the goal scored 7:23 into the third.
Rob Flick would provide insurance for the Pirates just less than two minutes later after snapping a shot past the glove of Domingue at the 9:03 mark. At 11:43, Shane Harper stripped Alex Grant of the puck and scored to put the Pirates up by three goals.
Springfield pulled Domingue with six minutes left while playing four-on-four in efforts to come back from the deficit. Dauphin would get the Falcons back within two as he tipped a shot past Brittain at the 15:43 mark to bring the game to a 4-2 score. Kyle Rau and Brett Olson put the game away with empty net goals that sealed the game at 6-2. Domingue fell to a record of 5-4-1 with 31 saves while Brittain made 23 saves to improve to 2-3-0.
The Falcons continue the team’s home stand with a 7 p.m. game next Friday against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Fans are encouraged to bring a toy to the game for Tots for Tots Night with all donations given to the Western Massachusetts Toys for Tots Foundation. Any fan who donates a toy will receive one ticket voucher for the Jan. 1, 2016 game against the Sound Tigers. Vouchers are limited to one per person.