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Falcons drop two out of three, remain atop Northeast Division

Date: 2/27/2014

SPRINGFIELD – The Springfield Falcons (33-17-1-4) earned two of a possible six points last week, winning one of three games. Springfield defeated the Manchester Monarchs in a shootout on the road on Feb. 21 before returning home to lose back-to-back games versus the Hartford Wolf Pack on Feb. 22 and the Norfolk Admirals on Feb. 23.

Through 55 games, the Falcons currently rank second in the American Hockey League in wins (33), point total (71) and points percentage (.645) and remain atop the Northeast Division, leading the second-place Albany Devils by five points.

The Falcons defeated the AHL-leading Manchester Monarchs 4-3, getting conversions from Andrew Joudrey and Jonathan Marchessault, while goaltender Mike McKenna denied all four of Manchester’s attempts in the shootout.

Newly-acquired forward Paul Thompson scored twice in regulation, his second and third tallies as a member of the Falcons.

Thompson has had in instant impact with the Falcons. In nine games since joining Springfield from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, he has registered five points (three goals, two assists), 20 penalty minutes and a plus-3 rating, after he totaled seven points (four goals, three assists) in 39 games with the Penguins this season.

Darryl Boyce added his third shorthanded score of the season. McKenna made 38 saves on 41 shots through regulation and overtime.

Despite holding a 3-1 lead after two periods of play, the Falcons fell in regulation 4-3 to Interstate 91 rival, the Hartford Wolf Pack. Hartford scored three times in the third period to dissolve the Springfield lead and seal the 4-3 victory. Ryan Craig, Jean-Francois Jacques and Austin Madaisky notched the Falcons goals.

In a 3-2 loss to Norfolk, the Falcons fought back from a 2-0 deficit to even the score in the third period, but Rickard Rakell’s tally with 7:26 remaining in regulation served as the deciding goal of the contest.

Boyce got Springfield on the board with a snap shot from the slot at 11:03 of the second period. Sean Collins tied the game with a redirection in front on Joudrey’s wrist shot at 6:35 of the third period. Goaltender Jeremy Smith made 22 saves on 25 shots between the posts for the Falcons.

The Falcons host the Providence Bruins on March 1 at 7 p.m. for Pink in the Rink, presented by Noble Hospital.

The team will wear specialty jerseys to raise money and awareness on behalf of breast cancer research. For tickets to the game, visit the MassMutual Center box office or visit Ticketmaster to purchase tickets online. For a discounted group rate, contact a Falcons sales representative at 739-GOAL (4625).

After that, the Falcons will visit the Worcester Sharks on March 2 at 3 p.m. Springfield is 5-2-0-1 versus Providence and 2-2-0-0 versus Worcester this season.

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Defenseman Dalton Prout was recalled by the Columbus Blue Jackets on Feb. 24, returning to the team’s NHL affiliate after 15 games with the Falcons.

The LaSalle, Ontario, native totaled three assists, 11 penalty minutes and a minus-2 rating with Springfield this season. In 27 games with Columbus in 2013-14, Prout has registered two assists, 33 penalty minutes and a minus-6 rating. He did, however, lead the Blue Jackets in 2012-13 with a plus-15 rating in only 28 games.

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Heather O’Reilly, a three-time Olympic Gold Medalist with the United States Women’s National soccer team, will sign autographs at the Falcons game March 22 versus the Manchester Monarchs. In addition to her Olympic success, O’Reilly also won two NCAA National Championships at the University of North Carolina, a WPS championship with SKY Blue FC, and a Bronze (2007) and Silver Medal (2011) at the World Cup.