Showing posts with label springfield falcons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label springfield falcons. Show all posts

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Oilers Jambalaya Says Thank You To The Readers

I'd like to take this time to thank all the readers that enjoy this site and the people that harass me on a daily basis. We suffered through a tough year together and I'd like to think we were a good support group. If this isn't therapy, I don't know what is.

So thank you readers, I not only appreciate you stopping by to read what we have written, but I feel privileged that you actually do read our stuff. Thanks.

I want to thank the following people that have helped me with writing here at Oilers Jambalaya this season.

Paq Twinn, Graham Martin, Scarlett, Oil Fan Nick, and Todd at NHLTalk202. I thank them and I appreciate their help, it would be hard to do this without you.

I want to take the time to say thanks to the new guy around here. Scott at OilFieldHockey.com has been a nice addition to OJ. We have formed a nice partnership and it's going to be very exciting next season as Scott will be at the new Oklahoma City AHL team (so far unnamed) home games. He will be our in house eyes and ears for all things OKC. So thanks Scott for joining forces with us.

I also want to thank the Springfield Falcons and the Stockton Thunder for partnering up with Oilers Jambalaya and allowing me to re-post their material this season. I feel as it improved this site and I hope you all did too.

I want to send a big thank you to Mr. David Staples from the Edmonton Journal's Cult Of Hockey blog. Every time he asked me to contribute player grades I jumped at it. Not only did it force me to be creative, but it produced more criticism for me to deal with and I felt that I grew as a writer because of it. I also want to thank David for being a nice guy. He's been good to me and I appreciate it. Thanks David.

I especially want to thank my family for putting up with my obsession called Oilers Jambalaya. Everyday my wife puts up with my "just 5 more seconds" speech and I thank her for not punching me in the face. My family means the most to me in the world and I just love the fact that they are cool with me just being me, Oiler nuts!

THANK YOU EVERYBODY!!!

Next season is going to be great...

Springfield Falcons President/GM Criticizes The Edmonton Oilers

Springfield Falcons President and General Manager Bruce Landon recaps the 2009-10 campaign and previews the 2010-11 season in his latest update.


From the desk of Bruce Landon

The team that was put together last summer and coming out of training camp was good enough to compete for a playoff spot. However, the loss of Ryan Potulny who made the best of an opportunity to make Edmonton after the injury to Hemsky, the loss of Chris Minard to a long term injury and most importantly the loss of goaltender Devan Dubnyk started the downward spiral of the team. During all of this we also lost for extended periods of time the absence of other key players to injuries and/or call-ups. At one time during the long losing stretch we had eleven of our key players out of the line-up.

The biggest mistake made by the Oilers, was not providing us with a solid number two goaltender that could step in and win some games for us in the absence of Dubnyk. It does not matter what level you are at, without top notch goaltending it is a struggle to put any kind of winning streak together.

I want to acknowledge our great fans for their support through these very difficult times. We welcome the change with the Columbus Blue Jackets as our NHL partner and look forward to next season with renewed optimism.

I need to also address the issue of season ticket sales. Our staff has done a tremendous job in group sales on our prime dates and in corporate sponsorships during tough economic times. However, there are significant reasons why we must increase our season ticket sales. We are not looking for huge numbers in this area, because we know that it is not possible. However, we need to be close to the number that other smaller market teams have. If Adirondack can do 1900 – 2000 full season tickets, why can’t Springfield. I can assure you that if we had 2000 full season tickets, there would never be any concerns about the team ever leaving Springfield. We need a bigger base to help us out on the mid-week games when group sales are very difficult. The days of playing just Friday and Saturdays are long gone. We also don’t have a large building like Hartford, where with a special big night we can draw 8000 fans to make up for the small crowds on a mid-week game.

We have made some staffing changes to help us in our season ticket sales. This will include the addition of two more sales associates. Two years ago we ran a very strong campaign that enabled us to increase our season ticket base. However, this past year, due to the economy and other factors those numbers dropped dramatically. Our goal is to bring the season ticket total to the 1800 number. It will be a challenge. We offer a wide variety of plans and even the purchase of a ten game flex pack helps us inch closer to our goal.

The recent articles in the newspaper about ownership are very straightforward and really need no explanation. It was important that our fans and the entire community are aware of our objectives.

In closing, I again thank our great fans and corporate sponsors for their support. As always I respect your opinion and feedback. Please feel free to contact me at anytime.

Bruce

Monday, April 12, 2010

Thank You Springfield Falcons!


Just like that, the Springfield Falcons are now under control of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Check out the website. It's changed. No more Edmonton Oilers.

I want to thank the Springfield Falcons for working with us at Oilers Jambalaya this season. Your hospitality was greatly appreciated. Good luck to your team next year.

-Smokin' Ray-

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Springfield Falcons Go Out In Style / A Game Recap



By: Mike Hopey

April 11, 2010- The Springfield Falcons rattled off seven unanswered goals, including two each from Chad Wiseman and Jordan Eberle, as they defeated the Manchester Monarchs 7-3 in the season finale at the MassMutual Center Sunday afternoon in front of 5,678 fans. Chris Minard scored a goal and notched four assists as he, Eberle and Wiseman combined for 12 points in the win.

“We generated offense, scored some pretty goals, and didn’t give up a lot defensively,” said head coach Rob Daum. “We’re a better team then our record would indicate. But it was a nice way to go out.”

Eberle’s two goals came in the second period. The first, at 6:22, was tipped out of the air after a Minard shot was deflected. Eberle’s second goal was a one-timer wrist shot from Wiseman and Minard at the 15:57 mark of the middle frame and made the game 6-1.

Wiseman scored his second of the night at the 2:55 mark of the third period as Minard picked up his fourth assist of the game and Eberle got his third point of the night.

After Thomas Hickey gave the Monarchs the lead with his 1st goal of the season past Olivier Roy at the 2:04 mark of the first period, the Falcons rattled off four un-answered goals in the first frame. The four goals came on only nine shots.

Wiseman tied the game with his 23rd goal of the season roofed past Manchester starter Jean-Francois Berube. Minard picked up his first assist of the game on the goal and Jeff Petry was credited with the second, his third of the season.

The Falcons capitalized with 40 seconds left on a five-minute power-play with Ryan O'Marra's 12th goal of the campaign. Bryan Lerg took the puck to the net and kept his balance as Manchester defenders tried to knock him off the puck as he picked up an assist on the goal. O'Marra took the Lerg rebound and put it back on net as it trickled through Berube's legs.

The Falcons earned the five-minute power-play when Manchester captain Drew Bagnall was given a major penalty for kneeing Geoff Paukovich. In addition to the major, Bagnall was given a game misconduct.

The Falcons added the third goal at the 13:01 mark of the period. Minard snapped a one-timer feed from Liam Reddox, who had two assists, past Berube for the short-handed goal. Reddox picked up his second assist of the night and Las Vegas native Eddie Del Grosso picked up his second assist of the season on the goal.

At the 16:21 mark of the first period, Colton Fretter increased his team-lead in goals and netted the Falcons’ final goal of the period when he put his 26th off the post and into the net. Ryan Donald picked up his first career point on the Falcons' goal that made it 4-1.

The Yale alum, Donald, also mixed up with Monarchs’ players twice. In the second period, Donald and Juraj Mikus received roughing penalties after a pushing and shoving match in front of the Falcons net. In the third, Donald dropped the gloves with heavyweight Kevin Westgarth.

Roy was solid as he picked up his first career AHL win, making 28 saves in the win. The Amqui, Quebec native was appearing in his third game for the Falcons after playing this season with the Cape Brenton Screaming Eagles.

David Kolomatis scored his 8th goal of the season 16:42 and John Zeiler added his 11th goal at 18:23 to cut the Falcons lead to 7-3 and end the Falcons streak of seven unanswered goals.

Three Stars of the Game presented by Springfield College

1. SPR Chris Minard (1 goal, 4 assists, +7)
2. SPR Chad Wiseman (2 goals, 2 assists)
3. SPR Jordan Eberle (2 goals, 1 assist)

Game Night Notes ...

Game Setup: The final game of the season will be the 8th time that the Falcons will meet the Manchester Monarchs. In the previous seven match-ups, the Falcons are 1-5-0-1 against the Monarchs in the previous games. Springfield's lone win came back on October 16 at the MassMutual Center. The Falcons won 4-1 on the strength of goals from Geoff Paukovich, Chad Wiseman, Colin McDonald, and Colton Fretter who picked up the game-winner in the second period.

In the most recent meeting the Monarchs skated away with a 5-2 win over the Falcons on February 24 in Manchester. Springfield fell behind 4-0 before Charles Linglet and Chris Minard cut the Monarchs lead in half in the second period. Unfortunately, the Falcons could not complete a comeback. Devan Dubnyk made 35 saves in the game for the Falcons.

Manchester has already locked up a playoff spot and have clinched at least the third seed in the Atlantic Division.

Falcons Player Notes:

• Chad Wiseman has two goals and two assists in six games against the Monarchs this season.
• Colton Fretter had a goal in the Falcons one win over Manchester this season back on October 16. Fretter has added another goal playing in all seven games. Fretter leads the Falcons with 24 goals on the season.
• Bryan Lerg has a goal and an assist playing in six games against the Monarchs this season.
• Chris Minard has two of his 18 goals this season against Manchester in only four games.

Monarchs Player Notes:

• Manchester goalie Jonathan Bernier was named the Aledge “Baz” Bastien Memorial Award winner for the 2009-10 season. The award is given to the most outstanding goaltender in a season. Bernier has played in 57 games this season for the Monarchs this season going 30-20-6-9 with a 2.03 goals against average and 0.937 save percentage. Bernier leads the league in saves and shutouts with nine. Bernier leads the league in save percentage and is second in GAA.
• Bud Holloway has scored three goals and tallied seven assists while playing in every game against the Falcons.
• Justin Azevedo has six points, two goals and four assists, in just four games this season against the Falcons.
• Marc-Andre Cliche and David Meckler have both scored thee goals against the Falcons this season.

Falcons Player Movement Recap:

Jordan Bendfeld was re-assigned to the Stockton Thunder this week. Bendfeld played in 10 games for the Falcons this season picking up an assist and seven penalty minutes.

The Falcons also signed two players to Amateur Tryout Agreements. The first player was Chris Vande Velde, a 6’2” 204-pound Moorhead, Minnesota native who played four years at the University of North Dakota. Vande Velde was a fourth round selection, 97th overall, by the Oilers in 2005. With the Fighting Sioux, Vande Velde put 18 goals and 17 assist in the 2008-09 season.

Ryan Donald was the second player signed to an ATO this week. Donald, a native of St. Albert, Alberta, is coming off four seasons playing for the Bulldogs at Yale University. While at Yale, Donald scored five goals and notched 19 assists in 123 career games. Donald’s best season game this year when he scored twice and assisted on six other goals.

Monarchs Player Movement Recap:

This week the Monarchs released goalie Dave Wilson from his ATO. Wilson was signed on April 2 to replace Jonathan Bernier who had been on loan to the Los Angles Kings, the Monarchs NHL affiliate. Wilson did not appear in a game during his brief stint with the Monarchs.

Doug Nolan was also released from his Professional Tryout Agreement this week. The Quincy, Mass native played in 19 games for the Monarchs this season picking up three assists and 31 penalty minutes. Nolan played four years for the UMass-Lowell Riverhawks before beginning his professional hockey career that has taken him around the world, including stints in Russia and Finland. Nolan was originally an 11th round selection by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

*Reprinted by Oilers Jambalaya with permission by the Springfield Falcons AHL Hockey Club. The Springfield Falcons are a proud affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers (NHL)*

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Falcons Fall To Wolf Pack 7-5 / Eberle With No Points And -4 Rating




April 10, 2010 - The Springfield Falcons lost to the Hartford Wolf Pack 7-5 on Saturday night at the XL Center in Hartford, CT. Chris Minard scored his 20th and 21st goals of the year for Springfield and rookie Matt Beca tallied his first AHL/pro goal. The Falcons conclude their 2009-10 regular season on Sunday afternoon at the MassMutual Center when they host Manchester starting at 3pm.

LIVE BOX SCORE

With the Falcons leading 1-0 heading into the second period, Hartford exploded for seven goals in the middle frame. Kris Newbury, Corey Locke, Dane Byers, Chris McKelvie and Andres Ambuhl scored for the Wolf Pack within the first 10 minutes of the second period building a 5-1 Hartford lead. Colin McDonald cut Springfield's deficit to 5-2, but Ambuhl and Locke each scored their second markers of the period giving Hartford a 7-2 cushion through 40 minutes.

In the third period, the Falcons battled back and continued to chip away at their deficit. Minard scored his second goal of the game early in the final frame cutting the Wolf Pack advantage to 7-3, followed by Colton Fretter recording his team-leading 25th goal of the year. Beca's first AHL/pro goal pulled Springfield to within 7-5, but that was the end of the scoring for the night.

It was a very chippy second period as Jake Taylor and Jared Nightingale dropped the gloves after Taylor was involved in an earlier altercation after Locke's first goal of the game. Springfield's Ryan Donald and Hartford's Dane Byers dropped the gloves in the opening period.

FALCONS LINEUP

Jesse Gimblett - Rob Hisey - Colton Fretter
Slava Trukhno - Chris Vande Velde - Matt Beca
Liam Reddox - Ryan O'Marra - Colin McDonald
Chris Minard - Chad Wiseman - Jordan Eberle

J.F. David - Johan Motin
Ryan Donald - Jake Taylor
Eddie Del Grosso - Jeff Petry

Bryan Pitton
Olivier Roy

FALCONS SCRATCHES - Chris Armstrong, Matt Nickerson, Ryan MacMurchy, Geoff Paukovich, Bryan Lerg, Alex Plante, Kip Brennan, Tony DeHart, Blair Riley

Game Night Notes ...

Game Setup: The Wolf Pack skated away with a 6-1 win in last Saturday’s meeting between these two teams at the MassMutual Center. The Falcons are 4-4-1-0 against Hartford this season. All four wins for Springfield have come by one goal, including three 2-1 finals. The Falcons went 2-2-1-0 at home this season against the Pack. Hartford is coming of a 9-2 loss to the Worcester Sharks on Wednesday night at the XL Center, where the Falcons are 7-15-1-1 over the past five seasons.


Falcons Player Notes:

• Ryan O’Marra has three goals against the Wolf Pack this season.
• Chad Wiseman leads the Falcons in scoring in the season series with two goals and four assists in seven games.
• Chris Armstrong has picked up five assists in addition to a single goal in six games against Hartford this season.
• Jordan Eberle, who scored the Falcons lone goal last Saturday, has two goals and four assists in two games against the Pack.

Wolf Pack Player Notes:

• Corey Locke leads all players in the season series with 12 points against the Falcons, five goals and seven assists.
• Brodie Dupont had two goals last Saturday and has five in the season series.
• Hartford captain Dane Byers has two goals and three assists against the Falcons this season.
• Derek Couture has scored three goals and notched two assists in seven games against the Falcons this season.

Written by the Springfield Falcons
*Reprinted by Oilers Jambalaya with permission by the Springfield Falcons AHL Hockey Club. The Springfield Falcons are a proud affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers (NHL)*

Friday, April 9, 2010

Olivier Roy Makes Pro Debut In Overtime Loss / A Game Recap


April 9, 2010 - The Springfield Falcons earned a point on the road on Friday night losing to the Providence Bruins 3-2 in overtime at the Dunkin Donuts Center. Providence's Kirk MacDonald scored in the extra session giving Providence the win. Falcons rookie goaltender Olivier Roy stopped 30 of 33 shots in his AHL/pro debut.

LIVE BOX SCORE

"I thought Olivier (Roy) was good tonight in his debut," said Falcons head coach Rob Daum. "He made some key stops and overall it was a nice first pro game for him."

The Falcons held a 2-1 lead entering the third period before Providence's Jeff LoVecchio tied the score at 2-2 with his 14th goal of the year at 11:43 of the final frame.

The Falcons looked like a team battling for a playoff spot instead of the Bruins in the first period as Chris Minard gave Springfield a 1-0 lead with his 19th goal of the year at 11:46 of the opening frame. Springfield outshot Providence 18-5 in the first period, including 12-2 midway through the stanza.

In the second period, Providence tied the score at 1-1 when Steve Kampfer scored on the power play at 3:11 of the middle frame. The Falcons regained their lead at 2-1 when Ryan O'Marra scored his 11th marker of the campaign at 15:52 of the second period.

For the second straight game, Springfield's Colin McDonald dropped the gloves, this time with Providence's Doug Nolan.

Along with Roy, Chris Vande Velde and Ryan Donald also made their pro/AHL debuts.

FALCONS LINEUP

Jesse Gimblett - Rob Hisey - Colton Fretter
Slava Trukhno - Chris Vande Velde - Liam Reddox
Blair Riley - Ryan O'Marra - Colin McDonald
Chris Minard - Chad Wiseman - Jordan Eberle

Chris Armstrong - Johan Motin
Ryan Donald - Jake Taylor
Eddie Del Grosso - Jeff Petry

Olivier Roy
Bryan Pitton

FALCONS SCRATCHES - Matt Nickerson, Ryan MacMurchy, Geoff Paukovich, Bryan Lerg, Alex Plante, Kip Brennan, Tony DeHart, Matt Beca

PRE-GAME NOTES

The most recent roster additions for the Falcons are forward Chris Vande Velde and defenseman Ryan Donald. Donald recently concluded his four-year college career at Yale University and Vande Velde also recently concluded his senior season after spending the previous four years at the University of North Dakota. Donald was not drafted and joins the Falcons on an Amateur Tryout Agreement. Vande Velde also signed an ATO, but was drafted by Edmonton in the fourth round of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

Vande Velde and Donald join Olivier Roy, Blair Riley, Jesse Gimblett, Jeff Petry, Eddie Del Grosso, Matt Beca, and Jordan Eberle as rookies who have joined the Falcons down the stretch after their respective college or junior hockey seasons came to an end.

Providence still continues to have an outside chance of earning the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, although they do need many things to go their way. The Bruins have 76 points, six points behind both Bridgeport and Norfolk for the final playoff spot, with three games remaining in the regular season. Providence needs to have Bridgeport, Norfolk and Hartford to lose their games this weekend, while Providence goes a perfect 3-0 to have a chance, but stranger things have occured.

The Falcons are winless in their last six games going 0-4-1-1 in that span with their last win happening back on March 20 at Hartford.

The Falcons will enter tonight's game with 15 AHL rookies on their roster. Springfield has had 60 different players added to their roster this year, the AHL record is 70 set by Providence 10 years ago.


*Reprinted by Oilers Jambalaya with permission by the Springfield Falcons AHL Hockey Club. The Springfield Falcons are a proud affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers (NHL)*

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Vande Velde Signs ATO With Falcons (AHL)


--Falcons re-assign Jordan Bendfeld To Stockton--

April 5, 2010 – The Springfield Falcons, proud members of the American Hockey League, announced today they have signed forward Chris Vande Velde to an Amateur Tryout Agreement. The Falcons also announced that defenseman Jordan Bendfeld has been re-assigned to their ECHL affiliate, the Stockton Thunder.

Vande Velde recently concluded his senior season at the University of North Dakota where he set a career high in scoring with 16 goals and 25 assists for 41 points in 42 games played. The 6-foot-2, 204-pound native of Moorhead, Minnesota collected 52 goals and 65 assists for 117 points in 166 games at North Dakota.

Bendfeld played in 10 games with Springfield posting one assist and seven penalty minutes.


*Reprinted by Oilers Jambalaya with permission by the Springfield Falcons AHL Hockey Club. The Springfield Falcons are a proud affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers (NHL)*

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Jordan Eberle, So Far In Springfield

Now that Jordan Eberle has played more than a handful of games with Springfield, I figured we would look and see how he's doing.

After 8 games played, Eberle has himself 9 points. He's scored 4 goals and has 5 assists in those 8 games. Basically one goal every other game. Not bad, but not great either. I just figure if he's a goal scorer, wouldn't/shouldn't he be scoring more than that?

To answer my own question, no. If you look at the long range of what he is doing, -- and he keeps this pace up -- he would score 41 goals in 82 games. That's pretty good when you look at it that way. Very good.

Out of those 4 goals, only one was scored on the PP. I'm not sure how to feel about that.

In those 8 games he's played, Eberle has taken 17 shots for an average of 2.125 shots per game. If you look at the higher end goal scorer types, they shoot more than 2 shots a game. 2.125 shots per game is not very good.

However his shot percentage is very good at 23.5%. If you look at every other player that has been with the Falcons or the Oilers this year, Jordan is above and beyond the rest and that gives me relief as a fan.

With one last stat to look at, this one doesn't tell us all we need to know about the player. So I really don't know what to think here. After 8 games played, Eberle is a -1. Is that good? Is it bad? I don't know.

So at a quick glance, Jordan Eberle is looking very good for a sad sack organization don't you think?

I do have a few concerns about Eberle. All his points have came in bunches. Will he have the consistency it takes to be a pro? Can he keep his high shooting percentage? Shouldn't he shoot more?

And I guess the big question, will he be with the Oilers next season? Or more like should he be?

I hope so, what about you?

-Smokin' Ray-

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Jordan Eberle Scores The Lone Falcons Goal / A Game Recap


By: Mike Hopey

April 3, 2010- Jordan Eberle scored for the Falcons, but Hartford took an early lead and never looked back as they beat Springfield 6-1 at the MassMutual Center in front of 5,699 on Saturday night.

LIVE BOX SCORE

“We had a lot of opportunities,” said head coach Rob Daum. “We didn’t finish well. The chances in the game were even and maybe we had a little advantage, as far as opportunities are concerned, but you have to capitalize on those opportunities and we didn’t.”

Eberle has been talked about quite extensively since his performance in the World Juniors and his arrival in Springfield, scoring three goals in his first three games. His fourth goal, a power-play goal at 6:52 of the second period, was his first in four games since that impressive debut weekend.

“I was getting chances,” said Eberle. “I found myself passing a lot when I had shooting opportunities. But, I found a way to somehow put that one in the net. It gives you a lot of confidence when you see the puck go in the net.”

After the Eberle goal cut the Pack lead to 2-1, Hartford answered with a breakaway goal from Dale Weise, who also had an assist, at the 10:21 mark of the second period to make it 3-1. Weise’s goal was a wrist shot that went five-hole on Bryan Pitton, who made 25 saves in the game.

Hartford had taken the lead early as, for the second night in a row, the Falcons gave up a goal in the first minute of the game. The crowd wasn’t even settled when Lee Baldwin took a shot from the point that Brodie Dupont tipped five-hole through Pitton’s legs.

Dupont’s goal was his 17th of the season and his first of the game. With the recent call-ups of Corey Locke and Pierre Parenteau to the New York Rangers, Dupont’s five points against the Falcons entering tonight’s game was tied for the team lead.

Dupont picked up his second marker late in the third period. The sixth and final goal of the night for Hartford was an unassisted short-handed goal that Dupont directed off Pitton and into the net.

Baldwin picked up his first point of the season on Dupont’s first period goal in just his third game with the Wolf Pack. Baldwin had joined Hartford after playing this past season for the University of Alaska-Anchorage. Lee scored a goal and picked up nine assists in 32 games.

Justin Soryal found the back of the net for the Wolf Pack’s second goal of the night and the eventual game winner at 2:57 of the opening frame. The goal was just Soryal’s fifth of the season and came from Derek Couture.

The Falcons’ fans were kept in the game by Eberle’s goal and a pair of fights won by the home team. Colin McDonald scored a take down on Ilkka Heikkinen. Minutes later, Jake Taylor dropped the gloves with Weise after Taylor took exception to a hit by Weise on Liam Reddox.

Andres Ambuhl added another insurance goal for Hartford when his sixth goal of the season found it’s way to the back of the net. Ambuhl scored a goal of for his only point of against the Falcons this season before scoring at the 1:58 mark of the third period.

Three Stars of the Game

1. HFD Brodie Dupont (2 goals)
2. HFD Dale Weise (1 goal, +3 rating)
3. HFD Andres Ambuhl (1 goal, 1 assist)

Springfield Falcons Lineup

Chris Minard (14) - Chad Wiseman (15) - Jordan Eberle (17)
Jesse Gimblett (39) - Ryan O'Marra (22) - Colin McDonald (18)
Blair Riley (37) - Rob Hisey (13) - Colton Fretter (19)
Bryan Lerg(16) - Liam Reddox (9) - Matt Beca (38)

Chris Armstrong (32) - Jeff Petry (20)
J.F. David (3) - Johan Motin (8)
Eddie Del Grosso (28) - Jake Taylor (25)

Bryan Pitton (35)
Olivier Roy (30)

Falcons Scratches - Matt Nickerson, Ryan MacMurchy, Geoff Paukovich, Slava Trukhno, Alex Plante, Kip Brennan, Tony DeHart


Game Setup: The Falcons have taken 3 of the last 4 against their rivals from Hartford. Springfield won the last match-up between the teams on March 20 by a score of 4-3 at the XL Center in Hartford. The Falcons have also taken a pair of 2-1 overtime victories from the Wolf Pack recently. Overall, the Falcons are 4-3-1-0 against the Pack this season. The Falcons will look for a close game as all four wins over Hartford this season have been by a single goal. The Pack will be busy before their trip to Springfield, on Wednesday they hosted the division-leading Worcester Sharks and on Friday the Lowell Devils made their way through Hartford.

Falcons Player Notes:

• Chris Minard scored his only goal against Hartford this season in the 2-1 overtime victory on January 23 in Springfield. Minard’s goal was the winner that completed a Falcons’ come-back win.
• Rob Hisey has two of his goals this season against the Wolf Pack including the winner in OT on February 26 in Hartford.
• Ryan O’Marra has three goals against the Pack this season.
• Jordan Eberle picked up a goal and two assists in the 4-3 win over Hartford on March 20.

Wolf Pack Player Notes:

• Corey Locke and Pierre Parenteau have 12 and 10 points against the Falcons this season respectively but both are currently enjoying a stay with the Pack’s NHL affiliate, the New York Rangers.
• Brodie Dupont has 4 of his 16 goals this season against the Falcons. Dupont has also recorded an assist in the season series.
• Dale Weiss is second on the Wolf Pack with 45 points but has only a goal and three assists in seven games against the Falcons.
• Dane Byers has five of his 44 points on the year in the season series between the Falcons and the Wolf Pack. Byers has two goals and three assists while playing in all eight previous match-ups between the teams.


*Reprinted by Oilers Jambalaya with permission by the Springfield Falcons AHL Hockey Club. The Springfield Falcons are a proud affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers (NHL)*

Friday, April 2, 2010

Eberle With Zero Points As Falcons Lose To The Pirates / A Game Recap


By: Mike Hopey

April 2, 2010- On the strength of four third period goals the Pirates came from behind to beat the Falcons on Friday night at the MassMutual Center in front of 2,885 fans. Rob Hisey, Colton Fretter and Chris Minard all scored for the Falcons in the losing effort. Bryan Pitton made 13 saves in the loss and also picked up a penalty for delay of game in the third period.

LIVE BOX SCORE

“They threw a couple pucks at the net in the third period and that was the difference,” said head coach Rob Daum. “They [the third period goals] weren’t real breakdowns. They were just pucks that went in.”

Portland’s four goals in the third came on only six shots for the period. The Pirates picked up the all important tying goal 3:19 into the third period. Cody McCormick lit the lamp for the 14th time on the season with his howling shot from the right point that Pitton never got a chance to see. Travis Turnbull put the Pirates on top 4-3 and Brad Larsen scored 1:15 later to give the Pirates an insurance goal with his second of the night. T.J. Brennan then added an empty net goal with 14 seconds left to close out the scoring in the game.

McCormick made his presence known to Springfield early when he dropped the gloves with the Falcons’ Jake Taylor 45 seconds into the game. McCormick was later called for tripping and unsportsmanlike conduct giving the falcons a four minute power-play. McCormick was also assessed a 10-minute misconduct penalty, effectively ending his night with the goal as his only point and 19 penalty minutes.

Minard had put the Falcons back on top at the 6:40 mark of the second period when he took a Chad Wiseman pass and snapped it past Lamoureux. Larsens’ 11th goal of the season, first against the Falcons, had tied the game just 55 seconds into the middle frame. The Falcons took this 3-2 lead into the third period.

The Pirates captain, Larsen, was also whistled for boarding, in addition to his two goals, when he put the Falcons’ Jeff Petry into the boards behind the Falcons goal at 11:04 of the second period. The Larsen penalty was one of two power-play chances for the Falcons that they could not convert on to increase the new 3-2 lead.

Portland put themselves on top first with a goal on their second shot of the game. Philip Gogulla deposited the puck in the top corner over the out-stretched pad of Pitton. The opportunity for the Pirates started with a turnover in the neutral zone that sprang Gogulla on a breakaway giving him his 14th goal of the season.

The Falcons wasted no time in responding with a goal less than a minute later. Fretter, who also had an assist int he game, picked up his 24th goal when he put puck past J.P. Lamorureux at 10:22 of the first. Moments after the goal, Portland’s Mike Weber was called for tripping giving the Falcons their second power-play of the game.

Rob Hisey was the one who converted on the power-play for the Falcons, giving them the 2-1 lead. Hisey’s 11th goal was a redirect of a Chris Armstrong shot that hit the twine in the back of the net with eight seconds left on the power-play. In total, the Falcons went 1-for-7 with the man advantage in the game. Hisey also picked up an assist in the first period.

The Falcons out shot the Pirates 13-4 in the opening frame leading to their early success and went onto out shoot the Pirates 29-19 for the game.

Blair Riley also saw action in his first career AHL game. Riley played four seasons off NCAA Division-1 hockey for Ferris State University in Michigan. In his career, Riley scored a total of 87 points, with his best season coming the past year when he scored 18 goals and notched 20 assists in 40 games. Jesse Gimblett also made his debut tonight for the Falcons after playing four seasons for the University of Alberta.

Three Stars of the Game

1. POR Brad Larsen (2 goals)
2. SPR Rob Hisey (1 goal, 1 assist)
3. POR Travis Turnbull (1 goal)

Springfield Falcons Lineup

Chris Minard (14) - Chad Wiseman (15) - Jordan Eberle (17)
Jesse Gimblett (39) - Ryan O'Marra (22) - Colin McDonald (18)
Blair Riley (37) - Rob Hisey (13) - Colton Fretter (19)
Slava Trukhno (11) - Liam Reddox (9) - Matt Beca (38)

Chris Armstrong (32) - Jeff Petry (20)
J.F. David (3) - Johan Motin (8)
Eddie Del Grosso (28) - Jake Taylor (25)

Bryan Pitton (35)
Olivier Roy (30)

Game Night Notes....

Game Setup: This will be the 8th and final meeting between the Pirates and the Falcons. In the previous 7 match-ups, Springfield has gone 3-4-0-0 against Portland, including a close 2-1 loss on March 27 in Portland. The Pirates enter the game with a record of 42-22-6-4 for 94 points. Portland has locked up a playoff spot and they have a large gap between them and the 3rd place Manchester Monarchs. Portland concluded last weekend with a 3-2 win over Hartford and have won 4 straight games and are 7-1-1-1 in their last 10. The Falcons are on a 4 game winless streak and are 4-3-2-1 in their last ten games.

Falcons Player Notes:

• Liam Reddox has notched a pair of goals and three assists against the Pirates this season, which leads the Falcons in the season series.
• Charles Linglet has a goal and four assists in the previous seven games against Portland.
• Rob Hisey has only played in two games against the Pirates this season, but has notched two goals. Both of Hisey’s goals came in the 5-4 shootout win on March 14 in Portland.
• Colton Fretter leads the Falcons with 23 goals on the season.

Pirates Player Notes:

• Kyle Rank has 18 points on the season, but he has done a third of his scoring against the Falcons scoring three goals and notching three assists.
• Team points leader Mark Mancari has 68 points on the season, but has a goal and an assist in six games against the Falcons this season.
• Marc-Andre Gragnani is 4th on the Pirates with 38 points and has scored 2 of his 10 goals against the Falcons this season.
• Rookie Tyler Ennis is second on the team with 65 points, but was called up to Buffalo in the NHL last week. This week Ennis was named to the AHL All-Rookie Team.

Falcons Player Movement Recap:

On Wednesday, the Falcons signed winger Jesse Gimblett to an Amateur Tryout Contract and released Jason Pitton from his PTO. Gimblett joins the Falcons after playing four seasons at the University of Alberta. Before playing for the U. Of Alberta, Gimblett played five seasons in the OHL with the Owen Sound Attack and the Saginaw Spirit. His best season in the OHL came in 2005-06 when he scored 21 goals and picked up 26 assists. Pitton played in 25 games for the Falcons this season picking up a goal and an assist with 22 penalty minutes. Pitton will rejoin the ECHL affiliate of the Falcons, the Stockton Thunder, where he started the season with 8 goals and 12 assists in 34 games.

The Falcons also saw goalie J.P. Levasseur recalled by the Anaheim Ducks of the NHL. Levasseur was loaned to the Falcons by the Ducks on December 14, 2009 and went 8-16-1 with a 3.59 goals against average for Springfield. Levasseur recorded one shutout with the Falcons, a 49-save effort on Valentine’s Day in Bridgeport.

Lastly on Wednesday, team points leader Charles Linglet was called up by the Edmonton Oilers. Linglet is in his 7th pro season has scored 19 times and recorded 55 assists for the Falcons. Linglet’s 74 points place him 5th in the AHL this season.

Pirates Player Movement Recap:

On Sunday, March 28, Nathan Gerbe was recalled by Portland’s NHL affiliate, the Buffalo Sabers. Gerbe had 11 goals and 27 assists in 44 games for the Pirates this season.

On Wednesday, points leader Mark Mancari was returned by the Sabers to Portland. Mancari has 26 goals and 42 assists this season for the Pirates in 69 games. Mancari has a goal and an assist in five games for the Sabres this season.

Tonight's Goaltender Match-up:

Springfield
Bryan Pitton - Will make his sixth start of the season. Pitton is 2-3 with a 3.61 goals against average and .898 save percentage.

Oilvier Roy - Roy is making his Falcons debut as the backup tonight. Roy was a 5th round selection by the Oilers in last years draft. The 18 year-old Roy is coming off a season with the Cape Brenton Screaming Eagles of the QMJHL.

Portland
J.P. Lamoureux - is 12-9-2 this season with a 2.90 GAA and .896 save percentage. Lamoureux is 1-1-1 in four games against the Falcons this season.

Todd Ford - Ford is 6-5-1 in 14 games this season while splitting time between the Texas Stars and Portland.

Game Night Notebook ...

Atlantic Division Round-up:

Only Worcester and Portland have wrapped up play-off berths in the Atlantic Division. The Manchester Monarchs have put a little more space between them and the fourth place Lowell Devils with a 4-3 win on Wednesday night in Lowell. The Monarchs are now seven points ahead of the Devils and Sound Tigers, who are tied with the Devils for fourth but are statistically ahead of them.

The Monarchs can punch their ticket to the playoffs with a either win tonight against the Sound Tigers, Norfolk loss in regulation at Albany, or an overtime/shootout loss against the Tigers and a Norfolk overtime/shootout loss at Albany.

The Devils will look to get back into the Atlantic playoff picture with a win tonight in Hartford. However, the Devils have a better record than the fourth place team in the East Division, the Norfolk Admirals, and therefore would qualify for the post-season in the division.

In other action tonight, the first-place Sharks will visit Rhode Island to take on the Providence Bruins at The Dunk in 7:05 EST match-up.

Around the League:

The Hershey Bears can clinch the best record in the entire AHL with a win tonight over the Rochester Americans. The second and third place teams, Albany and W-B/Scranton, are both playing above-.500 hockey down the stretch while the once red-hot Norfolk Admirals are fading from the Calder Cup Playoff picture. The Admirals are now five points back of the third-place Penguins and four points behind the Lowell Devils who would take the fourth spot in the East Division.

Out west, Hamilton has locked up the top spot in North Division and the Rochester Americans have punched their ticket to the post-season. Abbotsford is holding the third position down with 81 points and can clinch a berth with a win tonight against Grand Rapids and a loss by Lake Erie in Rockford. The Manitoba Moose are keeping it close with the Heat, trailing by only three points and the already mentioned Lake Erie Monsters are still alive, just four points behind Manitoba.

In the West Division, no one has clinched the division yet but the Chicago Wolves and the Texas Stars will both be playing more hockey after April 11. The Stars are streaking, 8-2 in their last 10 games and currently on a four game winning streak. Rockford is sitting in third, four points ahead of the Milwaukee Admirals, and can clinch a post-season berth tonight with a win against Lake Erie, or an overtime/shootout loss and Peoria loss against Milwaukee. Milwaukee is four points up on the Rivermen for the fourth spot in the West going into tonight's game but the Admirals also have a game in hand on the Rivermen, with one more game to play in the season than Peoria.

Up the Pipeline: Edmonton Oilers

The biggest news of the week was Falcons' leading-scorer Charles Linglet being signed by the Oilers and then called up. The seven year pro was in his second season and first full season with the Falcons. After having his worst statistical season in 2008-09 splitting time between the Peoria Rivermen and the Falcons, Linglet bounced back by setting a career high in assists, with 55, and points, with 74.

The Montreal native played junior hockey for the Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. In his best season, 2001-2002, Linglet scored 52 goals and notched 71 assists. His 123 points in that season was more than double the out-put of his second best season. After juniors, Linglet went undrafted and joined the St. Louis Blues organization where he played in until he was traded to the Falcons last season.

Linglet will make his National Hockey League debut tonight when the Edmonton Oilers visit the Dallas Stars


*Reprinted by Oilers Jambalaya with permission by the Springfield Falcons AHL Hockey Club. The Springfield Falcons are a proud affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers (NHL)*

TweetCast of Edmonton Oilers (24-45-7) at Dallas Stars (34-29-14) PPV Game

GAME DAY!!!

Welcome everyone to another fine TweetCast by Oilers Jambalaya.

Tonight you will see the tweets/comments of Paq Twinn, Smokin' Ray, Nick Walker, Scarlett, OilFieldHockey, Dan Tencer, The official Edmonton Oilers and the official Dallas Stars tweets as well as the tweets from the Springfield Falcons and the Stockton Thunder.

Feel free to comment by typing in the box below. It's easy and no signup required. Once you comment, we will unmoderate you and you can then speak freely. Be patient if we don't see you right away. You will get on.

We hope you enjoy the TweetCast and we are glad you stopped by.

Edmonton Oilers (24-45-7)
at
Dallas Stars (34-29-14)

Puck Drops at 6:38pm MST


Thursday, April 1, 2010

Charles Linglet Named Second Team AHL All-Star



April 1, 2010 – The Springfield Falcons, proud members of the American Hockey League, announced today that left wing Charles Linglet has been named an AHL Second Team All-Star for the 2009-10 season. Linglet becomes the first Falcons player since Jean-Guy Trudel (2001-02) to be named a first or second team AHL All-Star.

*Reprinted by Oilers Jambalaya with permission by the Springfield Falcons AHL Hockey Club. The Springfield Falcons are a proud affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers (NHL)*

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Oilers Sign And Recall Charles Linglet And Falcons Sign Blair Riley


OILERS SIGN AND RECALL LINGLET FROM THE FALCONS
--Falcons Sign Blair Riley To ATO Contract--

March 31, 2010 – The Springfield Falcons, proud members of the American Hockey League, announced today that forward Charles Linglet has been signed to a one-year contract and recalled by their National Hockey League affiliate, the Edmonton Oilers. The Falcons also announced they signed forward Blair Riley to an Amateur Tryout Agreement.

Linglet continues to lead the Falcons in scoring this year with 19 goals and 55 assists for 74 points in 75 games. The 6-foot-2, 212-pound native of Montreal, Quebec is currently ranked fifth in the AHL in scoring and he is also third in the league in assists.

Linglet represented Springfield at the 2010 AHL All-Star Classic in Portland, Maine this season and he is the lone Falcons player to have played in all 75 games this year. He is a veteran of 331 career AHL games having collected 96 goals and 150 assists for 246 career points.

Blair Riley is starting his pro career after recently completing his senior season at Ferris State University. The 6-foot, 220-pound native of Kamloops, British Columbia set career highs in all offensive categories this year collecting 18 goals, 20 assists and 38 points in 40 games.

*Reprinted by Oilers Jambalaya with permission by the Springfield Falcons AHL Hockey Club. The Springfield Falcons are a proud affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers (NHL)*

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Falcons Fall To River Rats 5-1 (AHL) / Eberle Has One Assist


By: Mike Hopey

Chris Minard scored for the Falcons but three third period goals from Jacob Micfliker, Zac Dalpe and Mike Angelidis put Albany over the top 5-1 in a Sunday matinee match-up in front of 5,705 at the MassMutual Center.

“I don’t think it was a 5-1 game,” said head coach Rob Daum. “Based on the territory and the scoring chances. We did didn’t give a lot of chances but when we did they were major and it cost us.”

Chris Terry gave the Rats the lead for good in the second period while trying to set a teammate up on a 2-on-1 rush. Terry tried to saucer a pass over a Falcons stick but the puck hit J.P. Levasseur, who made 29 saves in the loss, and found its way over the goal line. Terry’s 17th goal of the season would be all the River Rats needed to get past the Falcons.

The Falcons had opportunities but Albany goalie Justin Peters was there and made 27 saves in the game. The Falcons power-play which is 16th in the league at 17.3 percent entering the game but were 0-for-4 in the game. The River Rats were 1-for-3 with the lone power-play goal coming late in the third period.

It was Jiri Tlusty who put the River Rats on top with the games first goal at 6:26 of the period after a scoreless first period. Christ Terry found Tlusty parked in front of the net and pushed the puck past a sprawling J.P. Levasseur. The goal was Tlusty's 14th goal of the season.

Crashing the net paid off for Springfield when Minard tied the game up for the Falcons with his 17th goal of the season at 13:59 on a pass from Chad Wiseman and Jordan Eberle. The Falcons had had opportunities earlier with chances from Liam Reddox and Colin McDonald but the Falcons’ chances were all tipped wide or whizzed through the crease.

The River Rats upped the lead to two goals when Jacob Micflikier took a cross-ice pass that he sent off the post and into the net. Micflikier’s goal at 1:48 into the third was his 17th goal of the season. Dalpe added another goal and Angelidis scored the only power-play goal in the third for the River Rats.

3 Stars of the Game

1. ALB Chris Terry
2. SPR Chris Minard
3. ALB Jerome Samson

Springfield Falcons Lineup

Charles Linglet (7) - Rob Hisey (13) - Colton Fretter (19)
Chris Minard (14) - Chad Wiseman (15) - Jordan Eberle (17)
Geoff Paukovich (12) - Ryan O'Marra (22) - Colin McDonald (18)
Slava Trukhno (11) - Liam Reddox (9) - Matt Beca (38)

Chris Armstrong (32) - Jeff Petry (20)
J.F. David (3) - Jordan Bendfeld (33)
Eddie Del Grosso (28) - Jake Taylor (25)

J.P. Levasseur (31)
Bryan Pitton (35)

Game Night Notes...

Game Setup: This will be the fourth and final meeting of the season between the River Rats and the Falcons. Springfield is 2-0-1-0 agaisnt Albany this season. The Falcons won in a shootout, 4-3, in the first meeting on October 30 and rolled over the Rats on November 15 by a score of 6-2. In the latest meeting the Falcons managed to take a point in a wild 7-6 overtime loss. Liam Reddox scored two third period goals, including one with four seconds left on the clock, to tie the game. Drayson Bowman ended up scoring the game winner for the River Rats. The Falcons and River Rats typically play each other evenly, the Falcons are 9-9-1-0 against Albany over the past five seasons.

Falcons Player Notes:

• Team points leader, Charles Linglet, has five points in the season series against Albany. Linglet has two goals and three assists. He scored a goal and notched an assist in the last meeting on February 6.
• Bryan Lerg has three goals against the River Rats this season. Lerg had a goal on February 6 and lit the lamp twice in the Falcons 6-2 win on November 15.
• Slava Trukhno has three of his 12 goals this season versus Albany. Trukhno has notched a goal in each of the three games this season.
• The Falcons’ leading goal scorer, Colton Fretter, has one tally against the River Rats this season. His goal was the first Falcons’ tally in the 7-6 overtime loss on February 6.
• Devan Dubnyk is the only Falcons goalie to face the River Rats this season. Dubnyk went 2-1 with a 3.87 goals against average.
• Jordan Eberle scored three goals in his first three games last weekend after joining the Falcons from Regina in the Western Hockey League.

River Rats Player Notes:

• Jerome Samson has two goals against the Falcons this season. His two goals came 14 seconds apart in the first minute of the River Rats overtime win on February 6.
• Drayson Bowman scored the overtime winner on February 6 for Albany and has 17 goals on the season.
• Jacob Micflikier has a pair of goals this season against the Falcons. He scored both goals in the second period of the 7-6 overtime win.
• Mike Murphy was the goalie of record for that February 6 win. Justin Peters picked up the loss in the first two games that the Falcons won.

Game Day Notebook...

Atlantic Division Roundup

The Worcester Sharks and the Portland Pirates have both clinched playoff berths. The Sharks were idle on Friday and shutout the Norfolk Admirals 2-0 last night in Norfolk and will meet the W-B/Scranton Penguins today. The Pirates earned a 2-0 shutout of their own on Friday against Providence and beat the Falcons 2-1 last night to lock up the playoff berth. The Pirates will host the Hartford Wolf Pack today.

Manchester, Lowell and Bridgeport are only separated by 5 points in the battle for the last two playoff spots in the division. Manchester beat the Devils earlier in the week and currently sit in third. Lowell beat the Falcons in a shootout on Friday and are only 2 points ahead of the Sound Tigers who are 7-2-1-0 in their last 10 games. However is the playoffs started today the 5th place team in the Atlantic Division would earn the 4th spot in the East Division because of a better record than the 4th place team in that division.

Around the League

In the East Division, the Hershey Bears have locked up the best record in the Eastern Conference. Albany, who is in Springfield today, have a seven point lead for second place. The once scorching Norfolk Admirals have faltered of late, losing 3 straight, and falling out of the playoff picture in the division. Three points ahead of the Admirals are the Penguins who are holding onto third with 81 points.

In the North Division, Lake Erie is only 4 points out of a playoff spot with 7 games left on their schedule but the Manitoba Moose have one more game left in the season and the Monsters have only gone 2-5-1-2 in their last ten games. Hamilton locked up the division crown a couple weeks ago and kept up their strong play with a pair of wins over division foe Abbotsford. The Heat are three points back of Rochester for the second spot in the division.

Out in the West Division, the Chicago Wolves have clinched a playoff berth, but not the division title yet. The Wolves have an 8 point lead of the Texas Stars with 7 games left on each of their schedules. The Stars have used an 8-2-0-0 run to leap frog over the Rockford Ice Hogs for second place in the division. Milwaukee is holding onto the last playoff spot by 5 points over the Peoria Rivermen.

Blue and Cooper Hockey: Edmonton Oilers

Last weekend the Oilers went on a 3-game winning streak. The Streak included a win over the Detroit, division leader Vancouver, and the San Jose Sharks. The wins over Detroit and San Jose were the first two NHL wins for former Falcon Devan Dubnyk. Dubnyk began his NHL career 0-8-2 for the Oilers this season. Dubnyk made 31 saves against the Red Wings and stopped 27 of 28 shots against the Sharks.

The streak game to an end on Friday night at Rexall Place when the Anaheim Ducks outlasted the Oilers for a 3-2 win. Corey Perry netted two power-play goals in the third period to give the Ducks a 3-1 lead. Marc Pouliot's power-play goal late in the period proved to not be enough to spark a miraculous come-from-behind victory for the Oilers.

Edmonton will be in action today when they meet the St. Louis Blues in St. Louis at 6 p.m. Eastern


*Reprinted by Oilers Jambalaya with permission by the Springfield Falcons AHL Hockey Club. The Springfield Falcons are a proud affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers (NHL)*

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Chris VandeVelde and Jeff Petry Update by Dean Millard

Dean Millard was right about the Jeff Petry signing and I'm sure he's right about Chris VandeVelde going to Springfield. Dean Millard is very knowledgeable about College hockey and it's players.  Here is what Millard had to say about VandeVelde, Jeff Petry and the Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club.

Is VandeVelde Off to Springfield?
Posted by Dean Millard

The upsets continue at the NCAA hockey tournament as UND fell to Yale 3-2. Meanwhile, RIT continues it's improbable run with a 6-2 pasting of Northeastern to earn a spot in the final four. Miami will meet Michigan tomorrow after both teams avoided upsets, while Boston College did the same.

The Fighting Sioux loss means that Chris VandeVelde's college career has come to and end, and should be on his way to Springfield to play out the string with the Falcons.

Meanwhile according to the Edmonton Journal's Jim Matheson, Jeff Petry isn't eligible to play in the NHL this season because his NHL contract doesn't start until next year.

The Oilers also signed a couple of college players this week, inking Matt Becca from Clarkson and Eddie Del Grosso out of Omaha Nebraska.


It appears that the Springfield Falcons are going to have a full team now to finish off the season. Stay tuned for more details.

-Smokin' Ray-

Jordan Eberle's Streak Ends With A 2-1 Springfield Loss - A Game Recap

FALCONS FALL TO PIRATES 2-1 IN PORTLAND

March 27, 2010 - The Springfield Falcons lost to the Portland Pirates 2-1 on Saturday night at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland. Maine concluding a six-game road trip with a record of 2-1-2-1 as they head home to host the Albany River Rats on Sunday afternoon starting at 3 pm. Geoff Paukovich scored Springfield's lone goal, while goaltender Bryan Pitton stopped 22 of 24 shots on goal.

LIVE BOX SCORE

After 40-plus minutes of scoreless hockey, the Falcons took a lead at 10:03 of the third period when Paukovich scored his fifth goal of the year assisted by Slava Trukhno and Jason Pitton.

Portland rallied at 13:57 of the final frame when Travis Turnbull tied the score at 1-1. The Pirates took their first lead of the night at 18:33 of the third period when Nathan Gerbe scored on the power play to give Portland a come-from-behind win.

Midway through the first period, the Falcons ended up on a five-minute power play when Portland's Cody McCormick took a baseball-style swing at Colin McDonald's legs and was whistled for a major slashing penalty and a game misconduct. McDonald did finish the game, but clearly was in some pain after the incident.

FALCONS LINEUP

Chris Minard - Chad Wiseman - Jordan Eberle
Charles Linglet - Rob Hisey - Colton Fretter
Liam Reddox - Ryan O'Marra - Colin McDonald
Slava Trukhno - Geoff Paukovich - Jason Pitton

Chris Armstrong - Jeff Petry
Eddie Del Gresso - Jake Taylor
J.F. David - Johan Motin

Bryan Pitton
J.P. Levasseur

FALCONS SCRATCHES - Jordan Bendfeld, Bryan Lerg, Matt Beca, Ryan MacMurchy, Alex Plante, Kip Brennan, Matt Nickerson, Tony DeHart


*Reprinted with permission by the Springfield Falcons AHL Hockey Club. The Springfield Falcons are a proud affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers (NHL)*

Stockton Thunder Sign Mucha To Tryout Deal

Goaltender Mucha Signs Tryout Deal

03/27/2010 10:52 AM - Mucha is WHL all-time leader in saves, Aaron Sorochan recalled to Springfield

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

STOCKTON, Calif. - The Stockton Thunder, a proud affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League and Springfield Falcons of the American Hockey League, has agreed to amateur tryout contract (ATO) terms with goaltender Kurtis Mucha (MOO-kah), Thunder head coach Matt Thomas announced today.

Mucha, 20, is expected to be in uniform for the Thunder tonight, who host the Las Vegas Wranglers beginning at 7:30 p.m. (StocktonThudner.com/B2 Networks) at Stockton Arena.

"Kurtis comes as a highly recommended prospect from various contacts in the National Hockey League," said Thomas. "His size is a commodity that isn't frequently found in an available goaltender at this level and we're excited about the opportunity to evaluate another goaltender from a recruiting standpoint. His addition helps our depth down the stretch."

The 6-foot-2, 184-pound goaltender competed in NHL training camp with Edmonton and recently completed a respectable six-year junior career (2004-10) with the Portland Winter Hawks and Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League, leaving the amateur ranks as the WHL's all-time leader in saves (6,998) and the Canadian Hockey League's all-time goaltending leader in games (245) and minutes (13,708).

Through his junior career, Mucha enjoyed nine shutouts and was 76-135-19 with a 3.66 goals-against-average and .892 save percentage. He split this season between Portland and Kamloops, posting a 23-17-4 record, two shutouts and a .900 save percentage in 48 games.

Mucha made his pro debut last season in the ECHL with the Idaho Steelheads, suiting up on an amateur tryout contract on April 3 and made 25 saves against the Phoenix RoadRunners.

Mucha's ATO agreement is on a five-game tryout basis with Stockton.

Additionally, the Thunder announced goaltender Aaron Sorochan has been recalled to Springfield and subsequently released.

A two-time recipient of the ECHL "Award of Excellence," the Thunder was voted "Best Local Sports Team" by readers of the San Joaquin Magazine, has led the ECHL in attendance for four consecutive seasons and drew 223,854 fans to Stockton Arena in 2008-09. Season tickets for 2009-10 are on sale now. For more information about tickets, merchandise, or other inquiries contact the Stockton Thunder offices at (209) 373-1500 or visit http://www.stocktonthunder.com/ .


*Reprinted by Oilers Jambalaya with permission from Stockton Thunder Professional Hockey Club, ECHL. The Stockton Thunder are a proud 'AA' affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers (NHL) and Springfield Falcons (AHL) *

Friday, March 26, 2010

GAME RECAP: The Springfield Falcons Lose In A Shootout To The Devils


FALCONS EARN ANOTHER POINT ON THE ROAD

March 26, 2010 - The Springfield Falcons once again earned a point on the road losing to the Lowell Devils 4-3 in a shootout at the Paul Tsongas Arena in Lowell, MA Friday night. The Falcons have now taken 11 of a possible 14 points in their last seven road games going 4-0-2-1 in that span. The Falcons conclude their current five-game road trip in Portland, Maine on Saturday night.

LIVE BOX SCORE

With the game deadlocked at 1-1 entering the third period, the two teams exchanged goals throughout the final frame. Chad Wiseman gave the Falcons a 2-1 lead at 11:57 of the third period with a power play goal, but Lowell's Nathan Perkovich tied the score at 2-2 when he converted on the man advantage.

Springfield took their second lead of the third period at 16:06 of the final frame when Chris Minard scored his 16th goal of the year, but once again Lowell evened the score when David McIntyre scored less than a minute later sending the contest to overtime.

After a scoreless overtime, it took the teams 11 rounds in the shootout before Lowell's Brad Snetsinger ended the contest with the Devils' 11th shooter. Springfield's Slava Trukhno extended the shootout when he scored on Springfield's fifth and final shot. Wiseman and Jordan Eberle also scored for Springfield in the shootout.

In the second period, Stephen Gionta opened the scoring at 12:21 when he scored his 15th goal of the year, but Springfield tied the score at 1-1 when Liam Reddox scored his 18th marker of the campaign at 17:22 of the middle stanza.

FALCONS LINEUP

Chris Minard - Chad Wiseman - Jordan Eberle
Charles Linglet - Rob Hisey - Colton Fretter
Liam Redoox - Ryan O'Marra - Colin McDonald
Jason Pitton - Slava Trukhno - Matt Beca

Chris Armstrong - Jeff Petry
Eddie Del Gresso - Jake Taylor
J.F. David - Jordan Bendfeld

J.P. Levasseur
Bryon Pitton

•The Falcons had 3 guys make their AHL debuts tonight in Jeff Petry, Eddie Del Grosso and Matt Beca.

FALCONS SCRATCHES - Johan Motin (Healthy), Bryan Lerg (Healthy), Geoff Paukovich (Healthy), Ryan MacMurchy (Healthy), Alex Plante (Injured), Kip Brennan (Injured), Matt Nickerson (Healthy), Tony DeHart (Healthy)

Game Night Notes...

Game Setup: The Falcons and Devils will meet for the final time in the 2009-10 season. In the seven previous meetings the Falcons are 3-2-1-1 against Lowell and are 1-2-0-0 at the the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell, the home of the Devils. Springfield is in the midst of a five-game point streak, going 3-0-2-0, and are 6-2-2-0 in their last 10 games. The Devils are only 3-5-0-2 as they fight for the final Atlantic Division playoff spot with the Manchester Monarchs. Lowell is coming off a 2-1 regulation loss at home against Manchester on Wednesday night. In that game, Michael Swift gave the Devils a first period lead of 1-0 but the Monarchs scored two unanswered goals and Monarchs’ goalie Johnathan Bernier made 33 saves in the win.

The Falcons defeated the Devils in the last meeting between the teams on March 6.

Falcons Player Notes:

• New addition Jordan Eberle, reassigned to the Falcons from the Western Hockey League, scored a goal in each of the three games last weekend. Eberle also notched three assists in those games.
• Charles Linglet has 10 points versus the Devils this season, one goal and nine assists. Linglet is fourth in the AHL with 73 points and is third in assists with 54.
• Colton Fretter has a pair of goals and a six-pack of assists in seven games against the Devils. Fretter leads the Falcons with 23 goals. He scored a goal last weekend breaking a 14-game goal drought that stretched back to February 6 in Albany.
• Chris Minard has six goals against the Devils in only three games this season. Minard scored a hat trick on October 25 in Lowell.
• Chad Wiseman and Colin McDonald have each scored three goals against the Devils this season.

Devils Player Notes:

• Alexander Vasyunov leads the Devils with eight points against the Falcons this season. Vasyunov has five goals and three assists while playing in all seven contests against the Falcons.
• Ben Walter leads Lowell with 50 points on the season but Walter has only notched four assists against Springfield in the seven previous meetings.
• Nick Palmieri has the team lead in goals with 21 and has lit the lamp three times against the Falcons.
• Cory Murphy has 6 of his 34 assists against the Falcons this season.
• Matt Halischuk has three goals in two games against Springfield this season. Halischuk scored a pair of goals on March 6 in the Devils 7-5 loss at the MassMutual Center.

Falcon Player Movement Recap:

During the week two players were reassigned to the Stockton Thunder of the ECHL. Matt Marquardt and Bryan Young. Young played in two games during his latest stint in Springfield, that began on March 14 in Portland, and recorded no points. Marquardt joined the Falcons after being traded from Boston to Edmonton and appeared in four games without any points scored.

Also this week Dean Arsene was recalled by the Edmonton Oilers to patrol the blueline north of the boarder. Arsene has has two goals and nine assists in 56 games with the the Falcons this season. Arsene has served six penalty minutes in four games with the Oilers.

The Falcons also signed a trio of former NCAA student-athletes, who’s seasons concluded recently, to Amateur Tryout Contracts this week. On Tuesday, defenseman Eddie Del Grosso and forward Mat Beca were signed. Beca, a native of Mississauga, Ontario played four years for Clarkson University in the NCAA. Beca just wrapped up his senior season, which concluded with Clarkson not making the field of 16 for the Frozen Four Championship, and set a career high with 20 goals. Del Grosso played this season for the University of Nebraska-Omaha and scored seven goals and 23 assists. Defenseman Jeff Petry was signed earlier today after play three seasons for Michigan State. While a Spartan, Petry scored nine goals and notched 58 assists.

Tonight’s Goaltender Match-up:

Springfield
J.P. Levasseur is 0-1-0 against the Devils this season, allowing six goals on December 15. Levasseur is 8-15-0-1 with a 3.57 goals against average and 0.896 save percentage while splitting time between Springfield and Bakersfield in the ECHL.

Bryan Pitton earned a win against the Devils on March 6 giving up 5 goals and making 37 saves in the Falcons 7-5 win. Pitton is 2-2 with the Falcons after spending most of the season in Stockton.

Lowell
Mike McKenna is 21-14-6-3 this season including a 4-1 mark against the Falcons. McKenna a 2.15 goals against average versus Springfield this season.

Jeff Frazee gave up six goals and only made 21 saves on March 6 in Springfield as the Falcons won a wild game 7-5. Frazee is 13-15-0-1 this season for the Devils with a 2.71 goals against average.

*Reprinted with permission by the Springfield Falcons AHL Hockey Club. The Springfield Falcons are a proud affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers (NHL)*

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Tonight you will see the tweets/comments of Paq Twinn, Smokin' Ray, Nick Walker, Scarlett, OilFieldHockey, Dan Tencer, The official Edmonton Oilers and the official Anaheim Ducks tweets as well as the tweets from the Springfield Falcons and the Stockton Thunder.

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Anaheim Ducks (34-31-8) at Edmonton Oilers (24-42-7)
Springield Falcons (24-34-11) at Lowell Devils (35-27-4)
 Las Vegas Wranglers at Stockton Thunder

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Is Jeff Petry Really Signing With The Edmonton Oilers?



I have now seen several reports stating that Edmonton Oilers prospect Jeff Petry will not be continuing his College education and will instead turn Professional at hockey.


Here are the reports I've read;

Thursday, March 25, 2010
Petry Deal Could Be Done Today


Posted by Dean Millard

The Pipeline Show has learned that a deal between Jeff Petry and the Oilers is almost done and could be completed today or tomorrow morning at the latest. As Guy Flaming reported on our show Tuesday night, Petry is expected to forgo his senior season at Michigan State University and turn pro in time to play some games this year.

However it now appears that Petry will start in the AHL with Springfield and possibly get a call up sometime in the next 9 games, as apposed to coming straight to the Oilers.

Petry had a career year with the Spartans this season scoring 4 times and adding 24 assists in 38 games. He's 6.03 and about 200 pounds with a booming shot from the point and skates very well. It should be interesting to see what kind of adjustment period Petry has while trying to get used to the pro game.

@ 12:17 PM

And the other report;

Jeff Petry leaving MSU?

By oilfieldhockey on Wednesday, March 24, 2010 5:55 AM

According to WILX.com's Tim Staudts' Blog Defenceman Jeff Petry has decided to skip his senior year of college at Michigan State University in order to jump into the pro ranks of the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers. If he doesn't make the Oilers next season, it's not hard to assume that he will be assigned to their AHL affiliate in Oklahoma City.

Here is a quote from the blog post. "Rick Comley seems resigned to the fact that his stellar junior defenseman, Jeff Petry, will give up his senior season and sign with the NHL's Edmonton Oilers"

I personally have no opinion on Petry, I've never really seen him play. I'm excited and curious just like the rest of you. What are you thoughts on this kid?

Is skipping out on College that smart? Is a crappy Oilers team an incentive to go pro?

-Smokin' Ray-

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