Springfield, MA, April 2, 2011 – The Springfield Falcons scored five third-period goals Saturday night at the MassMutual Center, on their way to a 6-2 victory over the Connecticut Whale.
The loss was the Whale’s fourth straight, tying their longest streak of the season. The Whale (38-30-2-6, 84 pts.) remained two points ahead of the Worcester Sharks for third place in the Atlantic Division, as the Sharks lost at home to Providence, 4-1.
Defenseman David Savard scored a pair of goals, and added an assist, to lead the Springfield attack. Cam Atkinson, Denny Kearney and Steven Goertzen had a goal and an assist each, and Allen York made 26 saves.
Jeremy Williams scored his 30th goal of the season for the Whale, and Kelsey Tessier had the other Connecticut tally.
There was only one goal scored through the first two periods, Savard’s ninth of the year at 12:30 of the first.
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The play occurred when Tomas Kundratek was unable to jam the puck out of the Whale zone and Trevor Frischmon passed to Savard at the right point. Savard moved to just inside the faceoff dot and beat Whale goaltender Cam Talbot (16 saves) with a snapshot to the stick side.
The second period was scoreless, but the teams would combine for seven goals in the third, with the Whale equaling a team season high with the five goals-against.
The first three goals of the period came in a span of 2:55 starting at the 38-second mark, when Savard scored his second of the game. Frischmon spun on the right-wing boards and saucered a pass to Savard at the left side of the slot, and Savard’s shot beat Talbot between the legs.
Kearney, playing his second game for the Falcons out of Yale University, scored his first pro goal 1:59 later at 2:37, on a Springfield power play, jamming the puck in from close range to Talbot’s left.
Just 56 thereafter, though, Tessier got the Whale on the board, and denied York a shutout bid, converting a Tommy Grant centering pass at 3:33. The assist was Grant’s third in three games since joining the Whale out of the University of Alaska-Anchorage.
Goertzen widened the lead back to three goals at 12:23, after Talbot had the rebound of a sharp-angle shot from the left-wing boards by John Moore go off of his pads and out in front, right to Goertzen.
Williams hit the 30-goal mark at 15:13 to cut it to 4-2, converting a Mats Zuccarello centering pass from right on top of York, but the Falcons would remove the outcome from any doubt with a pair of goals in the final 2:02.
Atkinson, a Greenwich, CT native fresh out of Boston College, dove to shove the puck in from the left-wing side on a Springfield power play at 17:58, giving him two goals and two assists in two games since joining the Falcons, and fellow recent addition Aaron Bogosian ripped home a shot from 20 feet out on the left side of the slot for the final margin at 19:00.
Springfield was two for two on the power play, and won for the third time in four games since an 0-11-1-0 streak from February 27 to March 23 knocked them out of playoff contention. Prior to the loss, the Whale had won six straight in the season series with Springfield.
The Whale return home to the XL Center Sunday afternoon to host Head Coach Kevin Dineen and the Portland Pirates in a 3:00 game. There will be a giveaway of Whale team posters to 3,000 fans that day, courtesy of Supercuts, and it’s a Guida’s Family Value game. Family Value packages start as low as $48 and include three tickets, three hot dogs or pizza slices, three sodas and a Whale souvenir. Guida’s Family Value packs are available at the XL Center ticket office and on-line at www.CTwhale.com. Also, fans are encouraged to bring their skates to Sunday’s game, as there will be a free post-game skate on the XL Center ice, presented by Stone Academy.
Connecticut Whale 2 at Springfield Falcons 6
Saturday, April 2, 2011 – MassMutual Center
Connecticut 0 0 2 – 2
Springfield 1 0 5 – 6
1st Period-1, Springfield, Savard 9 (Frischmon, Tarnasky), 12:30. Penalties-MacLeod Spr (tripping), 13:59.
2nd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Nightingale Ct (fighting), 14:34; Bogosian Spr (fighting), 14:34.
3rd Period-2, Springfield, Savard 10 (Frischmon, Goertzen), 0:38. 3, Springfield, Kearney 1 (Sigalet, Atkinson), 2:37 (PP). 4, Connecticut, Tessier 10 (Grant, Kundratek), 3:33. 5, Springfield, Goertzen 7 (Moore, Tarnasky), 12:23. 6, Connecticut, Williams 30 (Zuccarello), 15:13. 7, Springfield, Atkinson 2 (Guite, Kearney), 17:58 (PP). 8, Springfield, Bogosian 2 (Savard), 19:00. Penalties-Nightingale Ct (roughing), 0:46; Guite Spr (slashing), 6:18; Ruth Spr (delay of game), 7:23; Grant Ct (hooking), 17:21; Weise Ct (fighting), 19:43; Blomqvist Spr (boarding, fighting, game misconduct – elbow pad), 19:43.
Shots on Goal-Connecticut 9-10-11-30. Springfield 5-7-13-25.
Power Play Opportunities-Connecticut 0 / 4; Springfield 2 / 2.
Goalies-Connecticut, Talbot 11-7-2 (25 shots-19 saves). Springfield, York 2-0-0 (30 shots-28 saves).
A-4,896
Referees-Terry Koharski (10).
Linesmen-Brent Colby (7), Luke Galvin (2).
