Finally! I can get back to work with the Falcons finishing off the Manchester Monarchs last night, even though I’m already a game behind in the OHL Finals.
Starting off in Springfield, the Falcons faced the Los Angeles Kings’ AHL affiliate, the Manchester Monarchs in a best of five series (only the first round is 5 games, each series become best of seven the rest of the playoffs). Starting off on Friday – after a scoreless first, midway through the second period, Blake Parlett would earn a penalty shot which was the Falcons first ever in the postseason. Blake must have watched Artem Anisimov because that’s the move he used to roof it backhand over Martin Jones. Midway through the third period though, the Monarchs would tie it. The game would go to overtime and midway through the period, after the Falcons kept the puck in for a good bit, David Savard would win a board battle getting the puck to Ryan Russell. Ryan would send a cross crease pass to Cody Bass who, with a Monarch all over him, scored the game winner. Curtis McElhinney made 29 saves in the 2-1 win.
Sunday brought game two. Early in the game, after Cody Goloubef took a slashing penalty, Ryan Russell bounced the puck off the boards sending Trent Vogelhuber off on a breakaway which, much like Parlett’s penalty shot goal, just bounced over Jone’s pads. The Monarchs would score twice to make it 2-1 with a goal in the first and second periods. After a scramble in front, Michael Chaput sent the puck to Jonathan Audy-Marchessault who got it to David Savard who sent a blast from the point past Jones for his first playoff goal. Late in the third, the Falcons would have a goal called back but, as usual with these, who know why? The game would again go to overtime and who else but Cody Bass would score the game winner off a point shot. Bass is the third player in AHL history with consecutive overtime goals in the playoffs. Curtis McElhinney would make 41 saves in the 3-2 victory.
For some reason game three wasn’t until Thursday (I don’t think it takes that long to get to Manchester). David Savard would score the Falcons only goal in a 2-1 game three loss with McElhinney making 26 saves.
Game 4 would be on Saturday and after the first period, it looked like the Falcons and the Monarchs would be playing game five on Sunday as the Monarchs taking a 2-1 lead. Blake Parlett opened the scoring when he deflected a Cody Bass shot; after that, Manchester would score two minutes apart. Early in the second, Linden Vey would make it 3-1. Finally, later in the second it would be time for two of the Jackets top prospects to get involved. At the 13:35 mark of the second, Boone Jenner took a Nick Drazenovic pass, got around two defenders and slid a shot past Jones for his first playoff goal. Five minutes later, Michael Chaput would score by banging home a rebound to tie the game. For the third time in the series, the game would go to overtime and well, this is one of those times I’ll turn things over to a professional. Here’s Mike Kelly‘s call/video of Nick Drazenovic’s game/series winning goal. Curtis McElhinney made 37 saves in the victory.
The Falcons next round opponent still needs to be decided but it will either be the Syracuse Crunch or the Hershey Bears. Leading the Falcons in scoring was Cody Bass with two goals and two assists then it’s a four way tie for second each with three points. Curtis McElhinney would have a 1.74 GAA and a .943 save percentage – third among goalies that have advanced. The Falcons are the first team since the 1956 Cleveland Barons to win three games in a best of five series in overtime.
Josh Anderson-London Knights (OHL)
Western Conference Finals Stats 4GP 0-0-0 -4 7PIM
Playoff Stats 13GP 1-1-2 E 21PIM
Josh and the Knights faced off against the Plymouth Whalers earning the series win in five games. Josh would pick up no points in the four games he played, missing game number five with an injury. Josh did help the Knights in game one by getting into a fight with Capitals first round pick/one of the Whalers top players Tom Wilson. I’ll admit that Josh took the worst of it but it’s one of those “get the other team’s best player off the ice for five minutes” fights – a trade the Knights would take any day. Josh and the Knights are now in the OHL Championship series facing off against the Barrie Colts. Josh missed game one which ended as a 4-2 Knights loss.
Gianluca Curcuruto-Plymouth Whalers (OHL)
Western Conference Finals Stats 5GP 1-6-7 -1 0PIM
Final Playoff Stats 11GP 2-7-9 +7 7PIM
Gianluca and the Whalers fell in game one with Curcuruto being held scoreless in the team’s 2-1 loss. Game two was a wild one going to double overtime along with the goalies facing a combined 109 shots. Gianluca picked up three assists in the 4-3 win. Here’s how the assists sorted out. With the Whalers trailing 1-0 after a save of a three on two rush, Curcuruto snapped a shot on net with a teammates stick deflecting it past the Knights’ goalie. After another Knights goal, Curcuruto would send a slap pass to Rickard Rakell who’d fire a shot that Anthony Stolarz would stop but then Tom Wilson would pick up the rebound tapping it past Stolarz. The Whalers tied it with less than a minute remaining in the game sending the match to OT. The teams took a combined 30 shots in the first overtime period including Gianluca hitting the post during a crazy sequence (in the highlights). Gianluca’s assist on the game winner would be almost identical to his second assist as he found Garrett Meurs who’s shot would rebound out to Rakell.
When the series switched to Plymouth, Gianluca picked up another assist in a 6-4 Knights win. With the Whalers trailing 3-0, including two shorthanded goals by potential Blue Jacket Bo Horvat (please Jarmo please), Curcuruto stickhandled and sent the puck in deep with Garrett Meurs picking it up to find Tom Wilson for his fourth goal of the series. Game four would go a little better with the teams being tied at two after twenty minutes. With the Whalers trailing 4-2 in the second, Gianluca found Garrett Meurs who’d fire a rocket past Stolarz for his sixth of the playoffs but the Whalers would fall 6-4 in the game four loss.
Game five would be a wild one with the Knights taking a 4-0 lead until late in the second period when the Whalers would begin the comeback. Gianluca picked up an assist on Plymouth’s first goal and would strike again after Meurs and Rakell scored two minutes apart. It was then time for “The Crimson Chin” to make his mark: Gianluca would curl around near the blueline snapping a shot that would beat a screened Stolarz. Another potential Jacket, Max Domi (again, please Jarmo), who had five points in the 5-4 win would end Gianluca and the Whaler’s season 20 seconds into overtime. The change of scenery helped Gianluca have a career year picking up 47 points in 64 games after scoring 42 in 119 games. As for next season, Gianluca could take on a bigger role with two defensemen running out of CHL eligibility.
There you have it folks! As for my next update, hopefully I’m writing about the Falcons in the Semifinals and the ninth appearance in ten years of at least one Blue Jackets prospect in the Memorial Cup.
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