Due to a road trip to Springfield and a busy week I’ll be recapping the past two weeks all together. For your reading pleasure, we’ve decided to break this into two halves – the first will be today – including our affiliate teams and European prospects and the North American update will run tomorrow. Let’s get to it!
Starting off on Friday night against Manchester, the Springfield Falcons rolled to a 3-1 lead but ultimately fell 4-3 in overtime breaking their six game win streak. The Monarchs took a 1-0 lead 9:05 into the first until late in the period Cody Bass sent a pass to a streaking Ryan Craig who scored before running into the Monarchs goalie. 25 seconds later, the Falcons would strike again when Frederic St Denis fired a shot that Jean Francois Berube would stop but the rebound would come out with Jonathan Marchessault (with some help from Tim Miller sitting on Berube) making it 2-1. Early in the second, the Falcons converted on a power play when Darryl Boyce and Sean Collins created havoc in front with a Monarchs player hand passing the puck to Boyce who passed the puck to Cody Goloubef who fired a blast to make it 3-1. After that it’d be all Monarchs. They scored three straight, including the tying goal, with just over five minutes left. The game winning goal came 1:19 into overtime. Jeremy Smith made 26 saves in the loss.
As for Saturday’s game I traveled to Springfield to see it live. The MassMutual Center is located in downtown Springfield and, like the WFCU Centre in Windsor, the arena looks new from the outside but when you get inside it reminds you of the old barns of minor league hockey. As for the game, the Falcons opened the scoring when, 6:45 into the game, Ilari Melart fired a slapshot that would bounce off the post. Dalton Smith would take the rebound in for his second of the season. The Falcons dominated the period outshooting the Pirates 14-5. In the second period, the Falcons struck again on a modified five on three with a Pirate missing his stick and another favoring an ankle after blocking an Ilari Melart slapshot. Darryl Boyce fired a shot that Spencer Machacek would tip past Mark Visentin. In the third period, Machacek would strike again when Chris Summers tried to chip it ahead but Machacek intercepted it and shot from the center red line. Mike McKenna would make 26 saves for his second straight shutout in the 3-0 win. Mike would be named first star but during his first star interview, Mike said that a shutout doesn’t make him first star automatically and he directly praised his teammates. The back to back shutouts and a 4-1 record would help Mike be named CCM/AHL Goaltender of the Month.
Some other player notes from watching in person:
- As much as he was a star his first two seasons Jonathan Marchessault was a ghost but he was on what would be considered a grind line with Cody Bass and Jean-Francois Jacques.
- Ilari Melart, despite Falcons fans telling me he hasn’t been as physical as reported in training camp, wasn’t the terror I expected (other than one big hit) but he was on the ice for all three goals.
- Mike McKenna was solid stopping more than one breakaway and not giving up many rebounds.
Last week the Falcons opened the week on Wednesday with a game against the Albany Devils in which the Falcons fell 6-4. The Falcons opened the scoring 5:54 into the game when Ryan Craig collected a Jonathan Marchessault rebound on the power play. The Devils scored three straight goals before Jean-Francois Jacques would score a quasi-Rick Nash goal (he backed in) to make it 3-2. Exactly two minutes later, Ryan Craig struck again when a Devils defender poke checked it away from Michael Chaput and the puck went to Craig who tied it at three. Very late in the second period, the Falcons took the lead when Spencer Machacek corralled a Cody Goloubef point shot and sent it out in front with Michael Chaput getting the puck and scoring to give the Falcons the lead. The Devils scored three straight to earn the win including the tying goal just a minute into the third period. Jeremy Smith made 31 saves in the loss in his first game as the Falcons go-to goalie with Mike McKenna’s recall to Columbus due to Sergei Bobrovsky’s injury.
The Falcons played Hartord the next night before embarking on a six game road trip. The Falcons again opened the scoring three minutes in when Dalton Smith banged home a Tim Erixon rebound. The Falcons struck again with one second left on the power play when Patrick McNeil fired a blast from the point. After the Falcons allowed two second period goals they got back to scoring with 1:01 remaining in the second period. The play would start when the Pack tried to get it out but Frederic St. Denis was able to fire a shot that was blocked but Broc Little got his stick on it to score the game winner. Jeremy Smith made 19 saves in the 3-2 victory.
The Falcons finished the week with another game against the Wolfpack and picked up a 4-2 victory on Sunday. Darryl Boyce and Sean Collins gave the Falcons a 2- 0 lead in the first period with both scoring on backhands. The Wolfpack scored the only goal of the second period making it a 2-1 game. The Falcons scored twice in the third to make it 4-2. Jonathan Marchessault potted his second game winner of the season 3:25 into the third when he drove down the left wing and fired a wrist shot. Alex Aleardi made it 4-2 three minutes later. The Pack got another late in the third to make it 4-2. Jeremy Smith had 33 saves in the victory – joining five other AHL goalies with at least 10 wins.
Thomas Larkin would be held off the score sheet in the Evansville IceMen’s first three games before picking up three assists in back to back wins over Toledo. His points tally included one on the game winner in a 6-5 overtime win.
Alexander Wennberg-Frolunda (SHL)
Season Stats 29GP 11-2-13 E 6PIM
Alexander and the Indians opened their recent stretch with a 3-2 overtime loss to Lulea in a game that Alexander would play 16:42 but be held scoreless. In the team’s next win Alexander had his second multi goal game scoring two goals in a 4-3 victory. Wennberg opened the scoring when he tipped a point shot through the goalie’s five hole. His second goal was another deflection – bouncing off his ankle and off a defenders leg. Alexander was held scoreless in a 3-2 loss to AIK playing 13:51.
Alexander picked up just his second assist of the season in a 3-2 win over MODO. With the game tied 1-1 Alexander corralled a rebound sending a cross crease pass to Dick Axelsson to make it 2-1. The young Swede scored his 11th goal of the season in a 3-0 win over Brynas. Alexander made it 2-0 when he corralled a loose puck and snapped a shot in the slot. It was announced that Alexander would play for Team Sweden in the World Juniors being one of nine returning players and one of my Swedish sources, Uffe Bodin, believes he could be named captain if Carolina doesn’t release Elias Lindholm which I doubt they will.
Anton Forsberg-MODO (SHL)
Season Stats 15GP 9-6 2.46GAA .920Sv%
Anton got the start against Leksands making 34 saves in a 4-2 victory. Anton then got a night off in an overtime win over Lulea before going back into the crease for one of his worst games of the season in which he allowed six goals on 24 shots in a 6-2 loss to Skelleftea. Anton didn’t play in a game against Frolunda in which MODO lost 3-2 nor would he see time in a 3-2 loss to Leksands. Anton finally went back into the crease and had another rough one allowing five goals on 21 shots in a 6-3 loss to Farjestads.
Daniel Zaar-Rogle BK (Allsvenskan)
Season Stats 29GP 8-7-15 -1 16PIM
Daniel was held off the scoresheet in back to back games with Rogle going 1-1 with Daniel playing just over 12 minutes in both games. Daniel would pick up an assist on Dennis Everberg’s goal in a 3-1 Rogle win. With the game tied Daniel would lead the rush up the ice he’d send a cross rink pass to Andreas Lilja who’d find Everberg in front to make it 2-1. Daniel would pick up his fifth multi point game scoring a goal and a assist in a 3-2 loss to Djurgarden. With Rogle trailing 2-0 Dennis Everberg would collect a rebound in front finding a wide open Daniel snapping a shot to make it 2-1. Daniel’s assist came late in the second period when he passed the puck to Victor Berglund whose point shot was tipped by Dennis Everberg. Daniel was named second star in the 3-2 Rogle loss. Daniel was held scoreless in a shootout loss to Sodertalje SK.
Markus Soberg-Frolunda J20
Final First Half Stats 27GP 16-10-26 +10 28PIM
Markus and the baby Indians finished the first half of the J20 season first in the league going 16-6-5. Markus was held scoreless in losses to Malmo and Linkopings. Markus finally found his way back to the scoresheet picking up a goal and an assist in a 5-1 win over Sodertalje SK. He scored two goals but missed in the shootout of a 4-3 shootout loss to Vaxjo Lakers and was held scoreless in a 3-1 loss to HV71. Markus finished the first half as the Indians’ second leading scorer and led the team in goals. Before Markus and the Indians play in the Superelit Top 10 Markus will play for Team Norway in the World Junior Championships. Markus is the only drafted player on the Polar Bears with every player but one eligible for the 2014 draft.
Marko Dano-HC Slovan Bratislava (KHL)
Season Stats 33GP 2-2-4 -11 24PIM
Marko was held scoreless in the EaglePenguins first four games before scoring his first goal since opening night back in early September. In a game in which the Birds would wear special purple jerseys for pediatric cancer and get two goals from Miroslav Satan (no really), Dano scored in the third period to tie it at three. Martin Bakos won a board battle, took a shot and Dano picked up the rebound to score the tying goal. Slovan would add two more goals to pick up a 5-3 victory (catchy tune in the highlights by the way).
Tomorrow, we will run the full update on our North American prospects and next week I should have updates for Oliver and Denmark in the World Juniors Division 1. Hockeysfuture posted an update on the Jackets CHL prospects with info from just before this update started.
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