This time it was the Albany Devils who completed the three game lost weekend of the Falcons. The final score was 3-2.
The Falcons played well enough to win all three weekend games, but simply couldn’t capitalize on any breaks. The losses of the weekend were also unfortunate, as they were against three divisional rivals.
Sunday’s game started out on the right foot when Ryan Garlock scored his first goal of the season on a nice feed from Wade MacLeod. The Falcons couldn’t buy another goal until the final minute of play in the hockey game.
The Devils answered Garlock’s tally with a power play goal by Steve Zalewski at 8:51 of the first. Stephane Veilleux gave the Devils the lead at 17:42 when he and Steve Bernier converted on a 2 on 1 break.
Less than a minute later, Springfield goalie Manny Legace stood tall when he shut down Matt Anderson on a penalty shot attempt.
The second period saw the score remain 2-1, the Falcons for the third straight game outshot their opponents, extending their advantage in this one with a 15 shot outburst in the period. Keith Kinkaid was on his game, rejecting all 15 shots by Springfield.
Much like the second period, the third period was a defensive battle. In the waning minutes, as Legace was pulled for the extra attacker, a Devils clearing shot hit Manny in the skate as he entered the Falcons bench.
The puck stopped and Stephen Gionta was in the right place at the right time, banging the one timer home to give the Devils a two goal lead with 1:21 remaining.
After the puck was dropped, Legace again quickly made his way to the bench. The Falcons attack was furious, leading one to wonder where was this pressure over the past three days. Matt Calvert scored his second goal of the season, assisted by Cam Atkinson and Nick Holden at 19:09. The pressure continued for the final 50 seconds, but the Falcons fell just short, dropping the game 3-2.
The Falcons return to action Friday night in Worcester when they take on the Sharks.