The team was not deterred by numerous roster changes and landed a playoff berth for the first time since 2003.
Editor’s note: First in a series of articles leading up to the Springfield Falcons’ first playoff series since 2003.
SPRINGFIELD – Over the first three months of this hockey season, the Springfield Falcons got a combined 44 goals and 48 assists from Cam Atkinson, Ryan Johansen and Matt Calvert.
Then they were gone.
Over that same time span, the Falcons got blue-chip blue line work from John Moore and Tim Erixon. They anchored the defense, and quarterbacked an effective power play.
Then they were gone.
Hockey fans knew it would happen. They knew those players would be on their way to Springfield’s parent club, the Columbus Blue Jackets, when the NHL lockout ended. Some secretly wished it would last the full season, because this Springfield club was loaded.
Well, while fans fretted about the loss of prime-time players, Falcons coach Brad Larsen did no such thing. His mantra remained what it had been from Day One of training camp: “No matter who we have on the roster, our approach isn’t going to change. Play the structure we have in place, and pay attention to detail.”
How right he was. January – the month the lockout ended – proved to be his team’s best. The Falcons went 8-3-0-1, and remained at the top of their division for the rest of the season.
Even when they hit their only real slump – a six-game losing streak in March – they salvaged two points from it, then went on a five-game winning streak.
Oddly enough, the team has its worst showing in December, going 6-5-1-0 with all of its prime-time players still in the lineup.
The main thing, of course, is that this team made the playoffs, winning the Northeast Division title after taking first place on Oct. 26 and never yielding it. Thus, Saturday night at the MassMutual Center, Springfield fans will see their first postseason game since 2003.
In addition to the first wave of callups, the Falcons have seen seven others promoted to Columbus at various times – Dalton Prout, Nick Drazenovic, Nick Holden, Jonathan Audy-Marchessault, David Savard, Sean Collins and Michael Chaput.
For several reasons, the Falcons were able to withstand callups, injuries and trades. A deeper Blue Jackets parent organization certainly helped in that regard. So did Springfield’s resolute president and general manager Bruce Landon. Between them, they did an excellent job of bringing in players to keep the Springfield roster in good shape.
The strong leadership of first-year coach Larsen had a lot to do with the team’s success, but he deflects credit to his assistant coaches, Nolan Pratt and Jared Bednar, and the players themselves.
“They always believed they could win, no matter who was in the lineup on a given night,” Larsen said.
The first wave of NHL promotions allowed several players the chance to “step up,” as the coaches say. That group included forwards Wade MacLeod, Sean Collins, Dalton Smith, Jake Hansen, Tom Spencer, Scott Howes and Trent Vogelhuber, plus defenseman Theo Ruth and Will Weber.
The team had to carry on without MacLeod after Feb. 17, when he incurred a hit which felled him and led to an on-ice seizure. The scene was so scary the game had to be suspended near the end of the second period. MacLeod has not returned to the active roster.
Later in the season, the Falcons added Spencer Machacek, a power forward who came in a trade which sent Tomas Kubalik to the Winnipeg Jets organization.
Machacek, a seasoned AHL player, had been a full timer with St. John’s of the AHL, and moved into a similar role here.
Other late additions to the forward lines included Boone Jenner, one of the Columbus organization’s blue-chip prospects, Matthew Ford and Warren Moon. On defense, the Falcons made good moves when they added Mike Banwell, Austin Maidasky and Blake Parlett.
The above players blended well with a solid core – players who basically were with the Falcons from the start of training camp. That core consists of Ryan Craig, Drazenovic, Andrew Joudrey, Ryan Russell, Chaput and Audy-Marchessault, Holden and Savard.
Craig played in all of Springfield’s games. Holden, Audy-Marchessault, Chaput, Joudrey, Russell and Drazenovic also logged serious minutes over the course of the season. Parlett arrived in a deadline trade, but has played more than 70 games between here and his former team, the Connecticut Whale.
The Falcons also received valuable help from veteran defensemen Bryan Helmer and Greg Amadio. Although their playing time was limited, their very presence in the locker room provided lessons in leadership.
Another leader, though an injured one, is center Cody Bass. Hurt early in the season, he remained steadfast in his commitment to the team, and has made his way back into the lineup. Bass adds a great deal to the locker room chemistry which has played an important part in the Springfield club’s success.
Craig, a 10-year veteran of pro hockey, served as team captain, with Joudrey and Holden as alternates. Add Bass, Helmer, Drazenovic and Amadio to that mix, and the Falcons have a solid leadership corps.
As for the important goaltending department, Curtis McElhinney came to training camp fully recovered from injuries which had ended his 2011-12 season with the Portland Pirates in January. Signed by the Blue Jackets in July, he made it clear from Day One that he intended to be Springfield’s No. 1 goaltender. He went on to become an “iron man,” playing 40-plus games, setting a Springfield season-record for shutouts with nine and winning his team’s most valuable player award.
Allen York battled injuries at times, but played well as McElhinney’s backup when his opportunities came. The Falcons also got emergency help in the nets from former UMass captain Paul Dainton.
In addition to losing MacLeod long term, the Falcons had to go without Bass for most of the season, and Howes for a long period. Goalies York and Dainton also incurred injuries which sent them to the disabled list.
Altogether, the Falcons needed 43 players to get through the season. The number includes five who were here for only a short time – defensemen Pat Cullity and Tom Larkin, and forwards Chris Reed, Chris Collins and Alex Aleardi.
This Springfield club proved itself by playing well both at home and on the road.
As Larsen said, “We expect to play the same way no matter where the game is.”
Given that, bring on the playoffs. These Falcons look ready.