Springfield's 5-1 win helped salvage the weekend and was keyed by a sterling effort from goalie Paul Dainton.
Springfield Falcon Alexandre Giroux (12) and teammate Cam Atkinson battle for a loose puck with the Manchester Monarchs' Linden Vay during the first period at the MassMutual Center Sunday.SPRINGFIELD – After absorbing a seven-goal loss Saturday night, the Springfield Falcons needed a quick turnaround.
They got it Sunday afternoon as they charged to a 5-1 American Hockey League victory over the Manchester Monarchs before 2,896 at the MassMutual Center.
With that, the Falcons bailed out of an up-and-down weekend that also included an overtime loss. The three points kept them right in the tight Northeast Division race.
Goaltender Paul Dainton did his part with a stellar performance, coming within 1:08 of posting the Springfield club’s first shutout victory.
However, by the time Robbie Czarnik scored for the visitors on a power play, the Falcons had put their stamp on this one.
They started early. Wade MacLeod banged home his fourth goal of the season at 1:48 of the first period, and the Birds winged on from there.
“It was good to see Wade get on the board like that. He’s been a strong two-way player for us,” Falcons coach Rob Riley said.
Cam Atkinson notched his 27th goal to make it 2-0 early in the second period. Eight minutes later, Matt Calvert’s hustling play behind the net resulted in his 11th goal on a nicely done wraparound.
In that crucial period, Dainton stopped one shorthanded breakaway with a last-second slide to the left. Then, when the Monarchs threatened to cut into Springfield’s 2-0 lead, Dainton robbed Czarnik on a bullet from the left slot by diving to his left and gloving the puck like a first baseman fielding a low throw.
“Paul had a great second period for us,” Riley said.
The former University of Massachusetts goaltender posted his fifth victory since rejoining the Falcons on emergency recall from the ECHL Jan. 23. Of his 24-save performance, he said, “The guys did a great job of puck management in front of me.”
In the third period, the Falcons didn’t sit back. Instead, they maintained their attack, rewarded with goals from veterans Andrew Joudrey and Alexandre Giroux, his 17th.
Giroux scored on a down-the-middle breakaway. After rifling home his shot, he wound up in the net with goaltender Jeff Zatkoff.
The Falcons got a big defensive lift from 222-pound Dalton Prout, who was returned to their roster after a two-day recall by their parent club, the Columbus Blue Jackets.
“Dalton had a great game,” Riley said. “He’s a man out there, taking the body and helping his teammates with a lot of minutes. He’s really developed since the start of the season.”
Manchester had a shot on goal at 1:40 of the first, then went without another for the rest of the period – a tribute to the way the Falcons were ragging the puck.
During that blanking, the Monarchs couldn’t even get a shot off during a four-minute power play, the result of a double penalty to Springfield defenseman Tim Cullity.
ICE CHIPS: The Falcons had a six-second power play in the first period, ended by a penalty to Atkinson ... With the return of Prout, defenseman Brett Motherwell was sent back to the Chicago Express of the ECHL ... Pupils from St. Stanislaus School of Chicopee sang “God Bless America” before the game. They were followed by a chorus from the Fause School ... The Falcons have Monday off before getting back to work for games at Hartford Friday, and at home against Providence Saturday and Worcester Sunday.
Garry Brown can be reached at geeman1918@yahoo.com