I've been pretty busy lately, but I have been keeping my eye on a few things. Most notably the Springfield Falcons because, well, they're local. (#yourtownyourteam) They have won their last 3 after an overtime loss got them over the .000% hump. They have moved up over Portland and have only played eight games. Granted its a shorter season and eight games is a lot more than what its worth in the NHL, but its still less than most on the leader board. If they maintain the momentum, they could end their first 10 above .500, something entirely possible given that they face the bottom seeded Portland Pirates followed by the Soundtigers whom they already beat the next night.
What is impressive is the shift in momentum. Following that over time loss to the Baby Pens, Springfield has out scored opponents 16-4. Its becoming an outright domination spree the past three games. Granted the opponents they have won against were a .500 Rochester team, a (barely) sub .500 team, and the Bridgeport Dark Horses. While they don't seem to be topping the front-runners per-say, they are pretty good middle of the pack teams. They are showing there is a lot to be optimistic about, but need to demonstrate more. If they can hand Bridgeport another loss in their building on a back to back night, Then it should be a good sign they are going to claw their way out of it.
Falcons will be an interesting story. They have a first year coach and looked abysmal in their first few games, getting absolutely dominated at home. Part of me thinks the organization is working on damage control to try to get the fans back in it. Mass Mutual was nuts opening day. The Falcons only scored two goals in their first three games at home and that does have an effect on a fan base, and in this league, it seems like a team doing poorly can be easily forgotten. The games are over AM radio in a city where AM stations don't carry. If the Falcons sustain this, will the fans come back? If the fans don't come back will the Falcons sustain their excellence?
The Falcons are close to redeeming the season, but what they need might not come soon enough. What they need is a statement game. They have some tomato cans lined up, and some above .500 teams they will be facing too, but nothing more impressive than Bridgeport. If they beat down the Soundtigers, I'll be watching, however, if they beat down the Wolfpack, in Hartford, in dominant fashion? That might get the whole city's interest.
#YourTownYourTeam
Showing posts with label Springfield Falcons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Springfield Falcons. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Monday, October 12, 2015
Post Game: Hershey Bears vs Springfield Falcons
That got ugly quick.
But first things first. It is clear that the Falcons bought into providing a better presentation this year. They have a new jumbotron that looks like it takes up half the ice. It is beautiful and all to often I found myself looking at it as the glass was rattling six inches away from my face. They are giving fans every reason they possible could to buy into this product, taking the jump and the leap that are light years superior to products of the past.
Well, in terms of presentation that is...
Springfield had a good start to the game. Puck handling was a little sloppy all around, but it was comparable hockey, and it could have just been the condition of the ice. The first major problem was a blown 5-3 that the Falcons couldn't capitalize on. Neither team could capitalize on any of their 5-3 power plays. There were 3-4 of them so special situations defense was strong or offense was weak.
What was really weak was Springfield goal tending. In the first period, Springfield goalie Truetle looked way out of his league and definitely not ready for the start. Springfield has a new coach for the AHL this year, maybe he thought a new untested goalie might bring a spark to the new team? Whatever the reason, Truetle looked unready, posting a save percentage of .833 % on thirty shots, but a lot of soft goals with clear lanes and looks.
After one period the Falcons were already down 2-1, with a good goal on a 2 on 1 break away that gave me confidence about the Falcons maybe coming back and making it competitive, but then period 2 happened. I don't think the Falcons got a single puck on net. They got chippy and got dumb penalties. In that period they did manage to kill off one of the 5-3s but, ooh, ugly. Two more goals with no answer.
It didn't seem like the Falcons were communicating. They were banking pucks with nobody knowing where they were going. They tried to break through the blue line by passing into the areas of tightest coverage, or carry it over themselves when open guys could have had an easier time. The ice didn't help, a lot of slipping and falling but there was much to improve upon.
The Bears however proved why they were part of the class of the AHL. Their 5-3 defense was astounding. They played nice and tight, didn't chase and didn't let grant many opportunities. They were disruptive in the neutral zone. It's always hard determining credit or blame in a game this lop-sided. Maybe the Bears are just that good, or maybe the Falcons are just that bad this year, its hard to tell. Springfield might be in for a long year.
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| Eddie Shore would not be happy. |
But first things first. It is clear that the Falcons bought into providing a better presentation this year. They have a new jumbotron that looks like it takes up half the ice. It is beautiful and all to often I found myself looking at it as the glass was rattling six inches away from my face. They are giving fans every reason they possible could to buy into this product, taking the jump and the leap that are light years superior to products of the past.
Well, in terms of presentation that is...
 |
| Massive new Jumbotron |
Springfield had a good start to the game. Puck handling was a little sloppy all around, but it was comparable hockey, and it could have just been the condition of the ice. The first major problem was a blown 5-3 that the Falcons couldn't capitalize on. Neither team could capitalize on any of their 5-3 power plays. There were 3-4 of them so special situations defense was strong or offense was weak.
What was really weak was Springfield goal tending. In the first period, Springfield goalie Truetle looked way out of his league and definitely not ready for the start. Springfield has a new coach for the AHL this year, maybe he thought a new untested goalie might bring a spark to the new team? Whatever the reason, Truetle looked unready, posting a save percentage of .833 % on thirty shots, but a lot of soft goals with clear lanes and looks.
After one period the Falcons were already down 2-1, with a good goal on a 2 on 1 break away that gave me confidence about the Falcons maybe coming back and making it competitive, but then period 2 happened. I don't think the Falcons got a single puck on net. They got chippy and got dumb penalties. In that period they did manage to kill off one of the 5-3s but, ooh, ugly. Two more goals with no answer.
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| Falcons Celebrate their only goal |
It didn't seem like the Falcons were communicating. They were banking pucks with nobody knowing where they were going. They tried to break through the blue line by passing into the areas of tightest coverage, or carry it over themselves when open guys could have had an easier time. The ice didn't help, a lot of slipping and falling but there was much to improve upon.
The Bears however proved why they were part of the class of the AHL. Their 5-3 defense was astounding. They played nice and tight, didn't chase and didn't let grant many opportunities. They were disruptive in the neutral zone. It's always hard determining credit or blame in a game this lop-sided. Maybe the Bears are just that good, or maybe the Falcons are just that bad this year, its hard to tell. Springfield might be in for a long year.
Saturday, October 10, 2015
Who to Watch: Opening Night Pt. 2
So tonight is opening night for the rest of the league. After last night's mixed results there are a lot more options to check out tonight.
On the slate: Moose and Marlies, Falcons and Bears Baby Pens and Sound Tigers, Amerks and Comets, Ice Caps and Wolfpack, Crunch and Phantoms, Devils and Senators, Checkers and Wild, Admirals and Wolves. Rampage and Stars, Reign and Condors, Griffins and Gulls, Icehogs and Heat.
A lot of games, with Moose and Marlies going back to back after a decent game last night. Icehogs and Amerks also coming off of a win. Top three games in no particular order:
3. Hershey Bears at Springfield Falcons
Get ready Springfield, your new look Falcons should be more competitive. I will be there live at the game providing the in depth coverage all two of my readers expect of me. Keep an eye on this game by following me on twitter, @dmenty17.
2. Rochester Americans and Utica Comets
Comets have had a meteoric rise, so the question is can the Amerks follow up their home opening win with another against a stronger opponent. Plus, the Amerks radio broadcasters are pretty entertaining. Might be worth a listen just to hear them babble on.
1. Grand Rapids Giffins and San Diego Gulls
Both have pretty talented big brothers. In the past the Griffins were pretty good, and the AHL affiliate for the Ducks, not as much. However, the Gulls did pretty good in the lower prospect leagues. The big questions are if the Gulls are going to pull in the numbers and gain the energy to help make them more competitive in the new market. Hockey isn't new to the city, but now its a bigger hockey stage. I wanna see how the new energy and uniforms translate to their performance.
PS. Screw you Condors. It's you and the Wolfpack that are my rock-bottom most hated teams. I hope you lose all your games. You know what you did.
On the slate: Moose and Marlies, Falcons and Bears Baby Pens and Sound Tigers, Amerks and Comets, Ice Caps and Wolfpack, Crunch and Phantoms, Devils and Senators, Checkers and Wild, Admirals and Wolves. Rampage and Stars, Reign and Condors, Griffins and Gulls, Icehogs and Heat.
A lot of games, with Moose and Marlies going back to back after a decent game last night. Icehogs and Amerks also coming off of a win. Top three games in no particular order:
3. Hershey Bears at Springfield Falcons
Get ready Springfield, your new look Falcons should be more competitive. I will be there live at the game providing the in depth coverage all two of my readers expect of me. Keep an eye on this game by following me on twitter, @dmenty17.
2. Rochester Americans and Utica Comets
Comets have had a meteoric rise, so the question is can the Amerks follow up their home opening win with another against a stronger opponent. Plus, the Amerks radio broadcasters are pretty entertaining. Might be worth a listen just to hear them babble on.
1. Grand Rapids Giffins and San Diego Gulls
Both have pretty talented big brothers. In the past the Griffins were pretty good, and the AHL affiliate for the Ducks, not as much. However, the Gulls did pretty good in the lower prospect leagues. The big questions are if the Gulls are going to pull in the numbers and gain the energy to help make them more competitive in the new market. Hockey isn't new to the city, but now its a bigger hockey stage. I wanna see how the new energy and uniforms translate to their performance.
PS. Screw you Condors. It's you and the Wolfpack that are my rock-bottom most hated teams. I hope you lose all your games. You know what you did.
Thursday, September 10, 2015
Schedule Dissection Part 2: The Traveling.
As I am trying to dig deeper into the AHL, I'm finally getting into the media aspect, This is more along the lines of the things I would like to get into, especially once the heavy lifting get out of the way, but more or less, about a week ago, Falcons TV posted this video:
This relates back to my schedule blog way back when, The video is pretty dry, and goes over a lot of the technicalities of how the schedule comes together. It sounds like a logistical nightmare. I mean, did you see this board?
Look at that thing. Its all yellow squares and black stars and orange circles, maroon hexagons, green hexagons, blue trapezoids scattershot over magnets and squares. John Nash himself would walk up to that thing and go, "Oh, screw this." I mean, don't they have an app for this yet?
But aside from that, there are a few key issues I think its worth touching upon really quick.
1. Scheduling is important for competition and marketing of the team. I think there are ways the AHL could market itself better, and hey, different blog for a different day, but this goes right back to what I said before: The schedule needs more balance. The limitations for travel expenses put a huge hit on this but if the schedule is more balanced, it gives those divisional rivals more meaning and make the games more important. Yes, more people will want to see the Providence Bruins if they live in Springfield because they are probably Boston Bruins fans, and so forth, but too many games against one opponent and there's less urgency to go to it. For thirteen bucks, you can catch them the next time they're in town.
2. Dove tailing off of that, AHL might be spreading itself too thin. With less teams local, that means travel expenses go up, and that makes it hard to fit in the rest time, get greater opponent diversity, and build that culture of rivalries that get people to the games.
3. The NHL puts on tough restrictions. Here is what I don't get about that, they have to regulate the rest and the games per week, which is good for a player but what about player development? Wouldn't a schedule more similar to the NHL, though perhaps less intense, be infinitely more beneficial in the long run?
4. The AHL probably needs a little more oversight. I may be reading into this too much, but the impression I got was the teams draft their opponents and then the pieces get tied together. What could probably help with this is some better regulation. I get budget constraints but if the product is suffering because of the schedule, those budget constraints will only get tighter.
But, this is all leading to the four things that need to go better to fix the scheduling problem:
This relates back to my schedule blog way back when, The video is pretty dry, and goes over a lot of the technicalities of how the schedule comes together. It sounds like a logistical nightmare. I mean, did you see this board?
But aside from that, there are a few key issues I think its worth touching upon really quick.
1. Scheduling is important for competition and marketing of the team. I think there are ways the AHL could market itself better, and hey, different blog for a different day, but this goes right back to what I said before: The schedule needs more balance. The limitations for travel expenses put a huge hit on this but if the schedule is more balanced, it gives those divisional rivals more meaning and make the games more important. Yes, more people will want to see the Providence Bruins if they live in Springfield because they are probably Boston Bruins fans, and so forth, but too many games against one opponent and there's less urgency to go to it. For thirteen bucks, you can catch them the next time they're in town.
2. Dove tailing off of that, AHL might be spreading itself too thin. With less teams local, that means travel expenses go up, and that makes it hard to fit in the rest time, get greater opponent diversity, and build that culture of rivalries that get people to the games.
3. The NHL puts on tough restrictions. Here is what I don't get about that, they have to regulate the rest and the games per week, which is good for a player but what about player development? Wouldn't a schedule more similar to the NHL, though perhaps less intense, be infinitely more beneficial in the long run?
4. The AHL probably needs a little more oversight. I may be reading into this too much, but the impression I got was the teams draft their opponents and then the pieces get tied together. What could probably help with this is some better regulation. I get budget constraints but if the product is suffering because of the schedule, those budget constraints will only get tighter.
But, this is all leading to the four things that need to go better to fix the scheduling problem:
- NHL needs to better support their affiliate.
- AHL needs to do a better job at selling itself.
- AHL fans, NHL fans, hockey fans and general public need to do a better job of buying in.
- AHL has to take some risks to get a better product so #3 is more sustainable and successful.
There will be more on those points soon. Trust me on that one.
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
Springfield Falcons: Games to Gun For
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| Picture courtesy of Dinur, creative commons |
First up on the slate are the teams I'm closest to locally. Since I have studied the Falcons Schedule more, in part due to work obligations, I have come up with a list of top 5 opponents to target in regards to games to see.
First things first.
Home opener: October 10th
Opponent: Hershey Bears
Analysis: This is a great game to go see. Its on a Saturday, the team is still optimistic and hopeful as they don't have a losing record yet, and they're playing against a team that has won the Calder Cup the most throughout history. Springfield and Hershey are pretty much the AHL's version of the Original Six so its a great game to go to, filled with history and a divisional rivalry. Plus these teams will only meet up 4 times throughout the year so this is a great chance for people in the Springfield area to see a team they won't have too many chances to see.
Opponents to watch out for:
1. Hartford Wolfpack.
This is the dead give away. They face each other eight times and the beauty of the rivalry is they are so close geographically you can drive to Hartford and catch all eight. And the two teams clearly aren't on good terms, as their twitter accounts will show. Hartford and Springfield are always going to be a fun game.
2. Providence Bruins
If you live in Mass, you're probably a Bruins fan, which is what makes the 14 times these teams meet so special. It's a rivalry without hate. Good competitive hockey while Bruins fans get a chance to see the prospects that will be called up when injuries happen. Plus, they are a divisional opponent so even if your interest is more invested in the Falcons, its still an extra edge to the competition.
3. Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
This is a good one to love to hate. The Flyers are a big rival to the Bruins, you love to hate them, and the Phantoms are a divisional rival to the Falcons. A lot of hate to go around. If the Wolfpack is the most hated rival, Phantoms would do well as a second place team in this instance.
4. Wilkes-Scranton Penguins
Like the Phantoms, but probably a little bit less hated by the NHL Bruins fans. They're also a divisional rival so its good to help support the rivalry.
5. Syracuse Crunch
Not a divisional rival, or an affiliate rival, but their affiliate did go to the Stanley Cup last year, so they are worth checking out. Plus they have a pretty good reputation for starting fights, which means there will be a high likelihood of a fight. They play the Falcons only four times so it would be a good one to shoot for if you can.
Honorable Mentions:
Bridgeport Soundtigers - They're also very local, southern Connecticut, which helps the rivalry. They just haven't been competitive. They made the playoffs once and got knocked out in the first round, and have had last place finishes three times since 2011. It's nice to go to for a nice win though.
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