Falcons Maul Hartford Score 10 Times

06 Nov 2012 | By Gerry Cantlon

Eurohockey.com HARTFORD,CT-It was a perfect homecoming for Swedish defenseman Tim Erixon.

He was simply dominating in the first period tallying a goal and two assists for the Springfield Falcons against the team he played with just a year ago and finished the night with four points, a plus six and earned the game's first star easily in a 10-2 romp over the Connecticut Whale.

Czech forward Tomas Kubalik was a part of the 14 player getting a point scoring parade with goal and assit and was a plus 5, Jonathan Audy-Marchessault had a goal and two assists and was a plus 4 and Nick Holden had three assists and was a plus two.

Erixon, acquired by Columbus Blue Jackets in the off season in the Rick Nash trade was involved in all three goals in the first period as the Falcons buzzed all around the CT Whale like they were beached.

Erixon snuck in from the point found himself all alone at the right side of the Whale net and banged in the rebound of an equally wide open Czech winger Tomas Kubalik at 3:54.

Then he led a rush from his own zone and found current teammate and from last year Jonathan Audy-Marchessault who zipped down the left wing and past Whale defenseman Blake Parlatt and cut in front and slipped his 4th of the young season past Whale netminder Cam Talbot at 11:53.

Then 23 seconds later Erixon's golden touch continued when he made a perfect diagonal pass off the left wing boards inside the blue line to a wide open Nick Drazenovic on the right wing who buried the puck past Talbot for his 3rd of the season at 12:16.

"It was just one of those nights where it was going my way and the team's way, I feel I've been playing well all season but just haven't been getting the bounces, but tonight everything was working, which is always nice, of course, " said Erixon, who made first trip to the visitors' side of the XL Center rink.

"It was a little special coming back and seeing all my old friends and teammates. I was skating around in warmups looking at them and laughing, so it was great to be back. I always enjoyed myself playing at the XL Center, and it was fun game for us, of course. We tried to play a North-South game with our speed, and I think we did that for most of the game."

Exit Talbot after just 11 shots who had single handedly won the Whale game Friday in Albany for the Whale for rookie Jason Missiaen.

Kubalik, right out of the penalty box serving a Springfield bench minor outraced a slew of Whale players and fired a wrist shot 5 hole on Missiaen and a 5-0 Falcons lead and the red light was burning for the Falcons.

The Falcons kept pouring it on as defenseman Nick Holden alone at the left point drilled a low slapshot that redirected by Ryan Johansen past Missiaen for a 4-0 lead at 3:56.

The Falcons continued their onslaught as Marchessault outraced the Whale's defenseman Matt Gilroy to a loose puck on the right wing and then whirled a blind backhand pass in front to center Ryan Johansen and he deflected the puck top shelf over the left shoulder of the 6'8 Missiaen at 16:23 for his second goal in a row and 5th of the season and a commanding 6-0 Springfield lead.

"It was a good way to bounce back (after a 3-2 shootout loss to Hershey on Friday night)," "It was a big game for us and a great game for us. We have to be better with some defensive stuff, but I think the strength of our team is that we went hard right from the get-go and played a strong 60 minutes. You have to be ready mentally, and tonight we played pretty good." remarked Audy-Marchessault, who was patrolling on the left wing with Kubalik and Ryan Johanson, after playing the right wing and center last season with the Whale.

"For sure it was special to come back to the XL Center for the first time, but I've got to get used to it. We're playing them 14 times, so I think we have to keep working and keep improving," said a grinning Marchessault who had plenty to smile about.

The Whale broke the shutout bid as Christian Thomas took a rare Falcons turnover fed winger Micheal Haley who fired a wrist shot from the top of the right wing faceoff circle and winger Tommy Grant alone in front out positioned Falcons defenseman John Moore for perfect top shelf deflection for a 6-1 Falcons lead.

The Falcons continue to own the Whale who scored at 1:40 of third period with Matt Gilroy beat a screened Curtis McElhinney on the powerplay.

Then at 6:48 Andrew Joudrey all alone on the right side backhanded Nick Holden rebound increasing the lead to 7-2. Then just 1:59 later Connecticut native and former Avon Old Farms Prep star Cam Atkinson snapped his fourth goal of the season into the net and a 8-2 lead.

The Falcons finished the onslaught as Michel Chaput racing up the left wing fired one low on the ice at 9:50 for his second of the season and then Drazenovic scored his second of the night from almost the same exact spot he scored his first Holden pass (his third assit) his 4th of the season.

The two team reunite Friday in Springfield at the Mass Mutual Center and Marchessault is already expecting a different team to be facing them.

"Gotta be ready every game because we play them Friday night and you know they are going to come out hard."

Across the way the Whale's head coach Ken Gernander who has been with the franchise since its inception was clearly upset with the performance and clearly was preparing its team for a week of tough practices.

"Ask some of our guys they feel they are NHL worthy or on the cusp of the NHL. If that is your mindset that you're an NHL player-there is some NHL competition (the Falcons) you better win some one on one battles," said Gernander sharply.

When asked by a reporter if the team could turn the page he reacted with a rising voice.

"You would have to flip the page back two pages, maybe even a third page back. Not that it hasn't come with a prologue, and they've been warned. I just don't turn the page."

NOTES: The Whale 10 goals broke the franchise record for goals allowed in a game done four times in Whale/Wolf Pack franchise history the last time in Toronto in February 2011 and done the first time against arch rival Providence in October 2000 the year the Wolf Pack won the Calder Cup…Whale defenseman Blake Parlatt and Mike Vernace were a minus three in the first period and finished minus four apiece for the night forwards Czech Marek Hrivik and rookie center Kyle Jean joined them at minus four. Defenseman Matt Gilroy was one worse at minus five….On the flipside, it was the most lopsided win in 13 years for the Falcons who beat Providence 14-2 on December 30,1999 the same season the Bruins would win the Calder Cup and Falcons now sit atop the division with a 6-1-0-2 record and 14 points….Mat t Calvert, Dalton Prout and Ryan Johansen each tallied two points for the Falcons.