MCELHINNEY NAMED CCM/AHL GOALTENDER OF THE MONTH
Springfield, Mass. - Curtis McElhinney of the Springfield Falcons has been named the CCM/AHL Goaltender of the Month for October, the American Hockey League announced on Thursday. McElhinney is the second netminder in franchise history to win this award and first since Jonathan Boutin garnered it in December of 2006.
McElhinney went 5-1-0-0 in October, posting a .949 save percentage, a 1.51 goals-against average, and two shutouts. The 29-year-old's win and shutout totals tied for the most in the league during the first month of the regular season, while his save percentage was fourth best and goals-against average ranked fifth. McElhinney collected his first shutout on Oct. 14 against Adirondack, making 31 saves to stifle the Phantoms in a 4-0 Springfield win. He notched his second perfect outing on Oct. 26 in the club's fifth game of the season, setting aside all 33 shots in a 3-0 victory as the Falcons blanked the Providence Bruins on the road for the first time since Mar. 24, 2002. The quickest Springfield had ever reached two shutouts to start a season had been 20 games in 1994-1995 prior to McElhinney doing it twice in the opening five contests. McElhinney also recorded victories on Oct. 13 over the St. John's IceCaps, Oct. 19 versus the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, and on Oct. 28 against his former club, the Portland Pirates.
With McElhinney's help, Springfield went 5-1-0-1 in October, tying the best start through seven games in franchise history, and won its first three games for the first time in the club's 19-year run.
This marks the second time in McElhinney's career that the Denver, Colo. resident has received this award. The eighth-year pro was named the AHL's Goaltender of the Month in April of 2007 while playing with the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights. In 161-career AHL outings, McElhinney is 79-63-5 with a .915 save percentage, a 2.36 goals-against average, and 15 shutouts. He has appeared in 69 NHL contests with Calgary, Anaheim, Ottawa, and Phoenix.
In recognition of his achievement, McElhinney will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming Falcons home game.
The Falcons welcome the Hershey Bears to the MassMutual Center for the only time in 2012-2013 on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. The first 1,000 fans 12 and under in attendance will receive a free lunchbox courtesy of New England Pathology Associates. Prior to the game, Westfield State University and Western New England University will battle for the Fifth Annual Falcons Cup at 3:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the MassMutual Center Box Office. After an idle Saturday, Springfield closes out the weekend with the first of 12 meetings with the Connecticut Whale, as the Falcons head to the XL Center on Sunday at 7:00 p.m.
Single-game tickets to see the Falcons in 2012-2013 can be purchased at the MassMutual Center Box Office from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. through game time on Saturday home dates, and starting four hours prior to Sunday home contests. Fans can also purchase tickets by logging onto Ticketmaster.com.
