DAINTON ASSIGNED TO ICEMEN

Springfield, Mass. - The Springfield Falcons, AHL affiliate of the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets, announced on Tuesday that they have assigned goaltender Paul Dainton to their ECHL developmental club, the Evansville IceMen.

A second-year pro, Dainton is 1-3-1 with the Falcons this season, posting a .930 save percentage and a 2.22 goals-against average in five appearances. As a rookie in 2011-2012, Dainton played in 28 games with the Falcons, registering a 13-12-1 record, an .893 save percentage, and a 3.11 goals-against average. Dainton was named the CCM/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending Feb. 26, winning all three starts while collecting a shutout. The 26-year-old from Bradford, Ontario played in 21 games with the ECHL's Chicago Express and Reading Royals last year as well, combining for a 7-5-3 record with a .905 save percentage and a 3.21-goals-against average. He made his professional debut with Springfield at the end of the 2010-2011 campaign, going 2-2-0 in five outings with a .912 save percentage and a 2.63 goals-against average.

Prior to turning pro, Dainton skated four seasons from 2007 to 2011 at UMass-Amherst (NCAA, D-I), compiling a 45-61-12 record, a.908 save percentage, a 2.79 goals-against average, and two shutouts in his collegiate career.

The Falcons, who lead the Eastern Conference with 32 points and have the AHL's best record of 14-4-1-3 (.727), return home Saturday to host the St. John's IceCaps at 7:30 p.m. Fans can win a free bicycle courtesy of Gus Coelho Auto Repair at 442 Holyoke St. in Ludlow as part of "Cycle Saturday" at the MassMutual Center. Santa Claus will also be venturing down from the North Pole to meet and greet Falcons fans at the game.

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. For information about discounted group packages to Falcons home games, call (413) 739-GOAL (4625).