By BRUCE BERLET, Courant Staff Writer
For all the talk about the Wolf Pack having their youngest team, many of the novices gave them their best chance to pull out a victory against Springfield Saturday night.
Marvin Degon, who joined the Pack on a tryout March 16 after finishing his eligibility at UMass, was the best defenseman, scoring once and hitting a crossbar and a post during the 3-2 loss.
Zdenek Bahensky, the Rangers' third-round pick in 2004 who was making his pro debut, got the first of the Pack's 30 shots on former Whalers goalie Sean Burke, then burst between the defense and had a partial breakaway stopped with 1:30 left.
Hugh Jessiman, a first-round pick in 2003 from Darien who struggled much of his rookie season, parlayed his big hit and ensuing pass from Jarkko Immonen into a goal that got the Pack to 3-2 with 5:22 left.
Jakub Petruzalek, a ninth-round pick in 2004 who made his AHL debut, got more ice time as the game progressed and nearly pushed a rebound past Burke in the final seconds after the Pack pulled goalie Al Montoya.
"Petruzalek kept moving himself up the ladder," Pack coach Jim Schoenfeld said. "He was a dangerous player."
Captain Craig Weller tried to energize the team with some big checks, but holdovers Immonen, Dwight Helminen, Lee Falardeau, Lauri Korpikoski and Greg Moore didn't seem at full speed.
"There were some fast skaters who didn't look fast," Schoenfeld said.
Despite the lackluster effort and 1-for-7 power play, the Pack still could have won if four shots didn't hit a post or crossbar.
"I know we've got better performances coming," Schoenfeld said. "You always like to win that home opener because it's good to know you can. So now we have to wait a week to have another crack at it. I'd like to play [again] before I go home because a week is a long time to chew on this loss.
"But on the upside, it gives us a lot of time to work on things. One thing you can work on is the mental approach, and some guys had the wrong mental approach, which is something they have to take upon themselves to correct."
Schoenfeld hopes some of the young players grow into leadership roles with Weller and veteran defenseman Dale Purinton, one of the alternate captains for the opener.
Some of the youngsters will wear an A, and one will be Degon, who has shown grit since signing a tryout contract.
"He was hungry," Schoenfeld said.
Degon, 5 feet 11, 180 pounds, welcomes an expanded role.
"The AHL is a lot of fun and a lot of skating, and that's what I really like to do," he said. "There are a lot of young guys, and I might technically be a rookie, but I'm 23 and maybe a little more mature than I should be as a rookie.
"Anything can help in a young team. Maybe the guys relate to me more because I'm a rookie. Everybody needs to say what they have to say to get guys to calm down or amp 'em up a little bit. I'm usually a quiet guy, but if I can say something that is going to mean something, I'm not going to be quiet.
"We have a lot of young guys, and [the Falcons] have a lot of big, older guys who know the ins and outs of this league, but next week you're going to see a different team in this locker room. We're going to play a ... lot better."
Lessard Sits Out
Wing Francis Lessard, who made the Pack after a tryout, served a one-game suspension he received in last season's finale with Chicago for an accumulation of game misconducts.
He'll be eligible to play Friday against Bridgeport. ... Scratches were forwards Dane Byers and Mark Lee and defensemen Corey Potter, Jake Taylor (clavicle surgery) and Bryce Lampman, who was caught in a numbers game. "It was a tough choice, but we had to sit someone," Schoenfeld said. "It's kind of like last season, so we'll rotate for a while. Bryce will play Friday." ... The "Pack Shop" has moved from Allyn Street to the renovated Civic Center mall.
