June 19, 2013
145
Games Today




Crunch Slip Past Devils

March 4, 2012 - American Hockey League (AHL) Albany Devils

ALBANY, N.Y. - Recently the Albany Devils have been the kings of three games in three nights. Entering the weekend, they had won seven of their last nine outings that were part of three-in-three sets.

With a 2-1 loss against the Syracuse Crunch, the Devils had to settle for three out of a possible six points this weekend. They had defeated Bridgeport, 5-2, Friday, and lost in overtime to Adirondack, 3-2, Saturday, before falling to the Crunch Sunday at the Times Union Center.

"We didn't have a lot of shots on net, but when we did have chances I thought they were quality," said head coach Rick Kowalsky. "There were some rebounds sitting there that we didn't get to and then you had the disallowed goal."

That disallowed goal came off a called high stick of Joe Whitney with 10:21 remaining in the third of a 1-0 game. After the referee and linesman conferred, they determined Whitney's stick was above the crossbar.

"That would have been a big goal for us to get us going," Whitney said.

Despite the non-goal, the Devils eventually evened the score with 4:06 remaining in regulation. Mike Hoeffel found Peter Harrold at the right slot while on the power play. His shot snuck through the legs of Iiro Tarkki. Whitney also assisted on the play.

The game didn't remain tied for long as Syracuse's Brandon McMillan netted the game-winning goal with 2:14 on the clock.

"You get it to even; you just want to get it to overtime at that point," Harrold said. "See if you can gain momentum and get one before overtime. You don't want to give one up like that."

Jeff Frazee kept the Devils within reach by making 21 saves. He entered the day with a 10-9-2 record with a 2.28 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage in his last 25 outings.

"It was a slower game because both teams were playing their third in three nights," Frazee said. "These games can be tighter and I just wanted to give our team a chance to tie it."

At the other end, Tarkki had 26 saves. He did receive help from the goal posts. Mattias Tedenby struck the crossbar with less than four minutes remaining in the first and hit the left post seconds into the third frame.

These two teams will meet again Friday when the Devils travel to Syracuse for a 7:30 p.m. matchup. Fans can follow the action on 104.5 "The Team" ESPN radio or online at ahllive.com.

*****

Notes: Peter Harrold extended his point streak to four games with two goals and two assists during that span ... Three Stars: 1. Brandon McMillan (SYR), 2. Iiro Tarkki (SYR), 3. Jeff Frazee (ALB).

• Discuss this story on the American Hockey League message board...
• Digg this story
• Add to Del.icio.us


American Hockey League Stories from March 4, 2012


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.