Albany Devils Rebound in Big Way
November 23, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Albany Devils News Release
ALBANY, NY -- Backed by a four-goal second period, the Albany Devils defeated the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, 5-2, Sunday at Times Union Center. Albany's defensive corps, which consisted of just five players, came through with three goals. Eric Baier, Brandon Burlon and Raman Hrabarenka each scored and Joe Faust added an assist.
"You like to get contributions from everywhere," Burlon said. "The past three games, we've only had one goal, and you can't rely on your forwards all the time. You can't rely on your top scorers all the time, so it's definitely nice to be able to contribute and chip in where we can."
Forwards Paul Thompson and Ben Johnson also found the back of the net, helping the Devils end a three-game losing skid and improve to 8-6-1-3. In goal, Keith Kinkaid made 26 saves to move to 5-1-2.
With injuries and a suspension, the Devils were shorthanded on the back end. They dressed five defenseman, including Baier who signed a PTO just hours before the game.
"It's funny how it works out where the mangled team comes out on top," Baier said. "Teams that are missing guys and are depleted, it just brings the team together and gets everybody working on the same page, ready to bear down and get the job done. You kind of have your back against the wall and have nothing to lose."
The Devils offense, which scored at least three goals in their first seven games, got back on track early. Thompson scored on a five-on-three power play at 10:03 of the first period. However, the Sound Tigers responded thanks to a Johan Sundstrom backhander with just 35.5 seconds remaining in the frame.
In the second, Burlon picked the upper-right corner over Bridgeport's David Leggio's shoulder at 4:09. Hrabarenka followed 1:28 later when his wrister deflected off a Sound Tigers skate at 5:37.
Joe Whitney's coast-to-coast rush just over two minutes later resulted in Baier capitalizing on a rebound for his second career AHL tally.
Before the end of the period, Johnson followed up on Thompson's shorthanded breakaway try at 17:39. The tally was the first of Johnson's career.
Bridgeport's Mike Halmo set up Kael Mouillierat to end the scoring at 13:13 of the third period.
"They made a little push and I think we started to look tired late in the third when they started to wear on us down in the zone," said Head Coach Rick Kowalsky. "But it's tough to come back from any lead when both teams have played and traveled. It's hard to do that on any given night in this league."
Albany owned a 32-28 shot advantage and went 1-7 on the power play and 3-3 on the penalty kill.
Game Notes
Paul Thompson led all scorers with a goal and an assist. In 16 games, he has a team-high 10 goals and 15 points ... Brandon Burlon netted his first tally of the season and eighth of his career ... Raman Hrabarenka, who was a +2, potted his fourth goal of the year and third against Bridgeport ... Albany scored its first power-play goal since Nov. 9 against Bridgeport ... Before the game, the Devils signed defenseman Eric Baier to a PTO. Baier joined the team from Orlando (ECHL) where he has produced four goals, four assists and a +9 rating in 16 games this season. The 26-year-old had played 13 games for Albany during the 2011-12 season ... Mark Fraser served the final game of his three-game suspension.
Next Up
The Devils play their fourth game in six days when they host the Hartford Wolf Pack for a 7 pm outing Wednesday at Times Union Center. The contest is the fourth of 10 between the two teams. Fans can follow the action online at ahllive.com or on the radio at 104.5 "The Team" ESPN Radio.
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