Brown Delivers Solid Debut in 5-2 Win

Published on November 27, 2010 under ECHL (ECHL)
Trenton Devils News Release


Trenton, NJ - Goaltender Mike Brown received first-star honors Saturday night in the Devils 5-2 win over Alaska, saving 34 of 36 shots in his Trenton debut and his first ECHL appearance since October 18, 2008. Opposite former Trenton goaltender Gerald Coleman, who leads the ECHL in shutouts, Brown slowed an Alaska attack which had scored 16 goals in its last four games. Appearing poised and polished, the 25-year-old veteran of over 100 professional games made important saves in crucial spots, with timely support from his teammates.

That support, offensively, came from Devils rookies. J.S. Berube had a goal and two assists, Ryan Hayes a goal and an assist, and Matt Lombardi a goal which started the scoring. Jeremy Akeson set up Lombardi's goal by protecting the puck through the right wing circle. Lombardi took the backhand pass and blazed a slap shot past Coleman for a 1-0 Devils lead at 3:51 of the first. Taylor Vichorek also recorded an assist on Lombardi's fourth goal of the season.

The Aces responded on the power play, and though Brown broke up one scoring opportunity with a smart poke check, the Aces cashed in at 15:40. Wayne, NJ native Bryan Miller redirected a centering feed from Brian Swanson with 19 seconds left on the extra-man chance to tie the score, 1-1. Moments later, Ryan Hayes restored Trenton's lead with his fifth goal of the season. Taking the puck between the circles, Hayes made a move right and fired past Coleman's glove, clinking off the crossbar and in. Matt Vokes, making his season debut, and J.S. Berube were awarded assists, and the Devils led 2-1. Trenton nearly extended its lead seconds later when Tony Zancanaro was stopped by Coleman on a semi-breakaway.

The Devils and Aces traded fruitless power plays in the second, but in the last five minutes of the period the Berube-Hayes-Vokes combination struck again. After Vokes dug it out of the left wing corner, the puck came to Hayes at the top of the left-wing circle and he connected with Berube battling his way in front from the left side of the goal. Coleman stopped Berube's first shot, but the follow-up effort from the Matane, PQ native got through. The Devils 3-1 lead lasted but 52 seconds, with Alaska's Gary Nunn scoring on a one-time shot from the high slot. Alaska's leading assist man, Brian Swanson, started the play by circling behind the net and making a long feed to the uncovered Nunn.

Trailing by a goal, the Aces had a golden opportunity to tie the game when midway through the third period J.S. Berube was called for a two-minute boarding penalty. Strong work by Brown and the Devils penalty killers denied the Aces on their last good chance at tying the game. The Devils put the game out of reach when Tony Zancanaro made the score 4-2 at 16:26, finishing off an odd-man rush with Ryan Ginand on a sequence started by Jeff Prough. Jeremy Akeson was rewarded for his gritty effort throughout the game by scoring an empty-net goal at 17:55 to cap Trenton's 5-2 win.

The Devils improve to 7-7-0-1 while the Aces fall to 10-6-1-0, dropping their second decision in five games on their current eight-game road trip. The Devils are back in action Sunday, concluding their two-game season series with the defending Kelly Cup Champion Cincinnati Cyclones. Puck drop is set for 4:00 p.m.

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



ECHL Stories from November 27, 2010


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.

OurSports Central