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Devils beat the Royals twice and lose to Cyclones at home

March 18, 2009 - ECHL (ECHL)
Trenton Devils News Release


TRENTON, N.J., -- The Trenton Devils defeated the Reading Royals in a home-and-home and lost to the Cincinnati Cyclones Sunday afternoon to end up in third place of the ECHL's American Conference, North Division. A busy week awaits the Devils with road contests in Elmira and Reading, followed by back-to-back home games against the Cyclones.

DEVILS RETURN HOME WITH BIG WIN: The Trenton Devils returned home for the first time in two and a half weeks and did not disappoint with a 5-3 win over the Reading Royals Friday night. The Devils started the scoring at 9:19 of the first period when David Leaderer picked up his 11th goal of the season. The defenseman took a pass from Eric Castonguay in the slot and fired it over the right pad of Michael Ouzas for the goal. Jeff Prough extended the lead on a shorthanded goal at 6:11. Castonguay stole the puck in the neutral zone and found Prough on a clear breakaway, and he delivered by putting the puck top shelf for his 26th of the season. The Devils kept rolling when Jim Henkel's pass intended for Castonguay went off the skate of Tom Sawatske and into the net, giving Henkel his 17th of the season at 17:32. Twelve seconds later, the Royals broke up the shutout on Chris Stevens' 18th goal of the season. The Royals added another at 7:28 of the second when Dan Rudisuela picked up his 18th goal of the season. The Devils scored their second shorthanded goal of the night at 15:03. This time, Castonguay took a feed from Prough and buried the stash to give Trenton its first game with two shorthanded goals since January 9, 2004, when Scott Bertoli scored twice on the penalty kill. The Royals would continue to fight back. Eleven seconds into the third period, McLeod knocked in a rebound to score his ninth of the season and put the Royals back into the game. The Devils put the game away on the power play, as Brad Snetsinger's repeated attempts to knock in the loose puck worked to give the Devils a 5-3 lead at 8:03. Gerald Coleman made 33 saves to earn his 24th win of the season. The Devils outshot the Royals, 41-36, and went 1-for-5 on the power play.

H-K-C LINE LEADS DEVILS IN READING: A pair of goals by Eric Castonguay and a three-point night by Jim Henkel propelled the Trenton Devils in their 3-1 win over the Reading Royals Saturday night. Henkel started the scoring 2:44 into the second period. Matt Cohen dished out a pass to the side of the net for Henkel, who tucked the puck under the blocker of Michael Ouzas for his 18th goal of the season. Not long after the Devils broke the ice, they added another to increase their lead. Henkel combined with Castonguay and Trevor Kell to create the goal. Henkel and Kell cycled behind the net, with Kell finding Castonguay in front of the net, and the right winger put in his 18th of the season at 4:20. The Royals would start to control the play, but Charlie Effinger stood tall and stopped every Reading shot through the first two periods. He was finally beaten 4:57 into the third on a shot off the faceoff by Ben Gordon. Castonguay sealed the win for the Devils with his second goal, as part of another nifty passing play between himself, Henkel, and Kell. Castonguay rifled a shot into the top corner from the near circle to put the game away at 6:46. Effinger made a career-high 41 saves for the win.

LATE GOAL SLAYS DEVILS ON SUNDAY: A defensive breakdown by the Trenton Devils late in regulation allowed the Cincinnati Cyclones to score the game-winner Sunday afternoon, 3-2. Jacob Dietrich was the hero for the Cyclones as he slammed in a loose puck left in the crease with 3:30 left in regulation to vault the Cyclones to victory. Matt Syroczynski put the Cyclones on the board 12:25 into the second period, taking a feed from Mark Van Guilder in the slot and firing it in for the goal. The Devils would then get to work on the power play, tying the game up on the two-man advantage. Eric Castonguay shot a laser from the bottom of the near circle to get his 20th goal of the season at 17:42. Castonguay's shot resulted in the Devils' second goal 49 seconds later, as he rifled a shot from the near point that was re-directed by Trevor Kell between the legs of Loic Lacasse to give the Devils a 2-1 lead. The lead would not last, as 19 seconds later Syroczynski fired a shot from the same spot as his previous goal to net his second of the game at 18:50. The third period would be mostly even, though it was the Cyclones who came out on top with their fourth win in five games against the Devils this season.

QUICK HITS: Ryan Gunderson is two assists away from matching Scott Bertoli's single season record of 48, set in 2006-07...Eric Castonguay's first goal in Saturday night's game was his 100th career point for Trenton, making him the eighth player in team history to accomplish the feat...Jim Henkel had a season-high seven-game point streak snapped Sunday afternoon.

UPCOMING GAMES

Tuesday, March 17, 7:05 p.m. -- Devils at Elmira Jackals

The Devils play the Elmira Jackals for the final time this season on St. Patrick's Day. The series has featured 12 hard-fought games, as both teams are tied with a 6-5-0-1 record against each other. Trevor Kell has seven goals against the Jackals while Eric Castonguay has dished out 11 assists against Elmira.

Friday, March 20, 7:05 p.m. -- Devils at Reading Royals

The Devils return to Reading to play the Royals, who they have had considerable success against this season. The Devils have won nine out of the 12 games against the Royals, outscoring them, 40-29. Trevor Kell leads the Devils with 13 points (5g, 8a) against the Royals. Charlie Effinger is 4-1 against the Royals with a 2.01 goals-against-average and .933 save percentage.

Saturday, March 21, 7:00 p.m. -- Devils vs. Cincinnati Cyclones

Sunday, March 22, 4:00 p.m. -- Devils vs. Cincinnati Cyclones

The Devils return home to play two against the Cincinnati Cyclones, who continue to be a difficult opponent for the Devils. The Cyclones have won nine out of the last 13 contests played between the two teams at Sovereign Bank Arena. Eric Castonguay leads the Devils with seven points (4g, 3a) against Cincinnati.

Practice/Game Schedule: (subject to change)

Tuesday, March 17 -- Pre-game skate at First Arena, 11:15 a.m.

Game @ Elmira -- 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, March 18 -- Day Off

Thursday, March 19 -- Practice at Grundy Recreation Center, 10:00 a.m.

Friday, March 20 -- Pre-game skate at Grundy Recreation Center, 10:00 a.m.

Game @ Reading -- 7:05 p.m.

Saturday, March 21 -- Pre-game skate at Sovereign Bank Arena, 10:00 a.m.

Game vs. Cincinnati -- 7:00 p.m.

Sunday, March 22 -- Game vs. Cincinnati -- 4:00 p.m.

Monday, March 23 -- Day Off

UPCOMING EVENTS

Wednesday, March 18, 3:30 p.m. -- Griffith Electric Kick-Off Walk, Trenton, NJ

Students from Children's Home Society will participate in a walk from Dunn Middle School to Griffith Electric to raise funds for the Multiple Sclerosis Society. Scorch will be on hand to greet the kids and congratulate them as they reach Griffith Electric.

Saturday, March 21, 7:00 p.m. -- Judah Friedlander Puck Drop/Scorch Bank Giveaway at Sovereign Bank Arena

Judah Friedlander, the comedian from NBC's 30 Rock who wore a Trenton Devils jersey in the Academy Award-nominated motion picture "The Wrestler," will be participating in the ceremonial puck drop before Saturday's game against the Cincinnati Cyclones.

The first 1,000 kids in attendance for the game against the Cyclones will receive a Scorch Piggy Bank, courtesy of NJEA.

Sunday, March 22, 1:30 p.m. -- 4 for $48 Sunday, Post-Game Autograph Session at Sovereign Bank Arena

Before the game (a 4:00 p.m. start), fans are encouraged to donate blood to help the continuous blood supply shortage. Every person to donate will receive a buy one, get one free offer for the game and the chance to win a Brian Gionta autographed puck.

Fans can buy 4 tickets, 4 hot dogs, and 4 small sodas for $48, for Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Cyclones. The package must be purchased by 3:00 p.m. on Friday, March 20. This is the last 4 for $48 Sunday of the season. All fans in attendance will also have the opportunity to meet their favorite T-Devils after the game at the Post-Game Autograph Session, which takes place approximately 30 minutes after the end of the game.

DEVILS GAME BROADCASTS: Tune in as Paul Roper brings you all of the Devils' hockey action live Saturday and Sunday on www.trentondevils.com, courtesy of B2 Networks. Video broadcasts are available for a charge of $7 per game, while audiocasts are free of charge. A cable or DSL Internet connection and Windows Media Player 9 are required to view the games.



ECHL Stories from March 18, 2009


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