Devils continue playoff push in Ohio this week

March 23, 2009 - ECHL (ECHL)
Trenton Devils News Release


TRENTON, N.J., -- The Trenton Devils split four games last week with wins against the Reading Royals and Cincinnati Cyclones. The victories were enough to place the Devils in fourth place of the ECHL's North Division as they head start a five-game road swing this week in Ohio, facing the Cyclones once and the Dayton Bombers twice.

LUCK ON ELMIRA'S SIDE FOR ST. PATRICK'S DAY: The Trenton Devils lost a key game in their push to the Kelly Cup Playoffs Tuesday night to the Elmira Jackals, 3-2. The Devils struck first with a tally 11:59 into the contest. Eric Castonguay camped behind the net and waited for Jeff Prough to streak into the slot. The reigning ECHL Player of the Week passed the puck to Prough, who slid it underneath the right pad of Michael Teslak for his 27th goal of the season. In the second period, the Jackals took control. Pierre-Luc Faubert tied the game with his 20th goal of the season at 2:37. A turnover by Dave Leaderer led to the go-ahead goal by Brendan Connolly at 15:08, putting the Devils into a hole going into the third period. The Devils would not be able to dig out of that hole, which was made deeper by a Steve Yetman goal 7:03 into the third period. Prough scored his second of the game late with the extra attacker, but the deficit was too much to overcome as the Jackals won, 3-2.

DEVILS CONTINUE MASTERY OF ROYALS: The Trenton Devils bounced back with a victory over the Reading Royals Friday night, 4-2. Vince Rocco put the Royals on the board with his first professional goal three minutes into the game. Rocco fired a shot from the slot that deflected off the glove of Gerald Coleman and into the net. The Devils came out firing in the second period, and were rewarded with three unanswered goals. Eric Castonguay continued his recent hot streak with a laser from the top of the far circle at 2:22, his 21st goal of the season. Dave Leaderer put the Devils ahead at 5:01, taking a feed from Castonguay and putting it home from the bottom of the far circle for his 12th of the season. The third goal came on the power play, as Trevor Kell deflected a Ryan Gunderson shot from the blue line at 8:51. The Royals were able to come back within a goal thanks to the power play, as Tyler Doig fired a one-timer from the far circle at 13:26. In the third period, the Devils made sure not to let the Royals back in the game, as Dan Eves scored an insurance goal 2:45 into the period to ice the game for Trenton. Kell and Castonguay each had a goal and an assist for Trenton, who defeated the Royals for the 10th time in 13 games this season. Coleman made 26 saves for the Devils in the victory.

DEVILS LOSE ON LATE GOAL: The Trenton Devils suffered another heart-breaking defeat at the hands of the Cincinnati Cyclones Saturday night, as they fell 2-1 at Sovereign Bank Arena. Midway through the first period, Eric Castonguay extended his point streak to six games with a power play goal, a blast from the far circle. Late in the period, the Cyclones gained momentum. Mark Van Guilder tied the game with his 22nd goal of the season at 16:07 after the Devils failed to clear the puck out of their zone. At the 7:20 mark of the second period, Gerald Coleman was pulled from the game after taking a knock in the crease, pressing Charlie Effinger into duty. Although Effinger looked sharp throughout his relief appearance, the Cyclones would notch the game-winner with 4:03 remaining in regulation. Dustin Sproat deflected a shot over the shoulder of Effinger, giving the Cyclones their fourth come-from-behind win in Trenton this season.

DEVILS EXACT REVENGE ON CYCLONES: A solid effort by Charlie Effinger in goal and a balanced attack led the Trenton Devils to a 4-3 win over the Cincinnati Cyclones Sunday afternoon. Eric Castonguay put the Devils on the board early with a goal in his third straight game. The Quebec native used his patented wrist shot from the slot on the power play at 1:59. The Devils added another tally two minutes later on a deflection by Jim Henkel. Matt Cohen took a pass in the far circle from Castonguay and slapped the puck towards the net, going off of Henkel for his 19th goal of the season. The Cyclones would fight back to tie the game on a first period goal by Jason Deitrich and a tally 51 seconds into the second by Matt Syroczynski. Jeff Prough put the Devils back in front with a highlight reel goal on the power play. He sneaked through the Cincinnati defense in the neutral zone before finding space in the slot and firing a shot between the legs of Loic Lacasse for his 29th of the season. In the third period, the Devils got what would prove to be an important goal 2:27 into the frame, off of a breakaway by Jeremy Akeson. The forward scored his first goal since March 1, 2009 on a backhander around the left pad of Lacasse for his 15th of the season. The Cyclones would make things interesting late in the third, as Barret Ehgoetz scored with 1:42 left in regulation. The Devils would hold on thanks to timely saves by Effinger as the Devils defeated the Cyclones for the first time at home this season. Prough and Castonguay each had a goal and an assist for the Devils, while Cohen added two assists. Effinger made 28 saves for the victory.

GUNDERSON THE GREAT: Ryan Gunderson broke two team records this week. The Bensalem, PA native recorded his 52nd point of the season during Tuesday's game at Elmira, the most for a Trenton defenseman in a single season. The previous record was 51 by Steve O'Brien, set in the 2001-02 season. Gunderson then recorded his 49th assist Saturday night against Cincinnati, breaking Scott Bertoli's single-season record of 48 in the 2006-07 season. In addition, Gunderson became the ninth player to record 100 points in a Trenton uniform with an assist in Sunday's game.

PUT HIM OUT, ERIC'S ON FIRE: Eric Castonguay became the first Trenton player since Mike Pandolfo in December 2006 to win the ECHL Player of the Week Award after his seven-point performance for the week of March 9-15. The second-year right winger followed the accolade with another strong week, accumulating seven points (3g, 4a) in four games. Castonguay has a seven-game point-scoring streak, notching seven goals and seven assists. This streak marks the third time in which he has earned a point in seven-plus consecutive games, with nine being his season-high.

QUICK HITS: The Devils have not lost on a Friday since November 28, a 14-game streak...Rick Kowalsky earned his 100th head coaching victory on Sunday, becoming the first coach in Trenton's history to reach the milestone...Jeff Prough moved into the top-ten of Trenton's single-season goal scoring charts with his 26th goal for Trenton in Tuesday's game. He scored two while he was with Gwinnett earlier in the season.

UPCOMING GAMES

Thursday, March 26, 7:30 p.m. -- Devils at Cincinnati Cyclones

The Devils complete the season series with the Cyclones in Cincinnati Thursday night. The Cyclones lead the series with a 5-2-0-0 record. Eric Castonguay has scored 16 points (10g, 6a) in 16 games against Cincinnati over the course of his career.

Friday, March 27, 7:30 p.m. -- Devils at Dayton Bombers

Saturday, March 28, 7:30 p.m. -- Devils vs. Dayton Bombers

The Devils then make the short trip up I-75 to play a pair against the Bombers, who could be eliminated from playoff contention this weekend. The Devils have won their last four games against the Bombers. Jim Henkel has notched 41 points (21g, 20a) in 35 games as a member of Trenton against the Bombers in his career.

Practice/Game Schedule

(subject to change, please call PR Department at 609-599-9500 to confirm)

Tuesday, March 24 -- Practice at Grundy Recreation Center, 10:00 a.m.

Travel to Cincinnati

Wednesday, March 25 -- Practice at U.S. Bank Arena, TBD

Thursday, March 26 -- Pre-game skate at U.S. Bank Arena, 11:15 a.m.

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

Travel to Dayton

Friday, March 27 -- Pre-game skate at Ervin J. Nutter Center, 11:15 a.m.

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

Saturday, March 28 -- Pre-game skate at Ervin J. Nutter Center, 11:15 a.m.

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

Return to Trenton

Sunday, March 29 -- Day Off

Monday, March 30 -- Practice at Grundy Recreation Center, 10:00 a.m.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Thursday, March 24, 1:15 p.m. -- Face Off for Fitness, Trenton, NJ

Trenton Devils Athletic Trainer Michael Bronstein and a Trenton Devils player will visit the students of B.C. Gregory School in Trenton, NJ to teach them about healthy eating and exercise habits. The Face Off for Fitness program is part of the Trenton Devils P.L.A.Y. Program, sponsored by NJEA.

Saturday, March 28, 1:00 p.m. -- NCAA Fan Fest at Sovereign Bank Arena

Scorch will take part in the festivities as the NCAA Women's Basketball Regional begins in Trenton.

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 23, 2009


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