Devils lose to Nailers three times in the week, head south this weekend

Published on March 2, 2009 under ECHL (ECHL)
Trenton Devils News Release


TRENTON, N.J., -- The Trenton Devils lost three pivotal games to the Wheeling Nailers last week, resulting in a fall to fifth place in the ECHL's American Conference, North Division. The Devils continue on the road with a stretch of three games against South Division teams this weekend, as they will take on the South Carolina Stingrays, Gwinnett Gladiators, and Charlotte Checkers.

NAILERS DEFEAT DEVILS AT HOME: The Trenton Devils attempted a third period comeback with 25 shots in the frame but fell to the Wheeling Nailers Tuesday night, 4-3. The loss was the first at home in regulation since December 28, snapping a 15-game streak at home in which the Devils earned a point. The Nailers got the scoring started early when Andrew Lord beat Gerald Coleman for his 12th goal of the season 3:40 into the game. Jeff Prough evened up the contest with a sharp angle shot at 14:03. The goal was Prough's team-leading 24th of the season. With just over a minute to go in the period, the Nailers re-gained the lead. Reid Cashman received credit for his fourth goal of the year as he sneaked a shot in from the near point. In the second period, the Devils were able to tie things up on the power play. Dave Leaderer scored his ninth goal of the year from the slot at 7:15. After a Trevor Kell hooking minor, the Nailers took the lead back for good. Jim Henkel turned the puck over in his own zone, allowing Aaron Clarke to take advantage and score his 11th goal of the season at 11:44. The Nailers added another tally at 15:32, as Erik Johnson scored on a one-timer from Jordan Morrison. Down two going into the final period, the Devils turned on the afterburners and were finally rewarded with a goal by Justin Coutu at 14:43, his first since March 7, 2008, also against the Nailers. The Devils continued to pepper shots on Nailers goaltender Curtis Darling, but could not find the tying goal as the Wheeling netminder made 24 third-period saves to prevent the Devils from winning.

POWER PLAY QUIET IN SATURDAY LOSS: The Trenton Devils fell behind early to the Wheeling Nailers and were not able to recover in a 3-2 loss at WesBanco Arena Saturday night. Bryan Ewing put the Nailers ahead with a shorthanded goal 2:43 into the game, as he took the puck away from Dave Leaderer in the Devils' zone and shot a backhander past Gerald Coleman. The Nailers used a perfectly executed faceoff play to notch their second goal, as Brock Sheahan fired a slap shot off a faceoff win by Andrew Lord for the tally at 13:09. The Devils had an opportunity to break things open at the start of the second, but were unable to capitalize on a two-man advantage in the period's first two minutes. Trenton finally broke through at 4:47 of the frame, as Dan Eves fired a one-timer pass from Jeff Prough in the right circle to put the Devils on the board. The goal was Eves' sixth of the season. While the Devils continued to pile on the pressure, the Nailers re-gained momentum with a late goal in the second, as Reid Cashman ripped a shot from the slot at 18:27 to give the Nailers a 3-1 lead into the second intermission. The Devils came out of the gates like they did on Tuesday night, by firing shots at the Nailers in the third period. This time, David Brown denied the Devils throughout the final 20 minutes, and he was finally beaten with 17 seconds left on Eric Castonguay's 16th goal of the season. Brown made 20 saves in the third period, and 45 in total to earn a win in his first game since his return from injury. The Devils' power play struggled in the loss, going 0-for-7 on the night.

DEVILS DROP SUNDAY MATINEE: The Trenton Devils continued to be frustrated by the Wheeling Nailers as they lost 4-3 Sunday afternoon at WesBanco Arena. Wheeling struck first on the power play as a result of a fluke carom off the far corner boards, resulting in a loose puck in the slot and an easy goal for Mitch Ganzak 4:54 into the game. Just over a minute later, the Nailers doubled their lead as Kelly Miller took advantage of a Dave Leaderer turnover and fired the puck from the slot for his fifth goal of the season. Leaderer atoned for his mistake at 10:51 with his 10th goal of the season. Jeremy Akeson picked up a loose puck behind the net and dished it to Leaderer, who blasted the shot from the near circle. The Nailers re-gained their two-goal advantage at 6:31 as Billy Ryan lifted a backhander past Gerald Coleman for his third of the year. Trenton returned to the scoreboard at 16:14 after Matt Radoslovich deked out a Nailers defender at the far circle and feathered a pass to Akeson in front of the net. Akeson put home the puck for his 14th of the season. In the third period, the teams traded power play goals, as Andrew Lord scored at 3:58 and Jim Henkel pulled the Devils to within one at 14:01. As was the case with their last two games, the last ditch efforts to tie the game proved futile, as the Devils lost four in a row for the first time since mid-November. Akeson and Leaderer each had a goal and an assist for the Devils, who lost their seventh game in 10 tries against the Nailers this season.

QUICK HITS: Matt Cohen was called up to Lowell of the American Hockey League on Tuesday. He played in three out of Lowell's four games last week...Eric Castonguay has 12 points (3g, 9a) in the six games since his return...Mike Wilson, a veteran with 336 games of NHL experience, filled in for the two games at Wheeling over the weekend. The defenseman currently resides in the Cleveland, Ohio area, where he runs a hockey school...Kevin Cormier was suspended for two games as a result of an altercation in Tuesday's game. He served the suspension during the Devils' two games in Wheeling.

UPCOMING GAMES

Friday, March 6, 7:05 p.m. -- Devils at South Carolina Stingrays

The Devils will first head to South Carolina to play the Stingrays for the second and final time this season. In their last meeting on February 21, the Devils won a high-scoring contest at Sovereign Bank Arena, 9-7. The Stingrays are second in the ECHL's American Conference, South Division with a 31-21-2-3 record. Forward Travis Morin leads the ECHL with 50 assists.

Saturday, March 7, 7:05 p.m. -- Devils at Gwinnett Gladiators

The Devils will then travel to Georgia to play the Gwinnett Gladiators for just the fourth time in team history. The Gladiators have won all three games, with the last game a 5-4 overtime win at Sovereign Bank Arena on February 16, 2008. The Gladiators are led by ECHL All-Star Jordan Fox, who has 52 points (21g, 31a) in 51 games.

Sunday, March 8, 4:05 p.m. -- Devils at Charlotte Checkers

The Devils finish up their South Division swing against the Checkers. Trenton holds a 19-10-0-0 series advantage, though Charlotte has taken the last two games. The last win for Trenton against the Checkers came on March 15, 2005 in Charlotte, a 5-3 win. Mike Bayrack leads the Checkers with 53 points (18g, 35a) in 51 games.

Practice/Game Schedule: (subject to change)

Tuesday, March 3 -- Practice at Grundy Recreation Center, 10:00 a.m.

Wednesday, March 4 -- Practice at Grundy Recreation Center, 10:00 a.m.

Travel to South Carolina

Thursday, March 5 -- Practice at North Charleston Coliseum, TBD

Friday, March 6 -- Pre-game skate at North Charleston Coliseum, 11:15 a.m.

Game @ South Carolina -- 7:05 p.m.

Travel to Gwinnett

Saturday, March 7 -- Pre-game skate at The Arena at Gwinnett Center, 11:15 a.m.

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

Travel to Charlotte

Sunday, March 8 -- Game @ Charlotte -- 4:00 p.m.

Return to Trenton

Monday, March 9 -- Day Off

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.

Along the Boards returns March 11! Join Paul Roper with Trenton Devils coaches and players live from the Lawrence Grill at the Quaker Bridge Mall in Lawrenceville, NJ. Fans are invited to come out to the show, which starts at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 11. The show is streamed online at the Devils' official website, www.trentondevils.com, courtesy of B2 Networks.

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ECHL Stories from March 2, 2009


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