Devils, McKenna Shutout Pirates, 4-0
Published on October 11, 2009 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Albany Devils News Release
LOWELL, Mass. - Making his first start for the Lowell Devils, goaltender Mike McKenna stopped all 38 shots he faced to help blank the Portland Pirates, 4-0, on Sunday afternoon at the Tsongas Arena. Nathan Perkovich's first pro goal would be the only one the Devils needed to secure the victory.
With the Devils finding themselves on the penalty kill twice in the first five minutes of the game, McKenna set the tone with some tough saves to keep Portland off the scoreboard. Lowell would take a 1-0 lead at 11:45 of the first when Vladimir Zharkov sent a shot toward the goal mouth and Perkovich batted the loose puck over Jhonas Enroth.
The Devils broke open the contest with three goals in a second period in which they outshot the Pirates, 14-7. Brad Snetsinger gathered his first goal the season as he went backhand on a breakaway to beat Enroth at 5:16. Vladimir Zharkov made the score 3-0 in favor of Lowell just 1:12 later, standing alone on the near post to fire a rebound back into the open net.
Tim Sestito ended Enroth's night at 12:45 of the second with his second goal of the season. A defensive breakdown allowed Sestito to skate alone into the slot where Patrick Davis found him with a backhand pass for the easy tap-in past the Pirates' netminder.
Portland made McKenna work for the shutout in the final period, skating on three power plays and firing 18 shots on net. McKenna stopped them all to help the Devils record their first win of the season. It was McKenna's first shutout since Feb. 7, 2009 when he made 28 saves for the Tampa Bay Lightning in his NHL debut.
The Lowell Devils head to Providence to take on the Bruins on Friday, October 16 at 7:05 PM. Full and partial season ticket packages for the 2009-10 Lowell Devils season are on sale now. For more information, contact the Devils at (978) 458-PUCK (7825) or visit lowelldevilshockey.com.
American Hockey League Stories from October 11, 2009
- Bernier Melts Hershey's Winning Streak - Manchester Monarchs
- San Jose Sharks Reassign Forward Frazer McLaren to Worcester - Worcester Sharks
- Devils, McKenna Shutout Pirates, 4-0 - Albany Devils
- Providence Falls to Hartford 3-2 - Providence Bruins
- Wolf Pack Top Providence Bruins 3-2 - Connecticut Whale
- Fallon Picks Up First Win As Hogs Roll The Marlies 5-3 - Rockford IceHogs
- Pirates Blanked in Lowell - Portland Pirates
- Pirates Blanked by Devils - Portland Pirates
- Falcons Player Notes Through Week 2 - Springfield Falcons
- Coyotes Re-Assign Lessard To San Antonio - San Antonio Rampage
- Tyson Strachan Assigned to Peoria - Peoria Rivermen
- Goaltender Miika Wiikman Rejoins Wolf Pack from Charlotte - Connecticut Whale
- Houston Downs Texas 2-1 In A Shootout - Texas Stars
- Amerks Lose To Albany 6-1 - Rochester Americans
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.
