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Devils Pull Off 4-3 Victory in Kalamazoo

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


Kalamazoo, MI, November 22, 2009 - Dan Eves scored twice and Gerald Coleman made 42 saves as Trenton held off the American Conference's strongest squad, 4-3 Sunday evening in Kalamazoo. Taking two-goal leads on three separate occasions, Trenton managed to keep up the intensity in a complete, 60-minute performance to hand the K-Wings only their second regulation loss in 14 games this season. Minor blips in the opening and closing seconds of the second period allowed the Wings to remain within striking distance.

Dan Eves scored the first Devils goal at 4:57 of the first, ending a streak of nearly 139 minutes without a Devils goal versus Kalamazoo, dating to the season opener on October 17. Eves stole the puck at the blue line and fired from the right wing over the right shoulder of goalie Julien Ellis, just inside the long post and under the cross bar for his fifth tally of the season.

The Devils took a 2-0 lead on their first power play chance six minutes later. After a Blake Friesen hooking penalty at 9:31, Tony Zancanaro scored a power play goal, cleaning up a rebound after an Andy Thomas blast. Kory Nagy got a secondary assist on the Trenton, MI native's second goal of the year.

After Brian McGuirk made it 2-1 with his third of the season for the Wings at 15:30, the Devils added an insurance goal on a rush down the right wing. Kory Nagy took the puck from the neutral zone toward the right wing circle, his quick feed to slot found Myles Stoesz' stick, and the league leader in penalty minutes immediately pulled the trigger for his third goal of the year and a 3-1 Devils lead.

Goals 15 seconds into the second period (Andrew Fournier) and with 20 seconds left in the second period (Sam Ftorek) for Kalamazoo bookended Dan Eves' second goal of the game. The ultimate game winner came on the power play at 14:02 after a quick centering pass from Mike Harder who was parked behind the net. Eves fired the one-timer in with such force that it ricocheted out of the goal almost as quickly as it entered. The Lake Orion, MI native was named the game's first star for his two goal performance, and now overtakes Kyle Kucharski for the team lead in goals with six.

The Devils stopped a flurry of chances for the Wings in a scoreless third, including two power plays in the final eight minutes, plus a six-on-five advantage for the last few minutes when Ellis was pulled for an extra attacker. Gerald Coleman's remarkable performance in net was highlighted with his series of saves during those chances. One chaotic play had a heap of players piling in the crease with Coleman somehow maintaining focus on the shots. He and the Devils sustained 18 third period shots, holding on for the 4-3 win, their seventh victory of the year.

Trenton (7-7-1-2, 17pts) rests until another road game Friday at 7 p.m. in Reading. The Royals have fallen out of first place in the East, but still three points ahead of the Devils. Kalamazoo (11-2-1-0, 23pts) suffers its first regulation loss since Halloween, but retains the best record in the American Conference.

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