Devils Return Home, Take The Ice Four Times In Six Days
Published on March 16, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Albany Devils News Release
The Devils split their two-game weekend set as they continued their season-high five-game road stretch. Lowell picked up its first-ever win over the Crunch, 3-2, on Friday in Syracuse, but could not match its success on Saturday with a 6-2 loss to Hartford.
Lowell completes its road swing on Tuesday in Portland and returns home for a franchise-record seven- game homestand. The Devils enter a three-game, three-day weekend in which they take on Providence on Friday, Portland on Saturday and Worcester in a Sunday matinee. Lowell is currently tied with Manchester for third-place in the Atlantic Division at 34-25-4-4, giving the Devils 76 points with 13 games remaining. The Devils' magic number for a postseason berth stands at 19.
Rewind:
Friday, Devils 3 vs. CRUNCH 1
Mike McKenna made 37 saves to gather his 20th win of the season and give Lowell the 3-1 win over Syracuse at the Onondaga County War Memorial at Onecenter. Nathan Perkovich's power play goal at 8:33 of the first gave the Devils the early lead in their inaugural trip to the Crunch's home arena. Alexander Vasyunov would add to Lowell's edge at 15:23 of the second and register an assist two minutes later on Matt Taormina's man-advantage goal. Michael Swift also picked up two assists in the match.
Saturday, Devils 2 vs. WOLF PACK 6
Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau (3a) and Corey Locke (2g-1a) each posted three points in Hartford's 6-2 victory at the XL Center. Trade-deadline acquisition Kris Newbury also contributed three points (1g-2a) as the Wolf Pack put up three goals in both the second and third periods to pull away for the win. Ben Walter scored the game's first goal for the Devils at 7:54 of the first, but it was all Hartford after that. Mike McKenna took the loss with 23 saves on 29 shots.
Around the Horns
Saturday was the first time Lowell had lost in regulation when leading after the first period (21-1-2-2)... Patrick Davis is on a four-game point streak (1g-3a)...Rookies Nathan Perkovich and Matt Taormina are tied for the team lead with eight power play goals along with Ben Walter...Lowell finished with a 5-9-1-1 record against East Division opponents...With two assists on Friday versus Syracuse, Michael Swift upped his team-leading multi-point game total to 11.
Coming Up
The Devils take on the Pirates twice this week - in Portland on Tuesday and at home on Saturday. The Devils are undefeated in regulation at the Cumberland County Civic Center this season with a record of 2-0-1-0. The Pirates have won just once in their last six games (1-4-0-1) after going 14-2-0-1 in the previous 17 contests. Portland sits in second place in the Atlantic Division with 81 points (36-22-5-4) and are led offensively by Mark Mancari (22g-40a-62pts) and Tyler Ennis (20g-41a-61pts), both of whom rank in the top 12 in league scoring.
Lowell faces Providence on Friday for the ninth time in the ten-game season series. A 3-2 shootout victory on Mar. 7 at the Dunkin' Donuts Center gave the Devils a 6-2-0-0 record against the Bruins in 2009-10. Providence is winless in its last six matches (0-5-0-1) and has fallen to seventh in the division standings at 31-33-3-1. G Jeff Frazee is 4-1-0 this year versus Providence with a 1.00 GAA, a.970 save percentage and one shutout.
The Sharks visit the Tsongas Center on Sunday to wrap up the Devils' busy weekend. The first-place Worcester Sharks (41-20-2-3) have won four in a row and, with 87 points, own a six-point cushion on the Portland Pirates. Worcester has defeated Lowell in three of the last four meetings to take a 4-3-1-0 lead in the head-to-head series. Logan Couture (20g-33a-53pts) and Benn Ferriero (19g-29a-48pts) rank second and third, respectively, in rookie scoring.
Upcoming Promotions/In the Community
Friday, March 19 - Devils vs. Bruins, 7:00PM
o The first 2,000 fans in attendance will receive a Jeff Frazee Bobblehead, courtesy of the Eagle Tribune.
o Meet your favorite Star Wars characters at the game, courtesy of the 501st New England Garrison.
Saturday, March 20 - Devils vs. Pirates, 7:00PM
o Join us at 3:00PM as the Lowell Devils host the MSHCA High School All-Star Game, presented by the U.S. Army. The MSHCA High School All-Star Game features 46 of the top senior high school hockey players in Massachusetts facing off in the first event of its kind in the state. Tickets are just $10.
Sunday, March 21 - Devils vs. Sharks, 4:00PM
o Post-game autograph session with the team, courtesy of Fidelity Investments.
o Free post-game skate on the Tsongas Center ice.
Transactions
Mar. 13, 2010 - D Chris Murray recalled on loan from Trenton (ECHL).
Leaders for Lowell
Goals: Ben Walter (20)
Assists: Cory Murphy, Matt Taormina (31)
Points: Ben Walter (47)
PIM: Louis Robitaille (268)
Plus/Minus: Tyler Eckford (+11)
Wins: Mike McKenna (20)
GAA: Mike McKenna (2.32)
Save %: Mike McKenna (.926)
American Hockey League Stories from March 16, 2010
- Wolves Rally Past Admirals, 4-3 - Chicago Wolves
- Devils Fall To Pirates In Shootout, 3-2 - Albany Devils
- Wolf Pack To Honor John Paddock April 10 - Connecticut Whale
- Week Twenty Five: Saved By The Bell - Syracuse Crunch
- Devils Return Home, Take The Ice Four Times In Six Days - Albany Devils
- Monarchs "At Your Service" Nets $42,000 - Manchester Monarchs
- Toronto Looks to Continue Winning Ways on Saturday with Battle Against Hamilton - Toronto Marlies
- Crawford Recalled To Hawks, Richards Reassigned To Rockford - Rockford IceHogs
- Rampage Pucks & Paws Night Promises To Raise The 'Woof' - San Antonio Rampage
- Crunch Recall Goaltender Dan Taylor From Gwinnett - Syracuse Crunch
- Marlies Sign Defenceman Jesse Blacker To ATO Contract - Toronto Marlies
- Admirals Look To Right The Ship In Texas - Milwaukee Admirals
- Monarchs Assign Mullen To Ontario - Manchester Monarchs
- Admirals Playoff Push Continues With Pivotal Games - Norfolk Admirals
- B-Sens Recall Goaltender Andy Chiodo From Elmira - Binghamton Senators
- AHL Announces Suspensions - AHL
- B-Sens First Ever Hockey & Heels Event Takes Place Thursday - Binghamton Senators
- Defensemen Boynton Recalled, Lalonde Assigned To Rockford - Rockford IceHogs
- Ryan Dech Named First Recipient Of Luc Bourdon Provincial AAA Minor Scholarship Award - Manitoba Moose
- Senators Re-Assign Defenceman Brian Lee To Binghamton - Binghamton Senators
- Wolves Bring Back Filangieri - Chicago Wolves
- Minnesota Wild Recalls Justin Falk - Houston Aeros
- Crunch Foundation To Hold Luck O' The Puck Fundraiser - Syracuse Crunch
- Admirals Present Mark Concannon Night - Milwaukee Admirals
- Phantoms Grab Five Points During Hall of Fame Weekend - Adirondack Phantoms
- Rampage Reassign Orpik And Pokulok To ECHL - San Antonio Rampage
- Crunch Announce Roster Moves - Syracuse Crunch
- Exciting Promotions Set For This Weekend's Admirals Games - Norfolk Admirals
- Hurricanes Recall Defenseman Jamie McBain - Albany River Rats
- Admirals Add Two Lightning Top Prospects - Norfolk Admirals
- Rats Look To Add To Seven-Game Point Streak - Albany River Rats
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