Devils Rise With Three Wins in Four Games

Published on January 12, 2009 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Albany Devils News Release


Last Week: Wed, 1/7 - DEVILS vs. Portland Pirates - W, 3-2

Fri, 1/9 - Devils vs. PORTLAND PIRATES - W, 7-3

Sat, 1/10 - Devils vs. WORCESTER SHARKS - L, 2-1

Sun, 1/11 - Devils vs. PROVIDENCE BRUINS - W, 5-2

This Week: Wed, 1/14 - DEVILS vs. Providence Bruins, 7:00p.m.

Fri, 1/16 - Devils vs. PHILADELPHIA PHANTOMS, 7:05p.m.

Sat, 1/17 - Devils vs. SPRINGFIELD FALCONS, 7:00p.m.

The Lowell Devils skated away with victories in three of their four games last week to lift themselves into fifth place in the Atlantic Division. The Devils swept a home-and-home series versus the Portland Pirates before getting edged out by the Worcester Sharks on the road on Saturday. Lowell rebounded on Sunday afternoon with a convincing win at Providence.

The Devils will play host to the Bruins on Wednesday before taking to the road for the second consecutive weekend. Lowell will face the Philadelphia Phantoms on Friday and the Springfield Falcons on Saturday.

Rewind: Wednesday, DEVILS 3 vs. Pirates 2 Tyler Eckford's goal at 11:30 of the third period proved to be the game-winner as the Devils defeated the Pirates, 3-2, at the Tsongas Arena. It was the first time this season that Lowell had won a game when trailing after two periods. Eckford (1g-1a), Nicklas Bergfors (1g-1a) and Ryan Murphy (0g-2a) each recorded two points to help lead the offense. Jeff Frazee stopped 34-of-36 for the win.

Friday, Devils 7 vs. PIRATES 3 Fourteen different players recorded points as Lowell beat up on Portland, 7-3, at the Cumberland County Civic Center. Down, 1-0, early in the first period, the Devils rattled off five unanswered goals to take control of the game. Brad Mills (1g-1a) and Patrick Davis (0g-2a) were the lone multi-point scorers for Lowell. It was the second highest goal output of the Devils and tied the club record for goals scored in a road game. Nathan Gerbe potted two goals for Portland in the loss.

Saturday, Devils 1 vs. SHARKS 2 The Sharks got a goal from Brett Westgarth with 1:36 remaining in regulation to sneak away with a 2-1 win over the Devils at the DCU Center. In a game that saw Lowell limited to 22 shots, Anssi Salmela provided the lone marker, tying the contest at one at 4:37 of the second. Goaltender Dave Caruso suffered the loss despite making 34 saves on 36 shots. The Devils were 6-for-6 on the penalty kill.

Sunday, Devils 5 vs. BRUINS 2 The Devils once again received contributions from the majority of their line-up as they downed the Bruins, 5-2, at the Dunkin' Donuts Center. Twelve Lowell players notched a point to help Lowell pull away in a game that was tied, 2-2, late in the second period. Mark Fraser picked up his first multi-point game of the season (0g-2a) and Jeff Frazee made 33 saves for his fourth straight win.

In the Standings For the first time since December 13, the Devils find themselves in the fifth position in the Atlantic Division at 18-16-1-3, having passed the Manchester Monarchs (17-18-0-5). Lowell holds a slim one-point edge on Manchester and a six-point lead on the last place Springfield Falcons (14-20-5-1). Three points ahead of the Devils, in a tie for third place, are the Hartford Wolf Pack (19-16-2-3) and the Worcester Sharks (21-17-0-1). The Providence Bruins remain atop of the division at 21-15-2-1 and lead the Portland Pirates (21-15-1-2) by four points.

Around the Horns Lowell is on a four-game home winning streak...The Devils are the only team in the Atlantic Division without a losing road record (9-9-1-1)...Lowell handed Portland its first loss when leading after two periods in their 3-2 win on Wednesday...Nicklas Bergfors is on a four-game assist (4a) and point streak (1g-4a)...Michael Swift has registered points in six of his last seven games (3g-6a)...Jeff Frazee has a 2.00 GAA and a .946 save percentage over his current four-game winning streak. He ranks third in the AHL with a .933 save percentage...Petr Vrana recorded his 100th point as a Lowell Devil with a goal on Friday at Portland.

Coming Up The Devils will face the Providence Bruins for the second consecutive game when they take the ice on Wednesday at the Tsongas Arena. This is already the seventh match in the ten-game season series with Lowell leading 4-1-0-1. Tyler Eckford has potted seven assists in four games against Providence, while Jeff Frazee is 4-1-0 with a 1.40 goals against average and a .960 save percentage versus the Bruins. Providence had not lost in regulation in five games (4-0-1-0) before falling to Lowell on Sunday.

Lowell makes its last visit of the season to Philadelphia to battle the Phantoms on Friday. The Phantoms won the previous two meetings by a combined score of 8-3. Philadelphia is 1-7-1-1 in its last ten games and has been shutout in two straight matches. The Devils have yet to convert a power play chance against the Phantoms this season (0-for-10). Defenseman Danny Syvret leads Philadelphia with 35 points (5g-30a).

On Saturday, the Devils and Springfield Falcons will clash for the first time since December 3. Lowell was victorious, 3-2, to take a 3-2-0-0 lead in the season series. The Falcons are currently without two of their top three scorers as Ryan Potulny (17g-14a-31pts) and Gilbert Brule (11g-5a-16pts) are currently on recall with the Edmonton Oilers (NHL). Springfield is next to last in the AHL with 2.33 goals scored per game. Promotions/ In the Community

Wednesday, January 14 - Devils vs. Providence Bruins, 7:00pm Dollar Dawg Night! - All hot dogs are just $1 for all in attendance.

Leaders for Lowell

Goals: Jon DiSalvatore (13)

Assists: Jon DiSalvatore (21)

Points: Jon DiSalvatore (34)

PIM: Matthew Corrente (77)

Plus/Minus: Vladimir Zharkov (+12)

Wins: Jeff Frazee (13)

G.A.A: Jeff Frazee (2.31)

Save %: Jeff Frazee (.933)

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American Hockey League Stories from January 12, 2009


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