Devils Streaking Towards The New Year

December 31, 2007 - ECHL (ECHL)
Trenton Devils News Release


TRENTON, NJ - The Trenton Devils rocketed up the standings last week, squaring up against some of the North Division's toughest teams and pulling out big points against Johnstown, Elmira, and Reading. The Devils took sole possession of fifth place in the North with a 5-0 win against Johnstown, and held onto that placing by picking up a point in a shootout loss to Elmira 4-3. Sparing no time between games, Trenton raced to Reading on Saturday, and would ultimately defeat the Royals 2-1 in the shootout.

The Devils saw some impressive performances this week. Colin Pepperall notched a four-point night on Thursday while extending his point streak (2g, 8a) to six games. Also, netminder Dave Caruso earned the Devils' first shutout of the season with his 19-save performance against Johnstown.

Brad Mills and Joe Rooney returned from the Injured Reserve, and both had immediate impacts. Mills scored a hat trick with his first three professional goals versus the Chiefs, while Rooney picked up three points (2g, 1a) against Elmira and Reading.

The Devils are now 12-15-2 on the season, and are in fifth place in the North Division. Trenton welcomes Cincinnati to Sovereign Bank Arena for a New Year's Eve bash before packing their suitcases for a long road trip to Mississippi and Pensacola.

CHIEFS CHOPPED DOWN: Trenton completed several firsts for the season in their 5-0 win against the Chiefs. It was the first time the Devils had a shutout, their first five-goal game, and their first four-point performance. Brad Mills would give the Devils the only goal they needed with an interception and breakaway with just seconds left in the first, wristing the puck into the top shelf past Mike Brown. He would go on to complete the hat trick, while Stephen Wood and Jim Henkel also scored. Colin Pepperall gained assists on the final four goals, while Eric Castonguay received three. Dave Caruso shut down the Chiefs' attack, saving all 19 shots he faced en route to the second shutout of his career.

JACKALS SQUEAK BY (AGAIN): For the third straight game, the Devils and the Elmira Jackals entered the third period tied, and the Jackals squeaked away with two points again by stopping Trenton in the shootout 4-3. Eric Castonguay netted two goals, including the game-tying goal in the third with 11:05 remaining. Joe Rooney scored a goal and an assist, but was ultimately foiled by Joel Martin in the shootout. Only one skater scored in five rounds of the shootout-Luke Fulgham, in the last round of shooting for the Jackals.

ROYAL(S) BLUE: Trenton skated in the third game of their first three-game tilt since November, but did not show signs of wear, defeating Reading 2-1 in a game which went to the shootout. Joe Rooney scored the lone goal for the Devils in regulation, finding the back of the net on the power play by rattling the puck through netminder Jon Quick's pads. Colin Pepperall and Ryan Gunderson assisted the rookie forward on the play; both lead the team in points over the past ten games. Jason Smith, seeing action for the first time in two weeks, was outstanding, making 36 saves on 37 shots, and stifled all but one Royal in the shootout to earn his third win of the season.

QUICK HITS: Brad Mills had yet to score a professional goal before netting his first career hat trick 12/27/07 vs. JHN... Colin Pepperall's four point night was the first for the Devils since Nick Deschenes put up four against the Greenville Grrrowl on 3/7/05, a squad Pepperall was skating with at the time... Pepperall has scored a point in six straight games, netting ten in total (2g, 8a)... Eric Castonguay did not have a multi-point night before gaining three assists on 12/27/07 vs. JHN... Dave Caruso's last shutout came when he was playing for Gwinnett on 12/09/06 @ AUG... Caruso is 3-0-1 with a 1.47 GAA in his last four games, allowing just six goals in 105 shots... The netminder is also tied for sixth in save percentage at .922, but only one netminder above him has seen more minutes... Ryan Gunderson is tied for the league lead in Defensemen Scoring at 22 points (2g, 20a)... He also leads all defensemen with 20 assists... Thomas Harrison is tied for third in the ECHL in penalty minutes with 112... Trenton is ninth in the ECHL in the power play, converting 19.1% of its chances. The five-game unbeaten-in-regulation streak is Trenton's longest of the season.

UPCOMING GAMES Monday, December 31, 5:00pm - Devils vs. Cincinnati Cyclones

Trenton rings in the New Year with a bout against North Division leader Cincinnati. The Cyclones took the last game between these two teams with a 4-3 win at Sovereign Bank Arena to begin the month of December. The Devils would like to snap Cincinnati's seven-game win streak by closing out the month in the opposite way of how they entered it. This season the Devils trail Cincinnati 1-3-0, but all-time they lead 13-8-0.

Wednesday, January 2, 7:05pm - Devils @ Pensacola Ice Pilots

The Devils fly south for the winter, beginning their tour of the South Division with their first-ever tilt against the Ice Pilots. Pensacola is 24th in the nation on the power play, making just 12.7% of their chances result in a score. But they have succeeded in unassisted tallies, with Bryan McGregor and Bryan Esnor scoring six between them.

Friday, January 4, 7:05pm - Devils @ Mississippi Sea Wolves

The Devils take on the Sea Wolves in a battle at Biloxi; a game in which Trenton hopes to pounce on the special teams play of Mississippi. The Sea Wolves rank 22nd in the league in both man-advantage and man-disadvantage situations, while the Devils counter with a power play unit in the top ten of the league. Trenton has never played Mississippi; although the two franchises have seen nearly two decades of time in the ECHL combined, this game will be their first meeting.

Saturday, January 5, 7:05pm - Devils @ Pensacola Ice Pilots

Trenton returns to "the Hangar" to conclude their season set against the Ice Pilots in this match. The Devils will look to the outstanding play of netminders David Caruso and Jason Smith to lead them to victory. The two have combined for a 4-0-1 record with just seven goals allowed out of 135 shots.

Sunday, January 6, 5:05pm - Devils @ Mississippi Sea Wolves

The Devils say good-bye to warmer climes after facing the Sea Wolves one more time, heading home to Trenton before racing off to Ohio. But the Devils must first get past old foe Jason Tejchma, who leads the team with 22 points (10g, 12a) and came to Mississippi after playing with the Wheeling Nailers earlier this year.

Practice/Game Schedule:

Tuesday, January 1 - Travel to Pensacola

Wednesday, January 2 - Pre-game skate @ Pensacola Civic Center - 11:15am

Game @ Pensacola - 7:05pm

Travel to Biloxi

Thursday, January 20 - Practice @ Mississippi Coast Coliseum - 12:00pm

Friday, January 21 - Pre-game skate @ Mississippi Coast Coliseum - 11:15am

Game @ Mississippi - 7:05pm

Saturday, January 22 - Pre-game skate @ Pensacola Civic Center - 10:00am

Game @ Pensacola - 7:05pm

Sunday, January 23 -

Game @ Mississippi - 5:05pm

Monday, January 24 - Travel to Trenton

ALONG THE BOARDS WITH CHRIS HUDSON: Along the Boards will return Wednesday, January 9th at 7:00pm. This week, enjoy the game! During the program the Voice of the Devils, Chris Hudson, brings listeners an in-depth view of the Trenton Devils with interviews of coaches and players while recapping the team's past games. Along the Boards is hosted at Alstarz Family Sports Pub in Bordentown, NJ (next to Mastori's) and can be heard live from 7:00 to 8:00pm on WBCB 1490 every Wednesday the team is not playing or traveling.

DEVILS GAME BROADCASTS: Tune in as the Voice of the Devils, Chris Hudson, brings you all of the Devils' hockey action live on WBCB-1490AM Sunday through Thursday and WTSR-91.3 FM on Friday and Saturday. Fans can also watch or listen in on the Devils website, http://www.trentondevils.com, courtesy of B2 Networks. Video broadcasts are available for a charge of $6 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.



ECHL Stories from December 31, 2007


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.

OurSports Central