Devils take two out of three in Ohio, prepare for four-game week

Published on January 12, 2009 under ECHL (ECHL)
Trenton Devils News Release


TRENTON, N.J., -- The Trenton Devils split their games against the Cincinnati Cyclones and shut out the Dayton Bombers to complete a 2-1 road trip in Ohio. The Devils will play four games in five nights this week against the Johnstown Chiefs and Bombers at home, then traveling to Reading to play the Royals, before concluding their week at home against the Elmira Jackals.

DEVILS BLOW AWAY CYCLONES: The Trenton Devils scored an early goal against the Cincinnati Cyclones and never looked back en route to a 4-1 win Friday night at U.S. Bank Arena. The Devils got off on the right foot with a goal 13 seconds into the game, tying a team-record last set on October 20, 2002 by Yann Joseph. Eric Castonguay streaked into the zone from the left wing, firing a shot at the circle that was stopped by Cyclones goalie Kyle Gajewski and slammed in off a rebound by Jim Henkel, his 10th goal of the season. Brad Snetsinger doubled the lead at 4:14 as Jeremy Akeson eluded the Cyclones defense on his way into the zone and dropped it to Snetsinger, who fired in his fifth goal of the season. Snetsinger scored his second of the game eight minutes into the second, as he took a Matt Cohen pass in the left circle and fired another wrist shot past Gajewski, who was pulled after the goal in favor of Ryan Nie. The Devils continued their groove on the power play at 6:48 of the third as Ryan Gunderson fluttered in a shot from the blue line past Nie for his fourth of the season. Cincinnati got a consolation goal at 8:32 on the power play from Barret Ehgoetz, who deked around Gerald Coleman and stuffed the puck into the net. Coleman made 20 saves for his sixth win in seven starts for the Devils. The Devils went 1-for-5 on the power play and killed eight of Cincinnati's nine power plays. In addition to Snetsinger's two goals, Akeson had a pair of assists for the Devils.

CYCLONES SWITCH ROLES TO BEAT DEVILS: In a reversal of fortune 24 hours after their Friday night win, the Devils were dominated from start to finish by the Cyclones in a 5-2 defeat Saturday night. The Cyclones had an early start of their own, as Mark Van Guilder knocked in a loose puck from the crease to put Cincinnati on the board 1:08 into the contest. Justin Johnson picked up a power play goal at 3:53 to make it 2-0, as he rifled in a wrist shot from the slot that beat Gerald Coleman. The Cyclones continued to control the game into the second period, as Ben McLeod shot a backhander past Coleman from the left circle at 2:24. Brad Snetsinger would put the Devils on the board by crashing the net with his fourth goal in three games at the 6:37 mark. However, that would be countered with a late goal by Dustin Sproat that gave the Cyclones a 4-1 lead into the second intermission. McLeod and Eric Castonguay traded goals in the third period to result in the game's 5-2 final. Castonguay's goal was his 11th, making him the Devils' leading goal scorer. The Devils went 1-for-4 on the power play, and were outshot by the Cyclones 33-26 in the game.

DEVILS TRICK BOMBERS IN SHUTOUT: A hat trick by Jeremy Akeson and Gerald Coleman's third shutout of the season gave the Trenton Devils a 5-0 road victory against the Dayton Bombers Sunday evening. Akeson put the Devils on the board at 7:14 of the first after he knocked in a rebound off of a Matt Torti shot, his third goal of the season. He would get his second goal at the 2:23 mark of the second, when he rifled in a wrist shot from the right circle just under the crossbar. ECHL All-Star defenseman Matt Cohen improved the Devils' power play goal streak to 15 games when he knocked in a rebound from the left side of the net, notching his fifth goal of the season to make it a three-goal lead at 9:09. In the third period, Dan Eves would score on a backhander from the bottom of the left circle at 8:18 for his second goal of the season. The hat trick for Akeson came late in the game, as he fired a laser from the blue line that eluded goaltender Tyler Plante with 2:05 left to play. Coleman, the reigning ECHL Goaltender of the Week, made 25 saves to earn his second shutout since joining the Devils. Jeff Prough and Eves each had two points for the Devils.

COLEMAN DOES THE JOB: Since coming to the Devils in late-November from the Phoenix Roadrunners, Gerald Coleman has been nothing short of impressive, posting a 1.72 goals-against-average and two shutouts in nine games for the Devils. Coleman sports a record of 7-1-0-0 with Trenton, and last week earned ECHL Goaltender of the Week honors.

NOT THE TEAM YOU REMEMBERED: There is a stark difference between the Devils of November and the Devils of the present. Before their game against the Reading Royals on November 26, the Devils were 3-11-0-1, and had scored an average of 2.2 goals per game. The Devils have now improved to 16-15-1-2, with an average of 2.9 goals per game. In their last 19 games, the Devils are 13-4-1-1, averaging 3.5 goals per game.

QUICK HITS: The Devils announced earlier in the week that Scott Bertoli would have his #19 retired on February 21. Bertoli played eight seasons in Trenton, from 1999 until 2007...Athletic Trainer Michael Bronstein was selected to represent the American Conference in next week's All-Star Game...Jeremy Akeson has a four-game point scoring streak (3g+4a=7p)...Defenseman Rob Page announced his retirement during the week. He scored his only goal in his final game, an 8-2 win over the Bombers on January 3.

UPCOMING GAMES

Wednesday, January 14, 7:00 p.m. -- Devils vs. Johnstown Chiefs

The Devils start the busy week with a mid-week matchup against the Johnstown Chiefs, who have a 4-2-1-0 edge in the season series. The Chiefs have lost several players due to AHL call-ups and have slipped to second place in the ECHL's American Conference North Division as a result. Ryan Del Monte has six points (3g, 3a) in his last three games against the Devils.

Friday, January 16, 7:30 p.m. -- Devils vs. Dayton Bombers

The Bombers return to Trenton five days after the Devils shutout the Bombers, 5-0, in Dayton. The Devils lead the season series 3-2-0-0 and have outscored the Bombers, 16-4, in their last three meetings. Trenton has an astounding 27-6-0-0 all-time record at Sovereign Bank Arena against the Bombers.

Saturday, January 17, 7:05 p.m. -- Devils at Reading Royals

The Devils enter the second half of their schedule as they meet the Royals for the sixth time this season. The Devils lead the season series 4-1-0-0, outscoring the Royals, 15-10. The Royals have been in last place for the past month, and went 2-2-0-0 during their four game road trip to Utah and Idaho.

Sunday, January 18, 4:00 p.m. -- Devils vs. Elmira Jackals

The Devils cruise into the All-Star Break with a home contest against the Elmira Jackals, who have a 4-2-0-0 lead in the season series. Goaltender David Shantz has a 4-3-1-0 record since joining the Jackals, posting a 2.62 goals-against-average in nine games.

Practice/Game Schedule: (subject to change)

Tuesday, January 13 -- Practice at Sovereign Bank Arena, 10:00 a.m.

Wednesday, January 14 -- Pre-game skate at Sovereign Bank Arena, 10:00 a.m.

Game vs. Johnstown -- 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, January 15 -- Practice at Sovereign Bank Arena, 10:00 a.m.

Friday, January 16 -- Pre-game skate at Sovereign Bank Arena, 10:00 a.m.

Game vs. Dayton -- 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, January 17 -- Game @ Reading -- 7:05 p.m.

Sunday, January 18 -- Game vs. Elmira -- 4:00 p.m.

DEVILS GAME BROADCASTS: Tune in as Paul Roper brings you all of the Devils' hockey action live Saturday and Sunday on www.trentondevils.com, courtesy of B2 Networks. Video broadcasts are available for a charge of $7 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.

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ECHL Stories from January 12, 2009


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