Devils Weekly

Published on March 29, 2011 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Albany Devils News Release


UPCOMING PROMOTIONS

All three home games this week have a promotion attached. On Tuesday, it's "Dollar Dawg Night" and fans can purchase hot dogs or sodas for just $1. Friday is "Fan Appreciation Night" and the first 2,000 people to arrive will receive a free Albany Devils Player Bobblehead courtesy of the Times Union. On Saturday, the Devils and their fans salute the men and women of the armed forces with "Military Appreciation Night." The final All-Star Wine & Spirits Autograph Session is after the game.

THE WEEK THAT WAS:

Wednesday, Devils 1 at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 2 (Shootout)

The Penguins needed 65 minutes and then some to sneak past the Devils, 2-1, in a shootout at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. In the end, the shootout came down to David McIntyre being robbed by the outstretched pad of Brad Thiessen in the final round. Mike McKenna made 29 saves with three additional in the shootout. Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond had the goal for the Devils at 14:10 of the second period, while the Penguins Ryan Craig opened the scoring at 13:37 of the first.

Friday, Devils 2 at Syracuse 6

After falling to the Devils, 4-1 and 6-1, on Mar. 13 and Mar. 16, the Crunch rebounded for a 6-2 victory against the Devils at the War Memorial at OnCenter. The Crunch began the game with four unanswered goals before Brad Mills netted the Devils first marker. Rob Davison scored later in the game. Syracuse was led by Nick Bonino, who had a goal and two assists. Patrick Maroon, Maxime Macenauer and John Mitchell also enjoyed multi-point outings. Each player had a goal and an assist. Mike McKenna and Jeff Frazee both saw action in goal. McKenna had the start and logged approximately 50 minutes, stopping 21 shots. Frazee made his first appearance since Mar. 6; he had three saves.

Saturday, Devils 4 at Hershey 7

In a back-and-forth contest, the Devils couldn't overcome the Bears, 7-4, at Giant Center. The Devils held two leads during the outing, but the defending Calder Cup champions had an answer each time. Boyd Kane netted the game-winning goal at 11:19 of the third period. The Devils had made it 4-4 at 7:06 of the third and then a 30-plus minute delay followed due to ice issues in Albany's crease. When play resumed, Kane scored his team's third power-play goal and sealed the victory. David McIntyre, Brad Mills, Ryan Ginand and Steve Zalewski were the goal scorers for the Devils.

NOTABLES:

-- Adam Henrique is making a push to be the league's top rookie scorer. In 67 games, he has registered 45 points, including 23 goals. His point total ranks tied for fifth, while his goal sum is tied for third. Henrique holds the record for most goals by a Devils AHL rookie in the franchise's five-year history. He passed Nick Palmieri, who had 21 tallies a season ago. Notably, Nathan Perkovich is third on that list for his 19-goal performance in 2009-10. In the Devils' AHL rookie point's category, Henrique is second, trailing Matt Taormina's 50 points (10g-40a) last season.

-- Steve Zalewski has had an immediate impact on the score sheet. Since being acquired, the New Hartford, N.Y. native has produced 19 points with 10 goals and nine assists in 23 games. With Worcester, Zalewski had four goals and 17 assists in 50 games. He is averaging 0.83 points per game with the Devils as compared to 0.42 points per game with the Sharks.

-- New Jersey recalled defenseman Jay Leach under emergency conditions on Saturday. Leach dressed for the AHL Devils in Syracuse on Friday and played his first NHL game of the season in Buffalo on Saturday. In the AHL this season, Leach has nine points (2g-7a), including four points (1g-3a) since being acquired from San Jose on Feb. 9.

-- Brad Mills was named the IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year representative for the Albany Devils. He is now a finalist for the 2010-11 Yanick Dupré Memorial Award for his contributions to the local community and charitable organizations. Mills has worked with the American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, Albany Medical Center and several YMCAs in the Capital Region.

-- Ryan Ginand scored his first career AHL goal in his AHL debut on Saturday at Hershey. The second-year pro was signed to a PTO before the Hershey game. Ginand played the majority of the season for Trenton and at the time of his signing was tied for third in the ECHL with 75 points (29g-46a) in 68 games.

-- Mike Banwell signed an ATO on Mar. 25 after appearing in 109 games for the University of Maine for the past four years. His career totals include 18 points with five goals and 13 assists. The 6-2, 195-lbs., left-shooting defenseman played 32 games this past season, totaling three assists and 56 penalty minutes.

LEADERS FOR ALBANY:

Goals:

Adam Henrique (23)

Assists: Matt Anderson (29)

Points: Matt Anderson (50)

PIM: Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond (270)

+/-: Stephen Gionta, Dan Kelly (+9)

Wins: Mike McKenna (14)

GAA: Jeff Frazee (2.84)

Save %: Jeff Frazee (.905)

NEXT UP:

Tuesday, Devils vs. Adirondack (7:00 p.m.) & Friday, Devils at Adirondack (7:30 p.m.)

The chase for the Time Warner Cable Cup is on and with only three games remaining between these two teams, the Devils own a 5-4 record. Before the Phantoms 3-1 loss at Worcester on Sunday, they had knocked off the top two teams in the East Division. They defeated Hershey, 2-1, on Friday and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, 3-2, on Saturday. Adirondack is eighth in the division with a 26-36-4-6 record (62 pts.) and Denis Hamel leads the team with 40 points backed by a team-high 21 goals and 19 assists. In goal, Michael Leighton is 11-12-3 with a 2.28 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage.

Saturday, Devils vs. Charlotte (7:00 p.m.)

The Checkers have won their last two games and are coming off an 8-2 blowout against Norfolk on Sunday. Zac Dulpe led the way with two goals and an assist, while Zach Boychuk, the reigning Reebok/AHL Player of the Week, had a goal and two assists. Charlotte is third in the East Division with a 41-25-2-7 record (91 pts.) and has gone 6-3-0-1 in its last 10 contests. Chris Terry is the leading scorer with 60 points with 32 goals and 28 assists. Boychuk is second with 59 points, including 22 goals and a team-high 37 assists.

Sunday, Devils vs. Binghamton (7:00 p.m.)

The Senators are holding onto a playoff spot with a 40-27-3-4 mark (87 pts.), which is good enough for fifth in the division and seventh in the conference. They are riding a six-game winning streak, including a 4-1 win at Springfield in their last outing on Sunday. During its six-game run, Binghamton has outscored opponents 23-8. Corey Locke continues to lead the league in scoring with 85 points, including an AHL-best 64 assists. He is tied for second on the team among active players with 21 goals. In goal, Barry Brust has a 28-17-1 record with a 2.56 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage.

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American Hockey League Stories from March 29, 2011


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