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Devils Win Two of Three As Calendar Turns

January 5, 2009 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Albany Devils News Release


Last Week:

Tue, 12/30 - Devils vs. ALBANY RIVER RATS, W 1-0

Sat, 1/3 - Devils vs. WORCESTER SHARKS, L 3-2

Sun, 1/4 - DEVILS vs. Manchester Monarchs, W 4-1

This Week:

Wed, 1/7 - DEVILS vs. Portland Pirates, 7:00p.m.

Fri, 1/9 - Devils vs. PORTLAND PIRATES, 7:00p.m.

Sat, 1/10 - Devils vs. WORCESTER SHARKS, 7:05 p.m.

Sun, 1/11 - Devils vs. PROVIDENCE BRUINS, 4:05 p.m.

The Lowell Devils were victorious in two of their three games this week as the calendar turned the page to 2009. The Devils finished their 2008 schedule on Tuesday with a 1-0 shutout at Albany. Lowell then opened the new year on Saturday with a 3-2 loss on the road against the Worcester Sharks, but rebounded on home ice to defeat the Manchester Monarchs, 4-1, on Sunday.

The Devils enter a busy stretch this week that will see them play divisional opponents four times in five days. Lowell begins at the Tsongas Arena on Wednesday with the first half of a home-and-home series against the Portland Pirates. The Devils then travel to face the Pirates on Friday before playing road games against the Sharks on Saturday and the Providence Bruins on Sunday.

Rewind: Tuesday, Devils 1 vs. ALBANY 0 Jeff Frazee made 36 saves for his second shutout of the season and a 1-0 win over the Albany River Rats at the Times Union Center. The game's only goal came on an Anssi Salmela one-timer at 6:18 of the third period. The Devils penalty kill was perfect in five opportunities against, including two 5-on-3 advantages for Albany.

Saturday, Devils 2 vs. SHARKS 3 The Lowell Devils were held to just 20 shots, including four in the third period, as the Worcester Sharks skated away with a 3-2 victory at the DCU Center. Jon DiSalvatore opened the scoring at 4:15 of the first period, but the Sharks rattled off the next three to hold a 3-1 lead midway through the second. Nicklas Bergfors pulled his team within one thanks to a power play goal with 2.3 seconds left until the second intermission, but the Devils would be unable to knot the score in the third period.

Sunday, DEVILS 4 vs. Monarchs 1 Jon DiSalvatore's first hat trick of the season helped lead the Devils to a 4-1 win over the Manchester Monarchs at the Tsongas Arena. Once again, DiSalvatore broke a scoreless tie with a power play goal at 5:51 of the first. Though Marty Murray knotted the game at one before the end of the period, Lowell took the lead for good when Petr Vrana scored on the man-advantage at 15:32 of the second. DiSalvatore added an insurance goal and an empty-netter in the third to complete his hat trick and secure the Devils' win.

In the Standings By taking two of three last week, the Devils (15-15-1-3) were able to maintain their hold on sixth place in the Atlantic Division and keep pace with the teams ahead of them in the standings. The Worcester Sharks (19-17-0-1) leapfrogged over both the Manchester Monarchs (16-16-0-5) and the Hartford Wolf Pack (17-15-1-3) into third place in the Atlantic. The Wolf Pack now sit in fourth place, one point ahead of the Monarchs, who have a three-point cushion on the Devils. The Providence Bruins (22-14-1-1) have used a three-game winning streak to open a three-point gap on the second place Portland Pirates (20-12-1-2). The last place Springfield Falcons (13-19-1-4) trail Lowell by three points.

Special Teams Report The Devils' specialty team units continued their success this weekend in helping the squad to two wins in three games. The power play for Lowell has a 40.9% conversion rate in its last five games (9-for-22) and recorded at least one goal on the man-advantage in four of those contests. On the other end of the ice, the penalty kill has allowed only one power play goal in its last five games for a success rate of 95.5% (21-for-22).

DiSalvatore Does It Again As Jon DiSalvatore has gone in the last five games, so have the Lowell Devils. In helping his team triumph in four of the last five, DiSalvatore has posted seven goals and three assists including a hat trick on Sunday against Manchester. The Devils' right wing has recorded multiple points in four of his last five games and is the team leader in that category with eight. DiSalvatore now ranks first on Lowell with 13 goals, 19 assists, 32 points and 11 power play assists. Around the Horns With its win over Manchester on Sunday, Lowell raised its home record above the .500 mark for the first time since their home opener on October 11...Michael Swift has a four-game assist (5a) and point streak (1g-5a) since returning to the line-up on December 28 vs. Hartford...Jeff Frazee has made 30-or-more saves in five consecutive games. He was 2-1-0 over the weekend with a 1.71 GAA and a .962 save percentage...Petr Vrana is one point away from his 100th as a Lowell Devil.

Coming Up The Devils and Pirates face off in a home-and-home series this week for their third and fourth meetings of the season. Both teams have scored a win on their opponent's home ice. The Devils won, 5-1, on November 29, while the Pirates answered back with a 5-2 victory on December 6. Colton Fretter leads all scorers head-to-head with four points (3g-1a). Lowell is 8-12-0-2 in the all-time series against Portland.

For the second Saturday in a row, Lowell will play the Worcester Sharks at the DCU Center. The Sharks edged the Devils, 3-2, last weekend for their third consecutive win in the season series. Jon DiSalvatore has seven points (1g-6a) in three games versus Worcester. Sharks right wing Ryan Vesce is on a five-game point streak, during which he has recorded four goals and four assists.

The Devils finish up their road weekend on Sunday against the Providence Bruins. This is the sixth game out of ten this year between Providence and Lowell. The Devils lead the series 3-1-0-1 and have outscored the Bruins, 17-9. In their last meeting on December 27, the Devils set a club record for goals scored in a game, winning 8-1. Chad Wiseman (4g-3a) and Tyler Eckford (0g-7a) each have seven points against Providence this season. Promotions/ In the Community

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

Wednesday, January 7 - Devil Dawg will be making a lunchtime visit with the students at St. Augustine's School in Andover, MA at 11:30a.m.

Thursday, January 8 - Devil Dawg will be making a lunchtime visit with the students at Malcolm White Elementary School in Woburn, MA at 11:30a.m.

Friday, January 9 - Devil Dawg will be making a lunchtime visit with the students at St. Charles's School in Woburn, MA at 11:30a.m. Leaders for Lowell

Goals: Jon DiSalvatore (13)

Assists: Jon DiSalvatore (19)

Points: Jon DiSalvatore (32)

PIM: Matthew Corrente (75)

Plus/Minus: Vladimir Zharkov (+10)

Wins: Jeff Frazee (10)

G.A.A: Jeff Frazee (2.31)

Save %: Jeff Frazee (.932)



American Hockey League Stories from January 5, 2009


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