Lowell Takes Final Two Home Games of 2008

Published on December 29, 2008 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Albany Devils News Release


Last Week:

Sat, 12/27 - DEVILS 8 vs. Providence Bruins 1

Sun, 12/28 - DEVILS 5 vs. Hartford Wolf Pack 4

This Week:

Tue, 12/30 - Devils vs. ALBANY RIVER RATS, 7:00p.m.

Sat, 1/3 - Devils vs. WORCESTER SHARKS, 7:05 p.m.

Sun, 1/4 - DEVILS vs. Manchester Monarchs, 4:00 p.m.

The Devils broke a seven-game winless streak by taking both contests this weekend at the Tsongas Arena. It was a record-setting night on Saturday when Lowell defeated the Providence Bruins, 8-1. The Devils followed that up with a well-fought 5-4 victory over the Hartford Wolf Pack on Sunday afternoon. Lowell will play its final game of 2008 on Tuesday when they visit the Albany River Rats. The Devils start the new year's schedule on Saturday as they play the Worcester Sharks on the road and finish things up at home on Sunday against the Manchester Monarchs.

Rewind: Saturday, DEVILS 8 vs. Providence 1 The Devils set the club record for goals scored in a game and tied their record for goals scored in a period during their 8-1 rout of the Providence Bruins. Two goals by Jon DiSalvatore helped power a five-goal first period for Lowell. Chad Wiseman contributed four points (2g-2a), while Petr Vrana added a goal and two assists and Barry Tallackson notched a pair of goals. The Devils converted a season-high four times over five power play opportunities. Defenseman Tyler Eckford picked up three assists on the power play. Jeff Frazee made 32 saves for the win.

Sunday, DEVILS 5 vs. Hartford 4 Barry Tallackson's power play goal at 3:51 of the third period gave Lowell its first lead of the game and a 5-4 win versus the Hartford Wolf Pack. The Devils special teams figured in four goals on the night, going 2-for-6 on the power play, but also allowing two shorthanded tallies. Michael Swift recorded a three-point game (1g-2a) in his return to the lineup and also helped Lowell rally from a 3-1 deficit in the second period. He and Jon DiSalvatore worked a 2-on-1 at 12:18 before Swift returned the favor, helping DiSalvatore knot the game, 3-3, with 2.9 seconds left until the intermission. Jeff Frazee turned aside 30 shots for his second win in a row.

In the Standings By virtue of their 2-for-2 weekend, the Devils (13-14-1-3) were able to climb out of the cellar in the Atlantic Division and inch a point ahead of the Springfield Falcons (12-16-4-1). The Worcester Sharks sit in fifth place at 16-15-0-1, three points ahead of the Devils, and one point behind the Manchester Monarchs at 15-14-0-4. The Hartford Wolf Pack remain in third place with a 16-14-1-3 record and trail the Portland Pirates (18-10-1-2) by three points. The Providence Bruins maintain a one-point lead for first place in the division at 19-13-1-1.

Eight is Enough The Devils' eight-goal output on Saturday broke the previous record of seven, set on 2/26/08 in a 7-3 win at Manchester. The five-goals scored in the first period tied the club high, done twice before in team history.

Several other records came close to falling thanks to some quick scoring by the Devils. Petr Vrana and Barry Tallackson's goals, notched 16 seconds apart in the first period, fell one tick short of the record set by Tallackson and Benoit Mondou on 2/29/08 at Portland. Figuring in Chad Wiseman's marker at 9:08 of the same period, and Lowell put a trio of goals over a span of 2:38 - nine seconds short of the club record.

Around the Horns Barry Tallackson scored three goals over the two-game weekend - one even-strength, one on the power play and one shorthanded...The Devils power play has had a 41.2% success rate (7-for-17) in its last three home games, including a season-high four power play goals on Saturday versus Providence...Chad Wiseman notched a four-point game (2g-2a) on Saturday - the Devils' fourth of season...Jeff Frazee is the league's active leader in save percentage with .926 (tied-Barry Brust, Houston)...Jon DiSalvatore picked up his first multi-goal game of the year on Saturday and then gathered his team-leading sixth multi-point game on Sunday against Hartford.

Coming Up The Devils make their first trip of the season to Albany to face the River Rats. The River Rats defeated the Devils in their only other meeting this season, 3-2, in the shootout on November 15 at the Tsongas Arena. Albany has lost seven of its last 10 games after a 5-3 loss on Sunday to the Hershey Bears. The River Rats have the sixth best home penalty-killing unit in the AHL at 87.7% (71-for-81).

Lowell will play its first game of 2009 at the DCU Center on Saturday against the Worcester Sharks. The Sharks have taken the last two meetings after the Devils were victorious, 6-4, on October 11. Worcester is winless in its last three games (0-2-0-1), but will play its next seven games at home. The Sharks have not lost at home this year when leading after either period.

The Manchester Monarchs come to town on Sunday to complete the Devils' weekend. Lowell has been victorious in two out of the three games against Manchester this season. The Monarchs were perfect during last weekend's stretch of three-games in three-days. The Monarchs are one of six teams in the AHL this year to never have lost in regulation when leading after the first period (10-0-0-3).

Promotions/ In the Community

-Friday, January 2 - Devil Dawg will be at the Breakaway Ice Center in Tewksbury, MA from 8:30am - 12:30pm, handing out trophies to the champions of the Tewksbury Youth Skating Association's George "Timmy" Ernest Squirt Tournament.

-Sunday, January 4 - Devils vs. Manchester Monarchs, 4:00pm -Free post-game skate for all in attendance, courtesy of Eastern Bank Leaders for Lowell

Goals: Jon DiSalvatore, Chad Wiseman (9)

Assists: Jon DiSalvatore (18)

Points: Jon DiSalvatore (27)

PIM: Matthew Corrente (73)

Plus/Minus: Vladimir Zharkov (+7)

Wins: Jeff Frazee (8)

G.A.A: Jeff Frazee (2.49)

Save %: Jeff Frazee (.926)

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American Hockey League Stories from December 29, 2008


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