T-Devils take two from Royals, drop road game in Wheeling

December 22, 2008 - ECHL (ECHL)
Trenton Devils News Release


TRENTON, N.J, -- The Trenton Devils won a pair of games at home against the Reading Royals to start the weekend before losing on the road to the Wheeling Nailers. The Devils will break for the holiday season before returning to the ice Sunday afternoon at home against the Cincinnati Cyclones.

DEVILS TAKE DOWN ROYALS: Two-point nights by Jim Henkel and Matt Cohen led the way for the Trenton Devils in their third straight win, a 3-1 decision over the Reading Royals Friday night. Henkel put the Devils on the board 4:35 into the contest with a power play tally. In the second period, Eric Castonguay took a Henkel pass from just outside the Trenton zone and went streaking through the left wing of the Royals zone, firing a wrist shot over Danny Taylor's left shoulder at 10:57 for a two-goal lead. David Nimmo put the Royals within one at 12:28 with a slam dunk goal from the slot off of a pass from Chris Stevens. Despite giving up the goal, the Devils continued to apply pressure on the Royals, which paid off at 18:30 of the second. Tyler Burton whacked in a Cohen rebound for his tenth goal of the season, becoming the first T-Devil to reach double digits this season. Trenton dominated the third period by outshooting the Royals, 14-7, and never gave the Royals much chance to get back in the game. The Devils would finish the job with a 3-1 win in front of their hometown fans. Charlie Effinger earned his fourth straight win for Trenton with 23 saves, and picked up an assist against the Royals for the second time this season.

DEVILS DO IT AGAIN IN WIN OVER ROYALS: A three-point night by Trevor Kell and an outstanding performance in the shootout by the Trenton Devils gave them a 5-4 win over the Reading Royals Saturday night. The Royals scored two goals in a span of 1:01 during the first period for a 2-0 lead. Eric Castonguay would then get his seventh goal of the year at 16:46 to put Trenton on the board. The second period would be dominated by the Devils, who tied the game at 8:50 as Brad Snetsinger knocked in a rebound to score his first goal as a Trenton Devil. At the 14:36 mark of the second, the Devils would take the lead on a give-and-go with Jim Henkel and Matt Radoslovich, with Henkel finishing it off for his sixth tally of the season. Kell added to the Trenton lead with his eighth goal of the season at 16:48, a wrist shot that screamed past Royals goalie James Reimer from the near circle after a drop pass from Henkel. The Royals would tie the game in the third with two goals of their own, including the equalizer with 1:24 left to play on a wrap-around by Chris Stevens. The shootout would be dominated by the Devils, who scored in all three of their attempts, including a goal by Tyler Burton as he fell on the ice. Jason Smith stopped three of the Royals' four attempts to seal the win for Trenton.

NAILERS TAKE DOWN DEVILS: An offensive barrage by the Wheeling Nailers snapped the Trenton Devils' four-game win streak as Trenton succumbed to a 6-2 defeat Sunday afternoon. Aaron Clarke put the Nailers on the board at 9:15 of the first on a one-timer pass from Rob Sirianni. The Devils tied the game just over two minutes later as Jim Henkel fired a shot from the slot to get a goal in his third straight game. The Nailers received two more goals in the first by Jordan Morrison and Erik Johnson to take a 3-1 lead into the first intermission. In the second period, the Nailers would continue their mastery of the Devils. Rob Sirianni took advantage of a Brad Snetsinger turnover in the slot and rifled in his 17th goal of the season at 10:34. Reid Cashman extended the Wheeling lead to four when his shot from the right blue line squeaked by Charlie Effinger at 14:15. Elgin Reid added a shorthanded goal 1:32 into the third off of a rebound from a Johnson shot. The Devils rounded out the scoring with Trevor Kell's power play goal off of a nifty wrap-around with 2:37 left to play.

LOTS OF STREAKS: Devils forwards Jim Henkel and Eric Castonguay have been putting points on the board as of late, with each player carrying point-scoring streaks. Henkel is on a five-game streak, with four goals and four assists in those games. Henkel also has a three-game goal scoring streak. Castonguay has the longest active streak on the Devils with six games, scoring two goals and adding five assists.

QUICK HITS: The Devils' penalty kill has successfully killed off 32 penalties in a row, dating back to December 5 against the Florida Everblades...The Devils are the only team in the ECHL to resume play on the Sunday after Christmas Day...After Saturday's win, the Devils are 3-2 in the shootout this season.

UPCOMING GAMES

Sunday, December 28, 4:00 p.m. -- Devils vs. Cincinnati Cyclones

The Devils face the Cyclones for the second time the season. The Cyclones won the previous meeting in overtime on November 30 by the score of 3-2. Mark Van Guilder scored the game-winner 1:04 into the extra frame to cap off a three-goal comeback by Cincinnati. The Cyclones are without two of their leading scorers in Olivier Latendresse and Thomas Beauregard, as they are both currently in the American Hockey League.

Practice/Game Schedule:

Tuesday, December 23 -- Day off

Wednesday, December 24 -- Day Off

Thursday, December 25 -- Day Off

Friday, December 26 -- Optional Practice @ Lawrenceville Prep -- 3:30 p.m.

Saturday, December 27 -- Practice @ Lawrenceville Prep -- 1:30 p.m.

Sunday, December 28 -- Game vs. Cincinnati -- 4:00 p.m.

Monday, December 29 -- Practice @ Sovereign Bank Arena -- 10:00 a.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.



ECHL Stories from December 22, 2008


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