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Trenton loses three in the week, hope to rebound with four games on tap

November 24, 2008 - ECHL (ECHL)
Trenton Devils News Release


TRENTON, NJ (November 24, 2008) -- The Trenton Devils continued to struggle in the month of November as they lost three in a row to the Wheeling Nailers, Elmira Jackals, and Johnstown Chiefs. The Devils will go back on the road this week against the Reading Royals and Chiefs, and complete the weekend with their first games at home against the Florida Everblades and Cincinnati Cyclones.

WHEELING NAILS TRENTON: Curtis Darling's 32 saves paved the way for the Wheeling Nailers as they blanked the Trenton Devils, 4-0, on Wednesday night at WesBanco Arena. Tommy Goebel put the Nailers on the board with a goal 6:14 into the contest. Jon Grecu then notched his first career goal with a shot from the slot to make it 2-0 going into the first intermission. While the Devils picked up their play in the second period, Darling continued to make life difficult for the Trenton offense as his goaltending kept the Devils off the scoresheet. The Nailers would add two late goals three minutes apart in the third period to win 4-0. The Devils killed off all of Wheeling's seven power plays, and outshot the Nailers, 32-31.

JACKALS EDGE DEVILS: In a hard-fought battle in which each team had many opportunities but little finish, the Elmira Jackals came out on top over the Trenton Devils by the score of 1-0 Friday night at Sovereign Bank Arena. The Devils had some chances on the power play, including a two-man advantage that lasted for nearly two minutes in the first period, but were unable to score. The Devils' best opportunity against Jackals goaltender Mitch O'Keefe came in the third period when Benoit Mondou was denied by the right goal pad of O'Keefe on a breakaway. Not much later, Steve Yetman scored the game's only goal; going coast-to-coast and firing a wrist shot that dribbled through Charlie Effinger with 5:25 left to play. The Devils had a last-ditch effort with Effinger pulled towards the end of the game, but Jim Henkel was unable to score from point-blank range with one second left, and the Jackals were victorious. O'Keefe made 38 saves to earn his first career shutout.

JOHNSTOWN JOLTS TRENTON: While the Trenton Devils finally broke their scoring drought, the Johnstown Chiefs were too much for the Devils as the Chiefs won, 4-1, Saturday night at the Cambria County War Memorial Arena. An even first period ended with a goal by Mike Bartlett with 30 seconds left, giving the Chiefs a lead they would never lose. Sean Berkstresser scored a wraparound goal 9:03 into the second to make it 2-0. Although Charlie Effinger kept the Devils in the game with some spectacular saves going into the third, Codey Burki effectively put it out of reach by scoring on an odd-man rush midway through the period. Dave Leaderer broke the Devils' scoring drought with a power play goal at the 15:25 mark, only to be matched by an Alex Penner tally two minutes later to make it 4-1. Effinger made 35 saves for Trenton, as his Johnstown counterpart Kris Mayotte stopped 30 shots for the win.

STEADY CHARLIE: The 1-3-0-0 record for Charlie Effinger as a Trenton Devils goalie is deceiving, as the rookie has performed well since he was acquired from Gwinnett last week. Effinger has averaged 30.75 saves per game since joining the Devils, with a 2.51 goals against average and .925 save percentage.

QUICK HITS: Dan Eves made his Trenton debut on Wednesday, a week after travelling from Idaho...The Devils have used 33 different players in games this season.

UPCOMING GAMES

Wednesday, November 26, 7:05 p.m. -- Devils @ Reading Royals

The Devils make the short trip down the Pennsylvania Turnpike for their third meeting against the Reading Royals. The Devils took the last game in Reading on November 15 with one of their best efforts of the season in a 4-1 win. The Royals have struggled to start the season, and sit just ahead of the Devils in the divisional standings with 11 points at press time. Shawn Snider leads the Royals with 13 points (5g, 8a) in 15 games.

Friday, November 28, 7:05 p.m. -- Devils @ Johnstown Chiefs

Cambria County War Memorial Arena has been unfriendly for the Devils so far this season, though Trenton hopes the third time is a charm to get a win after being denied there the last two times. The Chiefs are 3-1-0-0 against the Devils this season, and are led by Randy Rowe and Petr Pohl, who have 17 points apiece. Jon Landry leads ECHL defensemen with six goals this season.

Saturday, November 29, 7:00 p.m. -- Devils vs. Florida Everblades

In a rematch of the 2005 Kelly Cup Finals, the Devils play the Florida Everblades for the first time in the regular season. The Everblades are coming off a 12-0 demolition of the Augusta Lynx on the road, and are poised to return to the Kelly Cup Finals with their explosive attack. Kevin Baker leads the Everblades with 19 points (10g, 9a) in 13 games.

Sunday, November 30, 4:00 p.m. -- Devils vs. Cincinnati Cyclones

The defending Kelly Cup Champion Cincinnati Cyclones make their first visit of the season to Sovereign Bank Arena on Sunday. The Devils were 3-6-0-1 against the Cyclones last season, with Jason Smith earning all of the victories for Trenton. The Cyclones are in an early hole as they try to defend their championship as they are six points out of the last playoff spot. Olivier Latendresse and Thomas Beauregard lead Cincinnati with 11 and 10 goals, respectively.

Practice/Game Schedule:

Tuesday, November 25 -- Practice @ Sovereign Bank Arena -- 10:30 a.m.

Wednesday, November 26 -- Pre-game Skate @ Grundy Recreation Center -- 10:00 a.m.

Travel to Reading

Game @ Reading -- 7:05 p.m.

Return to Trenton

Thursday, November 27 -- Practice TBD

Travel to Johnstown

Friday, November 28 -- Pre-game skate @ Cambria County War Memorial Arena -- 11:15 a.m.

Game @ Johnstown -- 7:05 p.m.

Return to Trenton

Saturday, November 29 -- Pre-game skate @ Sovereign Bank Arena -- 10:00 a.m.

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

Sunday, November 30 -- Game vs. Cincinnati -- 4:00 p.m.

Monday, December 1 -- Day Off

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 $6 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 November 24, 2008


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