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Trenton Stays Alive In Playoff Race With 4-0-0

Published on March 29, 2010 under ECHL (ECHL) News Release


The Trenton Devils kept their Kelly Cup Playoff hopes alive last week going 4-0-0, including a three-game sweep of Elmira. Entering the final week of the regular season, Trenton is 32-29-9 with 73 points and trails Toledo and Reading by three points for one of the final two playoff spots in the American Conference.

Trenton opened the week with a 4-3 win over Johnstown on Wednesday when rookie goaltender Jeff Lerg turned aside 21 shots to record the win in his professional debut while four different Devils tallied goals to lift Trenton back to the .500 mark.

The Devils opened their weekend series at Elmira on Friday, recording a 4-3 overtime win after Jeff Prough tallied the tying goal midway through the third period and Tony Zancanaro scored the game winner in overtime.

Returning home on Saturday, goaltender Dave Caruso stopped all 28 Elmira shots to record his first shutout of the season and five different Devils scored goals as Trenton blanked the Jackals 5-0.

Trenton completed the sweep on Sunday with a 5-2 win with Prough and Matt Vokes each scoring a pair of goals. Caruso turned aside 34 Jackals' shots giving him a 3-0-0 record for the week to go along with a 1.32 goals-against average and a .957 save percentage.

The Devils, who own a 10-3-0 record against the Jackals this season, will host Elmira on Friday in their final home game of the regular season. The Devils conclude the regular season on Saturday at Reading.

Four Teams Alive For Top Seed In American Conference

The top seed in the American Conference is still up for grabs as four teams are battling for the No. 1 position as the regular season enters its final week. Charlotte and Kalamazoo are tied for the top spot in the conference with 89 points each while South Carolina and Cincinnati sit just behind them at 88 and 87 points, respectively. Elmira, which has a magic number of four points to secure the East Division title, is currently the third seed as a division leader.

Charlotte hosts Gwinnett on Tuesday in its final home game of the season before traveling to Florida to take on the Everblades on Friday and Saturday. By virtue of having more wins than Kalamazoo, the Checkers control their own destiny to win the conference's regular-season title.

Kalamazoo wraps up the regular season with a three-game home stand, hosting Cincinnati on Wednesday and Toledo on Friday and Saturday. South Carolina is at Gwinnett for a season-ending three-game road trip on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday while Cincinnati plays at Kalamazoo on Wednesday, hosts Johnstown on Friday and visits Wheeling on Saturday.

American Conference - East Division



Elmira Jackals
* Elmira clinched a playoff spot for the third-straight season on Mar. 28.
*Four more points will give Justin Donati 100 for the season. If he hits that mark, he and Tyler Donati (107 pts) will become the first brothers to both score 100 points for the same team in the same season in professional hockey.
*Jackals host Reading on Wednesday, visit Trenton on Friday, and visit Johnstown on Saturday.

Johnstown Chiefs
* Johnstown is 3-2-2 in its last seven home games (.571).
* Dan Collins set a career high with four points (2g-2a) vs. Toledo on Mar. 26.
* Chiefs host Toledo on Wednesday, visit Cincinnati on Friday, and host Elmira on Saturday.

Reading Royals

* Reading's 4-2 win at North Charleston Coliseum on Friday night was the first time the team has ever won in that building in the nine year history of the team (1-5-1).
* Andrew Sarauer set a team record when he scored his third penalty shot of the season on Mar. 27 in Charlotte.
*Royals visit Elmira on Wednesday and Wheeling on Friday, and host Trenton on Saturday.

Trenton Devils

* Trenton is third in the ECHL with a home penalty-killing record of 84.9 percent (163-for-192).
* Dave Caruso is third in the league with 1,313 saves.
* Devils host Elmira on Friday, and visit Reading on Saturday.

American Conference - North Division

Cincinnati Cyclones
* Cincinnati's 42 wins are the most in the American Conference and the second-most in team history behind only the 2008 Kelly Cup champions (55).
* Reid Cashman has 19 points (1g-18a) in 18 ECHL games with the Cyclones.
* Cyclones visit Kalamazoo on Wednesday, host Johnstown on Friday, and visit Wheeling on Saturday.

Kalamazoo Wings

* Kalamazoo has spent 88 days in first place in the division, the most of any team in the North.
* Ryan Nie leads the ECHL with 26 wins (26-12-1).
* Wings host Cincinnati on Wednesday, and Toledo on Friday and Saturday.

Toledo Walleye

* Toledo scored 15 goals in three games last week.
* Sal Peralta has four goals in his last three games and 10 goals in 14 games with Toledo.
* Walleye visit Johnstown on Wednesday, and Kalamazoo on Friday and Saturday.

Wheeling Nailers

* Wheeling is second in the ECHL on the home power play going 45-for189 (23.8 percent).
* Jon D'Aversa is on a six-game point streak (3g-5a) since March 17.
* Nailers host Reading on Friday and Cincinnati on Saturday.

American Conference - South Division

Charlotte Checkers
* Charlotte is in first place in the South with 89 points.
* Ryan Munce leads the ECHL with a .911 save percentage.
* Checkers host Gwinnett on Tuesday, and visit Florida on Friday and Saturday.

Florida Everblades

* Florida went 2-2-0 on its final road trip of the season.
* Adrien Lemay won his first professional start with 28 saves against Gwinnett on Mar. 28.
* Everblades host Charlotte on Friday and Saturday.

Gwinnett Gladiators

* Gwinnett is 16-0-0 when holding opponents to two goals or less.
* Sam Roberts is tied for second among rookie defensemen with 40 points (10g-30a).
* Gladiators visit Charlotte on Tuesday and host South Carolina on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.

South Carolina Stingrays

* South Carolina is fourth in the American Conference with 88 points.
* Trent Campbell has a four-game assist streak (4a) that began on March 14.
* Stingrays visit Gwinnett on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.

National Conference - West Division

Alaska Aces
* Alaska is unbeaten in its last 13 home games (10-0-3) since Jan. 9.
* Jason Ryznar has scored a goal in each of his last three games.
* Aces host Idaho on Tuesday and Wednesday and Stockton on Friday and Saturday.

Idaho Steelheads
* Idaho clinched the Brabham Cup for the first time in team history.
* Mark Derlago's 88 points passes Marty Flichel's 87 points in 2006-07 as a single-season record for the Steelhead's ECHL history.
* Steelheads play at Alaska Wednesday and at Bakersfield Friday and Saturday.

Utah Grizzlies
* Utah has scored five-or-more goals in seven of their last 11 games and has recorded four goals or more in 10 of their last 11.
* Dylan Hunter is currently on a 10-game point streak (3g-12a) that started on March 13.
* Grizzlies plays at Victoria Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

Victoria Salmon Kings
* Victoria is 16-0-1 when leading after two periods at home this season.
* Glenn Fisher recorded his third shutout of the season on March 27, which is tied for second in the ECHL and tied for the lead in the National Conference.
* Salmon Kings host Utah on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

National Conference - Pacific Division

Bakersfield Condors
* Bakersfield is one point from clinching a Kelly Cup Playoff berth.
* Rookie Dan Kissel had back-to-back two-point games for the first time in his career on March 26 (2g-0a) and March 27 (1g-1a).
* Condors host Stockton on Tuesday, play at Stockton Wednesday and host Idaho on Friday and Saturday.

Las Vegas Wranglers
* Las Vegas is tied for second in the ECHL with 92 second-period goals this season.
* All-Star Adam Miller is currently on a 14-game home point streak (10g-20a) that started on Jan. 9.
* Wranglers host Ontario on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Ontario Reign
* Ontario is 22-1-4 when leading after two periods.
* Chad Starling is tied for the ECHL lead with four shootout goals.
* Reign play at Las Vegas Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Stockton Thunder
* Stockton's power-play on the road leads the ECHL at 24.5 percent (38-for-155).
* Matt Robinson scored the first hat trick of his career in a 6-5 win against Las Vegas on March 28.
* Thunder play at Bakersfield Tuesday, host Bakersfield on Wednesday and play at Alaska Friday and Saturday.

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ECHL Stories from March 29, 2010


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