Lowell Devils Weekly Release

MLN Newswire - www.mlntherawfeed.com -

Devils extend home winning streak and take share of division lead
Last Week:
Wed., 11/18 – Devils @ SPRINGFIELD FALCONS – L 4-3
Fri., 11/20 – DEVILS vs. Norfolk Admirals – W 2-1
Sat., 11/21 - DEVILS vs. Manchester Monarchs – W 5-3
This Week:
Wed., 11/25 – DEVILS vs. Hartford Wolf Pack, 7:00PM
Fri., 11/27 – Devils @ BRIDGEPORT SOUND TIGERS, 7:00PM
Sat., 11/28 - DEVILS vs. Portland Pirates, 7:00PM
The Lowell Devils took two out of three this week to go to 12-6-3-0 and lift themselves into a tie for first
place in the Atlantic Division with the Manchester Monarchs. The Devils have won seven of their last
eight and tied the franchise record with a five-game home winning streak. The only blemish on Lowell’s
schedule last week was a last minute loss on Wednesday at Springfield, 4-3. The Devils would regroup to
finish the weekend with two hard-fought wins. Lowell got back in the win column by defeating Norfolk
on Friday night, 2-1, and downing Manchester, 5-3, on Saturday.
The Devils play three games in four days this week starting with the Hartford Wolf Pack on Wednesday
at the Tsongas Arena. After Thanksgiving, Lowell travels to face off with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on
Friday, before returning home to battle Portland on Saturday.
Rewind:
Wednesday, Devils 3 @ FALCONS 4
The Springfield Falcons scored twice in the final two minutes of regulation to come from behind and
defeat the Lowell Devils, 4-3, at the MassMutual Center. Chad Wiseman and Ryan MacMurchy scored
within 33 seconds of each other to rally Springfield past Lowell. The Devils had taken their first lead at
9:44 in the third with Matt Taormina’s goal on the man-advantage. Alexander Vasyunov and Louis
Robitaille also each picked up goals in the contest. Falcons goalie Devan Dubnyk stopped 19-of-20 shots
in the third and 39 overall on the night.
Friday, DEVILS 2 vs. Admirals 1
Goalie Mike McKenna made 29 saves against his former team as Lowell held on to defeat the Norfolk
Admirals, 2-1. The Devils found their scoring touch early as it took only 24 seconds for Vladimir Zharkov
to get the game’s first goal. Michael Swift pushed the lead to 2-0 as he redirected Olivier Magnan’s shot
inside the near post at 12:12 of the first. The AHL’s leading goal scorer, Brandon Bochenski, made things
interesting when he netted his 12th goal of the year at 12:33 in the second. McKenna and the Devils
defense limited the Admirals to just nine shots in the third period to preserve the win.
Saturday, DEVILS 5 vs. Monarchs 3
The Devils’ power play proved to be the deciding factor as they converted three times versus the
Manchester Monarchs in a 5-3 win on Saturday afternoon. Holding on to a 2-1 lead midway through the
second, the Devils quickly found themselves behind after back-to-back power play tallies by Oscar
Moller. Lowell would respond with 5-on-4 goals by Vladimir Zharkov and Ben Walter before Nathan
Perkovich provided some late insurance. Jeff Frazee needed only 17 saves to pick up his fourth win of
the season while Perkovich finished the game with three points (1g-2a).
Around the Horns
Lowell was last in first place on Oct. 12, 2008 after going 1-0-0-1 in their first two games to claim the top
spot for a day…The Devils have converted 34.9% (15-for-43) of their power play chances over the last
nine games. Their man-advantage now ranks 4th in the league at 23.1%...Defensemen Tyler Eckford and
Matt Corrente both made their NHL debuts last week with the New Jersey Devils. Eckford skated on
Thursday at Nashville, while Corrente debuted at right wing on Saturday at Dallas…G Mike McKenna is
4-1-0 at home with a 1.50 GAA and a .955 save percentage…D Matt Taormina leads all rookies and
defensemen with five power play goals…Vladimir Zharkov (3g-6a) has nine points in his last six games.
The Devils are 7-1-0-0 when Zharkov records more than one point.
Coming Up
The Devils host Hartford on Wednesday and face a Wolf Pack team that is 11-8-0-1 and tied for fourth
place in the Atlantic Division. Hartford has been on a roll as of late posting a 6-2-0-1 record in the month
of November. The Wolf Pack dominated in the teams’ first meeting of the season, scoring three times on
the power play in a 5-2 victory on Oct. 24 at Hartford. Last season the Devils took the season series,
winning six of the eight matches including three of four at home. Cory Locke is the AHL’s leader in
scoring (11g-19a-30pts) and ranks third in goals scored.
Friday’s game will mark the fourth meeting this season between the Devils and Sound Tigers with Lowell
owning a 2-0-1-0 record. Bridgeport is four points behind Lowell in the division standings at 11-10-0-1.
The Sound Tigers have picked up points in five straight games (4-0-0-1) after losing ten of 13 matches.
Bridgeport is already 5-0-0-0 in overtime this season including a 4-3 win over Lowell on Oct. 3.
Lowell will finish up the weekend on Saturday evening at the Tsongas Arena, taking on the Portland
Pirates. Portland has won its last three games to increase its record to 9-10-2 on the year. The Devils and
the Pirates have each notched a victory thus far in the eight-game season series. The Pirates are led by
Tyler Ennis who ranks first on the team and among AHL rookies with 19 points (7g-12a). Jean-Philippe
Lamoureux has been a force in the net, winning his last three games and allowing only three goals.
Transactions
Nov. 18, 2009 – D Tyler Eckford recalled from loan by New Jersey (NHL)
– D Cory Murphy returned on loan to Lowell by New Jersey (NHL)
Nov. 19, 2009 – D Justin Coutu signed to PTO from Trenton (ECHL)
Upcoming Promotions/In the Community
• Monday, November 30
o Stephen Gionta and Michael Swift will be playing floor hockey with the children at the
YMCA in Andover, MA from 5:00PM – 6:00PM.
Leaders for Lowell
• Goals: Stephen Gionta, Nathan Perkovich, Tim Sestito, Matt Taormina, Ben Walter (7)
• Assists: Vladimir Zharkov (14)
• Points: Vladimir Zharkov (20)
• PIM: Louis Robitaille (98)
• Plus/Minus: Vladimir Zharkov (+10)
• Wins: Mike McKenna (7)
• G.A.A.: Mike McKenna (2.27)
• Save %: Mike McKenna (.926)

Commissioner Bud Selig shaved drug suspensions of players and broke the rules of MLB. Will Manny Ramirez and three others do a year? What will happen to dozens of minor league players whose records, teams, and leagues are affected? Read the whole story at SZ ( www.mlnsports.com).