News

 

DEVILS WEEKLY: FEBRUARY 2 - 8, 2010

Trenton, N.J. - The Devils (17-22-4-5, 43 pts) won one out of three games at home this week and remain in third place in the East Division, 11 points ahead of the Johnstown Chiefs. The Elmira Jackals have surged into first place with 55 points and extending their point-earning streak to eight games. The slumping Reading Royals now sit in second place in the East with 50 points. The Devils conclude their homestand on Friday night against the Royals before heading to Reading and Elmira on Saturday and Sunday.

QUICK HITS

-Matt Vokes had his second four point game of the season in Friday's 4-1 win over Reading. The Brown alum netted one goal and added three assists on his way to being named the first star of the game. Vokes' first four point game this season came on January 2 in a 5-2 win over Wheeling in which he also recorded one goal and three assists. The Auburn, MA native has amassed 21 points (5g, 16a) in 28 games for the Devils this season.

-Jack Combs recorded this third multi-point game of the season on Friday night. Combs notched one goal and added two helpers in Trenton's 4-1 win over Reading. The Saint Louis, MO native has 18 points (11g, 7a) in 25 games since joining the Devils on December 9.

- The Devils were perfect on the penalty kill this week, killing off all 13 of their opponents' extra man chances. Trenton's penalty kill at home ranks fifth in the ECHL at 85.5%, while overall the penalty kills ranks seventh at 82.9%.

THE WEEK IN REVIEW

CHIEFS BLANK DEVILS, 3-0

Goaltender John Murray led the last place Johnstown Chiefs over the short-handed Devils 3-0 Wednesday night at the Sun National Bank Center. With Andy Thomas in Lowell, the Devils were down a defenseman from the start but also lost Justin Coutu in the first period. Murray made 27 saves for the shutout, the first registered by Johnstown all season. Johnstown had quality chances early in the first and capitalized. Sean Berkstresser tried to deposit a Jeff Martens rebound but hit the post. As the puck trickled through the goalmouth, Matthew Myers made no mistake jamming it into the back of the net at 10:52. Johnstown doubled its lead at 2:12 in the second on a Bryan Marshall goal. Positioned by the side of the net, Marshall knocked in a Troy Schwab centering pass to put the Chiefs up 2-0. The Devils did produce a number of chances but could not cash in. Murray's best stop of the night came late in the second period when Dan Eves and defenseman Luke Lucyk broke in on a two-on-one rush. Eves sent the puck cross ice to Lucyk on the far side, but Murray slid to his right to make the pad save. The Chiefs added an insurance goal at 13:30 when Chanse Fitzpatrick stuffed a rebound behind Dave Caruso for his twenty-second goal of the season. The Devils had five fruitless power plays on the night and stopped all six Chief extra man chances.

DEVILS DOMINATE ROYALS, 4-1

The Devils won their first game against Reading in nine games this season, a 4-1 victory at the Sun National Bank Center. Matt Vokes had a hand in every goal, contributing an even strength tally and three assists. Dave Caruso made 25 saves while rookie Matt Dalton stopped 52 of the Devils' season high 56 shots. The line of Vokes, Jack Combs, and Brett Wilson demonstrated the tenacious and intelligent play that the team lacked in their loss to the lowly Chiefs. Vokes scored on the Devils' fifth shot of the game, a redirection of a Tim Kunes' shot from the point. Less than two minutes later, the Royals fought back with a shorthanded goal by Charlie Kronschnabel to tie the score at one a piece. Not to be outdone on their own power play, the Devils fought back to regain the lead with nine seconds left on the man advantage. Ryan Ginand worked through a tight stick check to the left of the Royals goaltender, spun around and fired a low shot past the pad of Dalton for his tenth of the season. Ginand netted his second of the night at 7:26 of the second period, knocking home a rebound off of a Slavomir Tomko slapshot. Jack Combs put the game out of reach with his own tally at 19:24 of the second. Wilson made a slick pass to Combs, who ripped a one-timer high over the shoulder of Dalton from the front of the cage. The Devils protected their lead in the scoreless third period, allowing just seven shots on goal.

JACKALS SHUT OUT DEVILS, 2-0

Trenton's Dave Caruso and Elmira's Julien Ellis pulled out all the stops on Sunday afternoon but only Ellis could claim the 2-0 victory. Starting his fourth game in a row, Caruso matched Ellis with one exception at the hands of Tyler Donati. The Devils mounted a string of chances in the first period, doubling Elmira's shot output, 14-7. The Jackals finally solved Caruso at 12:38 of the first. Justin Donati faked a slapshot, and then angled a pass to Tyler Donati in the slot, who scored the eventual game-winning goal. The back-and-forth pace of the game continued with multiple breakaway chances by the Devils, including two with Dan Eves and Carter Lee. Rick Kowalsky pulled Caruso with 1:40 to go in the third but the Devils could not take advantage of the extra attacker. Captain Olivier Proulx sealed the game for the Jackals with an empty net goal with 40 seconds left in the game. Ellis made 31 saves in his first shutout of the season and Caruso stopped 26 shots in his fourteenth loss of the season.

THE WEEK AHEAD

UPCOMING GAMES

Friday, February 12, 2010, 7:00 p.m. - Devils vs. Reading Royals Saturday, February 13, 2010, 7:05 p.m. - Devils at Reading Royals

Coming off of their first win in nine games against the Reading Royals (23-20-1-3, 50 pts) this season, the Devils open a home-and-home series at the Sun National Bank Center on Friday. The Royals have slid a bit of late, dropping seven of their last ten games and relinquishing first place in the East to the Elmira Jackals. Matt Vokes had four points (1g, 3a) when the two rivals last met on February 5, and the Devils dominated the Royals in a 4-1 win.

Sunday, February 14, 2010, 4:05 p.m. - Devils at Elmira Jackals

The surging Elmira Jackals (25-17-3-2, 55 pts) have won seven of their last ten games to take over first place in the East. The Devils lead the season series, taking six out of nine contests. The Devils look to bounce back after losing a goaltending duel, 2-0, on February 7 at the Sun National Bank Center. Yannick Tifu recently returned from a three game stint with the Albany River Rats (AHL).

UPCOMING EVENTS AND PROMOTIONS

Tuesday, February 9, 2010, 7:00 p.m. - "Along the Boards" Broadcast

Join Dan D'Uva for the first of three February installments of "Along the Boards," from Cheeburger Cheeburger, located in the Mercer Mall on Route 1 in Lawrenceville. Come out to watch the live broadcast with Dan, featuring Trenton Devils coaches and players. Bring your Devils merchandise for player autographs. Wear your gear and save 10% off of your Cheeburger Cheeburger order.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010, 6:30 p.m. - Season Ticketholder Skate with the Devils

All Devils season ticket holders are invited to skate with Devils players, take pictures, and get autographs at 6:30 p.m. at the Sun National Bank Center.
It's not too late to become a Devils season ticket holder and get in on the action!

Saturday, February 14, 2010, 4:00 p.m. - Bus Trip to Reading

Ride on our chartered bus to Reading to cheer on your Trenton Devils as they face the Reading Royals. The bus will leave at 4 p.m. from the Trenton Devils Front Office located at Roebling Market, 635 South Clinton Avenue, Trenton, NJ 08611.

DEVILS GAME BROADCASTS: Join Dan D'Uva for all the play-by-play action at www.trentondevils.com and select games on Z88.9-FM, plus interviews on You Tube. Upcoming Z88.9 broadcasts include February 12, 13, and 14.

For the latest news on your Trenton Devils visit www.trentondevils.com.