Now this is how you start a season!
Chapter 3 of the Albany-Adirondack rivalry (well, not so much as the early Rats-Wings days of the mid 90s) kicked off Saturday night in Glens Falls as the Devils opened the season against the Flames, coming off a rough loss in Rochester the night before to start their first season in the North Country. The newest Devil, Paul Thompson, scored the first goal of the season 7 minutes into the first for a 1-0 lead. And he was just getting started. Thompson scored a power play tally early in the second period to double the lead. Brett Kulak would cut the Devils lead down to 1 with a power play goal of his own. But in the third, Thompson would not only complete the hat trick, he would add a fourth goal for good measure just 3:47 apart to put the game away for the visitors. Stefan Matteau would add his first goal of the year with just over 4 minutes to go to seal the win. Keith Kinkaid earned his first win in net, stopping 34 of 35 shots. Joe Whitney would assist on 3 of Thompson’s goals, while four other Devils contributed assists.
Highlights:
Lines:
I was not on hand for the game, but from what I could see in the highlights and box score this is what I was able to piece together (those on hand can correct me):
Paul Thompson-Joe Whitney-Scott Timmins
Reid Boucher-Graham Black-Mike Sislo
Rod Pelley-Stefan Matteau-Steve Bernier
Tim Sestito-Darcy Zajac-Cam Janssen
Extra: Chris McKelvie, Kelly Zajac, David Wohlberg, Ben Thomson, Ben Johnson
Defense Pairings:
Seth Helgeson/Corbin McPherson
Dan Kelly/Raman Hrabarenka
Brandon Burlon/Peter Harrold
Extra: Reece Scarlett, Joe Faust
Pop Quiz: Who was the last A-Devil before Paul Thompson to score 4 goals in a game? Answer at the end of this post.
Obligatory Fight of the Week:
No gloves dropped or faces punched last night.
My Player of the Week:
Scoring 4 goals in your debut makes it a slam dunk decision. Who else but Paul Thompson?
Team Leaders:
Goals: Paul Thompson (4)
Assists: Joe Whitney (3)
Points: Paul Thompson (4)
+/-: Paul Thompson (+3)
Penalty Minutes: 3 tied with 2
Wins: Keith Kinkaid (1)
GAA: Keith Kinkaid (1.00)
Save Percentage: Keith Kinkaid (.971)
Notes:
-For the second straight season, Rod Pelley is the captain. Tim Sestito and Mike Sislo sported the A’s. Not sure if the assistant captains are all games or if there is a rotating home/away assignment.
This Week’s Schedule:
A home and home series with Bridgeport awaits. Friday night the Devils make their first of 5 visits to southern Connecticut. Saturday it’s back on home ice for the first time since the playoff run at the end of April.
And the Photo Gallery returns next Sunday!
Pop Quiz Answer: Prior to last night, Bobby Butler was the last A-Devil to score four goals in a game, accomplishing the feat on December 12, 2012, in a 6-3 win over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at Times Union Center.
Thoughts Inside The Box 