Tag: Road Trip

The season of extremes continues for the Devils.  After a hot week last week that saw them sweep all three games, it was back down during a busy 4 game week.  What had potential for 8 points turned into a 3 point week, thanks to a penalty box parade and a dried up offense due to call-ups to New Jersey.

11/29 at Bridgeport: 5-4 L (SO)

To start the week and end the month of November, the Devils returned to the same place where they started it…Bridgeport, for a rare Tuesday night matchup against the Sound Tigers.  After a scoreless first period, the teams combined for 5 goals in the second.  On an early power play, Ben Sexton would pick up his 4th goal of the season for a 1-0 Devil advantage.  Kevin Rooney would double the Albany lead with his 5th goal, but then the Sound Tigers would make a comeback.  Former Devil Steve Bernier would cut the the lead in half with a power play goal, his 8th of the season.  Barely two minutes later, Jesse Graham would tie the game up with a power play goal.  Finally, Ben Holmstrom’s first goal of the season would put the hosts ahead 3-2.  But the Devils were not about to go away quietly, taking the lead back early in the third.  In a span of 5:50, Max Novak (2nd) and John Quenneville (7th, also a PP) would put Albany back on top 4-3.  Bridgeport would re-tie the game 4 minutes later on Joshua Winquist’s 5th goal of the year.  The game would end up going into overtime, where both teams were undefeated (Albany 4-0, Bridgeport 5-0), so something had to give.  After 5 minutes proved fruitless, it was on to the shootout, where Brian Gibbons, Blake Pietila, and Quenneville were unable to connect against Sound Tigers goaltender Eamon McAdam.  Mackenzie Blackwood was able to stop Andrew Rowe and Bracken Kearns in the first two rounds, but could not stop Jon Landry in Round 3, giving Bridgeport the extra point.  It was a mixed night for Blackwood, as he stopped 25 of 29 shots.  Quenneville would add two assists, while Sexton, Rooney, and three others had one assist each.

Lines:

Joe Blandisi-Blake Pietila-Petr Straka

John Quenneville-Blake Coleman-Brian Gibbons

Ben Thomson-Kevin Rooney-Max Novak

Luke Gazdic-Rod Pelley-Ben Sexton

Defense:

Seth Helgeson/Vojtech Mozik

Andrew MacWilliam/Reece Scarlett

Brandon Gormley/Karl Stollery

Mackenzie Blackwood/Ken Appleby

Scratches: Steve Santini, Josh Jacobs, Jan Mandat, Carter Camper, Ryan Kujawinski, Scott Wedgewood

Power Play: 2 for 5.  Penalty Kill: 3 for 5.  Penalty Minutes: 15.  Shots on Goal: 28.  Shots Allowed: 30.

Three Stars: 1. Jon Landry; 2. Devon Toews; 3. John Quenneville.

Highlight Reel:

AHL Live has your highlights here.

12/2 vs. Utica: 2-1 L

The Devils kicked off the month of December with a home and home series against the Comets, starting off in the Capital Region on Friday night.  Albany managed to kill off a double minor and 5 on 3 situation early in the first period, but would find themselves down late.  Andrey Pedan and Jake Virtanen would score near identical goals on Ken Appleby 1:06 apart for a 2-0 Comet advantage after the first 20 minutes.  Albany would finally play a strong second period, only allowing five shots on goal and cutting the lead in half on a Rod Pelley goal, his fourth of the season.  The Devils defense stepped up in the third, only allowing four Utica shots, but were unable to pick up the tying goal on Comets rookie goaltender Thatcher Demko.  The win marked the first ever win in regulation for the Comets against the Devils (they won twice during the regular season in overtime, along with Game 3 of the division finals).  Appleby did not have much to face in stopping 15 of 17 shots, but wound up the hard luck loser.  Andrew MacWilliam and Jan Mandat had the lone helpers.

Lines:

Brian Gibbons-Joe Blandisi-Ben Sexton

Blake Coleman-Blake Pietila-Petr Straka

Ben Thomson-Kevin Rooney-Max Novak

Luke Gazdic-Rod Pelley-Jan Mandat

Defense:

Andrew MacWilliam/Reece Scarlett

Karl Stollery/Brandon Gormley

Seth Helgeson/Vojtech Mozik

Ken Appleby/Mackenzie Blackwood

Scratches: Steve Santini, Josh Jacobs, Carter Camper, Ryan Kujawinski, Scott Wedgewood

Power Play: 0 for 3.  Penalty Kill: 4 for 4.  Penalty Minutes: 10.  Shots on Goal: 25.  Shots Allowed: 17.

3 Stars: 1. Thatcher Demko; 2. Jake Virtanen; 3. Jan Mandat.

Highlight Reel:

12/3 at Utica: 3-1 L

It was off to Exit 31 of the Thruway on Saturday to finish off the home and home set.  Albany survived an extended period of being shorthanded late in the first period thanks to 3 straight calls in a 2:43 span (including a questionable double minor), but could not generate any offense against Thatcher Demko.  In the second, while on an extended power play of their own, a turnover near the bench ended up on the stick of Darren Archibald, who skated in alone on Mackenzie Blackwood and connected on a shorthanded goal for a 1-0 Comet lead.  Not to be outdone, Blake Coleman would pick up a shorthanded tally of his own (while Rod Pelley was serving another questionable double minor call) to tie the game at 1.  Penalties would in the end cost the Devils this one though…on two consecutive kills with less than 7 minutes to go in regulation, Carter Bancks would score twice in a 1:26 span to put Utica ahead 3-1.  A combination of that and Demko playing outstanding once again was too much for Albany to overcome, and they were swept by the Comets in the home and home set.  Blackwood stopped 29 of 32 shots in the loss.

Lines:

Brian Gibbons-Joe Blandisi-Ben Sexton

Jan Mandat-Blake Pietila-Petr Straka

Ben Thomson-Kevin Rooney-Max Novak

Luke Gazdic-Rod Pelley-Blake Coleman

Defense:

Andrew MacWilliam/Reece Scarlett

Seth Helgeson/Josh Jacobs

Vojtech Mozik/Brandon Gormley

Mackenzie Blackwood/Ken Appleby

Scratches: Steve Santini, Karl Stollery, Carter Camper, Ryan Kujawinski, Scott Wedgewood

Power Play: 0 for 7.  Penalty Kill: 8 for 10.  Penalty Minutes: 20.  Shots on Goal: 29.  Shots Allowed: 32.

3 Stars: 1. Carter Bancks; 2. Thatcher Demko; 3. Darren Archibald.

Highlight Reel:

12/4 vs. Binghamton: 3-1 W

The marathon week finished back on home ice on Sunday afternoon, as the Devils looked to avenge a humiliating loss to the Senators from mid-November.  And it didn’t take long for the home team to get on the board, as Kevin Rooney picked up his 6th goal less than four minutes into the contest for a 1-0 lead.  Blake Pietila would double the lead late in the second with 2:36 remaining in the second period, his 7th of the season.  Binghamton would break up Ken Appleby’s shutout bid with 7:29 to go in the third on a Phil Varone goal.  The Devils regained their two goal lead on a questionable goal call…during a scrum in front of Binghamton goaltender Matt O’Connor, the puck just managed to slide over the goal line.  Although it appeared that the entire puck did not make it across, the referee called it a good goal, awarded to Joe Blandisi.  Albany survived a 12-3 shot differential and a late 6 on 4 to break their two game losing streak, ending a difficult week on a positive note.  Appleby picked up his 4th win and stopped 24 of 25 shots.  Blandisi and three other Devils added assists.

Lines:

Brian Gibbons-Kevin Rooney-Petr Straka

Joe Blandisi-Blake Pietila-Ben Sexton

Ben Thomson-Blake Coleman-Jan Mandat

Luke Gazdic-Rod Pelley-Max Novak

Defense:

Seth Helgeson/Steve Santini

Karl Stollery/Vojtech Mozik

Brandon Gormley/Josh Jacobs

Ken Appleby/Mackenzie Blackwood

Scratches: Andrew MacWilliam, Carter Camper, Ryan Kujawinski, Reece Scarlett, Scott Wedgewood

Power Play: 0 for 7.  Penalty Kill: 4 for 4.  Penalty Minutes: 8.  Shots on Goal: 29.  Shots Allowed: 25.

3 Stars: 1. Blake Pietila; 2. Kevin Rooney; 3. Phil Varone.

Highlight Reel:

My Player of the Week:

Keep an eye on Kevin Rooney, who outside of Joe Blandisi had a very good week with two goals and an assist.  He has mostly been a third line center, but his strong play of late has seen him jump up to first line with the Devils struggling to create offense in recent days.

Team Leaders:

Goals: Blake Pietila (7)

Assists: Joe Blandisi (11)

Points: Joe Blandisi (17)

+/-: Vojtech Mozik (+10)

Penalty Minutes: Andrew MacWilliam (46)

Wins: Scott Wedgewood (5)

GAA: Ken Appleby (1.59)

Save Percentage: Ken Appleby (.930)

Up North with the Thunder:

A solid week for Adirondack on home ice as they went 2-1.  On Tuesday, they picked up a 4-2 win over Manchester, as Ty Loney picked up his 9th goal and Mathieu Brodeur added two assists.  Friday night they started a 2 game set against Colorado with a 5-1 win.  Brian Ward picked up his 11th goal of the season, Brodeur added two more helpers (before being summoned to Syracuse on a PTO for Saturday), and Brandon Baddock picked up his first professional point with an assist in the third.  Colorado would earn a split of the two game series with a 6-2 win.  Alex Wall and Greg Wolfe would each have assists in the loss.  The Thunder wrap up the homestand this week with a 2 game set against Norfolk on Tuesday and Saturday.

This Week’s Schedule:

A little bit of an easier schedule this week.  Wednesday night, Binghamton returns to the Capital District for a rematch.  Friday the Devils return to Syracuse to take on the Crunch.  Then it’s back on home ice Saturday afternoon to take on Providence.

 

Just when you thought things were back to normal in Albany…everything happens.  And two out of six points and an injured goaltender later…

11/16 at Rochester: 3-1 W

The road trip began on Wednesday night in Rochester, as the Devils looked to extend a nearly year long shutout streak against the Amerks.  And judging by the first period, it looked like a real possibility.  Despite a 15-2 shot differential in the first twenty minutes of the contest, it took till nearly the end of the period for Albany to get on the board, thanks to Miles Wood’s first professional goal.  Joe Blandisi’s fourth goal of the season (and his third in 3 games) would double the lead for the visitors midway through the middle period.  But while on a power play with 24 seconds remaining in the second, the Amerks finally broke their scoreless drought after a full 3 hours, 21 minutes, and 45 seconds (but who’s counting?), cutting the lead in half on a Tyson Strachan tally.  Despite outshooting the Devils 10-7 in the third, the Amerks were unable to get the equalizer, and an empty netter by Rod Pelley late (his third straight game with a goal) would seal a third straight win.  Scott Wedgewood stopped 20 of 21 Amerk shots, while three Devils each had assists.  The game also marked the debuts of both Petr Straka (2 SOG) and Luke Gazdic (12 PIM).

Lines:

Miles Wood-Joe Blandisi-Ben Sexton

John Quenneville-Brian Gibbons-Petr Straka

Ben Thomson-Kevin Rooney-Jan Mandat

Luke Gazdic-Rod Pelley-Ryan Kujawinski

Defense:

Seth Helgeson/Vojtech Mozik

Andrew MacWilliam/Reece Scarlett

Karl Stollery/Josh Jacobs

Scott Wedgewood/Mackenzie Blackwood

Scratches: Steve Santini, Blake Coleman, Max Novak, Brandon Baddock, Carter Camper, Brandon Gormley

Power Play: 0 for 6.  Penalty Kill: 4 for 5.  Penalty Minutes: 29.  Shots on Goal: 31.  Shots Allowed: 21.

3 Stars: 1. Joe Blandisi; 2. Miles Wood; 3. Tyson Strachan.

Highlight Reel:

11/18 at Binghamton: 6-2 L

It was off to the House of Horrors…I mean Binghamton…on Friday, as Albany paid the Senators a visit.  And if you believe in curses…well, the first period was beyond explanation.  Before most of the building was probably even settled into their seats, Buddy Robinson and Patrick Sieloff scored within the first 39 seconds of the contest for a 2-0 lead.  To add to the insult, Robinson would add his second two minutes later for a 3-0 lead, ending Mackenzie Blackwood’s night after 1 save on 4 chances.  But the home team wasn’t done just yet…Curtis Lazar would add a goal, and 4:56 in the Devils were staring at a 4 goal deficit.  Things would start to look up for the Devils in the second as they tried to get back into the contest.  Petr Straka’s first Devil goal would break up the shutout bid 7:19 into the middle stanza.  Brian Gibbons would pick up his 3rd goal on a power play with 3:43 left in the period to cut the Senators lead in half.  As if the night couldn’t get any worse for Albany…Scott Wedgewood, who was filling in quite well in a relief appearance, was forced to leave the game in the third due to an apparent hand/wrist injury, putting Blackwood back in the net.  And the Senators would put the game away late with two goals in the last 5:28 of the game to halt Albany’s win streak at 3.  Blackwood had a night he’d like to forget, only stopping 2 of 7 shots in 12:01, while Wedgewood stopped 15 of 16 in 47:37 of work before exiting.  Four Devils would add assists.

Lines:

Miles Wood-Joe Blandisi-Ben Sexton

John Quenneville-Brian Gibbons-Petr Straka

Luke Gazdic-Rod Pelley-Blake Coleman

Ben Thomson-Kevin Rooney-Max Novak

Defense:

Seth Helgeson/Vojtech Mozik

Andrew MacWilliam/Reece Scarlett

Karl Stollery/Brandon Gormley

Mackenzie Blackwood/Scott Wedgewood

Scratches: Steve Santini, Josh Jacobs, Brandon Baddock, Jan Mandat, Carter Camper, Ryan Kujawinski

Power Play: 1 for 6.  Penalty Kill: 7 for 8.  Penalty Minutes: 28.  Shots on Goal: 28.  Shots Allowed: 23.

3 Stars: 1. Buddy Robinson; 2. Chris Carlisle; 3. Matt O’Connor.

Highlight Reel:

Saturday: On Friday night, Ken Appleby was in net in Utah picking up a win for the Thunder.  Saturday, he was backing up in Syracuse, getting the recall after Wedgewood’s injury.

11/19 at Syracuse: 3-2 L

Without Wedgewood, it was off to Syracuse, as the Devils looked to rebound from the night before.  Mackenzie Blackwood got a chance to redeem himself after a disastrous start, and early on he proved that, stopping all 9 Crunch shots in the first twenty minutes.  In the second, the Devils found themselves in a 2-0 hole rather quickly, as Matt Taormina and Tanner Richard would score 1:32 apart early in the period.  But Albany would rally to tie in the second half of the period, thanks to power play goals from Brandon Gormley (his 1st as a Devil) and John Quenneville (his 5th).  The third period was rather quiet at first…no penalties called and both teams each had chances to take the lead.  But just as everyone figured things would be settled in overtime…Erik Condra would get a pass and score on Blackwood with just 1.9 seconds left on the clock, turning a at least 3 point week into a 1-2 week for the Devils.  Blackwood, despite the loss, rebounded very nicely from Friday evening, stopping 27 of 30 shots.  Four different Devils had one assist each.

Lines:

John Quenneville-Kevin Rooney-Petr Straka

Miles Wood-Joe Blandisi-Brian Gibbons

Ben Thomson-Blake Coleman-Max Novak

Luke Gazdic-Rod Pelley-Ben Sexton

Defense:

Andrew MacWilliam/Reece Scarlett

Seth Helgeson/Brandon Gormley

Karl Stollery/Josh Jacobs

Mackenzie Blackwood/Ken Appleby

Scratches: Steve Santini, Brandon Baddock, Jan Mandat, Carter Camper, Vojtech Mozik, Ryan Kujawinski, Scott Wedgewood

Power Play: 2 for 6.  Penalty Kill: 3 for 3.  Penalty Minutes: 6.  Shots on Goal: 31.  Shots Allowed: 30.

3 Stars: 1. Erik Condra; 2. Yanni Gourde; 3. Matt Taormina.

Highlight Reel:

My Player of the Week:

A few to choose from…but let’s go with the new guy.  For someone who had not even played till this week, Petr Straka settled into the lineup quite nicely, picking up a goal and an assist in his first 3 games.

Team Leaders:

Goals: John Quenneville (5)

Assists: Joe Blandisi (8)

Points: Joe Blandisi (12)

+/-: Vojtech Mozik (+8)

Penalty Minutes: Andrew MacWilliam (44)

Wins: Scott Wedgewood (5)

GAA: Ken Appleby (1.85)

Save Percentage: Ken Appleby (.929)

Up North with the Thunder:

The Thunder wrapped up an extended trip out west with a 3 game series in Utah against Alexandre Carrier and the Grizzlies, taking two out of three.  On Monday, Adirondack dropped a 5-2 decision, with Brian Ward and Ty Loney each picking up a goal.  Friday night, the Thunder returned the favor with a 2-1 win, as Ken Appleby stopped 24 of 25 shots in picking up his fourth win before flying cross country to join the Devils in Syracuse.  Adirondack would finish off the three game set with a 3-2 win on Saturday night, as Loney would score again, and both Mathieu Brodeur and Alex Wall had two assists each. Adirondack finally returns home to Glens Falls this week, as they kick off a 7 game homestand with a two game set against Florida on Tuesday and Saturday.

This Week’s Schedule:

A sort of odd schedule this week for Albany, as they play a rare Tuesday night home game against Toronto (which originally was scheduled for Wednesday…thanks Siena College).  Friday night they hit the road for Hartford, then on Saturday afternoon against Rochester…the Rats are back.  The long awaited return of the River Rat jerseys is finally upon us!

You know it wasn’t a good week when I have to plug in a favorite excuse of the Peter DeBoer days.  Two games, two goals, two losses.

11/2 @ Bridgeport: 4-2 L

What better way to start the month of November than to travel south to Bridgeport on a sunny Wednesday morning to take on the Sound Tigers, especially in front of roughly 7200 screaming kids for a school day field trip special?  (Sensing sarcasm?  You should.  I survived sitting through it.)  As usual, the Devils got off to a great start in the first period, outshooting their hosts 12-3 and taking a very quick lead.  Blake Coleman (2nd) and Ben Thomson (3rd) would pick up goals just :57 apart, and it was 2-0 Devils less than 3 minutes into the contest.  Second period, it was the Sound Tigers who got a wake up call.  Michael Dal Colle would cut the lead in half 5:06 into the second.  Later in the second, Seth Helgeson attempted to pass to another Devil…and that pass would end up on the stick of Carter Verhaeghe, and he would easily score to tie things up at 2.  It was a complete 180 from the first–the Devils could only muster three shots, while Bridgeport had 14.  It would be another unlucky bounce right by Scott Wedgewood’s net early in the third that would come back to bite Albany, as Ross Johnston would pick up the go ahead goal for a 3-2 Sound Tiger advantage.  Albany would manage a respectable 11 shots on goal in the final frame, but were unable to get anything past Bridgeport goaltender Christopher Gibson, who settled down nicely after the first few minutes of the contest.  Bracken Kearns would trickle a slow roller into the empty net late for an insurance marker.  Wedgewood would stop 23 of 26 in the loss, while Jan Mandat had the only assist…but assists were given to Joe Blandisi and Rod Pelley a few days later.  And unlike the last time the two teams met, it was just a little calmer this time around…only 46 penalty minutes combined.  But the Devil power play continued to struggle, as they went 0 for 7 with the man advantage.

Lines:

John Quenneville-Blake Pietila-Ben Sexton

Miles Wood-Joe Blandisi-Brian Gibbons

Blake Coleman-Kevin Rooney-Jan Mandat

Ben Thomson-Rod Pelley-Max Novak

Defense Pairings:

Seth Helgeson/Josh Jacobs

Andrew MacWilliam/Reece Scarlett

Karl Stollery/Brandon Gormley

Scott Wedgewood/Mackenzie Blackwood

Scratches: Steve Santini, Carter Camper, Ryan Kujawinski

Power Play: 0 for 7.  Penalty Kill: 4 for 4.  Penalty Minutes: 20.  Shots on Goal: 26.  Shots Allowed: 27.

3 Stars: 3. Michael Dal Colle; 2. Carter Verhaeghe; 1. Ross Johnston.

Highlight Reel:

11/5 @ Hershey: 4-0 L

After a rare Friday evening off, it was back to work on Saturday night, as the Devils made their lone trip to Chocolatetown to take on a Bears squad that had won their last four straight, and had yet to lose on home ice.  The first 10 minutes of the game looked promising for the Devils, but in a 3:06 span everything would go wrong.  First, Christian Thomas would snag a power play goal off a bounce from his own shot for a 1-0 lead.  Just under two minutes after that, Brad Malone would break away and score to double the advantage.  Then to finish it off, Stanislav Galiev would score for a 3-0 lead, chasing starter Mackenzie Blackwood from the net after only stopping 3 of 6 shots in 14:46 played.  Scott Wedgewood would come in and keep the Bears at bay for the remainder of the first.  In the second, the teams would combine for just 11 shots on goal…but rookie Colby Williams would pick up his second goal in as many days late in the middle frame for a 4-0 Bear advantage.  Albany would outshoot Hershey 12-11 in the third, but were unable to create any offense against rookie goaltender Vitek Vanecek and the Bears defense.  Despite a 27-25 shot advantage, Albany would end up getting shutout for the second time in 10 games.  Wedgewood played well in relief of Blackwood, stopping 18 of 19 shots in just over 45 minutes.  Steve Santini and Ryan Kujawinski both made their return to the lineup.

Lines:

John Quenneville-Blake Pietila-Ben Sexton

Brian Gibbons-Blake Coleman-Joe Blandisi

Miles Wood-Kevin Rooney-Max Novak

Ben Thomson-Rod Pelley-Ryan Kujawinski

Defense Pairings:

Andrew MacWilliam/Reece Scarlett

Seth Helgeson/Josh Jacobs

Steve Santini/Brandon Gormley

Mackenzie Blackwood/Scott Wedgewood

Scratches: Karl Stollery, Brandon Baddock, Jan Mandat, Carter Camper, Alex Wall

Power Play: 0 for 2.  Penalty Kill: 5 for 6.  Penalty Minutes: 16.  Shots on Goal: 27.  Shots Allowed: 25.

3 Stars: 3. Colby Williams; 2. Christian Thomas; 1. Vitek Vanecek.

Highlight Reel:

My Player of the Week:

If you scored a goal this week, you get the nod.  But seriously…did anyone expect Ben Thomson to be among the team leaders in goals (he is currently tied for second with Blake Pietila with 3) from the fourth line?

Team Leaders:

Goals: John Quenneville (4)

Assists: Rod Pelley (4)

Points: John Quenneville/Blake Pietila (6)

+/-: Karl Stollery (+5)

Penalty Minutes: Joe Blandisi (32)

Wins: Scott Wedgewood (3)

GAA: Scott Wedgewood (2.35)

Save Percentage: Scott Wedgewood (.916)

Up North with the Thunder:

Adirondack would split a pair of games with Manchester this week.  On Tuesday, the Thunder suffered a 3-2 home loss to the Monarchs.  Brian Ward would score his fifth of the season late in the third period, while Greg Wolfe would add one helper.  Adirondack kicked off a season long 8 game road trip Saturday in Manchester with a 5-3 win.  Five different players would score, including Ty Loney and Mathieu Brodeur.  Ken Appleby picked up his second win, stopping 30 of 33 shots.  Since his return to the Thunder, he is 2-0-0-1 with a 1.30 GAA and a .930 save percentage. Adirondack will take on the Monarchs one more time on Sunday afternoon, then they head west to start a 3 game series with Idaho on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.

This Week’s Schedule:

The Devils return home for a pair of weekend games.  Friday night, they wrap up their brief season series with Hershey.  Saturday St. John’s makes their second visit of the season to the Capital Region.