Three Games, Five Points…Sounds Good To This Guy

Sorry for the delay in getting stuff posted…have been much, much busier than I thought, which is actually good.

(PR, 3/6) In a stark contrast from their last matchup, the goalies put on a show with Gerald Coleman coming out on top for the Trenton Devils in a 2-1 win over the South Carolina Stingrays Friday night.

The Chicago native made 39 saves for Trenton, including 13 stops in the third period to snap the Devils’ four game losing streak and keep them within two points of a playoff spot.

The Devils struck first with a power play goal, as Justin Coutu ripped a shot from the left point that went past Stingrays goaltender Jonathan Boutin at 14:48. The goal was Coutu’s second of the season.

In the second period, the Stingrays tied it up with an early goal at 1:55. Bryson Busniuk kept the puck in at the blueline and fired a shot, with the rebound put home by Pierre-Luc O’Brien.

The power play helped out the Devils late in the period as they re-gained the lead. Ryan Gunderson blasted a shot from the high slot for his fourth goal of the season at 16:17.

Coleman made several saves to make sure the Devils would not give up the lead, including robbing Travis Morin on a one-timer from the right circle while the Devils were shorthanded. Coleman’s performance earned him the first star of the game as the Devils held on to win, 2-1.

(PR, 3/7) The Trenton Devils were able to force overtime against the Gwinnett Gladiators after being down by two goals but lost via the shootout Saturday night, 5-4.

Kevin Cormier put the Devils up front with a goal 1:59 into the game. The enforcer put in his own rebound to record his second goal of the season.

The Gladiators would then take control for most of the period, scoring three goals on special teams, including two shorthanded.

The Devils would be able to pull back within one as time expired in the first. Brad Snetsinger fired a buzzer-beating wrist shot while the Devils on the power play to pick up his 18^th of the season.

Gwinnett scored quickly in the second to re-gain their two-goal lead, as Tomas Pospisil knocked in a one-timer pass from Adam Berti 24 seconds into the period.

After several opportunities throughout the period, the Devils finally prevailed at the end of a penalty kill, as Jeff Prough managed to sneak in the puck as a result of a goalmouth scramble for a goal against his former team at 16:52.

The Devils would tie the game up while on the two-man advantage, as Jim Henkel deflected an Eric Castonguay shot for his 15^th of the season 5:29 into the third.

In overtime, the Devils had a pair of power plays, but could not convert, resulting in the shootout. The Gladiators would control the shootout as Tom Zanoski iced the game in the 4^th round by roofing the pick over Dave Caruso, resulting in a 3-1 shootout advantage and 5-4 win for Gwinnett.

Brad Snetsinger led the Devils with a goal and an assist, while Ryan Gunderson added two assists. The Devils outshot the Gladiators, 51-31, in the contest.

(PR, 3/8) The Trenton Devils returned to fourth place in the North Division as Ryan Gunderson scored a goal with 3:54 left in regulation to lift the Devils to a 2-1 win over the Charlotte Checkers Sunday afternoon.

While the Checkers were called for a delayed penalty, Dan Eves’ shot went off the pad of Charlotte goaltender Maxime Daigneault and caromed right to Gunderson, who put in a backhand shot for the deciding goal.

Trenton controlled the pace for most of the first period, and finally broke through at the 16:27 mark thanks to some hard work by Brad Snetsinger, who held on to the puck behind the net and dished a pass to Jim Henkel at the side of the net. Henkel roofed a backhander over the shoulder of Daigneault.

Despite continuing their domination into the second period, the Devils gave up a shorthanded goal to allow the Checkers to tie the game. Michel Leveille completed an odd-man rush with Mike Bayrack to even the score at 8:49.

The third period featured more of the same, as the Devils continued to sustain pressure on the Checkers, but could not break through. Gunderson’s late goal proved to be the difference in a game that the Devils played from start to finish.

Gerald Coleman was no slouch himself for the Devils, making 30 saves including a late stop on a shorthanded breakaway by Mike Bayrack to preserve the win. The Devils outshot the Checkers in the game, 47-31.

With five regular season home games remaining, time is running out to watch Devils hockey at Sovereign Bank Arena! The Devils return home on Friday, March 13 to take on their rivals, the Reading Royals. The puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. The game will also be the first with the arena’s new HD scoreboard, one of the few high definition displays in minor professional hockey