Saturday, November 3, 2007

Devils Dumped by River Rats, 5-2
Ian Moran & Noah Clarke score for Lowell in the loss

ALBANY, NY. – Dave Caruso made 30 stops in his first start in a Lowell jersey but the Devils (5-5-0-0) dropped a 5-2 decision to the Albany River Rats (6-4-0-1) Saturday night at t he Times Union Center.

For the first time in four games, the Devils found themselves on the short end of the opening tally of the game. Albany seized control on a Lowell turnover and Jerome Samson put home a rebound to stake the home team to a 1-0 lead. The Devils would tie the score later in the period, when Ian Moran connected with his first goal of the season on a slapshot from the blue line. Mark Fraser and Petr Vrana assisted on the goal. Just under two minutes later, however, Albany re-took the lead on a Trevor Gilles rebound. The shots at the end of one were 14-6 in favor of the River Rats.

A mere 28 seconds into the second period, Albany gained a two-goal cushion when Brandon Nolan scored his 4th of the season. Though the Devils tallied zero penalty minutes in the first period, they were forced to kill off a 5-on-3 advantage midway through the second. They were successful, and Caruso saved twelve shots in the middle stanza.

The Devils attempted to rally in the third, with Noah Clarke potting his second power play goal in as many nights on a slapshot from the slot. Petr Vrana collected his second assist of the night on the play. The comeback was stopped short when a collision between Devils D Mark Fraser and a linesman allowed River Rats RW Pat Dwyer to score on a wraparound. A late power play goal by Ryan Bayda finished the scoring for Albany.

Pierre-Luc Leblond made his first appearance in a Devils jersey, having been a healthy scratch in the Devils’ first nine games of the season. Dave Caruso finished the night with 30 saves in suffering the loss in his second AHL game and first for the Lowell Devils.

The Devils host the Philadelphia Phantoms tomorrow afternoon at 4:05 p.m.  After the game there will be a public skate on the Tsongas Arena ice, free for all in attendance, courtesy of Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union.  Fans may bring their own skates to the game or borrow a pair from the arena’s limited selection. 

For more information or to reserve your tickets, contact the Devils at (978) 458-PUCK (7825) or log on to www.lowelldevilshockey.com .

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