Sunday, November 4, 2007

Phantoms Steal One From Devils in OT, 5-4
Lowell gets multiple point nights from Bergfors & Vrana in penalty-filled affair

LOWELL, MA. – Denis Tolpeko scored his second goal of the game 59 seconds into overtime and the Philadelphia Phantoms (10-1-1-0) escaped from Lowell with a 5-4 OT win over the Devils (5-5-1-0) in a game that featured over 120 total penalty minutes between the two teams.

The Devils regained their early-game magic as C Petr Vrana opened the scoring with his third of the year midway through the first period. Nicklas Bergfors assisted on the goal, for his first point of the season. The rest of the first frame belonged to Philadelphia, however, as they got goals from LW Kyle Greentree and D Alexandre Picard to take a 2-1 lead into the dressing room.

The second period was explosive in more ways than one. The Devils tied the score on a Nicklas Bergfors goal at 6:04, and then jumped out in front just 33 seconds later when Ivan Khomutov sprang Stephen Gionta on a breakaway, and the Devils LW buried it past Phantoms G Scott Monroe for his team-leading 5th of the year. Things turned ugly from that point, as two goal-mouth scrums erupted into a bevy of fighting majors. When it was over, the teams were assessed a total of 98 PIM, complete with two 10-minute misconducts and four game misconducts, two each to the Devils’ Patrick Davis and Philadelphia’s Frederik Cabana.

Tempers cooled in the third period, but Philadelphia tied up the score just over two minutes into the game when Denis Tolpeko took a clearing attempt by Devils G Frank Doyle and snapped home his 2nd of the season. Lowell retook the lead on a Barry Tallackson goal at 11:49, but with the goalie pulled for the extra attacker, Jonathan Matsumoto tied the game with 1:09 remaining to send it into extra time.

It was in overtime that Tolpeko struck again, going end-to-end and burying his second of the night at :59 to earn the victory for Philadelphia. Doyle made 34 saves in the loss, though the Devils did earn one point on the evening.

The Devils hit the road next weekend for their first meeting of the season with the Springfield Falcons on Friday at 7:30p.m. and then travel to Manchester to face-off against the Monarchs on Saturday night  at 7:05p.m. Lowell returns home on Saturday, November 17 to host the Hartford Wolf Pack. Game time is 7:05p.m., and the first 1,500 fans in attendance will receive a Lowell Devils knit hat, courtesy of Pepsi.

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