2008-09 Season in Review: February
Devils find stride and enjoy best month of season

lowelldevilshockey.com – Coming off a winning record for the month of January, the Devils skated into February and continued to dominate the scoreboard. Being led by Matt Halischuk on the offense and goalie, Jeff Frazee, on the defense, the Devils came out with a 6-2-1-3 record.

Halischuk exploded for two goals and two assists in the month’s first game to lead the Devils to a 4-2 win against the Springfield Falcons on February 6. Down 2-1going into the third period, Lowell tied up the score thanks to a goal by Vladimir Zharkov. Halishuk sent the Devils ahead with back-to-back goals in the third period, achieving his second four-point game of the season.

The Devils found themselves in a barnburner with the Hartford Wolf Pack on February 8.  Despite jumping out to a 3-0 first-period lead, Lowell saw Hartford even the contest on Greg Moore’s shorthanded goal at 10:19 of the third.  Zharkov and Patrick Davis quickly responded with goals 47 seconds apart to help the Devils pull out the 5-3 victory.  Twelve different Devils players recorded a point to help them stay undefeated in four games against the Wolf Pack this season.

Fans in attendance the following night were privy to some extra hockey and then some after the Devils and Philadelphia Phantoms ended regulation with a 1-1 tie.  After the overtime session was unable to produce a victor, Lowell skated through the second-longest shootout in team history.  Both teams managed one goal through the first five rounds and it was Brad Mills’ second conversion that gave the Devils the lead in the top half of the seventh frame.  Jonathan Matsumoto, however, was able to beat Jeff Frazee to keep the shootout going before Patrick Maroon clinched the win in round nine.   

Lowell’s Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond led the charge in a dogfight against the Albany River Rats on February 14 that brought the Devils a 7-4 win. Trailing 4-2 as the match entered the third period, Mike Angelidis struck at 1:29 and teammate Jerome Samson scored nine seconds later to tie things up.  Lowell kept its composure and Rod Pelley needed only another 39 seconds to give his team the lead for good.   Scoring 6:10 into the first and again with an empty-netter at the end of the third, Leblond registered his first multi-goal game of the season.

The dramatics continued for the Devils in a game for the ages versus the Portland Pirates on February 15.  After Barry Tallackson made the score 4-4 at 12:47 of third, Tyler Kennedy broke up the tie less than a minute later with his third goal of the night.  Mark Mancari’s empty-net goal with a minute left seemed to seal the game, but Lowell got new life when Halischuk snuck the puck past John DeCaro with 24 ticks of the clock remaining.  On the ensuing faceoff, a hooking penalty to Portland’s Paul Baier gave the Devils a power play and an offensive zone draw.  Anssi Salmela’s blazing slapshot found the back of the net with 5.7 seconds left to cap off the amazing comeback.  DeCaro and the Pirates regrouped in an eventual shootout, holding the Devils scoreless for a final score of 7-6. 

Jeff Frazee helped Lowell respond with 40 saves through overtime and 3-of-4 stops in the shootout as the Devils beat the Albany River Rats, 3-2, on February 18. The win was Frazee’s 21st of the season, breaking the record set by Frank Doyle in 2006-2007.

Rocketing out to a six-game undefeated in regulation streak (4-0-0-2) to start the month, Lowell fell hard on February 20 to the Hartford Wolf Pack, 5-2.  Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau’s two goals spurred the offense as Hartford jumped out to a 4-0 lead.  Magnan notched his first goal of the year for Lowell as Frazee’s personal streak of six straight game without a regulation also came to end. 

On February 21, the Devils found themselves down big early once again as Matt Moulson’s hat trick led the Monarchs to a 7-2 victory over Lowell. Moulson’s first of the night was part of a four-goal first period for Manchester.  He capped off his hat trick with a pair of tallies in the second as the Monarchs ran away with the win. 

Rod Pelley notched two goals and Michael Swift scored with just 21.4 seconds left in overtime as the Devils defeated the Worcester Sharks, 4-3. Though tied in the standings coming into the February 22 game, the victory allowed the Devils to grasp fourth place in the Atlantic Division.

The Sharks exacted their revenge three nights later with their own 4-3 overtime win over the Devils. With Worcester up, 3-2, into the third period, Lowell’s Michael Swift tied the game with 4:25 left in regulation, sending the teams into an extra period. Mike Moore came through for Worcester 2:15 into overtime, sending Lowell home with the loss.

Before their next game, Lowell received reinforcements in between the pipes when Scott Clemmensen returned from Newark.  Having filled in for the injured Martin Brodeur in New Jersey, Clemmensen returned to Lowell to make his first start since Halloween night.  The Devils’ netminder looked true to form, making 34 saves for a 3-2 win over the Springfield Falcons on February 27.  The two points once again allowed the Devils to leapfrog ahead of the Sharks and back into fourth place in the Atlantic Division.

Finishing up February, the Devils fell to the Manchester Monarchs, 2-1, in the shootout on February 28. Both goalies were perfect through the first four rounds, but Manchester’s Trevor Lewis managed to get one by Frazee in the fifth. Jonathan Bernier in turn denied Jon DiSalvatore’s chance to extend the shootout, allowing Manchester to claim the victory.

The Lowell Devils enjoyed their best month of the regular season, going 6-2-1-3 and collecting 16 out of a possible 24 points. At 28-23-2-6, the Devils had finally been able to inch their way into fourth place in the Atlantic Division. Now with six weeks left on the schedule, Lowell entered March with intentions of solidifying their claim on a spot in the playoffs.