2008-09 Season in Review: November
Devils rebound after rough start to month

lowelldevilshockey.com – The Lowell Devils capped off the first month of the regular season with a 4-1 loss to the Springfield Falcons and a 4-3-0-1 overall record.  Little did the Devils know that their latest defeat would be the start of a downturn heading into opening weeks of November.   Due to various call-ups and injuries, Lowell was without the services of players like Nicklas Bergfors, Matt Halischuk, Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond and Chad Wiseman and, as a result, goals were at a premium.

A rematch against the Falcons on November 1 produced results as they fell, 3-2, at the Tsongas Arena.  After Ryan Potulny potted two goals for Springfield for a 3-1 cushion, Pascal Rheaume brought the Devils within one with 2:34 left in regulation.  Though Lowell could not manage the equalizer, the entire Devils organization was being dealt a blow the very same night in Newark, NJ.

Things looked good for New Jersey as Bergfors had helped the big club stake a 3-0 lead versus Atlanta, but at 6:38 of the second period, Martin Brodeur made a glove save and was slow to get up. He could be seen clutching his left arm.  Surgery would be necessary to repair the damage to Brodeur's left elbow, and he was slated to miss 50 games with the first major injury of his 15-year NHL career.

Scott Clemmensen, tabbed as Lowell’s number one goaltender coming into the season, was quickly called-up to New Jersey with no set return date in the foreseeable future.  Lowell’s netminding duties would now fall to xx-year pro Dave Caruso and Jeff Frazee, who was assigned to Lowell from their ECHL affiliate in Trenton, NJ. 

In the next game, Caruso took over the goaltending reins for the Devils, making 33 saves in a losing effort to the Philadelphia Phantoms.  For the second straight match, an opposing player notched a pair of goals as Jared Ross helped Philly to the 3-1 victory. 

Lowell tried to avoid making it three losses in a row when they traveled to face the high-scoring Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on November 7.  The Penguins wasted no time as they jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first ten minutes of the contest.  Chris Minard was once again a thorn in his former team’s side, scoring the first two goals of the game.  Caruso was pulled after Wilkes-Barre’s fourth marker to give way to Frazee.  In his first AHL action of the season, the rookie goaltender pitched a shutout for the remaining 50:11 and made several impressive stops while make 23 saves on the night. 

Frazee’s performance helped earn him a start the very next night against the Sound Tigers in Bridgeport. Patrick Davis and Alexander Vasyunov each potted two goals to help fend off four straight scores for Bridgeport.  The contest would go to overtime, where Mark Wotton sealed the win for Bridgeport at 1:12.  Frazee finished with 28 saves to help the Devils pick up a tough point on the road. 

Lowell carried their three-game winless streak into their November 11 home game versus the Norfolk Admirals. After a scoreless first period, the remainder of the game brought with it a back and forth scoring battle that culminated with Zenon Konopka’s goal with 2:19 left in regulation and a 4-3 Admirals’ victory.

On November 15, Frazee stood between the pipes versus the Albany River Rats, looking for his first AHL win.  Despite making 39 saves through overtime, Albany was one goal better in the shootout for the 3-2 win.  Jon DiSalvatore upped his point streak to three games with a goal in the match, while the recently recalled Trevor Kell picked up his first AHL goal.   

With their winless streak now at five, the Devils found themselves quickly falling further behind the division leaders.   November 21 did not provide the best opportunity to return to the win column with a tough road match versus the Hartford Wolf Pack.  Though two periods of hockey had only produced a 1-0 edge for Lowell, both teams found their legs for the final frame.  DiSalvatore and Vasyunov beat Miika Wiikman on either side of Greg Moore’s goal to take a 3-1 lead into the game’s final minutes.  The Wolf Pack would rally on the strength of two goals by Artem Anisimov, tying the game at 3-3. Lowell once again headed to the shootout and was one goal better than Hartford over six rounds, ending their winless streak with a 4-3 win. Frazee made 30 saves to help the Devils right the ship. 

Lowell took the ice at home on November 22 for a rematch against Norfolk.  Dave Caruso was the hero on this night with 43 saves – 19 in the third period - in a 4-1 Devils’ win.  Rod Pelley’s three-point night , including his two third-period goals, helped Lowell pull away from a game that stood tied at 1-1 midway through the second period.  Nicklas Bergfors also returned from his call-up to New Jersey and chipped in a goal for Lowell.

The Devils kept on rolling into Sunday as they faced the Springfield Falcons.  DiSalvatore also continued his recent hot streak, having a hand in every Lowell goal for a 4-1 win over Springfield.  His four-point night (1g-3a) extended his scoring streak to six games, during which he posted four goals and eight assists.  Lowell’s special teams also factored in all goals scored, as the power play went 3-for-5 before DiSalvatore registered a shorthanded marker with 2:46 left in regulation. 

Disalvatore was honored on November 23 as Reebok/AHL Player of the Week.  His seven points (2g-5a) in three games helped the Devils snap the seven-game winless streak with three consecutive victories.

While the offense had found its stride in recent games, not to be forgotten were the efforts of Frazee in net.  In only his fifth AHL start, the rookie goalie stopped 40 shots as the Devils blanked the rival Providence Bruins, 3-0, at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.   Lowell got goals from Vasyunov, Brad Mills and Chad Wiseman, who would find himself on the score sheet frequently over the following games. 

Lowell remained victorious as they returned to the road on November 29 and faced off against the Portland Pirates.  Bergfors’ two goals helped his team establish a 3-0 cushion in the first period and they never looked back in a 5-1 win.  Frazee made 40 saves for the second straight game to up his win streak to four. 

The Devils capped off the month of November on the 30th with a hard-fought, low-scoring battle versus the Sharks in Worcester.  Derek Joslin’s marker 2:58 into the third broke a 1-1 tie and proved to be the deciding goal that ended Lowell’s five-game winning streak. 

The Devils finished the second month of the regular season with a 5-5-1-1 record and tied for fifth in Atlantic Division standings.  Only eight points separated the first and last place teams in a tight battle in the standings that would continue all season long.  Having enjoyed much success toward the end of November, the Lowell Devils hoped to carry that through the holidays and into the new year.