Home-Opener Spoiled By Manchester

by Kevin Zalaznik // 10.13.2012 // Feature

ALBANY, N.Y. – The Albany Devils began the season with a goal in the opening minutes, but surrendered two power-play goals, falling to the Manchester Monarchs, 2-1, Saturday in front of 5,072 fans at Times Union Center. Chad Wiseman netted the first goal of the season off a rebound at 8:18, but the Devils lost the lead before the end of the first period.

Devils newcomer Raman Hrabarenka and returnee Alexander Urbom assisted on Albany’s goal. Urbom found Hrabarenka, who carried the puck into the offensive end near the right half wall. His shot deflected off Manchester netminder Martin Jones’ pads and found Wiseman’s stick at 8:18.

The Monarchs responded 29 seconds later when David Kolomatis scored his first of two power-play goals. The first tally came at 8:47 and the second followed at 14:10.

Second-year pro Keith Kinkaid made 25 saves on 27 shots, while Jones earned the victory with 22 saves on 23 tries.

Next up, the Devils welcome the Syracuse Crunch to Times Union Center on Friday for a 7:00 p.m. bout. The first 500 fans to arrive will receive a free Albany Devils t-shirt, courtesy of the Times Union. Additionally, it is SEFCU College Night with $10 tickets to all college students. Happy Hour with $2 domestic drafts will be between 6-7 pm.

Manchester Monarchs 2 at Albany Devils 1 - Status: Final
Saturday, October 13, 2012 - Times Union Center

Manchester 2 0 0 - 2
Albany 1 0 0 - 1

1st Period-1, Albany, Wiseman 1 (Hrabarenka, Urbom), 8:18. 2, Manchester, Kolomatis 1 (Toffoli, Muzzin), 8:47 (PP). 3, Manchester, Kolomatis 2 (Kozun, Prokhorkin), 14:10 (PP). Penalties-Pesonen Alb (hooking), 8:32; Wiseman Alb (bench minor - too many men), 12:51; Cliche Mch (boarding), 16:33; Hrabarenka Alb (closing hand on puck), 19:01.

2nd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Clune Mch (diving), 11:27; Leach Alb (tripping), 11:27; Clune Mch (fighting), 13:49; Kelly Alb (fighting), 13:49; Bodnarchuk Mch (hooking), 16:56.

3rd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Voynov Mch (high-sticking), 4:57; Voynov Mch (interference), 7:19.

Shots on Goal-Manchester 10-12-5-27. Albany 6-8-9-23.
Power Play Opportunities-Manchester 2 / 3; Albany 0 / 4.
Goalies-Manchester, Jones 2-0-0 (23 shots-22 saves). Albany, Kinkaid 0-1-0 (27 shots-25 saves).
A-5,072
Referees-Terry Koharski (10).
Linesmen-Frank Murphy (29), Jud Ritter (34).

by Kevin Zalaznik // 10.13.2012 // Preview

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Storyline 
The offseason is finally over and the Albany Devils begin their 2012-13 campaign against the Manchester Monarchs. The two teams’ affiliates, the New Jersey Devils and the Los Angeles Kings, faced off in the 2012 Stanley Cup Final. Adam Henrique, Jacob Josefson, Adam Larsson and Tim Sestito all played during New Jersey’s playoff run, while Andrei Loktionov, Jordan Nolan and Slava Voynov dressed for Los Angeles. Devils newcomer Scott Parse was on LA’s roster for the entire season and appeared in nine games.

Notables 
- The Devils finished last season with a 31-34-6-5 (73 pts.) record, which ranked 14th in the Eastern Conference. The Monarchs went 39-32-2-3 (83 pts.) and made the playoffs by finishing eighth in the conference.

- Last season, Albany was 18-13-4-3 at home, while the Monarchs were 18-16-2-2 on the road.

- All-time, the Devils are 0-4-1-1 in season-openers and 2-4-0-0 in home-openers.

- Seven players on the Devils roster have never played a game for Albany: Bobby Butler, Phil DeSimone, Raman Hrabarenka, Adam Larsson, Chris McKelvie, Scott Parseand Harri Pesonen.

- Manchester began the season last night with a 3-1 win at the Providence Bruins. After trailing 1-0 late in the first, the Monarchs responded with three unanswered goals. Andrei Loktionov, Andy Andreoff and Linden Vey all scored. In goal, Martin Jones made 29 of 30 saves.

All-Time Series 
All-Time: 20-19-2-3
Home: 7-12-2-1
Away: 13-7-0-2
2011-12: 1-0-1-0

Last Devils-Monarch Meeting 
Sat., Feb. 25, Albany 3 at Manchester 1
Jeff Frazee backstopped the Devils to a 3-1 win against the Monarchs at the Verizon Wireless Arena. Frazee made a season-high 38 saves and helped the Devils kill six penalties, including two five-on-three chances, in the third period alone. Eric Gelinas scored on the power play at 3:18 of the second and Steve Zalewski netted the winner at 13:54 of the same period. Vladimir Zharkov added an empty-net goal with 59 seconds remaining.

Puck Drop
The first 5,000 fans will receive a free Albany Devils magnet schedule, courtesy of Realty USA. Additionally, the first 500 individuals will receive a free Devils t-shirt, compliments of the Times Union.

The Boy Scouts of America will be collecting non-perishable items as part of “Scouting for Food Night”. There will be donation bins on the concourse.