Devils Halted By Crunch

by Kevin Zalaznik // 11.24.2012 // Recap

ALBANY, NY -- During the second stop of their three-game weekend, the Albany Devils lost, 4-1, against the Syracuse Crunch Saturday at Times Union Center. Joe Whitney registered his first goal of the season, but the Crunch received goals from Cory Conacher, Tyler Johnson, Alex Killorn and Richard Panik.

Whitney’s tally came as the Devils trailed 1-0 early in the second. Adam Henrique won a battle between the benches and sprung Whitney for a breakaway at 5:00. During the opening seconds of the period, Whitney had struck iron from a near identical wrist shot from the same area. His shot adjustment led to his 16th career tally. Henrique posted his team-leading seventh assist.

Syracuse’s scoring began with a blast from Conacher at 14:52 of the first. After Whitney’s tally, the Crunch took the lead on Johnson’s goal at 10:26 and Killorn’s tally at 13:04 of the second. Panik concluded the scoring at 8:17 of the third.

Between the pipes, Keith Kinkaid made 21 saves on 25 shots. Syracuse’s Riku Helenius posted the victory with 18 stops on 19 attempts.

Next up, the Devils host the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Sunday at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall. Puck drop is at 4 pm and fans can follow the action on 104.5 “The Team” ESPN Radio or online at ahllive.com.

Lineup 
Goaltenders: Keith Kinkaid, Jeff Frazee
Defensemen: Brandon Burlon, Raman Hrabarenka, Adam Larsson, Jay Leach, Corbin McPherson, Alexander Urbom
Forwards: Matt Anderson, Bobby Butler, Adam Henrique, Mike Hoeffel, Jacob Josefson, Harri Pesonen, Tim Sestito, Mike Sislo, Mattias Tedenby, Joe Whitney,Chad Wiseman, Steve Zalewski

Scoring 
1st Period-1, Syracuse, Conacher 9 (Taormina, Connolly), 14:52.
2nd Period-2, Albany, Whitney 1 (Henrique), 5:00. 3, Syracuse, Johnson 11 (Panik, Palat), 10:26. 4, Syracuse, Killorn 3 (Johnson, Palat), 13:04.
3rd Period-5, Syracuse, Panik 8 8:17.

Syracuse Crunch 4 at Albany Devils 1 - Status: Final
Saturday, November 24, 2012 - Times Union Center

Syracuse 1 2 1 - 4
Albany 0 1 0 - 1

1st Period-1, Syracuse, Conacher 9 (Taormina, Connolly), 14:52. Penalties-Pesonen Alb (slashing), 1:23; Gudas Syr (interference), 9:08; Cote Syr (roughing), 9:56; Anderson Alb (unsportsmanlike conduct), 9:56; Josefson Alb (slashing), 13:37; Palat Syr (high-sticking), 14:13; Cote Syr (hooking), 17:43.

2nd Period-2, Albany, Whitney 1 (Henrique), 5:00. 3, Syracuse, Johnson 11 (Panik, Palat), 10:26. 4, Syracuse, Killorn 3 (Johnson, Palat), 13:04. Penalties-Hrabarenka Alb (tripping), 2:32; Burlon Alb (cross-checking), 11:02; Kinkaid Alb (roughing), 18:39.

3rd Period-5, Syracuse, Panik 8   8:17. Penalties-No Penalties

Shots on Goal-Syracuse 4-11-10-25. Albany 6-8-5-19.
Power Play Opportunities-Syracuse 0 / 5; Albany 0 / 3.
Goalies-Syracuse, Helenius 4-2-0 (19 shots-18 saves). Albany, Kinkaid 1-5-2 (25 shots-21 saves).
A-3,496
Referees-Jamie Koharski (84).
Linesmen-Marty Demers (79), Kevin Redding (16).

by Kevin Zalaznik // 11.23.2012 // Preview

Follow the Action 
Radio: Sirius 207/XM 92
Online: ahllive.com
Twitter: @albanydevils, @albanydevilspr, #adevils

Storyline 
The second leg of the Albany Devils weekend includes a 5 pm contest against the Syracuse Crunch at Times Union Center. The game marks the second of eight meetings between the Devils and Crunch.

Notables 
- The Devils are fifth in the Northeast Division and 15th in the Eastern Conference with a 4-6-0-4 record (12 pts.), while the Crunch are first in the East Division and second in the conference with a 10-3-1-1 mark (22 pts.). Albany is 2-3-0-2 at Times Union Center and Syracuse is 7-0-0-1 on the road.

- Friday at the Rochester Americans, Steve Zalewski netted his first goal of the season and 72nd of his career. Now in his sixth full season, Zalewski has appeared in 322 career games, posting 196 points.

- Raman Hrabarenka, who was signed as a free agent by Albany on Oct. 7, scored his first career goal when his shot from the point found the back of the net at Rochester. The rookie spent last season playing for Cape Breton and Drummondville of the QMJHL. His 2011-12 totals include 20 points with four goals and 16 assists in 57 games.

- Syracuse is coming off a 2-1 setback against the Binghamton Senators Friday. Richard Panik scored for the Crunch and Dustin Tokarski made 22 saves on 24 shots.

- Cory Conacher, who was the 2012 AHL MVP, leads Syracuse with 17 points with eight goals and nine assists. Tyler Johnson is second with 16 points, including a team-best 10 goals.

Last Meeting
Oct. 19, 2012: Albany 2 vs. Syracuse 3 
The Devils were poised to hand the Tampa Bay Lightning AHL affiliate their first regular-season, regulation loss since Feb. 17. Albany used two first-period goals to jump out to a 2-1 lead, but the Crunch eventually prevailed, 3-2. Mike Hoeffel and Mattias Tedenby both scored in an attempt to derail the Crunch. However, Syracuse received scoring from Tyler Johnson, J.T. Brown and Mike Angelidis.

All-time Series 
All-Time: 8-10-1-2
2012-13: 0-1-0-0
Home: 2-7-1-1
Away: 6-3-0-1

Puck Drop
The Devils are 2-1-0-2 when coming off a loss this year.