DEVILS SOAR BY FALCONS

by Dan St-Jacques // 1.5.2013 // Recap

ALBANY, NY -- The Albany Devils started off 2013 on the right foot, downing the Northeast Division-leading Springfield Falcons, 4-1, Saturday at Times Union Center. The win was the Devils second in a week against the Falcons and improves Albany to 8-3-0-1 against divisional opponents. Chris McKelvie recorded a career-high three assists and Mattias Tedenby chipped in a goal and an assist.

Stephen Gionta, Tim Sestito and Bobby Butler each added goals and Keith Kinkaid made 21 saves on 22 shots for his ninth win of the season and eighth since Dec. 1.

For Springfield, Cam Atkinson scored his 17th goal of the season, tying him for fourth best in the AHL. Allen York made 24 stops on 27 shots.

Kinkaid and York renewed a collegiate rivalry. Kinkaid attended Union College, while York played for RPI. The two Capital Region schools are separated by 16 miles.

Gionta’s second goal of the year put the Devils ahead at 12:12 of the first when he redirected a shot by Tedenby. The Falcons quickly responded with a power-play goal at 17:39 of the first as Atkinson stuck home a loose puck on a scramble in front.

Albany got their second lead of the game when Tedenby followed up his own rebound and scored, giving Albany a 2-1 advantage at 10:23 of the second.

The Devils doubled their lead at 5:54 of the third on Sestito’s fourth tally of the season. Mike Hoeffel fed a pass to Sestito from behind the goal, seconds after a Springfield penalty expired.

Butler put the game out of reach with an empty-netter with 50 seconds to play in the third. The goal was Butler’s 11th in the last 10 games. The tally was also the Devils first empty-net goal since Feb. 25, 2012 at Manchester.

The Devils are back in action Sunday with a 4 pm contest against the Binghamton Senators at Times Union Center. Fans can follow the action at ahllive.com.

Lineup 
Goaltenders: Keith Kinkaid, Jeff Frazee
Defensemen: Eric Gelinas, Dan Kelly, Adam Larsson, Jay Leach, Corbin McPherson, Alexander Urbom,
Forwards: Matt Anderson, Bobby Butler, Stephen Gionta, Mike Hoeffel, Jacob Josefson, Chris McKelvie, Harri Pesonen, Tim Sestito, Mattias Tedenby, Chad Wiseman, Darcy Zajac, Steve Zalewski

Scoring 
1st Period-1, Albany, Gionta 2 (Tedenby, McKelvie), 12:12. 2, Springfield, Atkinson 17 (Calvert, Craig), 17:39 (PP).
2nd Period-3, Albany, Tedenby 6 (McKelvie), 10:23.
3rd Period-4, Albany, Sestito 4 (Hoeffel, Gelinas), 5:54. 5, Albany, Butler 15 (McKelvie), 19:10 (EN).

Springfield Falcons 1 at Albany Devils 4 - Status: Final
Saturday, January 5, 2013 - Times Union Center

Springfield 1 0 0 - 1
Albany 1 1 2 - 4

1st Period-1, Albany, Gionta 2 (Tedenby, McKelvie), 12:12. 2, Springfield, Atkinson 17 (Calvert, Craig), 17:39 (PP). Penalties-Hoeffel Alb (high-sticking), 16:52.

2nd Period-3, Albany, Tedenby 6 (McKelvie), 10:23. Penalties-Erixon Spr (tripping), 6:38; Collins Spr (high-sticking), 15:35; Hoeffel Alb (holding), 18:11.

3rd Period-4, Albany, Sestito 4 (Hoeffel, Gelinas), 5:54. 5, Albany, Butler 15 (McKelvie), 19:10 (EN). Penalties-Johansen Spr (holding), 3:51; served by Wiseman Alb (bench minor - too many men), 14:28.

Shots on Goal-Springfield 7-8-7-22. Albany 10-10-8-28.
Power Play Opportunities-Springfield 1 / 3; Albany 0 / 3.
Goalies-Springfield, York 1-3-0 (27 shots-24 saves). Albany, Kinkaid 9-7-3 (22 shots-21 saves).
A-3,722
Referees-Trevor Hanson (47).
Linesmen-Mike Baker (11), Frank Murphy (29).

by Kevin Zalaznik // 1.4. 2013 // Preview

Follow the Action 
Online: ahllive.com 
Twitter: @albanydevils, @albanydevilspr, #adevils

Storyline 
A week after the Albany Devils knocked off the Springfield Falcons, 4-3, at MassMutual Center, the two teams meet again for another key divisional game. Albany is 7-3-0-1 against divisional opponents, while Springfield is 4-3-0-1.

Notables 
- As of midday Friday, the Devils are third in the Northeast Division and tied for 12th in the Eastern Conference with an 11-11-1-6 record (29 pts.) and a 4-6-0-4 showing at Times Union Center. The Falcons are first in the division and third in the conference with a 17-8-2-3 mark (39 pts.) and a 10-3-1-0 record on the road.

- The Devils are coming off a 3-2 win at the Hershey Bears Saturday. Tim Sestito, Bobby Butler and Harri Pesonen each scored. Pesonen netted his second game-winning goal, which ranks second on the team tied with Matt Anderson. Butler leads the squad with three game-winners.

- Eric Gelinas has two assists in the last two games. The second-year pro has accumulated 40 points, including 17 goals and 23 assists, in 87 career AHL contests.

- Before arriving in Albany Saturday, Springfield hosts the Bridgeport Sound Tigers Friday. Entering that game, the Falcons are coming off a 4-1 win against the Norfolk Admirals Sunday.

- Cam Atkinson, who is third in the AHL with 35 points, including 16 goals and 19 assists, leads the team, while Jonathan Audy-Marchessault is second with 28 points with eight goals and a team-best 20 assists. Nick Drazenovic is third with 25 points backed by nine goals and 16 assists.

Last Meeting 
Dec. 27, 2012: Albany 4 at Springfield 3 
Four different goal scorers helped the Devils to a 4-3 victory against the Falcons at Mass Mutual Center. Harri Pesonen, Stephen Gionta, Joe Whitney and Steve Zalewski each had goals and Adam Larsson registered a pair of assists. In goal, Keith Kinkaid made 28 saves on 31 shots. For Springfield, Ryan Johansen, Matt Calvert and Cam Atkinsonscored and Curtis McElhinney made 25 stops on 29 attempts.

All-time Series
All-Time: 23-20-1-3
2012-13: 1-0-0-0
Home: 10-9-1-3
Away: 13-11-0-0

Pucks & Paws 
Saturday’s game features the annual “Pucks & Paws Night.” The Devils and the Mohawk-Hudson Humane Society have partnered for the event and fans are encouraged to bring their dogs to the game. Tickets are $15 for individuals and $5 for their dogs, with the $5 being donated to the Mohawk-Hudson Humane Society. The dogs and their owners will have special seating in the upper bowl of the arena.