Friday, November 30, 2007

Devils Upended by Falcons, 4-1
Lowell and Manchester take the ice for Sunday matinee at Tsongas Arena

LOWELL, Mass. - A three-goal second period by the Springfield Falcons proved to be the difference as the Lowell Devils were defeated, 4-1, on Friday at the Tsongas Arena. Jean-Francois Jacques had a hand in all of the Falcons' goals as he registered a marker on the power play and added three assists, while Liam Reddox also chipped in three points (2g, 1a).

With the score tied 1-1 coming into the second, Springfield pulled ahead on two quick goals at the beginning of the period.  Reddox notched his second of the night at 3:19 off a feed from behind the net by Jacques that caught netminder Jordan Parise looking the wrong way.  Just under three minutes later, Reddox led a 3-on-2 rush into the Lowell zone and fed a pass that ricocheted off of a stick in the slot and into the net.  Marc Pouliot was given credit for the tally at 6:06.

The Falcons widened their lead and completed the scoring in the game on a man-advantage right before the second intermission. A face-off win by Pouliot was worked to the blueline for Jacques, whose low wrist shot snuck inside the near post.  Though Lowell would receive the only two power plays in the final period, they could not close the gap as Falcons goalie Jeff Deslauriers stopped all 16 shots he faced in the third and 35-of-36 over sixty minutes. 

A tripping call on Noah Clarke gave an early 5-on-4 advantage to the Falcons on which they would convert.  After T.J. Kemp’s shot from the point deflected off of traffic in front of the Devils net, Reddox was in perfect position to pound the rebound past the glove of Jordan Parise and put Springfield up 1-0 three minutes into the match. 

The Devils in turn tied the score at 11:21 on Olli Malmivaara’s first goal of the season.  Barry Tallackson muscled a shot from the far circle that went trickling under Deslauriers and toward the goal line.  Though Kemp was able to clear the puck from the crease, Petr Vrana pushed it up to a pinching Malmivaara for the slapshot that blew past the fallen goaltender. 

It’s Ladies Night when the Devils battle the Manchester Monarchs on Sunday, December 2 at 4:05 p.m.  All ladies get into the game for $10. Join us for a post-game team autograph session and, after all Sunday home games, fans can participate in a free post-game skate presented by Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union.  Soda Pop the Clown will be on hand to create balloon characters for all children who visit the Kid’s Corner, located behind Section T. Tickets start at just $10; call the Devils office at (978) 458-PUCK for more information or visit www.lowelldevilshockey.com.

- devils -