TRENTON, NJ – The Trenton Devils were looking to become the fourth team in ECHL history to come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a playoff series. They were also 2-0 in previous game seven’s. The Elmira Jackals would have none of it though as they rode a 3-1 third period to a 5-3 victory and the win in a very exciting seven-game North Division semifinal series. As a result, the Jackals will now face the Cincinnati Cyclones in the North Division finals starting on Friday night in Cincinnati.
As had been the case in games one through six, Elmira scored the game’s first goal courtesy of Mike Sgroi. Trenton’s Nathan Perkovich would answer Sgroi’s tally just 28 seconds later to tie the game and Jeff Prough would score a short-handed goal to give the T-Devils a 2-1 lead after the first period. Little did anyone know this would the T-Devils final lead of the 2009 playoffs.
Elmira, despite being outshot 28-16 through two periods, tied the game in the second on a power play goal by Derek Couture. As the third period reached the halfway point, it was beginning to look like this game would be heading to the series fourth game to reach overtime. Apparently Elmira did not want to see anymore extra time as goals just over three minutes apart from Josh Aspenlind and Pierre-Luc Faubert gave the Jackals a 4-2 lead with just over five minutes to play in regulation. Trenton would pull goalie Jeff Frazee in the game’s final two minutes for an extra attacker only to see the Jackals Steve Yetman score into the empty net to ice the game and the series for Elmira. The Devils David Leaderer would score 24 seconds after Yetman but it would be too late for Trenton.
For the Devils, it was a tough way to end a remarkable season, one where they started as one of the ECHL’s worst teams, only to almost win the North Division title at the end of the season. As for the Jackals and Cyclones, who also survived a seven game series with the Wheeling Nailers, it is on to round two.
Contact the author at tom.hoffman@prohockeynews.com
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