Monarchs Weekly Preview
March 6, 2017 - ECHL (ECHL)
Manchester Monarchs News Release
GAMES
Friday, March 10, 7 p.m. - Adirondack Thunder - SNHU Arena
Saturday, March 11, 7 p.m. - Adirondack Thunder - Glens Falls Civic Center
Sunday, March 12, 3 p.m. - Norfolk Admirals - SNHU Arena - Max's Star Wars Birthday
WEEK IN REVIEW The Monarchs played three road games last week, and came out with three points and a 1-1-1 record.
Wednesday night, the Monarchs were in Elmira to face the Jackals, and fell, 2-1. Manchester fell behind, 2-0, before Joey Diamond netted his 19th goal of the season midway through the second period, but it wasn't enough to beat the worst team in the ECHL. Sam Brittain made 25 saves in net, but his counterpart, Andy Iles, stopped 38 Monarchs shots en route to the victory.
Friday, the Monarchs snapped their nine-game winless streak on the road in a 3-2 barn-burner in Reading. The game saw the two teams swap the first four goals of the game, with the Monarchs tallies scored by Quentin Shore and Kevin Morris, before David Kolomatis ended the scoring at 19:52 of the second period. Jack Flinn got the start in net, his first since returning from the Ontario Reign (AHL), and made 38 saves to earn the victory.
Saturday, the Monarchs and Royals were locked into another close game, but the Royals came out victorious, 2-1, in overtime. The Monarchs took the lead when Ashton Rome scored his 9th goal of the season, but goals by Mike Pereira and then Ryan Penny in OT sealed the deal for Reading. Flinn made his second-consecutive impressive start for the Monarchs, and made 42 saves on the night.
PLAYOFF PICTURE The Monarchs (73 pts.) begin the week on top of the North Division by two points over the Reading Royals and Brampton Beast. The Adirondack Thunder (68 pts.) currently occupy the fourth spot in the division, and would be the Monarchs opponent in the North Division Semifinals if the season were to end today.
The five points that separate the top-four spots in the division is the closest race in the ECHL. The three other division leaders, Florida, Colorado and Toledo, lead the fourth-place teams in their divisions by 15, 20 and 21 points respectively.
LEADING THE WAY Matt Leitner continues to lead the Monarchs in scoring with 50 points on 12 goals and 38 assists through his 47 games. Leitner leads the team in assists, with Daniel Doremus sitting in second with 32, while Joey Diamond continues to lead the Monarchs in goals, now with 19 on the season.
SLOWING DOWN FALKOVSKY
Adirondack's Stepan Falkovsky leads the league in goals scored by defensemen with 20 on the season. Falkovsky also leads all skaters in the league with 14 power-play goals, and his 20 goals leads the Thunder as a team. The rookie has scored 20 times on 112 shots, good for a 17.9% shooting percentage, best among all qualified defenseman in the ECHL.
THUNDER STRUCK
Last time the Thunder and the Monarchs collided, Adirondack scored five power-play goals on their way to a 10-4 victory. The power play for the Thunder has been the Monarchs kryptonite all season long, clicking at 34.6% and converting on 12 of their last 24 power play chances in the past two games against Manchester. The Thunder currently sit third in the league with a 23% success rate on the power play this season.
ROAD STRUGGLES
Norfolk hasn't found much success away from Scope Arena this season, with only nine victories in 26 games. The Admirals hold a 9-16-1-0 record on the road and have yet to win a game this season at SNHU Arena. The Admirals are 3-3-1-0 against the Monarchs overall, but are 0-3-0-0 when playing in Manchester, having allowed 15 goals in those three games in the Queen City.
LOPSIDED SECONDS
As they have all season, the Monarchs lead the league in second period goals with 91 in the middle frame, topping the league average of 63.9 in the second period by more than 27 goals. Meanwhile, Norfolk has allowed a league-high 84 goals during the second period. Manchester's 91 goals account for 41.9% of their goals scored this season.
TICKETS The Monarchs return to SNHU Arena ice Friday, Mar. 10 (7 p.m.) when they host the Adirondack Thunder in a critical North Division battle, as both teams jockey for playoff position.
Celebrate Max's Star Wars Birthday Party on Sunday, Mar. 12 (3 p.m.), when the Monarchs take on the Norfolk Admirals. Get to SNHU Arena early, as the first 4,000 fans through the doors will receive a complimentary mini-stick!
To purchase tickets, click HERE or contact the Front Office at 603-626-7825! Visit us at ManchesterMonarchs.com, follow the team on Twitter: @MonarchsHockey, and like us on Facebook for additional information. -Monarchs- Matt Johnson Manager of Public Relations and Merchandise
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