Monarchs Weekly Preview
March 27, 2017 - ECHL (ECHL)
Manchester Monarchs News Release
GAMES
Saturday, Apr. 1, 6 p.m. - Elmira Jackals -SNHU Arena - Fan Appreciation Weekend
Sunday, Apr. 2, 3 p.m. - Elmira Jackals - SNHU Arena - Fan Appreciation Weekend
WEEK IN REVIEW The Monarchs played four road games within the North Division last week, and came out with a 2-2-0-0 record.
Wednesday, the Monarchs kicked-off their busy week with a 5-1 victory over the Reading Royals to push their season record against Reading to 8-1-1-0. Jack Flinn stood on his head and made 35 saves to earn his 3rd win of the season, and goals by Teddy Doherty, Daniel Doremus, Joey Diamond (2) and Kevin Morris paced the Monarchs.
Friday night, the Monarchs traveled to Elmira and fell, 6-2. Flinn couldn't replicate his dominating performance from Wednesday, and allowed five consecutive goals from the middle of the second period on to suffer the loss. Mario Puskarich and Tyler Elbrecht put marks on the score sheet, but they weren't nearly enough.
Saturday, Manchester bounced back with a 7-4 win over the Jackals to push their magic number to clinch a playoff spot to two. A four-goal second period proved to be the deciding frame for Manchester, and Charles Williams won his first career start in net. Cory Ward was the offensive star with two goals and an assist.
Sunday afternoon, the Monarchs were blanked for only the second time this season, and fell, 2-0. Flinn did everything he could to keep the Monarchs in the game and made 32 stops, but the offense couldn't get it going and produced only 26 shots.
PLAYOFF PICTURE The Monarchs (79 pts.) begin the week fourth in the North Division, trailing the Adirondack Thunder (81 pts.), Brampton Beast (80 pts.) and Reading Royals (79 pts.) in the division, with the Wheeling Nailers still mathematically alive with 72 points. The Monarchs magic number to clinch a playoff berth sits at two over the Nailers, and if the playoffs were to start today, the Monarchs and Thunder would face-off in the North Division Semifinals for the second-consecutive season.
LEADING THE WAY There is now a tie at the top of the Monarchs scoring list as Joey Diamond (22g, 22a) and Daniel Doremus (9g, 35a) both have scored 44 points. Diamond leads the team with 22 goals and Doremus leads the way with his 35 helpers.
THE NORTH STANDS ALONE
To begin the week, the North Division is the only division in the league without a team to clinch a playoff berth thus far. With the top five teams separated by nine points, all four spots are up for grabs. The Florida Everblades have clinched a playoff berth in the South, while the Colorado Eagles and Allen Americans have clinched in the Mountain. The Central Division already has their four representatives with the Toledo Walleye, Fort Wayne Komets, Quad City Mallards and Kalamazoo Wings all locked into post-season play.
HIGH SCORING MATCHUP
After a three-game weekend between the Jackals and the Monarchs that saw 21 goals scored, including a 6-2 Elmira victory and a 7-4 Manchester win, we should expect more of the same this weekend. The Jackals rank 24th in the league allowing 3.81 goals against per game, while the Monarchs rank 20th allowing 3.55. Manchester will look to clinch the season series against the Jackals this weekend, currently leading the matchup with a 6-4-2-0 record against their division foe.
PENALTY KILL SLIDE
To start the month of February, Manchester held the league's top PK unit at 87.2%, killing 143 out of 164 penalties up to that point. The Monarchs penalty kill has dropped off since then, fending off only 50 out of their last 73 penalties, a 68.5% success rate in the past two months. Manchester's penalty kill now ranks 20th overall, killing 81.4% of their penalties.
TAKE THE LEAD
If the Monarchs can take a lead into an intermission this weekend, they will be in good shape. Elmira has yet to win a game this season on the road when they trail at the end of any period. They hold a 0-16-1-1 record when trailing after one and a 0-21-1-0 record when trailing after two in their opponents' barns this season. The Monarchs have yet to lose a home game in regulation that they are leading at the end of a period, posting a 12-0-0-0 record leading after one and a 20-0-1-0 record when leading after two periods at SNHU Arena.
TICKETS The Monarchs return to SNHU Arena ice Saturday, Apr. 1 (6 p.m.) when they begin a two-game series with the Elmira Jackals on Fan Appreciation Weekend! Be one of the first 2,000 fans through the doors to get your hands on a limited edition Monarchs Frisbee giveaway!
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- Matthew Johnson Manager of Public Relations and Merchandise
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