Chouinard, Monarchs Blank River Rats, 3-0
February 14, 2004 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Manchester Monarchs News Release
ALBANY, NY â The Manchester Monarchs entered Saturday's game against the Albany River Rats knowing they would need to fill a void in scoring. They were without the services of center Steve Kelly (injured shoulder) and right wing Pavel Rosa (recalled by the Los Angeles Kings earlier in the day). They also knew they would need a strong performance from goaltender Mathieu Chouinard. They received both while posting an efficient 3-0 win over the River Rats, disappointing the majority of the 5,514 fans on hand at the Pepsi Arena. The win extended the Monarchs' (25-20-4-3, 57 points) unbeaten streak to three games (2-0-1-0) and moved them into a second place tie with the Worcester IceCats in the Atlantic Division. The loss was the first in four games for the River Rats (14-23-8-6, 42 points), who remain in seventh place in the East Division. The Monarchs, who also beat the River Rats, 2-1, at the Verizon Wireless Arena on November 9, finished their season series with a 2-0-0-0 record against the River Rats.
Right wing Sam Ftorek cleaned up a rebound near the right post and lifted the puck into the net at 9:13 of the opening period to give the Monarchs a 1-0 lead. Center Yanick Lehoux and defenseman Bryan Muir assisted on Ftorek's fourth goal. The goal also represented Ftorek's 200th professional point (99-101=200). Ftorek, who lists his home as Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, has appeared in 339 professional games over the past six seasons.
The Monarchs led 2-0 through two periods, even though they skated over half of the middle period short-handed. Center Jerred Smithson was credited with the only second period goal, scored when he sliced his shot from the bottom of the right circle by goaltender Matus Kostur just 56 seconds in. Right wing Leon Hayward and defenseman Maxim Kuznetsov assisted on Smithson's third of the season.
The Monarchs' penalty troubles began when Ftorek was whistled for a high sticking major at 2:09. Ftorek clipped defenseman Victor Uchevatov with his stick and drew blood. The River Rats had several chances during the ensuing power play, but failed to get anything by Chouinard, who finished with 10 saves in the period. Albany was 0-for-4 on the power play in a period that included Ftorek's major and Muir's double minor for holding and unsportsmanlike conduct. Through two periods, the Monarchs had 32 penalty minutes compared to the River Rats 11.
Left wing Noah Clarke's one-timer from the slot with 7:38 remaining iced the game. Center Michael Cammalleri and forward Jeff Giuliano assisted on Clarke's 15th this season.
Chouinard (8-5-0) nailed down his fourth shutout of the season with 12 third period saves. His eighth win included 29 total stops. Kostur, who finished with 19 saves, saw his record drop to 0-3-0. For the game, the Monarchs were a perfect 8-for-8 on the penalty kill, while the River Rats were 3-for-3.
The Monarchs will finish the weekend in Providence against the Bruins at 4:05 p.m. on Sunday, February 15.
Monarchs Ticket Availability as of February 14, 2004
Mon., Feb. 23 vs. Binghamton: 3,000 seats remain.
NOTES: The Los Angeles Kings, the NHL affiliate of the Manchester Monarchs, on Saturday assigned left wing Kip Brennan (conditioning assignment) to Manchester and recalled right wing Pavel Rosa. The Kings also placed left wing Scott Barney on injured reserve with a shoulder injury.
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