Late Comeback Falls Short For Monarchs
Published on November 25, 2006 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Manchester Monarchs News Release
HERSHEY, PA - The Manchester Monarchs late third period comeback fell one goal short as the Hershey Bears skated away with the 5-4 win in front of 8,895 fans at Giant Center on Saturday night.
Manchester (8-7-4-1) is in third place in the Atlantic Division with 21 points. Hershey (13-2-1-2) is tied for second place in the East Division with 29 points.
Left wing Chris Bourque scored his fifth goal of the season on the Bears fifth shot of the game at 1:39 of the first period to give the home town team the early lead. The Monarchs turned over the puck in their own zone and Bourque picked it up. He fired a shot from the left face-off circle past Monarchs goaltender Jason LaBarbera for the 1-0 lead.
Center Alexandre Giroux made it 2-0 at 2:32 of the opening period with his 11th goal of the season. The shorthanded goal came as defenseman Lawrence Nycholat poke checked the puck away from Manchester and up to center Dave Steckel for a 2-on-1 breakaway with Giroux. The former Monarchs forward carried the puck to the right wing circle and passed it over to Giroux who was streaking to the net. Giroux tipped the puck passed LaBarbera for a two goal lead.
Steckel scored his fourth goal of the season and sent LaBarbera to the bench at 8:22 of the opening stanza. Defenseman Jamie Hunt blasted a slap shot from the left point that was tipped by left wing Peter Vandermeer and then Steckel for the 3-0 lead. Goaltender Barry Brust replaced LaBarbera between the pipes for the Monarchs.
Defenseman Shay Stephenson put Manchester on the board at 7:20 of the middle period with his second goal of the season. Defenseman Doug Nolan sent the puck up ice to Stephenson who went streaking into the Bears zone on a breakaway. Stephenson skated up to Hershey goaltender Maxime Daigneault and flipped the puck over his glove for the goal.
The Bears answered back with a power play goal by center Matt Koalska. Bourque fed the puck to Koalska who walked in alone on Brust and jammed the puck in the net for his third goal of the season. Hunt assisted on the goal at 10:42 to give Hershey a 4-1 lead.
Manchester came back one minute and 10 seconds later as center Gabe Gauthier collected his fourth goal of the season. Right wing John Zeiler handed the puck off to left wing Matt Moulson along the left wing boards. Moulson carried the puck into the corner and sent it toward the net. Gauthier was sitting on the doorstep to poke in the puck at 11:52 of the second period.
Giroux tallied his second of the night, a power play goal at 18:09 of the middle frame. Giroux collected a pass from Bourque and carried the puck into the Monarchs zone on a 3-on-2 situation. The centerman kept control of the puck and snuck it past Brust for his 12th goal of the season. Right wing Jonas Johansson collected an assist on the Bears final goal of the night.
Left wing Petr Kanko scored his fourth goal of the season at 17:18 of the third period as he flipped the puck over Daigneault for the score. Stephenson and right wing Tim Jackman assisted on the goal to bring the score to 5-3.
Center Patrick O'Sullivan brought the Monarchs to within one goal as he fired a shot from the end red line that snuck through the pads of Daigneault at 18:19 of the final period. Left wing Jeff Giuliano tossed the puck from behind the net to O'Sullivan for the bad angle goal, his sixth tally of the season.
LaBarbera made seven saves on 10 shots in 8:22 of playing time in the first period. Brust stopped 26 shots through two and half periods of play and took the loss for the Monarchs. Daigneault earned the win stopping 27 shots.
Manchester went 0-for-6 on the power play. Hershey was 2-for-4 with the man advantage.
The Monarchs return to the Verizon Wireless Arena on Sunday, November 26 for a 4:05 p.m. battle with the Portland Pirates. Catch all of the play-by-play action of Monarchs hockey with Ken Cail on the Monarchs Radio Network WGIR-AM 610 and at www.monarchshockey.com. Watch the game live on B2 Networks for just $6 per game. Log onto www.monarchshockey.com and click on the link to B2 Networks ten minutes prior to each Monarchs game to watch the game live!
American Hockey League Stories from November 25, 2006
- San Antonio loses to Grand Rapids - San Antonio Rampage
- P-Bruins Fall to Pirates 4-1 - Providence Bruins
- Griffins roll over Rampage 5-3 - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Rivermen Squelch Knights' Rally, 3-2 - Abbotsford Heat
- Rivermen Get by Omaha 3-2 on the Road - Peoria Rivermen
- Sens storm back against Penguins for 6-5 shootout win - Binghamton Senators
- Bochenski's Four Goals Power Admirals Past Phantoms - Norfolk Admirals
- First-place Chicago tops Houston - Houston Aeros
- 'Dogs Shutout First-Place Amerks - Hamilton Bulldogs
- Phantoms Fall 7-5 In Norfolk - Adirondack Phantoms
- Sharks find win column with five goal third period - Worcester Sharks
- Bourque, Giroux lead Bears past Monarchs - Hershey Bears
- Late Comeback Falls Short For Monarchs - Manchester Monarchs
- Sound Tigers Earn Point in Loss - Bridgeport Islanders
- River Rats blank Devils, 5-0 - Albany Devils
- Falcons Host Sharks Tonight - Springfield Falcons
- Knights Thwarted By Rivermen, 2-1 - Abbotsford Heat
- AHL Quick Hits - AHL
- Quick trip to Chicago - Houston Aeros
- Krog Returns From Atlanta - Chicago Wolves
- B-Sens sign Sgroi - Binghamton Senators
- Iowa Stars Have Roster Changes - Iowa Chops
- Bears square off with Manchester Saturday - Hershey Bears
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