Leitner, Monarchs Trump Aces in Overtime, 5-4
February 25, 2017 - ECHL (ECHL)
Manchester Monarchs News Release
MANCHESTER, N.H. - The Manchester Monarchs extended their league-best 17 game point streak at home with a 5-4 overtime win over the Alaska Aces at SNHU Arena on American Pride Night.
The Monarchs (30-14-6-4) took the first-ever meeting with the Aces (26-18-2-6), and look to sweep their two-game series with Alaska on Sunday afternoon.
The Monarchs struck first at 7:32 of the first period when Zac Lynch scored his 15th goal of the season. Capitalizing on a 4-on-4 opportunity, Lynch received a pass from Matt Leitner at the left half-boards, skated to the top of the crease and wristed the puck past Aces goalie, Michael Garteig, to give the Monarchs a 1-0 lead.
Manchester doubled-down on their lead when Tim Bozon netted his 2nd goal of the season just 38 seconds into the second period. Tyler Elbrecht passed the puck from the blue line to Ashton Rome in the left corner who circled the net and sent a shot on goal, where it was redirected into the net by Bozon, to make the score, 2-0, Monarchs.
Alaska responded at 17:30 of the second period to cut the Monarchs lead to 2-1, when Ben Lake scored his 8th goal of the season. Charlie Sampair took the initial shot from the top of the crease on Monarchs goalie, Sam Brittain, who had lost his stick seconds before, and Lake found the rebound to inch the Aces closer.
The Monarchs closed the second period with a power-play goal, when Thomas Schemitsch scored his first professional goal at 19:21. Following a kneeing penalty by Alaska's Ryan Trenz, Schemitsch took a shot from the top of the crease that Garteig stopped, but Schemitsch collected his own rebound and flipped the puck into the top shelf of the net to make it, 3-1, Monarchs.
After a combative start to the third period where two fights broke out at the same time, the Aces made it a 3-2 game when Tim Coffman scored his 18th goal of the season at 10:53. Mitch Jones played the puck from the right corner boards to Coffman, who sent a one-timer from the faceoff circle past the right leg of Brittain.
Coffman scored his 2nd goal of the game at 10:53 of the third frame to tie the game, 3-3. Facing three Monarchs skaters, Coffman shot from the center of the attacking zone, only to be stopped by Brittain. Coffman collected his own rebound and scored on the second chance from the top right corner of the crease.
The Monarchs responded less than one minute later when newcomer, Wade Murphy, netted his first professional goal at 11:42 of the third period. The Arizona State product took an uncontested shot from the left circle, and beat Garteig high glove, to put the Monarchs back on top, 4-3.
In the closing minutes of the third period, Alaska's Tyler Shattock tied the game with his 10th goal of the season at 17:15. Shattock located the loose puck in the slot from a centering pass off the stick of Steven Tarasuk, and beat Brittain's glove to tie the game, 4-4.
The game would go to overtime, but ended quickly when Leitner scored the game-winning-goal for the Monarchs just 29 seconds into the extra frame. Joey Diamond sent a pass from the goal line on a 3-on-2 rush to Leitner in the slot, where the forward hesitated and then fired a wrister past the blocker of Garteig to end the game.
The Monarchs wrap up their three-game homestand on Sunday, Feb. 26 (3 p.m.), when they face the Alaska Aces for the final time this season.
Notes
Quentin Shore played in his first game since returning from Ontario (AHL)
Wade Murphy scored his 1st professional goal in his first professional game Thomas Schemitsch potted his 1st professional goal Joey Diamond recorded his 120th professional point Matt Leitner tallied his 100th professional point (103 pts.) Tyler Elbrecht earned his 40th professional assist Monarchs extended their home point streak to 17 games
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