Monarchs Game Day Capsule, Game 1 - North Division Semi-Finals
April 13, 2018 - ECHL (ECHL)
Manchester Monarchs News Release
TALE OF THE TAPE
The Monarchs head to the playoffs for the third time in their three years in the ECHL and the 16th time in 17 seasons of professional hockey. The Royals make their way to the postseason for the ninth consecutive season. The Royals took the season series 5-4-0-0 over the Monarchs, however the Monarchs have posted a 16-10-1-2 record against Reading over the past five seasons. Six of the nine games played between these two teams this year have been decided by three or more goals.
STAYING OUT OF THE BOX
The Royals were the least penalized team in the ECHL this season, averaging only 9.14 penalties per game. Reading committed only 254 minor and 18 major penalties on the season, compared to 346 minor and 43 majors for Manchester, who averaged 14.54 penalty minutes per game. If that trend continues, the Monarchs will need to find another way to score, aside from their 7th ranked power play that collected 22.2% of their goals this season. Manchester scored four goals on 30 power-play chances against Reading during the regular season.
TWO OF THE TOP SCORERS
This first round matchup will feature two of the league's top scorers during the regular season, with Matt Willows of the Royals finishing third in the league with 74 points (32g, 42a) and Jordan LaVallee-Smotherman of the Monarchs finishing fourth in the league with 72 points (34g, 38a). The Monarchs have managed to shut down Willows this season, limiting him to six points (4g, 2a) in nine games, while LaVallee-Smotherman has racked up 11 points (9g, 2a) in nine games against the Royals.
GAME 1 - North Division Semi-Finals
MONARCHS (0-0-0-0) vs Reading Royals (0-0-0-0)
Friday, April 13, 2018 - 7:00 p.m. - SNHU Arena
MONARCHS POINTS LEADERS
Jordan LaVallee-Smotherman: 0 points (0g, 0a)
Zac Lynch: 0 points (0g, 0a)
Spencer Watson: 0 points (0g, 0a)
MONARCHS GOALTENDING LEADERS
Charles Williams: 0-0-0-0, 0.00 GAA, 0.000 save %
Evan Cowley: 0-0-0-0, 0.00 GAA, 0.000 save %
ROYALS POINTS LEADERS
Matt Willows: 0 points (0g, 0a)
Chris McCarthy: 0 points (0g, 0a)
Matt Wilkins: 0 points (0g, 0a)
ROYALS GOALTENDING LEADERS
John Muse: 0-0-0-0, 0.00 GAA, 0.000 save %
Mark Dekanich: 0-0-0-0, 0.00 GAA, 0.000 save %
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