Monarchs Hand Lock Monsters First Loss
Published on October 24, 2003 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Manchester Monarchs News Release
LOWELL, MA - Keyed by four goals on their first four shots in the third period, the Manchester Monarchs handed the Lowell Lock Monsters their first loss of the season, 6-3, before a crowd of 3,807 at the Tsongas Arena on Friday night.
Lowell (4-1-0-0) entered action on Friday as the only team in the 28-member American Hockey League without a loss or a tie. The win for the Monarchs (2-4-0-1) was their second of the season, and it snapped a three-game winless streak. The win also evened the season series between the Monarchs and the Lock Monsters at one game apiece. The two close rivals meet 10 more times this season.
The Monarchs took control of the game early, opening a 2-0 lead.
With a Lowell defender draped all over him in the slot, left wing Jeff Giuliano was still able to backhand a no-look pass to right wing Dan Welch, who swept home the Monarchs first goal from just outside of the crease at 12:28. Rookie defenseman Denis Grebeshkov earned his first AHL point with an assist on Welch's second of the season.
The Monarchs took advantage of a power play chance late in the period to add to their lead.
After goaltender Mathieu Chouinard awkwardly flopped onto a loose puck at the side of the net with less than three minutes remaining in the first, left wing Josh Green fell on top of him, causing a skirmish to break out. The result of the skirmish was a Green roughing penalty.
The Monarchs, who entered Friday's game 0-for-25 on the power play over their last five games, snapped their man-advantage scoreless streak when defenseman Richard Seeley's slap shot from the slot bounced off a Lowell defender and caromed into the Lock Monsters net at 18:28.
Wingers Pavel Rosa and John Tripp assisted on Seeley's power play goal. Rosa extended his scoring streak to five games with his assist. Tripp's assist was his first point in six games.
Like they did against the Monarchs in their first meeting of the season on Oct. 11 (a 4-2 Lowell win at the Verizon Wireless Arena), the Lock Monsters erased the Monarchs two-goal second period lead, this time with goals from right wing Pavel Brendl and defenseman Allan Rourke.
Brendl, appearing in his first game this season after suffering a broken hand in the Carolina Hurricanes training camp, scored on a rebound 2:33 into the middle period to cut the Monarchs lead to 2-1.
Defenseman Brad Fast expertly fed defenseman Allan Rourke between the circles of the Monarchs zone, with Rourke scoring his third goal on the power play at 14:41 of the middle period to tie the game at 2-2.
The Monarchs next regained the lead with third period goals from Tripp and Welch at 1:08 and 2:19.
Tripp's laser-like wrister came seconds after Grebeshkov fed him high in the slot. Welch's goal, his second of the game and third of the season, was scored on a wrap-around.
Robert Dome's wrist shot just over the left shoulder of Chouinard at 4:48 made it a 4-3 game. Dome's goal, his second, was scored on the power play.
The Monarchs again took a two-goal lead, this time at 5-3, when right wing Scott Barney chopped the puck loose and fed it into the Lowell net at 6:59. Barney's goal, his first, was the Monarchs second power play goal of the game.
Lowell once again threatened to cut into the Monarchs lead, trying to take advantage of a 5-on-3 power play chance midway through the final period. But the Monarchs came up with two consecutive penalty kills.
The Monarchs opened their first three-goal lead of the game when center Jerred Smithson won the draw back to Tripp, who scored his second goal of the game and his team-leading fourth goal of the season at 13:07. Smithson picked up the only assist on the play.
Chouinard, who injured his groin in the first period, battled through the injury to finish with 33 saves and his second win. Lowell goaltender Patrick DesRochers had 22 saves in the loss.
The Monarchs return to action with a 7:05 p.m. contest against the Hartford Wolf Pack at the Hartford Civic Center on Saturday night.
NOTES: Monarchs scratches in Friday's contest were center Steve Kelly (suspended) and left wing Chris Schmidt (fractured foot)...Goaltender Milan Hnilicka, out the last four games because of a groin injury, backed up Chouinard on Friday. The 31-year-old native of Pardubice, Czech Republic, started each of the first two Monarchs games, posting an 0-2-0 record and a 3.59 goals-against-average.
American Hockey League Stories from October 24, 2003
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