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Monarchs reign supreme at 7-0-0-0

November 1, 2004 - American Hockey League (AHL) News Release


SPRINGFIELD, Mass. ... For a team that had never won its season opener, the Manchester Monarchs are certainly making the most of a strong start to the 2004-05 campaign.

The Monarchs started each of their first three AHL seasons with a loss. This year, Manchester has reached November unblemished, riding a perfect 7-0-0-0 record to the top of the AHL standings. Manchester has been convincing in its victories, scoring 34 goals while allowing just 10 in seven games, including a remarkable 17-2 margin over its last four.

Leading the Monarchs' attack has been Yanick Lehoux, who has recorded nine goals and 14 points on the year. Lehoux, 22, is already more than halfway to his pro career high of 16 goals, scored during his rookie season of 2002-03. Mike Cammalleri, who played 59 NHL games with Los Angeles over the previous two years, has contributed five goals and seven assists. Noah Clarke, an AHL All-Rookie forward in 2004, has kicked off his second season with nine points and a league-leading plus-10 rating

New additions to the Manchester lineup are contributing as well. Tom Kostopoulos, who played in two Calder Cup Finals during his five seasons with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, has already recorded six multiple-point games this year. Brad Smyth (4+5=9 pts.) is a two-time 50-goal scorer and former AHL All-Star and Calder Cup champion, and has a point in each of the Monarchs' seven games. Mike Weaver, a Calder Cup winner with Chicago in 2002, is the club's top-scoring defenseman with five points.

Also in the mix are top prospects like Dustin Brown, Denis Grebeshkov, Tim Gleason and Petr Kanko, as well as a formidable goaltending duo of Mathieu Garon and Adam Hauser. Garon, with back-to-back shutouts this past weekend, is unbeaten in his last 15 AHL decisions (13-0-2) dating back to the 2002-03 season. Hauser, in his second season with Manchester, has lowered his career GAA to 1.94 in 47 AHL appearances.

Monarchs head coach Bruce Boudreau has an impressive resume as well, with 193 career victories as an AHL bench boss, and from his playing days, an AHL scoring championship (1987-88) and a Calder Cup title (1991-92).

The Monarchs are third in the league on the power play, scoring 13 goals in 53 chances (24.5 percent), and are tied for the league lead with three shorthanded goals. They rank first in offense at 4.86 goals per game, and second in defense with 1.43 goals allowed per game. And their seven-game winning streak is one shy of the franchise record, set early in the 2002-03 season.


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7-FOR-7 IN HARTFORD, TOO ... The Hartford Wolf Pack joined Manchester at the top of the league with a 1-0 shootout win over Houston today, upping its mark to 7-0-0-0 as well. The Wolf Pack, who last year allowed the second-fewest goals ever in an 80-game AHL season, have surrendered just seven goals in 2004-05, while recording the franchise's first seven-game winning streak.

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FAREWELL TO WINNIPEG ARENA ... Some 40 legends of Winnipeg hockey will return this week as the Manitoba Moose pay tribute to Winnipeg Arena, which will host its final games this week as the Utah Grizzlies come to town.

On Thursday night, the Moose will wear throwback jerseys and turn back the clock with discounted concessions and organ music in the old barn. Saturday's emotional finale will include a video tribute, the lowering of the banners from the arena's rafters, and appearances by Winnipeg greats such as Anders Hedberg, Ulf Nilsson, Thomas Steen, Teemu Selanne, Scott Arniel and current Moose head coach and former Jets defenseman Randy Carlyle.


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OFF THE ICE ... George W. Bush of Howeworth, Ohio, and John Kerry of Lorain, Ohio, will commemorate Election Day by dropping the ceremonial first pucks at Cleveland's game against Hamilton on Tuesday... George W. Bush of Boothwyn, Pa., will do the same at Philadelphia's contest against Cincinnati on Wednesday... Fans can bring political yard signs to Saturday's Grand Rapids-Houston game and drop it in a refuse bin on the Van Andel Arena plaza to receive a free large popcorn... Lowell's Cam Ward and Brent Krahn will take part in a goaltending clinic with the Chelmsford Youth Hockey Association on Tuesday night.

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ETC. ... Kyle Wellwood's five-goal effort for St. John's on Saturday night came after the second-year pro had scored just once in his first eight games... With today's win, Hartford goaltender Jason LaBarbera has now shut out Houston in three consecutive meetings... Manitoba teammates Jason King and Peter Sarno share the AHL scoring lead with 17 points apiece... Binghamton's Chris Kelly had four points and a plus-5 rating and Jason Spezza added four points and a plus-4 in a 5-3 win over Norfolk on Friday... Senators co-coach John Paddock stands one win away from 500 for his AHL coaching career... Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's streak of 144 consecutive regular-season sellouts at the Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza ended on Sunday, their first non-capacity crowd since Dec. 20, 2000; a crowd of 7,727 saw Marc-Andre Fleury make 28 saves for his first career AHL shutout... Rochester got its first win of the year with a 5-1 decision at Hershey on Saturday, the teams' 427th all-time meeting in the regular season... The Bears got in the win column for the first time with a 1-0 shootout decision over Syracuse on Friday... Edmonton signed two-time Calder Cup finalist Raffi Torres to an AHL contract on Sunday... Brad Larsen recorded a hat trick for Chicago in a 7-1 win over San Antonio on Wednesday... Bridgeport has not scored a goal in more than 10 periods (200:48), and has been outscored 16-1 in four road games this season... Milwaukee, which finished the 2004 postseason with seven straight wins, is unbeaten in regulation in 2004-05 (5-0-1-0) entering Monday's action... Philadelphia has won four in a row since an 0-2-0-0 start... Through Sunday, AHL teams were 76-21-9-4 when scoring first this season.

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