AHL Manchester Monarchs

Monarchs Report

October 25, 2004 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Manchester Monarchs News Release


LAST WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS

At Utah (10/20): The Manchester Monarchs continued their winning ways with a 5-3 victory over the Utah Grizzlies at the "E" Center on Wednesday night. Defenseman Joe Rullier, left wing Dustin Brown, left wing Noah Clarke and right wing Greg Hogeboom scored their first goals of the season. Center Michael Cammalleri finished off the scoring with an empty net goal at 18:58 of the third period. Goaltender Mathieu Garon stopped 36 shots. Left wing Martin Sonnenberg, center Erik Westrum and left wing Jonathan Sim scored for the Grizzlies. The Monarchs went 0-6 on the power play while Utah was 2- 8.

At Utah (10/23): Defenseman Troy Milam's two goals led the Monarchs to a 5-0 blanking of the Utah Grizzlies at the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California on Saturday night. Center Yanick Lehoux, left wing Dustin Brown and right wing Brad Smyth added tallies for the Monarchs. Goaltender Adam Hauser recorded his first shutout of the season and eighth in a Monarchs uniform, stopping all 20 of the shots he faced. Four of the Monarchs goals were scored on the power play as they went 4-8. The Grizzlies were 0-9 with the man-advantage.

MONARCHS TRANSACTIONS

10/18/04: The Manchester Monarchs (AHL) loaned defenseman Beau Geisler, right wing George Parros and center David Steckel to the Reading Royals (ECHL) and released defenseman Colin Peters from his amateur tryout agreement.

MONARCHS INJURY REPORT

9/27/04: Scott Barney is week-to-week with a lower body injury.

MONARCHS NEWS & NOTES

The Monarchs (4-0-0-0) are one of only three teams remaining with unblemished records in the 28-team American Hockey League. The other two teams include the Atlantic Division's Hartford Wolf Pack (4-0-0-0) and the West Division's Grand Rapids Griffins (3-0-0-0).

The Monarchs never before have opened a season 4-0-0-0. In fact, Manchester lost its season opener in each of its first three seasons as a franchise.

Monarchs Record After Four Games Through The Years
2001-02: 1-2-1-0
2002-03: 2-1-1-0
2003-04: 1-3-0-0

Entering this week's action, the Atlantic Division has the top winning percentage in the AHL. (35 games: 21 wins, 10 losses, 3 overtime loss and 1 shootout loss; .657 winning percentage).

The Monarchs have outscored their opponents 8-0 in the first period this season.

The Monarchs have yet to trail in a game this season.

Six of the eight goals allowed by the Monarchs this season have been scored in the third period. Manchester's 5.50 goals -per-game average leads the AHL.

The Monarchs tied a team record with four power play goals against the Utah Grizzlies on October 23. The Monarchs also collected four power play goals against the Saint John Flames on December 21, 2002, and four power play goals against the Hartford Wolf Pack on October 25, 2002.

Center Yanick Lehoux leads the Monarchs and ranks second in the AHL with six goals. Lehoux, a third year pro and former third-round pick (86th overall) of the Los Angeles Kings in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, has registered six goals on just 11 shots for a team-leading shooting percentage of .545. Lehoux, who ranks fourth on the Monarchs all-time goal-scoring list and fifth on the Monarchs all-time points list, has 36 goals and 88 points (36-52=88) in 148 career games with the Monarchs.

Career Goals For The Monarchs
1. Pavel Rosa (2002-04), 67 goals
2. Eric Healey (2001-03), 66 goals
3. Steve Kelly (2001-04), 50 goals
4. Derek Bekar (2001-03), 46 goals
5. Yanick Lehoux (2002-present), 36 goals

Career Points For The Monarchs
1. Steve Kelly (2001-04), 164 points
2. Pavel Rosa (2002-04), 151 points
3. Eric Healey (2001-03), 131 points
4. Tomas Zizka (2001-04), 92 points
5. Yanick Lehoux (2002-present), 88 points

The plus-5 plus/minus rating recorded by defenseman Joe Rullier against the Grizzlies on October 20 ranks as the best plus/minus mark in an AHL game this season and a Monarchs team record. Rullier's plus-6 overall rating ranks second best among defensemen in the circuit.

Rullier, the Monarchs all-time games played and penalty minute leader, appeared in his 200th game as a Monarch on October 20 against the Grizzlies. The former fifth-round selection of the Kings (133rd overall) in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft has accumulated 492 penalty minutes over four seasons with the Monarchs.

Monarchs All-Time Penalty Minute Leaders
1. Joe Rullier (2001-present): 492
2. Kip Brennan (2001-04): 470
3. Ryan Flinn (2001-present): 406

Right wing Tom Kostopoulos leads the AHL with a plus-9 plus/minus rating. Kostopoulos, originally selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the seventh-round (104th overall) in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, also shares the league lead with eight assists. Kostopoulos had two assists in the Monarchs 5-3 win at Utah on October 20. He added another two assists to his total in the Monarchs 5-0 win over Utah at the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles on October 23.

Left wing Noah Clarke, selected by the Kings in the ninth-round (250th overall) in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, ranks third in the AHL with a plus-7 plus/minus record.

Goaltender Mathieu Garon posted his 101st win as a professional on October 20 with 36 saves against the Grizzlies. Garon, selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the second–round (44th overall) in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft, has a record of 101-100- 23 in 239 career NHL and AHL appearances.

Goaltender Adam Hauser is off to a 2-0-0 start with the Monarchs. Originally selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the thirdround (81st overall) in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, Hauser posted his first shutout of the season with 20 saves against the Grizzlies on October 23. The native of Bovey, Minnesota set team records last season for goals -against-average (1.94) and shutouts (7) while posting a 20-15-7 overall record.

Center Michael Cammalleri saw his three-game goal-scoring streak end on October 23 against the Grizzlies. Cammalleri ranks among the AHL's scoring leaders with seven points (3-4=7) in four games. A native of Richmond Hill, Ontario and a second-round selection of the Kings (49th overall) in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, Cammalleri has 66 points (28-38=66) in 58 career games with the Monarchs.

Right wing Brad "Shooter" Smyth has three goals and four points (3-1=4) in four games with the Monarchs. Originally signed as a free agent by the Florida Panthers on October 4, 1993, Smyth has averaged 66 points per season during his eightyear AHL career. The native of Ottawa, Ontario ranks 58th on the AHL's all-time points list with 529 points (272-257=529) in 473 career games.

Defenseman Troy Milam collected two of the four Monarchs power play goals against the Grizzlies on October 23. Milam, a second-year pro from Lake Orion, Michigan who inked a one-year deal with the Monarchs on September 8, 2004, has three points (2-1=3) and a plus-3 plus/minus rating in three games with the Monarchs this season.

MONARCHS PROMOTIONS

Michael Cammalleri Photo Card Night - Every fan attending the Monarchs game against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Friday, October 29 will receive an 8"x 10" photo card of Michael Cammalleri, courtesy of the NH Tobacco Prevention & Control Program.

MONARCHS EVENTS

Monarchs Open Practice at JFK - The Monarchs will practice at the JFK Coliseum in Manchester, New Hampshire on Tuesday, October 26 from 5:30-7:00 p.m. Following practice, the players will come out to greet fans and sign autographs. Fans who want to attend this annual event may do so free of charge.



American Hockey League Stories from October 25, 2004


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