Monarchs Weekly Preview
December 7, 2015 - ECHL (ECHL)
Manchester Monarchs News Release
WEEK IN REVIEW
The Monarchs welcomed the Reading Royals to the Verizon Wireless Arena for their first matchup with the team this season and in the history of both franchises, with Manchester winning two of the three games against their division rivals.
Friday night, the Monarchs got their weekend off to a fast start, beating the Royals, 3-2. The Monarchs received goals from Derek Arnold, Troy Power and Zac Larraza, and Colin Stevens won his 4th consecutive game. Arnold got the scoring started early in the second period, and after a Reading goal to tie things up, Power sent the Monarchs into the third period with a 2-1 lead. Larraza would score the eventual game-winning-goal at 5:17 of the third period. Yann Sauvé extended his ECHL leading point streak to eight games in the contest.
Saturday night, the Monarchs were shut out for the first time this season, and dropped the game, 3-0. Reading notched a goal in each period, scoring all three while on the power play. The Monarchs got a scare when goaltender, Colin Stevens, was charged by a Reading forward, slamming the goalie into the net and leaving him motionless on the ice for about a minute. Stevens eventually skated off the ice under his own power, and was replaced by Steve Mastalerz, who made his professional debut.
Sunday afternoon, the Monarchs took the rubber match of the weekend series with a 4-2 victory. The Monarchs got goals from Zac Larraza, Maxim Kitsyn, Yann Sauvé and Derek Arnold, and goaltender Steve Mastalerz registered his first professional victory. With Reading on top 1-0 after one period, Larraza tied the game mid-way through the second frame. Kitsyn gave Manchester the 2-1 lead and after the Royals tied the game heading into the second intermission, the Monarchs took the lead for good with a goal from Yann Sauvé. Derek Arnold scored an empty net goal to secure the victory.
WHERE WE STAND
The Monarchs will begin the week in second place in the East Division, one point behind division leader Adirondack (28 pts), having won eight of their last ten contests.
Nord de la Frontiere
The Monarchs will travel to Brampton, Ontario to take on the Beast Wednesday morning (11 a.m.). This will be the Monarchs fifth matchup with the Beast this season, and fourth contest north of the border. The Monarchs have split the season series with the Beast to this point, posting a 2-2-0-0 record against their conference foes. The Beast are the ECHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens and are currently in last place (17 pts) in the North Division. The Beast are 5-5-1-0 at the Powerade Centre, and head into their matchup with Manchester with an overall record of 8-11-1-0.
JACKALS OF ALL TRADES
Friday, the Monarchs will travel to division rival, Elmira, to take on the Jackals (7:05 p.m.). The Monarchs are 1-1-0-0 this season against their divisional counterparts and each team has victories in the opposing teams' barn. Elmira is on a roll of late, winning five-of-six games. The Jackals are the ECHL affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres and are currently in third place in the East Division (28 pts), two points behind the Monarchs, and have a 6-6-0-0 record at First Arena.
RIDE THE LIGHTNING
The Monarchs will close out their three-game road trip with a Saturday night matchup (7 p.m.) against the Adirondack Thunder, the first game of a home-and-home series. The Monarchs have met Adirondack twice this season, also a home-and-home series, losing both games to the division front-runners. The Thunder are the ECHL affiliate of the Calgary Flames and currently hold the top-spot in the East Division, one point ahead of the Monarchs. Adirondack has enjoyed early success at the Glens Falls Civic Center, posting a 6-0-0-0 record at home and a 14-2-0-1 record overall.
LEIT-ING IT UP
Matt Leitner leads the Monarchs in scoring after posting four points (0g, 4a) this weekend, for a season total of 23 points (5g, 18a). Leitner has nine points (1g, 8a= 9pts.) in his last six games and his 23 points leads all ECHL rookies and ranks him seventh in the league in scoring to start the week.
STRONG DEBUT
Monarchs goaltender, Steve Mastalerz, made his first professional start Sunday, Dec. 6 against Reading. The North Andover, Mass. native and graduate of UMass-Amherst, stopped 30-of 32 shots, earning his first professional win.
HITTING THE ROAD
The Monarchs won't be enjoying the friendly confines of the Jungle in the near future, as the team will play 7-of-8 games on the road from now until after Christmas. The road trip to Brampton, Elmira and Adirondack this week will see the Monarchs travel roughly 1,200 miles before returning to the Verizon Wireless Arena for a game Sunday afternoon. The bus trips won't stop there, as the Monarchs are set to visit Kalamazoo, Fort Wayne and Toledo before the Christmas break, and then Adirondack the day after Christmas.
TICKETS
The Monarchs return to the Jungle Dec. 13 (3 p.m.), as they host the Adirondack Thunder in an East Division showdown.
To purchase tickets, visit ManchesterMonarchs.com or contact the Front Office at 603-626-7825!
Visit us at ManchesterMonarchs.com, follow the team on Twitter: @MonarchsHockey, and like us on Facebook for additional information.
GAMES
Wednesday, Dec. 9, 11 a.m.
Friday, Dec. 11, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 12, 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 13, 3:00 p.m.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS WITH BRAMPTON
Last Game - Nov. 8, 4-2 Brampton
This Season - 2-2-0-0
PREVIOUS MEETINGS WITH ELMIRA
Last Game - Nov. 18, 2-1 Elmira
This Season - 1-1-0-0
PREVIOUS MEETINGS WITH ADIRONDACK
Last Game - Oct. 25, 5-2 Adirondack
This Season - 1-1-0-0
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