Monarchs Weekly Report
March 19, 2007 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Manchester Monarchs News Release
LAST WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS
At Springfield (3/16): Postponed due to inclement weather. The game has been rescheduled for Sunday, March 25 at 4:05 p.m. at the MassMutual Center.
At Providence (3/18): Goaltender Hannu Toivonen recorded his first shutout of the season as the Providence Bruins blanked the Manchester Monarchs 5-0 at the Dunkin' Donuts Center on Sunday evening. The Bruins collected goals from center Nate Thompson, defenseman Nathan Dempsey, center Pascal Pelletier, center Marco Rosa and center David Krejci. Monarchs goaltender Jason LaBarbera took the loss with 17 saves on 22 shots before being replaced by Barry Brust in the third period. Brust stopped all seven shots he faced. Bruins netminder Hannu Toivonen earned his first shutout of the season with 25 saves. Manchester went 0-for-7 on the power play. Providence was 1-for-6 with the man advantage.
MONARCHS NEWS & NOTES
The Monarchs (39-19-6-1) are in first place in the Atlantic Division with 85 points.
Manchester has a home record of 23-7-4-0 and a road record of 16-12-2-1.
The Monarchs power play is ranked fourth in the AHL after 65 games with a 19.6-percent man advantage scoring percentage. Manchester has scored 66 goals on 336 opportunities so far this season with the man advantage.
The Monarchs power play on the road is ranked first in the AHL with a 22.2-percent scoring rate. Manchester has scored 37 goals on 167 opportunities in 31 games with the man advantage away from the Verizon Wireless Arena.
Manchester's penalty kill is ranked 12th in the league after letting in 59 goals on 354 situations when the team has been down a man for an 83.3-percentage.
When scoring first in the game, the Monarchs are 29-5-3-1. When the opponent scores first, Manchester is 10-14-3-0. The Monarchs are undefeated in regulation at home when scoring the first goal, 19-0-2-0.
The Monarchs are undefeated when scoring a shorthanded goal, 6-0-0-0.
When Manchester is leading after the first period, their record is 23-1-2-1. When leading after the second period, the Monarchs are undefeated in regulation with a record of 28-0-1-1.
Manchester is undefeated when scoring five or more goals with a record of 10-0-0-0.
Left wing Noah Clarke was recalled by the Los Angeles Kings on Monday, March 5 and leads the Monarchs in scoring with 48 points (21-27=48).
Clarke's 21 goals also lead the team.
Clarke leads the Monarchs all-time in goals (82), points (190) and power play goals (27) and he is ranked second in assists with 108.
Clarke scored his first NHL goal with the Kings against the Edmonton Oilers on Monday, March 12, making him the first California-born player to score for Los Angeles. He has two goals in 11 games with Los Angeles this season.
Left wing Matt Moulson (18-24=42) is ranked second on the Monarchs roster with 42 points.
Moulson leads the Monarchs with a plus/minus of plus-18.
Center Marty Murray (9-28=37) has moved into third place on the Monarchs scoring list this season.
Center Patrick O'Sullivan (17-17=34) is tied for fourth place in scoring for the Monarchs with 34 points. He is currently on recall with the Kings.
O'Sullivan has 14 points (4-10=14) and 14 penalty minutes in 35 games with the Kings this season.
Defenseman T.J. Kemp is tied with O'Sullivan for fourth overall and leads Manchester's blueliners with 34 points (4-30=34).
Kemp is tied for ninth place among AHL defensemen with 34 points.
Rookie Kemp also leads the Monarchs team in assists with 30.
Center Gabe Gauthier (13-19=32) is ranked sixth on the Monarchs squad.
Gauthier was recalled by the Kings on Saturday, March 10 and made his NHL debut against the Dallas Stars on Sunday, March 11.
Defenseman Oleg Tverdovsky has eight points (3-5=8) in five games since joining the Monarchs on February 27.
Goaltender Jason LaBarbera is first in the league among minutes played with 3,183 minutes in 54 games, saves (1,636) and save-percentage (.932). He is also ranked second in wins with 33. LaBarbera is ranked fourth among active goaltenders with a goals-against-average of 2.26.
The Monarchs No. 1 goaltender has set new all-time records for Manchester by collecting the most minutes played in a season (3183:02) and the most saves (1756) in a season. LaBarbera surpassed goaltender Mathieu Garon (2004-05) for the most wins in a season when he collected his 33rd victory on Wednesday, March 7, a 4-1 win over the Hartford Wolf Pack. LaBarbera also surpassed Garon in appearances during one season by playing in his 53rd game on Friday, March 9 against the Hershey Bears. He has appeared in 54 games so far this season.
LaBarbera has played in 239 AHL games with the Monarchs and the Hartford Wolf Pack. He has a record of 125-74-20, a goals-against-average of 2.17 and a save-percentage of .927 in 13,364 minutes of work between the pipes and 6,130 saves in the AHL.
LaBarbera collected his seventh shutout of the season on Friday, February 23 versus the Providence Bruins stopping all 41 shots he faced. His 28 AHL career shutouts with the Monarchs and Wolf Pack lead all active goaltenders and is ranked sixth all-time in the AHL.
Right wing John Zeiler is also on recall with the Kings. Zeiler has one goal and two assists for three points and 10 penalty minutes in 14 games with the Kings this season.
TRANSACTIONS
3-16-07 - The Manchester Monarchs (AHL) signed forward Kevin Westgarth to an amateur tryout agreement.
INJURIES
1-11-07 - Left wing Jeff Giuliano is week-to-week after undergoing abdominal surgery.
3-7-07 - Defenseman T.J. Kemp is day-to-day with an upper body injury.
3-7-07 - Defenseman Joey Mormina is week-to-week with a lower body injury.
1-19-07 - Right wing Ryan Murphy is month-to-month after undergoing shoulder surgery.
COMMUNITY NEWS
3-19-07 - The Monarchs players will serve as an accomplished wait staff eager to fulfill special requests, all for charitable tips, at the sixth annual At Your Service Dinner at the Event Center at C.R. Sparks in Bedford, New Hampshire, on Monday, March 19. The event also includes a silent auction featuring personalized pottery, Build-A-Bears and gift baskets, all created by the players. Other fabulous items will include jerseys, trips, electronics and memorabilia. Proceeds from the event will go to the Monarchs Care Foundation, Child Health Services and the Manchester Boys and Girls Club.
3-23-07 - Monarchs left wing Jeff Giuliano and right wing Ryan Murphy will assist with Milford's D.A.R.E. Graduation on Friday, March 23 at 1:30 p.m. Approximately 700 kids will be graduating from the program that teaches students a drug-free message and the importance of staying away from drugs and alcohol.
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American Hockey League Stories from March 19, 2007
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- Red-Hot Devils Go 2-0-0-1 - Albany Devils
- Wolf Pack Weekly - Connecticut Whale
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- Griffins Announce Executive Promotions - Grand Rapids Griffins
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- Monarchs Weekly Report - Manchester Monarchs
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