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AHL Manchester Monarchs

Monarchs Weekly Report

February 9, 2009 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Manchester Monarchs News Release


LAST WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS

At Hartford (2/4): Six goals by six different players lifted the Manchester Monarchs to a 6-3 win over the Hartford Wolf Pack at the XL Center on Wednesday night. Manchester collected goals from center Justin Azevedo, center David Meckler, left wing Matt Moulson, center Marty Murray, left wing Scott Parse and defenseman Viatcheslav Voynov. The Wolf Pack picked up tallies from right wing Pierre Parenteau, left wing Jordan Owens and right wing Dale Weise. Goaltender Daniel Taylor (2-1-0) earned his second win of the season with 23 saves on 26 shots. Netminder Matt Zaba (9-7-0) took his seventh loss of the season with 28 saves. Manchester went 3-for-6 on the power play. Hartford was 1-for-5 with the man advantage.

Vs. Worcester (2/6): The Manchester Monarchs were able to hold on to their 3-2 lead as they beat the Worcester Sharks on Friday night at the Verizon Wireless Arena. The Monarchs collected goals from right wing Teddy Purcell, center Trevor Lewis and left wing Matt Moulson. Center Marty Murray also assisted on all three goals. Left wing Frazer McLaren and left wing Jamie McGinn tallied for the Sharks. Monarchs' goaltender Jonathan Bernier (12-15-3) picked up the victory after stopping 29 shots while Sharks' netminder Thomas Greiss (17-13-2) took his 13th loss on the season after halting 28-of-31 shots. Manchester went 0-for-3 on the power play. Worcester was 0-for-5 with the man advantage.

Vs. Manitoba (2/8): The Manchester Monarchs lost a back and forth contest with the Manitoba Moose, 3-2, on Sunday evening at the Verizon Wireless Arena. Right wing Teddy Purcell scored on the power play and left wing Trevor Lewis tallied a shorthanded goal for the Monarchs. The Moose picked up goals from right wing Guillaume Desbiens, left wing Pierre-Cedric Labrie and left wing Jason Jaffray. Goaltender Jonathan Bernier (12-16-3) burdened the loss after stopping 22-of-25 shots put on net by Manitoba. Netminder Curtis Sanford (3-0-1) earned his third win of the season after stopping 19-of-21 shots. Manchester went 1-for-4 with an extra attacker. Manitoba was also 1-for-4 with the man advantage.

MONARCHS NEWS & NOTES

Manchester (21-24-0-5) is in sixth place in the Atlantic Division with 47 points after 50 games. The Providence Bruins (29-19-2-1) lead the Atlantic Division with 61 points. The fourth and final playoff position in the Atlantic Division belongs to the Worcester Sharks who have a record of 27-22-0-2 for 56 points in 51 games this season.

The Monarchs scored six goals in their 6-3 win over the Hartford Wolf Pack on Wednesday. Manchester has scored five-plus goals five times this season and won all five of those games. They are 4-6-0-0 in their last 10 games.

Manchester won back-to-back games this week having topped the Hartford Wolf Pack 6-3 on Wednesday night and then the Worcester Sharks 3-2 on Friday night. The Monarchs have not won two games in a row since December when they were on a four game win streak from December 26-31. The two-game winning streak ended with the Monarchs 3-2 loss to the Manitoba Moose on Sunday.

The Monarchs are in 18th place in the AHL on the power play. The team is 39-for-237 with the man advantage for a 16.5-percent rating.

Manchester has stopped their opponent 208 times on 249 power play opportunities for an 83.5-percent rating this season, good for 12th place.

The Monarchs have a winning record on two days of the week, Wednesdays and Fridays. Manchester is 5-2-0-1 on Wednesdays and 9-5-0-2 on Fridays. The Monarchs are 4-12-0-0 on Saturday's and 2-4-0-1 on Sunday's this season.

When the Monarchs score first, they have gained a point in every game but four. Manchester is 15-4-0-4 in the 23 games where they have scored first.

Manchester is 13-3-0-3 when they have the lead following the first period. They are 15-3-0-2 when leading after two periods.

The Monarchs are undefeated when scoring four or more goals (9-0-0-0) and are 11-4-0-2 when they tally three goals in a game.

After going 2-4-0-1 in the month of October, the Monarchs went 7-4-0-2 in November, 7-6-0-1 in December and 3-9-0-1 in the month of January. Manchester is 2-1-0-0 in February.

Right wing Trevor Lewis (13-20=33) leads the Monarchs in points, is tied for the lead in goals and ranks second in assists. He was recalled by the Kings on December 18 and made his NHL debut against the Buffalo Sabres on Friday, December 19 and scored his first NHL goal against the Detroit Red Wings on December 20. Lewis had three points (1-2=3), zero penalty minutes and a zero plus/minus rating in five games with the Kings this season. Lewis was reassigned to Manchester on Tuesday, December 30.

Center Marty Murray (8-23=31) is in sole possession of second place on the team.

The veteran is on a four-game scoring streak with eight points (3-5=8) in his last four games.

Murray's 23 assists lead the team.

Manchester's third leading scorer, reigning AHL Rookie of the Year right wing Teddy Purcell (11-15=26) is also on a four game scoring streak (2-4=6). In 17 games with the Kings this season, Purcell registered seven points (1-6=7) and two penalty minutes.

Purcell was named to the Canadian AHL All-Star team. The 2009 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Charter Communications was held at the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts, on January 25-26. Purcell participated in the 2008 AHL All-Star Classic and was named the MVP of the All-Star Game after he scored three goals in regulation and the game-winning shootout tally for Team Canada.

In the 2009 AHL All-Star Skills, Purcell went 3-for-7 in the Charter Communications Accuracy Shooting event and also participated in the Bud Light Pass & Score and EA Sports NHL09 Breakaway Relay events as a member of Team Canada. In the 2009 AHL All-Star Game, Purcell picked up five assists.

Center Gabe Gauthier (5-19=24) and left wing Scott Parse (13-11=24) are tied for fourth place on the Monarchs roster.

Gauthier is tied with right wing Pavel Rosa on the Monarchs all-time assists list with 84 helpers over three seasons. He is also ranked 10th in goals scored with 42 and ranked eighth with 126 points.

Parse has five goals and six points in his last seven games, including a three-game goal scoring streak (four goals during the streak) that lasted from January 30 - February 4.

Parse's plus/minus rating of plus-8 leads the Monarchs. Defenseman Alec Martinez (5-7=12) ranks second in the plus/minus category with a plus-6 rating.

Left wing Matt Moulson (9-12=21) has recorded six points (2-4=6) in his last three games to move into sixth place on the Monarchs squad with 21 points in 24 games.

Center Justin Azevedo (6-12=18) is tied with right wing David Meckler (11-7=18) for seventh on the Monarchs roster.

Azevedo has been plagued by injuries this season but when he has been in the lineup, he's averaged a point per game.

The rookie center's five-game assist streak (0-6=6), the longest assist streak for a Monarchs player this season, ended on Wednesday night. Azevedo did score a goal on Wednesday though to extend his scoring streak to six games (1-6=7), the longest this season by a Monarchs player. His scoring streak ended on Friday night when he was held off the scoreboard.

Goaltender Daniel Taylor returned to the Monarchs lineup after spending the first half of the season with the ECHL's Reading Royals. He began the season with the Royals and collected a 3-17-1 record, a 3.96 goals-against-average and a .881 save-percentage in 23 games. The 5-foot-11, 179-pound netminder was born in Plymouth, England, and split the 2007-08 season between Manchester, Los Angeles and Reading. He registered a 13-5-2 record, a 2.40 goals-against-average and a .921 save-percentage in 23 games with the Monarchs and was undefeated in five games with the Royals going 3-0-0 with a 2.63 goals-against-average and a .917 save-percentage last season. Taylor made his NHL debut with the Kings against the Dallas Stars on March 29, 2008. He stopped eight shots in 20 minutes of play and let in two goals in his lone NHL game.

Taylor earned his first win of the season in a Monarchs uniform on Saturday, January 17 by making 26 saves on 28 shots for a 3-2 win against Portland. He is 2-1-0 in three games this season.

Netminder Jonathan Bernier was recalled by the Kings on Sunday, January 18. The rookie goaltender is 12-16-3 with a 2.67 goals-against-average and a .901 save-percentage in 31 games with the Monarchs this season.

Bernier ended his franchise tying six-game losing streak on Friday, January 30 with a 3-0 win over Lowell, his second shutout of the season. He stopped all 33 shots from the Devils.

Defenseman Davis Drewiske was recalled by the Kings on Monday, February 2 and made his NHL debut against the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday, February 4. He has played in three games with the Kings this week.

MONARCHS TRANSACTIONS

2-4-09: The Los Angeles Kings (NHL) activated center Marc-Andre Cliche from the injured reserve and assigned him to the Manchester Monarchs (AHL).

2-2-09: The Los Angeles Kings (NHL) recalled defenseman Davis Drewiske from the Manchester Monarchs (AHL).

IN THE COMMUNITY

Tuesday, February 10 - Max will be at the Ice Den in Hooksett starting at 7:30 p.m. to cheer on the Southern New Hampshire University and Saint Anselm College when they go head-to-head in a men's hockey game.

Wednesday, February 11 - Max will celebrate the National Girls and Women in Sports Day at Southern New Hampshire University at 9:00 a.m.

Thursday, February 12 - Right wing Bud Holloway and goaltender Daniel Taylor will speak with students at Londonderry North Elementary School in Londonderry as part of the Monarchs Care Foundation's Winning With Wellness program. They will educate students about the importance of eating healthy, limiting screen time, staying fit through physical activity and restricting sugar intake. The Winning With Wellness program was created through a partnership with Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation and the Foundation for Healthy Communities.

MONARCHS PROMOTIONS

Specialty Jerseys - When the Monarchs host the Springfield Falcons on Wednesday, February 11 at 7:00 p.m. at the Verizon Wireless Arena, fans will have a sneak peek at the jerseys the team will be wearing during the annual At Your Service dinner at the Event Center at C.R. Sparks on Tuesday, March 10. The team will be wearing the specialty jerseys for the game and fans can bid on them at the silent auction at the dinner. The At Your Service dinner turns a normally rugged hockey team into an accomplished wait staff eager to fulfill special requests...all for charitable tips.

Salute To Canada - Join the Monarchs in celebrating Canadian heritage on Friday, February 13 when Manchester hosts the Manitoba Moose at 7:30 p.m. at the Verizon Wireless Arena. There will be a special anthem, intermission act and promotions throughout the night to honor Canada and their citizens. The first 2,000 fans will receive a Monarchs ice scraper, courtesy of Quirk Chevrolet.

Valentine's Day and Ladies Night - Come celebrate Valentine's Day with your sweetheart as the Monarchs host the Lake Erie Monsters on Saturday, February 14 at 7:00 p.m. at the Verizon Wireless Arena. The first 1,000 ladies, 18 and up, will have the chance to win a diamond, courtesy of Bellman's Jewelers!

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