AHL Manchester Monarchs

Monarchs Weekly Report

Published on April 23, 2012 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Manchester Monarchs News Release


LAST WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS

@ Norfolk (4/20): The Manchester Monarchs mounted a third period comeback with two goals but could not convert on the equalizer as they fell to the Norfolk Admirals, 3-2, in Game 1 of the best-of-five series in the 2012 Calder Cup Eastern Conference Quarterfinals at the Norfolk Scope on Friday night. Center Marc-Andre Cliche and right wing Stefan Legein scored for the Monarchs. Left wing Alexandre Picard, center Trevor Smith and defenseman Mark Barberio lit the lamp for the Admirals. Monarchs netminder Jeff Zatkoff (0-1) took his first loss of the post-season, stopping 10-of-13 shots. Monarchs goaltender Martin Jones (0-0) entered the game in the second period and made 19 saves on 19 shots. Admirals goaltender Jaroslav Janus (1-0) earned his first victory of the playoffs making 27 saves on 29 shots. Manchester went 0-for-7 on the power play. Norfolk was 2-for-6 with the man advantage.

@ Norfolk (4/21): Right wing Linden Vey tallied two goals and three points to help the Manchester Monarchs break the Norfolk Admirals 29-game winning streak with a 5-2 win in Game 2 to even the best-of-five 2012 Calder Cup Eastern Conference Quarterfinals series at 1-1 at the Norfolk Scope on Saturday night. The Monarchs also tallied goals from left wing Andy Andreoff, center Robbie Czarnik and right wing Brandon Kozun. Left wing Alexandre Picard scored both of the goals for the Admirals. Monarchs goaltender Martin Jones (1-0) earned his first victory of the post-season, stopping 37-of-39 shots. Admirals Jaroslav Janus (1-1) took his first loss of the playoffs making 25 saves on 29 shots. Manchester went 0-for-7 on the power play. Norfolk was 0-for-5 with the man advantage.

MONARCHS NEWS & NOTES With a 5-2 victory on Saturday night, the Manchester Monarchs (1-1) evened the best-of-five series against the Norfolk Admirals (1-1) in the 2012 Calder Cup Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.

Game 1 - Manchester 2, NORFOLK 3 (Norfolk leads series 1-0)

Game 2 - MANCHESTER 5, Norfolk 2 (Series tied at 1-1)

The Monarchs remaining first round playoff series dates:

Game 3 - Norfolk @ Manchester, Wednesday, April 25 at 7:00 p.m.

Game 4 - Norfolk @ Manchester, Friday, April 27 at 7:00 p.m.

Game 5 - Norfolk @ Manchester, Saturday, April 28 at 7: 00 p.m. (if necessary)

The Monarchs and Admirals did not meet during the regular season and were 2-2-0-0 in four contests last season.

Elsewhere in the 2012 Calder Cup Playoffs, the Connecticut Whale (3-0) completed a sweep over the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (0-3) with a 4-3 overtime victory at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut on Sunday, April 22. The Whale is the first team to advance to the second round of the 2012 Calder Cup Playoffs. Their opponent will be determined after the four conference semifinalists are re-seeded following the first round. In three games, Whale netminder Cameron Talbot was 3-0 with a 0.92 goals-against-average and a 0.977 save percentage and recorded two shutouts..

The Monarchs Game 2 victory ended a 29-game winning streak by the Admirals. Norfolk's last loss came on Sunday, February 5 against the Springfield Falcons. The longest AHL winning streak prior to Norfolk's streak was set at 17 by the Philadelphia Phantoms during the 2004-05 season.

The Monarchs surrendered 22 shots in the second period of Game 2 against the Admirals, tying a Monarchs record for most shots allowed in one period. The Monarchs allowed 22 shots in the first period against the Portland Pirates on April 20, 2010. Manchester won that game against the Pirates 7-2 and swept the Pirates in that playoff series, 4-0.

Manchester has continued to have a balanced offensive attack in the post-season as 13 players have recorded at least one point in two games.

The Monarchs power play is 0-for-14 in the first two games of the post-season.

The team that has scored first in each of the first two games of the series have gone on to win the game.

Admirals left wing Alexandre Picard (3-1=4) has registered three goals in two games.

AHL regular season scoring champion, Admirals center Cory Conacher (0-1=1), has registered one assist and a plus/minus rating of minus-2 in two games. Conacher earned both the Dudley (Red) Garrett Memorial Award as the AHL's most outstanding rookie as well as the Les Cunningham Award as the AHL's Most Valuable Player this season.

Right wing Linden Vey (2-1=3) produced his first post-season multiple goal and point game by recording two goals and three points in the Monarchs 5-2 victory on Saturday, April 21. Vey had 10 multiple point games during the regular season including three three-point contests.

Vey's three points were also his first career Calder Cup Playoff points.

Vey and defenseman Thomas Hickey's (0-3=3) three points are tied for the team lead and are tied for fifth most in the playoffs in the AHL.

Hickey leads the Monarchs in assists with three in two games this post-season. Hickey's first assist of this post-season came as the Monarchs attempted a comeback in Game 1. Hickey blasted a slap shot from the center point that center Marc-Andre Cliche (1-0=1) redirected in to bring the Monarchs within one-goal with six minutes left in the third period. Hickey also set up Vey's first goal in a 5-2 Game 2 victory in Norfolk.

Hickey is tied for the league lead amongst defenseman with both three assists and three points amongst league defenseman in the post- season.

Center Justin Azevedo (0-1=1) assisted on right wing Stefan Legein's (1-0=1) shorthanded goal in Game 1. The helper was his 14th career assist in the Calder Cup Playoffs and he is now tied with right wing Bud Holloway for most assists in Monarchs playoff history.

Azevedo also has 20 career post-season points ranking him second on the Monarchs all-time list behind Holloway with 25.

Legein scored a shorthanded goal in the third period of Game 1. Legein had five shorthanded goal during the regular season which was tied for most in the league. The Monarchs led the league during the regular season with 15 shorthanded strikes.

Legein's shorthanded goal was the fifth in Monarchs post-season history and is one of three shorthanded goals scored in the AHL this post-season.

Center Robbie Czarnik (1-0=1) scored the game-winning goal in the Monarchs 5-2 Game 2 victory on Saturday, April 21 Czarnik is tied for the team lead with Legein in plus/minus with a plus-3.

Defenseman Jake Muzzin (0-1=1) has a plus/minus of plus-2 through two games this post-season. Muzzin is the Monarchs all-time plus/ minus among active players with a plus-10 which also ranks second all-time among Monarchs playoff players. Muzzin trails Holloway's plus-13 for the best mark in Monarchs post-season history.

Goaltender Martin Jones (1-0) stopped 20-of-22 shots during the second period of Game 2. Jones 20 saves were two shy of the Monarchs all-time record of saves in a period. Jonathan Bernier holds the all-time record with 22 saves in the first period against the Pirates on April 20, 2010.

Jones had a shutout streak of 60:16 snapped in the second period of Game 2. Jones' streak began during the second period of Game 1 in which he made saves on all 19 shots he faced in relief of Monarchs goaltender Jeff Zatkoff (0-1).

In two appearances, Jones owns a 1.26 goals-against-average which ranks third among playoff netminders and a 0.966 save percentage that ranks second among playoff goaltenders.

Monarchs goaltender Jeff Zatkoff (0-1) made 10 saves on 13 shots in Game 1 against the Admirals. Zatkoff owns a 7.69 goals-against- average and a 0.769 save percentage in his only start of this post-season.

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American Hockey League Stories from April 23, 2012


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