Monarchs wins over Wolf Pack

Published on November 4, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Connecticut Whale News Release


HARTFORD, Conn. - A Wolf Pack winless streak stretched to seven games (0-5-2), tying a franchise record, Wednesday night, with a 4-1 loss to the Manchester Monarchs before 2,016 at the XL Center.

"Honestly, right now we don't have an identity," said goaltender Chad Johnson after the loss. "What are we as a team? Are we a hard-working team? Are we an offensive team? Are we a systems-structured team? Are we defensive specialists?

"Every team has an identity, and I think that's what our problem is: We don't have an identity. We're just out there. I don't think we know what we are. We need an identity, and it comes kind of within our team and within the games, finding where we are."

The Wolf Pack (3-6-2-1) has scored only seven goals in a seven-game winless streak (0-5-2-0) that ties the all-time slide in the franchise's 14-year history set Feb. 20-March 9, 1999 (0-6-0-1) and matched Feb. 21-March 10, 2010 (0-3-3-1).

Wolf Pack coach Ken Gernander again tried to shake up the offense by changing his four lines, starting with captain Dane Byers moving alongside center Brodie Dupont and Mats Zuccarello. Devin DiDiomete, the Wolf Pack's most inspirational player in two losses to the Springfield Falcons over the weekend, was elevated to a line with center Kris Newbury and Jeremy Williams. Ryan Garlock, another of the Wolf Pack's bright spots lately, centered Tyler Donati and Kelsey Tessier. The other line was Chris McKelvie between Justin Soryal and Nigel Williams, normally a defenseman who again started at right wing.

But all the shuffling again failed to produce the desired results.

"I think we're lost as a team right now and searching for something," Johnson said. "But it just happens sometimes along the way. You have one of those games like we did against Manchester last year when we came out flying, got a lot of goals seemed to find it. Every line had that chemistry and every player had found their role.

"Right now, individually we don't know what our roles are and as a team we don't know what our identity is. Again, guys just have to find it. Usually you find it early, but right now I don't think we know what we are. We're in a bad streak, and everyone is frustrated.

"We have to be sharp every day in every practice and every game, and that's me personally, too. I know we're missing some guys, but we have to realize what we are. We can't be frustrated because of where we are right now. We have to work hard and battle hard to try and get some points. (Gernander) is trying to find ways to give us a spark or, again, find that identity, find a good combination."

The Monarchs (6-3-1-1) broke quickly as David Kolomatis passed in the slot to Andrei Loktionov, who circled the net and scored on a wraparound at 2:13 as Johnson was slow to get across the crease. The Los Angeles Kings assigned Loktionov to Manchester Monday after he had one goal and one assist in seven NHL games.

"That wasn't a great goal," Gernander said. "You don't see a lot of wraparound goals now, but it was what it was. It was a tough start."

Johnson agreed.

"I played the guy on the right side, and I just thought there was more support on the left side," he said. "I just didn't get over and get my right pad up. That's definitely one I'd like to have back.."

The Monarchs nearly made it 2-0 at 5:18, but Viatcheslav Voynov's screen shot from the right point hit the right post. Jeff Zatkoff (23 saves) then was sharp to stop Dupont cruising off the left wing at 7:36 during the Wolf Pack's first power play.

Strong forechecking got the Wolf Pack even as Tessier tipped the puck behind the net to Garlock, who circled in front and passed into the crease, where Soryal jammed in his first goal of the season at 12:52.

But the Monarchs dominated the first 131/2 minutes of the second period on the way to a 3-1 lead and a 23-9 shot advantage for the period, the most shots allowed by the Wolf Pack in a period this season.

Former Yale standout David Meckler put the Monarchs ahead to stay with his team-high seventh goal at 14:25 when, trailing the play, he flipped Richard Clune's rebound over Johnson after Voynov fended off Wolf Pack defenseman Jared Nightingale to get a partial breakaway.

The Wolf Pack then had a four-minute power play with 4:50 left in the period but were outshot 2-0 most of the way before getting five quick shots. The Monarchs then got the backbreaker as Bud Holloway came out of the penalty box and dropped the puck to Corey Elkins, whose cross-crease pass narrowly missed the stick and skate of Wolf Pack defenseman Wade Redden and found a wide-open Justin Azevedo skating in off right wing for an easy finish with 35.4 seconds left.

Johnson stopped Azevedo breaking in alone at 52 seconds of the third period, but the Monarchs capped the scoring as Jordan Nolan found Alec Martinez cruising alone down the slot for a 25-foot shot that beat Johnson high to the stick side at 4:55.

The Wolf Pack's scoring woes were epitomized with 1:05 left when Zatkoff robbed Byers alone in front on the team's fourth power play.

"It has become quite frustrating on everybody's part," Gernander said. "We're struggling pressing some things, so it has become quite frustrating. Sometimes it's going to take second or third effort, which is what our goal was tonight, someone going hard to the net. We need more of that, but when it's not coming, I guess you start forcing plays and it seems to snowball.

"They had puck possession a large portion of the time (in the second period), so we've got to get in to finish hits and create separation from the puck or create turnovers. And we have to finish hits to get people from jumping into plays."

Same Wolf Pack Scratches

The Wolf Pack again scratched Brandon Wong, Lee Baldwin and injured Dale Weise, Tim Kennedy and Cameron Talbot, though Kennedy and Talbot have resumed practicing with the team. ... Center Marc-Andre Cliché, the Rangers' second-round pick in 2005 who never played in the organization before being traded to the Los Angeles Kings with Jason Ward and Jan Marek for Sean Avery and John Seymour on Feb. 5, 2007, was named Monarchs captain last week and returned earlier than expected from a knee injury that had sidelined him eight of the first nine games. "He's a gritty, gritty player, and he'll do anything for the team," Monarchs coach Mark Morris told the New Hampshire Union Leader. "Last year during the playoffs, he played through pain I don't think too many other (players) would have gone through to help our team when it was all on the line." ... In successive days, the Kings assigned Loktionov and defenseman Jake Muzzin, who had one assist in his first eight NHL games with Los Angeles. Muzzin, 21, signed as a free agent on Jan. 4, didn't make it to Hartford for the game but is scheduled to play Friday night in a rematch in New Hampshire.

HiHi

Voting for All-Wolf Pack Team Ends Monday

Voting for the All-Time Wolf Pack Team, to be announced Nov. 13 before a game against the Falcons, runs through Monday. Former players are being invited back for the finale, and there will be several special events commemorating the 13-plus years of the Wolf Pack, who will be re-branded as the Connecticut Whale on Nov. 27 against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

Fans can vote for one goalie, two defensemen and three forwards at CTWhale.com and various retailers, courtesy of Hartford Distributors and Bud Light. The candidates for the team are goaltenders Jason LaBarbera, J.F. Labbe and Steve Valiquette, defensemen Dan Girardi, Mike Mottau, Thomas Pock, Corey Potter, Dale Purinton and Terry Virtue and forwards Gernander, Byers, Derek Armstrong, Nigel Dawes, Alexandre Giroux, Greg Moore, P.A. Parenteau, Richard Scott, Brad Smyth, P.J. Stock, Craig Weller and Hamden native Todd Hall.

Wolf Pack Bowl-a-Thon on Nov. 14

The Wolf Pack will host their annual Bowl-a-Thon on Nov. 14 at the AMF Silver Lanes, 748 Silver Lane, East Hartford. There will be sessions at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

All Wolf Pack players will be bowling with teams of four bowlers, who have collected pledges to benefit Special Olympics Connecticut Eastern Region. A minimum pledge of $200 is required for a team to enter, and the top fund-raising teams will win prizes, including the use of luxury suites at Wolf Pack home games.

To register, contact Jackie Turro at Special Olympics at www.jackiet@soct.org. For more information, call 877-660-6667.

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



American Hockey League Stories from November 4, 2010


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central