AHL Manchester Monarchs

Red Hot Chouinard Blanks Pack, 2-0

Published on January 24, 2004 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Manchester Monarchs News Release


HARTFORD, CT – Goaltender Mathieu Chouinard finished with 34 saves and his second straight shutout win as the Manchester Monarchs edged the Atlantic Division-leading Hartford Wolf Pack, 2-0, before a crowd of 10,082 at the Hartford Civic Center on Saturday night. The win was the third straight for the Monarchs (23-17-2-3, 51 points), who strengthened their hold on third place in the division. The loss extended the Wolf Pack's (24-14-7-1, 56 points) winless streak to three games. Hartford has been blanked in two of the three games.

Center Yanick Lehoux jammed a bouncing puck by the stick side of goaltender Phil Osaer for the Monarchs first goal, collected at 10:56 of the first period. Right wing Sam Ftorek created the scoring chance by banking his no-look backhander from the bottom of the right circle off the left pad of Osaer. Left wing Ryan Flinn also assisted on Lehoux's seventh goal this season.

The Monarchs followed a strong penalty kill with a late period power play goal from right wing Pavel Rosa at 19:17. Rosa put the Monarchs up 2-0 by hammering his right circle shot by Osaer with assistance from center Steve Kelly, who moments before skillfully passed the puck through both bodies and sticks at the Hartford blue line. Left wing Noah Clarke was also credited with an assist as Rosa notched his 19th goal and 50th points (19-31=50) this season.

Chouinard protected the Monarchs lead with a strong first period that included 12 saves. He was tested early with right wing Jeff Heerema's close range wrist shot just two minutes into the contest, but he closed down the five-hole just in time. He also had a little help as Heerema followed his own rebound with a shot that clanked off the bottom of the right post.

Chouinard added another six saves to his total in the scoreless middle period. The period included his kick save on left wing Garth Murray's drive from the slot with 13:30 remaining in the period. He also had a sliding save on center Benoit Dusablon's partial breakaway with four minutes remaining. Oaser also pieced together a strong period, stopping 14 Monarchs shots. He kept it a two-goal game by robbing Rosa, who had a pair of close range attempts in the final minute of the period.

The Wolf Pack opened the third period on the power play after defenseman Tomas Zizka was whistled for a major high sticking penalty at 19:49 of the second period. Zizka clipped left wing Chad Wiseman in the face with his stick, drawing blood. But the Wolf Pack failed to score on the extended power play, mustering just two shots during the advantage.

Feeling the urgency as the clock continued to work against them, the Wolf Pack outshot the Monarchs 16-3 in the final frame, but Chouinard secured his third straight win with several solid saves in the final minutes. His best came on a point-blank pad stop of defenseman Lawrence Nycholat's chip from the slot with less than 60 seconds remaining and the Hartford net empty.

Chouinard improved his record to 7-3-0 with the win. The shutout was his third this season and his second against the Wolf Pack. The loss dropped Osaer's record to 7-9-2. With one game remaining in the season series, the Monarchs hold a 4-3-0-0 advantage in seven head-to-head meetings with the Wolf Pack.

The Monarchs and the Wolf Pack will meet for the eighth and final time this season at 4:05 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 25 at the Hartford Civic Center. The Monarchs next home game is set for 7:35 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 30 at the Verizon Wireless Arena against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

Monarchs Ticket Availability as of Jan. 24

Fri., Jan. 30 vs. Bridgeport: 700 seats remain.

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



American Hockey League Stories from January 24, 2004


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