AHL Manchester Monarchs

Royal Review

January 12, 2004 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Manchester Monarchs News Release


LAST WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS Vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (1/7): Right wing Michel Ouellet scored a pair of goals to lift the Penguins over the Monarchs, 2-1, in the first-ever meeting between the teams. Defenseman Tomas Zizka scored the lone goal for the Monarchs. Goaltender Adam Hauser stopped 22 of the 24 shots he faced. Vs. Portland (1/9): Center Esa Pirnes scored his first two goals as a Monarch to beat the Pirates 2-1 in overtime. Pirnes tied up the game late in the third period and then scored the go-ahead goal 1:37 into overtime. Right wing Pavel Rosa recorded an assist on each of Pirnes' goals. Goaltender Adam Hauser stopped 15 shots for his ninth win of the season. Vs. Lowell (1/10): Center Esa Pirnes recorded a goal and an assist as the Monarchs skated past the Lock Monsters, 3-1. Left wing Noah Clarke and right wing Scott Barney also recorded goals for the Monarchs. Goaltender Mathieu Chouinard earned his fifth win of the season, stopping 18 of the 19 shots he faced. The Lock Monsters lone goal came from David Inman. Vs. Hartford (1/11): The Wolf Pack blanked the Monarchs, 5-0, at the Verizon Wireless Arena. Goaltender Mathieu Chouinard replaced Adam Hauser at the beginning of the second period after Hauser allowed three goals on 10 shots. Chouinard stopped 11 of the 13 shots he faced in the final two periods. The Wolf Pack had power play goals from Ken Gernander and Jeff Heerema. Benoit Dusablon, Jason MacDonald and Bobby Andrews also scored as the Wolf Pack solidified its hold on first place in the Atlantic Division.

TEAM NOTES Center Esa Pirnes has four points in four games since being assigned to the Monarchs. The 6-foot, 189-pound native of Oulu, Finland, had one goal and one assist in the Monarchs 3-1 win over the Lowell Lock Monsters on Jan. 10. He also had the game-tying and game-winning goals in the Monarchs 2-1 overtime win over the Portland Pirates on Jan. 9.

Pirnes, selected by the Los Angeles Kings in the sixth-round (174th overall) in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, began the season in L.A. He recorded two assists and two penalty minutes in 18 games with the Kings before suffering a concussion against the Phoenix Coyotes on Nov. 27. He was activated from the injured reserve and assigned to Manchester on Jan. 5.

Pirnes was credited with a Monarchs season high 10 shots on goal against the Pirates on Jan. 9.

Pirnes recorded a plus-2 rating in the four games. He had a plus-2 rating against both the Pirates and the Lock Monsters. He also had a minus-1 rating against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Jan. 7 and the Hartford Wolf Pack on Jan. 11.

Center Steve Kelly saw his six-game assist streak end against the Wolf Pack on Jan. 11. Kelly, who shares the AHL assist leadership with teammate/right wing Pavel Rosa, has 29 assists this season. His streak equaled the longest in the AHL this season.

The Monarchs attempted 40+ shots in two consecutive games for the first time this season on Jan. 9-10 against the Pirates and the Lock Monsters. They had 42 shots in their 3-1 win over the Lock Monsters, and 41 shots in their 2-1 overtime win over the Pirates. The Monarchs, who attempted a season high 49 shots against the Worcester IceCats on Dec. 27, are 6-1-0-1 this season when they record 40 or more shots on goal.

The Wolf Pack ended the Monarchs string of five straight Sunday wins at the Verizon Wireless Arena on Jan. 11. The Monarchs are 5-2-0-0 in Sunday games at home this season. Their only other Sunday home loss came against the Hershey Bears (5-3 L) on Oct. 19.

Rosa, who leads the AHL with 46 points (17-29=46), has scored in 10 of his last 12 games, totaling 15 points (7-8=15) during the hot streak. Rosa's next goal will be his 46th, tying him with former Monarchs left wing Derek Bekar for second on the team's all-time goal list. Rosa's next assist will be his 65th, tying him with former Monarchs left wing Eric Healey for second on the team's all-time assist list.

Rosa also leads the league in shots on goal (168) and ranks second in the league in plus/minus (plus-16).

Defenseman Tomas Zizka appeared in his 150th game as a Monarch against the Lock Monsters on Jan. 10. Zizka, who collected his 20th career goal as a Monarch on Jan. 7 against the Penguins, ranks only behind defensemen Richard Seeley (168) and Joe Rullier (164) in games played for the Monarchs. He has 79 points (20-59=79) in 151 games as a Monarch over the last three seasons.

Goaltender Adam Hauser entered action against the Wolf Pack on Jan. 11with a 3-1-0 record in his last four starts, allowing the opposition just five goals in the four games. Hauser surrendered three goals to the Wolf Pack on 10 first period shots. Goaltender Mathieu Chouinard relieved Hauser in the second period.

Chouinard is 4-0-0 in seven appearances at the Verizon Wireless Arena this season with a 1.53 goals-against-average and a .930 save-percentage. Chouinard is 1-3-0 in six appearances on the road this season with a 3.65 goals-against-average and a .872 save-percentage.

The Monarchs entered Sunday's action with a 3-0-0-0 record on home ice against the Wolf Pack, outscoring the Atlantic Division leaders 13-4 in the three games. Three of Hartford's seven road losses this season have come against the Monarchs at the Verizon Wireless Arena.

The first 5,000 fans that attended the Monarchs game against the Hartford Wolf Pack on received a free Ryan Flinn bobblehead doll. The Monarchs heavyweight enforcer didn't disappoint the capacity crowd, dropping his gloves and fighting the Wolf Pack's Jeff State late in the second period of Sunday's game. The fight was the first for Flinn since battling Colton Orr of the Providence Bruins on Dec. 6.

The Monarchs hosted their eighth sellout of the season on Jan. 11. The Monarchs lead the AHL in attendance with an average of 8,903 fans after 24 home games.

Fifteen of the Monarchs 20 wins this season have come at the Verizon Wireless Arena, where the Monarchs are outscoring the opposition 81-52. The Monarchs (15-6-1-2) are tied with the Hamilton Bulldogs (15-6-2-2) for most home wins in the league.

Left wing Scott Barney broke a four-game scoreless streak with his team-leading 19th goal on Jan. 10 against the Lock Monsters. Barney's 19 goals rank fourth in the league and his seven power play goals rank third in the league.

Ten of rookie Noah Clarke's 11 goals and 20 of his 26 points (11-15=26) have been scored at the Verizon Wireless Arena this season.

Defenseman Bryan Muir leads the AHL in defensemen scoring with 26 points (6-20=26). His 20 assists rank second in the league. So does his plus-13 rating.

MONARCHS PROMOTIONS

70'S NIGHT WITH THE MONARCHS

Grab your friends, your platform shoes and your leisure suit and head on down to the Monarchs game against the Portland Pirates at 7:35 p.m. on Saturday, January 17. Immediately following the game, fans are invited to go to the Holiday Inn's Grand Ballroom for New Hampshire's biggest 70's party, sponsored by Rock 101 and featuring the Monarchs players. Tickets to party with the Monarchs are only $10 with a January 17 game ticket, or $15 at the door. Groove all night long to Motor Booty Affair and enter a contest to see who has the best male and female 70's costumes. Top prize for each is a $500 gift certificate from Princess Jewelers, plus a Monarchs jersey and Monarchs ticket vouchers. Tickets to 70's Night with the Monarchs are limited so call (603) 626-7825 to reserve your tickets today.

TICKET AVAILABILITY FOR UPCOMING MONARCHS GAMES

Sat., Jan. 17 vs. Portland: Only 400 seats remain.

Fri., Jan. 30 vs. Bridgeport: Only 600 seats remain.

MONARCHS IN THE COMMUNITY

Center Jerred Smithson and defenseman Bryan Muir will be at Cawley Middle School on Tuesday, January 13 from 12-1 p.m. to speak to students about setting and achieving goals as part of the Monarchs Goals For Success Program.

The Monarchs will host their Kids Club Party on Monday, January 19 from 6-8:30 p.m. at the Verizon Wireless Arena. All members of the Monarchs Kids Club are invited to come and meet their favorite players.

For more Monarchs community events news, visit the Monarchs on-line at www.monarchshockey.com/community/.



American Hockey League Stories from January 12, 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