We find ourselves just three points behind the Atlantic Division-leading Hartford Wolf Pack with seven regular season games left on the 2003-04 schedule. Can we catch the Wolf Pack and win our first division title in franchise history?

Yes, but it will take quite an effort.

If Hartford wins four of its remaining eight games, something it’s more than capable of doing, we will need to win six of our final seven contests to win the division. Not impossible, but not easy, either.

As athletes, we play to win. That’s the only way we know how to compete. Winning the division would be a great accomplishment, but it’s not the ultimate goal. Going deep into the Calder Cup playoffs is. Finishing first in the division isn’t as important as playing our best hockey when the playoffs start.

We’re 3-3 in the six games since our season-long seven-game winning streak came to an end March 20. We’re excited and anxious for the postseason to start, but we also realize that the remaining seven games are very important.

Our biggest concern heading into Friday’s game against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers is what to do with all of the players on our roster. Right wing Scott Barney and defenseman Tim Gleason will join us on the ice today for morning practice. Both were sent our way on Monday after the Los Angeles Kings were officially eliminated from Stanley Cup playoff contention in Colorado after a 2-1 loss to the Avalanche.

Barney and Gleason have a lot of enthusiasm and they like Manchester. So even though they’ve spent much of the season in the NHL, we’re confident they’ll arrive here with the focus and hunger needed to help us win. Both love to play the game and have bright futures with the Kings.

Two other Kings prospects — right wing Petr Kanko and center Greg Hogeboom, also recently joined our team. Kanko comes to Manchester from the Ontario Hockey League’s Kitchener Rangers, where he scored 26 goals this season. Hogeboom just completed his collegiate career at Miami of Ohio, where he collected 19 goals and 42 points in 41 games during his senior season.

Including the four mentioned above, our roster has swelled to 28 players. The list includes 17 forwards (14 healthy and three on injured reserve), eight defenseman and three goaltenders.

Here lies the great challenge: Getting the team ready for the postseason while working some of the new faces into the lineup.

Our focus all season long has been on the team, and that hasn’t changed. In the postseason, everybody will need to be on the same page if we are to accomplish our goals.

Bruce Landon is the general manager of the Springfield Falcons. He’s also a very good friend who’s experienced the ultimate thrill of winning the Calder Cup with the 1990 and 1991 Springfield Indians. He recently told me 25 to 28 players are needed for a team to take a serious run at the championship. That means that players sitting out one game will need to be ready to step in and play well in a pressure situation the next night.

Character is just as important as talent at this time of the year. We think we have both.

The moves coincide with the Kings’ mathematical elimination from post-season contention Monday night after a 2-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche and the Monarchs chasing the Hartford Wolf Pack for the Atlantic Division title. The added players bring the Monarchs’ roster to 28.

Barney, 25, played 19 games for the Kings, producing 11 points by scoring some very timely goals. Barney was orginally drafted by the Kings in the second round (29th overall) in 1997. When Barney was called up from the Monarchs on Jan. 12, he was leading Manchester in goal scoring. He has 19 goals and 12 assists in 39 Monarchs games.

The 21-year-old Gleason, a rookie, played in 47 games with the Kings and assisted on seven goals. He appeared in 15 Monarchs games. Gleason was a first round (23rd overall) pick of the Ottawa Senators in 2001 and was acquired by the Kings when they traded center Bryan Smolinski at the deadline last season.

Kanko is a 5-foot-10, 200-pound right wing from Pribam, Czech Republic, playing in the Ontario Hockey League. In 55 games for the Kitchener Rangers, he has 26 goals, 42 assists for 68 points. Hogeboom registered 42 points in 41 games this season at Miami of Ohio.

Law, who leads the Phantoms with 26 goals, scored the eventual game-winner on the power play midway though the second period. He added a second power play goal midway through the final period for the Phantoms, which finished 2-for-6 with the man-advantage. The Monarchs, entering the contest with at least one power play goal in each of their last four games, were 0-for-8 with the man-advantage.

With the win, their third straight, the Phantoms (42-24-6-1, 91 points) strengthened their hold on first place in the American Hockey League’s East Division. They lead the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (37-23-9-4, 87 points) by four points.

The win also pushed the Phantoms past the Atlantic Division-leading Hartford Wolf Pack (38-20-12-2, 90 points) into first place overall in the Eastern Conference. The Wolf Pack, which beat the Lowell Lock Monsters 4-2 last night, lead the second place Monarchs (38-24-6-5, 87 points) by three points in the Atlantic Division with two weeks left in the regular season.

Phantoms rookie blue-liner James Laux had the only goal in the opening period. He scored his second goal in as many games with a blast from the top of the right circle. Center Ian MacNeil and left wing Mark Murphy assisted on Laux’s fourth of the season.

Another rookie blue-liner, Denis Grebeshkov, tied the game for the Monarchs 5:24 into the middle period with his second goal. Grebeshkov took center Yanick Lehoux’s feed from the left boards and stuffed it by goaltender Neil Little. Forward Michael Cammalleri extended his scoring streak to five games with an assist on the play.

The Phantoms regained the lead 5:58 later thanks to Law, who took defenseman Kirk Furey’s centering pass and hammered the puck by goaltender Milan Hnilicka. Defenseman John Slaney also notched an assist on the play.

Law struck again 7:07 into the final period by slicing his 10th power play goal of the season by Hnilicka. Center Peter White and Slaney each collected assists on the play. Little (20-12-0) protected the two-goal lead with six saves in the final period. He finished with 19 stops in the game.

Hnilicka (6-9-0) dropped his third straight decision. He collected 27 saves on the night.

Yesterday’s game marked the end of a four-game in five-day road trip through the AHL’s southern tier for the Monarchs, which finished the trip with a 2-2-0-0 record.

They punched their Calder Cup playoff ticket with a 3-0 win over the Hershey Bears before 9,116 fans at Giant Center last night.

With the win, the Monarchs pulled to within one point of the Atlantic Division-leading Hartford Wolf Pack with seven games left on their regular season schedule.

The Monarchs struck first with a power play goal from defenseman Bryan Muir, who lit the lamp with 52 seconds remaining in the opening period. Muir, the leading blue line scorer in the AHL, added to his total with his 12th goal of the season and fifth on the power play. The goal extended Muir’s scoring streak to four games.

The former University of New Hampshire Wildcat has 11 points in his last nine games. Defenseman Denis Grebeshkov and right wing Pavel Rosa assisted on the goal. Rosa, the league’s leading scorer extended his point streak to four games on the play.

Center Michael Cammalleri, who on Friday night registered his first professional hat trick, added to the Monarchs lead with a power play goal with 2:24 remaining in the second period.

The second-year pro roofed center Steve Kelly’s pass over goaltender Phil Sauve to make it 2-0. Kelly and defenseman Tomas Zizka each extended their scoring streaks to four games with assists on Cammalleri’s 17th goal of the season.

Kelly and Zizka also notched assists on rookie left wing Noah Clarke’s 25th goal, scored at 10:23 of the final period. Clarke’s goal effectively sealed the win for the Monarchs over the offensively challenged Bears, who earlier in the day lost center Eric Perrin, the league’s second-leading scorer, to a call-up with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The goal support proved more than enough for goaltender Adam Hauser, who won his seventh straight game with 33 saves. The shutout was his team-record seventh of the season, eclipsing former Monarch Travis Scott’s record of six shutouts, set during the 2001-02 season.

Sauve, who has six AHL appearances after spending most of the season with the Colorado Avalanche, dropped his fourth decision with 30 saves.

The Monarchs return to action when they meet the Philadelphia Phantoms at 6:05 p.m. today at the Wachovia Spectrum.

Boston College freshman Brian Boyle and Michigan sophomore Jeff Tambellini were both first-round draft picks of the Los Angeles Kings this past summer. The Manchester Monarchs serve as boot camp for the Kings’ NHL hopefuls.

Boyle and Tambellini are part of one of the best draft classes the Kings have ever had. Hingham, Mass.-native Boyle is a 6-foot-7, 222-pound center, who was chosen 26th overall in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. Tambellini, a 5-foot-11, 185-pound left wing, who hails from Port Moody, B.C., was the 27th overall pick. The other first rounder for the Kings was 18-year-old Dustin Brown of Ithaca, N.Y., who spent this season in Los Angeles. Brown was taken 13th overall.

Add to those three first rounders, second-round pick Konstantin Pushkaryov from Kazakhstan. Pushkaryov, a 19-year-old right wing, is getting his first taste of Russian pro hockey. He was the most sought-after player in the Kings’ organization at this year’s NHL trade deadline. Funny since prior to the World Under-18 championships last year, this 6-foot, 170-pound scorer was relatively unknown.

Los Angeles assistant general manager Kevin Gilmore said the Kings were visited by nearly every team during last summer’s draft hoping to trade for one of their bright picks. In three seasons and two drafts, the Kings have risen from “worst” prospective talent in an NHL organization to “best.”

“Hockey’s Future” Web site rates Tambellini the Kings’ fourth-best prospect behind Monarchs rookie defenseman Denis Grebeshkov, right wing Brown, and Czech right wing Petr Kanko, who was another World Juniors participant. Boyle is ranked seventh in the organization, although one could easily conclude after his stellar rookie AHL season that former Colorado College scorer Noah Clarke is now a top-five NHL Kings’ prospect.

“It’s an amazing feeling,” said Tambellini of his first round selection. “Anytime you can be recognized with players of that caliber around the world it’s special. And there are great people within the Kings’ organization.”

One of those “great people” coincidentally happens to be former Michigan star and now Monarch, Mike Cammalleri. Tambellini said Cammalleri was “one of the main reasons” why he chose to play for the Wolverines, but Cammalleri left Michigan early to sign with the Kings.

Tambellini was rookie of the year in the CCHA last season with 26 goals. This season, the 19-year-old is the fifth-leading scorer for Michigan. In 37 of the Wolverines’ 41 games he has produced 15 goals and 12 assists for 27 points. Three of those goals were game-winners. Tambellini missed four games this season playing for Canada in the World Junior tournament in Finland. Tambellini’s on-ice presence and even his pedigree make him a lock for a professional career provided he stays healthy. His father, Steve Tambellini, is vice president for player personnel in his 13th year with the Vancouver Canucks. Steve Tambellini played 10 seasons in the NHL and won a Stanley Cup with the New York Islanders in 1980.

“I’m a player who likes to use his speed,” said Jeff, “beating guys one-on-one down the wing. Defensively track guys down throughout the ice. I love to shoot the puck. I like to model my game after guys like (Peter) Forsberg, who use their bodies so well to protect the puck and knock guys off the puck.”

Boyle, with five goals and three assists while playing in 33 of the Eagles’ 39 games, might be more of a gamble for the Kings. With the healthy return of BC’s frontline center Ben Eaves this weekend, there is a possibility that Boyle might be a healthy scratch tomorrow. Odd that an NHL first-rounder would ever be considered a scratch.

The Kings have a penchant for turning big guys into enforcers, ala the “Princeton Pugilist” 6-foot-4, 210-pound George Parros. The Kings are patiently developing 6-foot-5, 248-pound Ryan Flinn and Parros into offensive-minded policemen. So if an NHL club is going to gamble in development of talent they will take a risk with a sizable player. Boyle is just 19 years old with a world of hockey and physical development ahead.

FOUR: The magic number for the Monarchs to clinch their third straight AHL playoff spot. Ten games remain in the regular season.

BROKEN RECORDS: Center Steve Kelly is now the Monarchs’ third all-time leading scorer. With his goal Wednesday night, he has 47 on his career surpassing former University of New Hampshire star Derek Bekar (2001-03 Monarchs) ... League-leading scorer, right wing Pavel Rosa (33-43-76) tallied a pair of goals Wednesday giving him four goals in his last two games. He is just the second Monarch to score 60 goals in his career in the Queen City. He is within five goals of equalling the all-time career total of Eric Healey (2001-03 Monarchs), who now plays for the Chicago Wolves of the AHL ... Rosa’s 33 goals this season place him second in the league behind Bridgeport’s Jeff Hamilton ... The Monarchs’ seven-game unbeaten streak on the road ended Wednesday with a 4-3 loss at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The streak was a franchise record.

UPCOMING: The Monarchs return home Friday, April 2 hosting the Bridgeport Sound Tigers at 7:35 p.m. There are just single seats remaining for the game, which is a homecoming for winger Derek Bekar and another UNH star Mike Souza, who recently joined the Sound Tigers. From there, the Monarchs finish with six Atlantic Division contests.

The loss put an end to the Monarchs team-record road unbeaten streak. They entered yesterday’s action on a 6-0-1-0 run over their last seven games away from the Verizon Wireless Arena.

Trailing 3-1 heading into the third period, the Monarchs rallied with a pair of goals from right wing Pavel Rosa. Surovy’s goal, his second of the game and 13th of the season, followed a successful Penguins penalty kill with less than a minute remaining in regulation.

Center Kris Beech, who led all scorers with two goals and two assists, set up the game-winner when he stole the puck in the Monarchs zone. Goaltender Milan Hnilicka got a piece of Beech’s shot a split second later, but he could not handle Surovy’s finish on the rebound.

Goaltender Andy Chiodo (17-17-2) earned the win, his second against the Monarchs this season, with 22 saves. Hnilicka (6-8-0) took the loss with 25 saves and dropped to 0-2-0 since returning from the Los Angeles Kings on March 18.

With the loss, the second-place Monarchs (36-23-6-5, 83 points) stayed four points behind the Atlantic Division-leading Hartford Wolf Pack (37-20-11-2, 87 points). They also stayed five points up on the third-place Worcester IceCats (32-24-11-3, 78 points) and six points up on the fourth-place Providence Bruins (32-24-10-3, 77 points). The Monarchs were the only members of the Atlantic Division to play yesterday.

With the win, the Penguins (31-27-8-6, 76 points) strengthened their hold on third place in the AHL’s East Division. They are nine points back of the Philadelphia Phantoms (39-24-6-1, 85 points) and the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (36-21-9-4, 85 points), both of whom are tied for the top spot with 85 points.

The Penguins capitalized on a Monarchs turnover to take the early lead. Beech, making his second appearance after missing 21 games with a broken collarbone, intercepted defenseman Tomas Zizka’s outlet pass, raced into the Monarchs zone, and slipped his shot by Hnlilicka just 2:01 into the contest. Beech’s 16th goal of the season was unassisted.

In many ways, this road trip will be the toughest of the season. We’re traveling a good distance between games, and three of the four teams we will be facing (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Norfolk and Hershey) are fighting for their playoff lives in the AHL’s East Division.

I know several of our players remember how we fared on a similar trip against the same teams last season. We picked up just one point out of a possible eight before limping back home. We’re hoping for better results this time around.

If we can pick off a few wins, we may be able to start thinking about catching the first place Hartford Wolf Pack, which has a four-point lead on us in the Atlantic Division standings. We haven’t been this close to the Wolf Pack since Christmas.

On Monday, we’ll know if catching the Wolf Pack is a reality. Until then, our focus will continue to be holding down second place in the division and beating back the third-place Worcester IceCats and fourth-place Providence Bruins, both of whom have also been playing well down the stretch. The Bruins, in fact, snapped our winning streak at seven games on Saturday night with a 1-0 win.

As a coach, I’m always worried about a losing streak following a winning streak, so after Saturday’s game, coach Jim Hughes, coach Dane Jackson and myself all had individual meetings with the players. We wanted to make sure that losing would not become a trend. We stressed to the team that we needed to bounce back strongly against the Springfield Falcons.

We did just that on Sunday afternoon, scoring four first-period goals en route to a convincing 8-3 win. Credit the Falcons for battling back throughout the game, but every time they tried to make it interesting, we responded with another big goal.

Goaltender Mathieu Chouinard earned the win against Springfield, his third straight. Unfortunately, he did not join us on our southern road trip.

At this time, we have three healthy goaltenders and all three are playing well. From day one, we’ve said that Milan Hnilicka is our No. 1 goaltender. In the eyes of the Los Angeles Kings, Hnilicka is the No. 3 goaltender in the system behind Roman Cechmanek and former Monarch Cristobal Huet.

Injuries throughout the season have kept Hnilicka sidelined, but with just a few weeks left in the regular season, he’s healthy and ready to go. Our plan is to have him play the bulk of the remaining 11 games so he’ll be ready for the playoffs.

The No. 1 job is Hnilicka’s as long as he’s good down the stretch. We communicated that to the other goaltenders earlier this week. Both Chouinard and Adam Hauser also know that they can make a case for more ice time by playing well when they get their chance.

We practiced earlier than normal yesterday so we could make the trip to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and arrive in time for a good dinner. After dinner, the players were able to rest and relax at the hotel in preparation for tonight’s game. After today’s morning skate, they’ll head back to the hotel, rest some more, and then open the road trip against the Penguins.

But don't forget that the Monarchs Fans raised another $24,0000 just 4 days later for the Legends of Hockey which along with the $70,000 makes a grand total of $94,000 in donations. 
Yeeeeah Baby, Goooo Monarchs Fans !

MANCHESTER — Elm Street ended up with two parades yesterday.

One was outdoors for St. Patrick’s Day and the other was indoors at the Verizon Wireless Arena where the Manchester Monarchs staged an impressive scoring parade.

Pavel Rosa and Steve Kelly each had two goals and an assist as the Monarchs, with 13 different players hitting the score sheet, routed the Springfield Falcons 8-3 in an American Hockey League contest yesterday before the 17th sell-out crowd of the season.

“We were never really into this hockey game,” said Springfield coach Marty McSorley. “Like sharks in the water, Manchester smelled it and were all over us on the ice tonight.”

It didn’t help that McSorley’s team (23-37-8-2, 56 points), last in the Atlantic Division, was facing the Monarchs just 18 hours after the locals had their seven-game winning streak snapped at the hands of rival Providence, 1-0.

“We were upset over that loss and we just wanted to come out today and dictate play,” said Monarchs winger Sam Ftorek.

Dictating play yesterday meant scoring four first period goals (first time since Dec. 27 vs. Worcester) as Kelly ignited the onslaught with his 16th and 17th season goals.

“After Saturday’s loss, we just came out hungry today,” said Kelly, who has never had a hat trick as a pro. “At the end I was thinking I may get one more, but I’m happy I was able to give the team a spark with my first two. This was fun. Scoring eight goals against any team just doesn’t happen very often and today we played well and had fun.”

Kelly was right about being his team being hungry. Just nine seconds after Kelly’s second goal, winger Noah Clarke busted through the defense and notched his 24th season goal. Two goals in nine seconds , the fastest two goals scored by the Monarchs this season, produced a 3-0 lead and forced McSorley to call time-out just 9:03 into the contest.

Thoughts of pulling starting Springfield goalie Jean-Marc Pelletier (26 saves), who gave up three goals on seven shots, never entered McSorley’s mind.

“No way was I pointing fingers at Pelletier,” said McSorley. “For me to blame him would be letting our guys off the hook. We’ve gone through stretches where he’s played eight games and we’ve only scored 11 goals. The time-out was to settle us down against a talented team that was on a roll.”

Six minutes later the 9,916 fans in attendance were in a french fry frenzy as Rosa, who took over the AHL scoring lead with 74 points, scored a wrap-around goal.

Score four goals in a home game and fans can present their tickets for free french fries at McDonald’s. Trouble was, by game’s end when the Monarchs doubled their output to eight for only the third time in franchise history, some fans were wondering aloud if this meant their tickets were worth a “Happy Meal.”

No, but at least they left the building watching the Monarchs finish off the lowly Falcons in style behind winning goalie Mathieu Chouinard (24 saves).

Rosa tallied his 31st season goal on the power play and Jerred Smithson added his sixth in the second period while Ftorek (his sixth), the pride of St. Anselm College (along with V.P. Hubie McDonough III of course) and Mike Cammalleri (his 13th) closed out the scoring parade in the third frame.

Throw in assists from Tomas Zizka (2), Ftorek, Cammalleri, Chris Schmidt, Joe Rullier, Bryan Muir, Richard Seeley, Ryan Flinn, Clarke, Jeff Giuliano and Smithsen and it’s a good way for the Monarchs (36-22-6-5, 83 seconds, second place Atlantic Division) to embark on a four-game road trip.

Vermont product Tim Thomas stopped all 22 shots he faced in goal and Kris Vernarsky scored in the Bruins’ gritty 1-0 victory over the Manchester Monarchs before 9,916, the 16th sellout crowd of the season in the Verizon Wireless Arena.

Both the governor and the city’s mayor issued proclamations recognizing the special day, but it was going to take an act of Congress to get a shot past Thomas. The shutout was his fourth of the season, all by 1-0 scores and all on the road. Thomas ended Manchester’s season-best seven-game win streak.

“The crowd made me want to play, and not because I hate the crowd. I love that crowd,” said Thomas. “It just feels like that atmosphere we all love with everybody on the edge of their seats waiting to see what’s going to happen.”

The Monarchs (35-22-6-5, 80 pts.) stay second in the Atlantic Division and did not lose any ground to first-place Hartford since the Wolf Pack lost last night to Portland.

“(Thomas) is a pretty smart goalie and he played well,” said Monarchs coach Bruce Boudreau. “Thomas made the saves he had to make.”

Providence (31-24-10-3, 75 pts.) digs into fourth place in the Atlantic Division with its second straight win.

Bruins’ first-year head coach Scott Gordon simply labeled it “playoff hockey” and said both ways — Bruins and Monarchs — it was the NHL-level goaltending that the organizations have come to expect from their feeder clubs.

“Smart all over the ice,” added Thomas. “We played road hockey. We played it tight. That’s what we did.”

Monarchs NHL-veteran goalie Milan Hnilicka made 20 saves and could not be faulted on the game-winner.

The Monarchs, who were unbeaten in regulation in 14 straight entering the night, saw some writing on the wall in the second period. They were outshot 7-1 in the first 8:59 of the second. Amid that Bruins buzzing swarm, just 2:33 in, Vernarsky put Providence on top 1-0. Scoring his first goal since Feb. 28, the lanky center moved into Hnilicka’s crease redirecting Darren VanOene’s center out of the left wing corner.

In the scoreless opening period, each team narrowly missed a golden scoring chance. Monarchs defenseman Bryan Muir hit the far post on a wrister from the point midway through the stanza. Shortly after that Vernarsky lost the handle on a near-post stuff, then was unable to turn the second chance into a backside wraparound. No surprises there since the Bruins are the third-lowest scoring team in the league and both teams are among the leading defensive units in the AHL.

“It’s almost like you raise your game to play better than the guys you’re playing against,” said Thomas after silencing one of the league’s top offenses. “Manchester has a lot of players who could be in the NHL.”

“I’d like to go into every game knowing that the other team is only going to get one goal and if that’s the case we’re going to win most of them,” added Boudreau. “If you’re going to lose, it was probably the best-case lose scenario . . . but we don’t like losing at any point in time. We tried. A lot of things didn’t go the way we planned.”

Muir assisted on three goals. Lock Monster Jim Henkel, a second-year pro out of RPI in his first AHL season, scored a pair.

The Monarchs (35-21-6-5, 80 points), second in the Atlantic Division behind Hartford, are on a season-best seven-game win streak, one shy of a franchise record. Unbeaten in regulation in their last 14, Manchester hosts bitter rival the Providence Bruins at 7:35 p.m. tonight.

Lowell (30-27-6-5, 71 points) has just two regulation losses in 13 outings. Those losses were to Manchester and Hartford. The Lock Monsters hold firm at fifth in the division.

To start OT, the Monarchs killed off a minor penalty issued at the end of regulation for “objects on the ice.” And with 2:42 to go in the OT, the Monarchs again were a man down on a Richard Seeley hook. But, Monarchs coach Bruce Boudreau won the chess match, challenging the legality of the stick of Lowell’s Tomas Kurka. It was a very “crooked” curved stick in fact and Kurka joined Seeley in the sin bin. The Monarchs scored just seconds later.

Mike Cammelleri’s 12th goal of the season, a left circle snap of Chris Schmidt’s perfect pass, tied it 3-3 midway through the third period. The Lock Monsters had taken their first lead of the game, 3-2, 5:22 into the third period. Martin Sonnenberg’s off-speed wrister from inside the left circle popped off Adam Hauser’s glove.

Henkel’s second goal of the game was the only tally of the second period, tying it 2-2. Henkel, right man in the right place, snapped home Tomas Kurka’s short rebound only 1:55 into the stanza.

Henkel took the old coach’s adage, “you can’t score unless you shoot,” to the extreme, making it 2-1 with 9.9 seconds left in the opening period. Collecting a loose puck alongside the Monarchs’ goal with no shooting angle, Henkel shoveled the puck from below the goal line back toward the slot. It bounced off Monarch Jerred Smithson, who was on his knees in the crease.

Steve Kelly, who missed two games with a thigh bruise, proved he’s 100 percent by roofing a breakaway goal with 3:17 left in the first. Kelly’s 15th goal of the season gave the Monarchs a 2-0 lead. He split the Lock Monsters’ defense at the opposing blue line on Pavel Rosa’s square pass.

A mere 1:17 into the game, the Monarchs struck. Yanick Lehoux patiently picked his spot and fired off a slapper ringing the far post and in. Monarchs defenseman Bryan Muir’s no-look, between-the-legs pass out of his own zone caught the Lock Monsters on a line change. Noah Clarke collected the pass and his cross-ice feed sprang Lehoux.

Notes: Rosa extended his points streak to nine games equaling his longest spree of the season . . . Ryan Flinn planted a baker’s dozen knuckle sandwiches on the head of Lowell’s Dan Sullivan. Sullivan, a 6-foot-3, 230-pound heavyweight in his first AHL season, was in his first game after a pre-season injury . . . Lowell has not posted a shutout in more than a year . . . Last night’s crowd of 5,522 was the fourth largest of the season in the Tsongas Arena . . . NHL veteran goalies Milan Hnilicka (L.A. Kings) and Jamie Storr (Carolina Hurricanes) had the night off last night — a pricey $2 million-plus AHL bench . . . Only once in their last 17 games have the Monarchs fallen in regulation.

Following the 2 p.m. induction luncheon, the festivities continue at the Verizon Wireless Arena at 7:30 p.m., where the Manchester Monarchs will don throwback baby blue jerseys of the Concord Budmen, a team that played senior hockey in the capital city’s Everett Arena from 1975 to 1990.

The nine hall-of-famers will be recognized during the Monarchs’ game against the Providence Bruins, and after the game the throw-back jerseys will be auctioned off with proceeds benefiting the Legends of Hockey.

This year’s hall of fame class includes coaches George Crowe of Hanover, Hubie McDonough Jr. of Manchester and Normand “Huskie” Poirier of Berlin. All three were also players.

McDonough was among the early promoters of youth hockey in Manchester and Poirier was an organizer of the game in Berlin, Hockeytown USA.

Players from the old-time Manchester Monarchs and Blackhawks entering the hall include Willie “The Barber” Bibeau, Ron Dubreuil and Andre “Tinou” St. Laurent, all of Manchester. St. Laurent is the lone goaltender selected this year.

Berlin Maroons’ prolific scorer Roland “DeDe” Villeneuve will also be enshrined, as will University of New Hampshire Wildcat hockey broadcaster Dick Osbourne and Olympian Tara Mounsey, both of Concord.

Event spokesman Dick Theriault said last night that tickets, at $30 each, will be available at the door for the luncheon ceremony. A cocktail hour starts the afternoon at 2, followed by lunch at 3 p.m. and the ceremony. The event should conclude by approximately 5:30 p.m., allowing attendees to make the short trip to the Verizon Wireless Arena for the Monarchs game.

ON A ROLL: Does it get any better than this?

The Monarchs are on a season-best six-game win streak — two victories short of the franchise record. They are unbeaten in regulation over their last 13 games.

In those 13 contests the Monarchs have gained valuable points every game, trimming the cushion of Atlantic Division-leading Hartford. The Wolf Pack, who the Monarchs do not meet again in the regular season, are eight points ahead but the Monarchs have two games in hand.

So why worry?

Facing three consecutive divisional games this weekend that will surely test the endurance of this run, Monarchs coach Bruce Boudreau held meetings this week to ward off any complacency.

The Monarchs are at Lowell tonight at 7. The Lock Monsters are a scary bunch fighting for a playoff spot. In fact, they’re holding the last spot in the division — fifth. Tomorrow night at 7:35, Manchester hosts the fourth-place Providence Bruins, who are eight points behind them. And Sunday at 4:05 the last-place — and you guessed it, much-better-than-their-record-indicates — Springfield Falcons return to Manchester.

“It’s not ‘sometimes’ it’s almost all the time, a winning streak is followed by a losing streak,” said Boudreau. “At the end of a winning streak you’re usually not playing as good as you were when you were at the height of the streak.

“We’ve addressed it. It’s all about playing at the top of your game, at the highest level. It’s almost impossible to guard against it, but at the same time we’re doing our best to keep going,” he said.

In Verizon Wireless Arena, where the Monarchs have danced before sellout crowds 15 times this season, Boudreau’s boys are unbeaten in regulation in eight straight. Providence is one of only two teams to have beaten the Monarchs twice this season in the Big V (the other is Lowell, and that series concludes tonight). On the road, they are unbeaten in six.

But, again Boudreau warns:

On Lowell: “Besides us Lowell is one of the hottest teams in the league. Their only two (regulation) losses in 12 games were to Hartford and us.”

On Providence: “Obviously the game is going to be a very emotional, tough game. They have everybody healthy. They added Brad Boyes, a leading scorer in our league.”

On Springfield: “You can’t take them lightly. If you take them lightly they’ll bite you in the butt.”

TICKET HOTLINE: The next four Monarchs home games are all closing in on sellouts. Last night there were fewer than 100 tickets available for tomorrow’s Providence contest, and only single seats for Sunday’s Springfield game and the Friday, April 2 game with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

ROSA FOR MVP: It’s official. The campaign is on: Pavel Rosa for the AHL’s Cunningham most valuable player award.

“I think Pav has done everything he could to make this team as good as it could be,” said Boudreau. “He’s been as valuable to this team as anyone could be.”

Rosa, the Monarchs’ dangerous free-wheeling right wing, has lived up to his all-star billing all season. On an eight-game points streak, he is one game short of equaling his longest points streak of the season (nine games from Nov. 22-Dec. 6).

In last week’s four victories, Rosa tallied winning goals three times. He has five game-winners on the season. Rosa’s rating of plus-27 is tops among all AHL forwards and second-best overall in the league. He is second in the league in scoring with 29-41-70. Accordingly he also leads the league in shots with 264.

He recently became the Monarchs’ second-leading all-time scorer behind teammate Steve Kelly. Rosa needs just four points to become the Monarchs all-time single-season scorer. Rosa is four assists back of eclipsing Kelly’s all-time single-season assists record of 44.

WHO VOTES? On MVP voting by the media and AHL players, which is playing out this weekend, Boudreau said, “The league should pick three finalists and then the media can vote on the finalists.”

Agree. Instead, the current format has the media and players choosing their top three for each award category. There isn’t a media member or player in the league who sees all the teams. And since media members cannot vote for players on the team they cover (the players they see most), then it doesn’t make much sense for media members to vote for players they don’t ever see. So are the awards a true picture of perfection in the AHL? From what we’ve seen in two seasons, they often miss.

Bottom line, the league has outgrown its post-season honors selection process. There must be a better way.

BRICK HOUSE: Adam Hauser’s goals-against average in the last 10 games, when he has gone 6-0-2-2, is 1.11. Hauser has a four-game win streak. With the return of Milan Hnilicka from the Kings after yesterday’s activation in Los Angeles of Roman Cechmanek, the Monarchs will most likely keep three goalies in the fold. Monarchs goalie Mathieu Chouinard is on a two-game win streak, allowing only one goal over those six periods.

MORE STREAKING STARS: Defenseman Bryan Muir’s penalty-free streak ended at seven games last Friday. Muir’s 9-32-41 makes him the top offensive defenseman in the AHL. Muir’s plus-20 is among the best in the AHL among blueliners . . . The game-winning goal last Saturday versus the Philadelphia Phantoms for Saint Anselm product Sam Ftorek was the 100th goal of his pro career. Ftorek is seeing his first career AHL action.

PROMOTIONS: Hurry. The Monarchs booster club bus trip to Hershey, Pa., and Philadelphia is next weekend, March 27-28. Contact chairman Hal Collins via email: mmbcroadtrips@msn.com, or at www.manchestermonarchsboosterclub.com.

Fan appreciation night is Friday, April 2. Every spectator receives an 8-by-10 color team photo. One lucky fan will win a sporty Suzuki Verona for simply showing up.

Millions and millions of prizes are on the horizon at the Verizon. Well, maybe hundreds.

On Sunday, April 11, at 6:05 p.m. the Monarchs host the conclusion of their annual “Shirts Off Our Back” promotion, a game-worn jersey raffle with proceeds benefiting the Monarchs Care Foundation and the Special Olympics of New Hampshire. The promotion has already begun. At any Monarchs home game, fans can buy $1 chances to win a jersey, but they must be present on April 11 (vs. Worcester) to win. The players will hand over their jerseys — freshly autographed — to the winning fans.

The Monarchs raised $70,000 for area charities during the annual “At Your Service” dinner Tuesday night at C.R. Sparks in Bedford. Some 400 fans bought tickets to the often-zany event where Monarchs players serve as singing and dancing waiters for the evening.

In case you’re not familiar with the annual dinner, it’s an opportunity for our fans to get to know the players off the ice while helping support charities within our community. For one night only, our hockey team turns into an accomplished wait staff, eager to honor special requests for charitable donations.

Along with the dinner, our fans were able to bid on a wide array of silent auction items, including baskets put together by the players, with the items in the baskets serving as a reflection of the players. You could tell that some of the guys, such as defenseman Richard Seeley and left wing Chris Schmidt, had attended the dinner before. Both put a lot of time and effort into the creation of their baskets.

Jon Crabbe, the Monarchs vice president of sales and marketing, has created a real monster with Mullet Night. If you weren’t at the Verizon Wireless Arena on Friday for Mullet Night II, explaining just how much fun the night was will be a real challenge.

We inducted the Hanson Brothers, made famous by the hockey movie classic “Slap Shot,” into the Mullet Hall of Fame. They joined ESPN personality Barry Melrose, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame last year. There also was a contest during the first intermission to see who had the best real Mullet, and the first 5,000 fans into the arena received free Mullet wigs. Our players even took the ice for warm-ups wearing the wigs.

As a minor league coach, I realize the importance of community involvement and promotions. I also can learn from my mistakes. Last year for Mullet Night, the guys received their wigs about an hour before game time. As you might imagine, they had a lot of fun with the wigs and probably lost a little focus on the game, a game that we lost to the Portland Pirates.

This year, we gave the players the wigs the day before, when we met for our team picture. We got the nonsense out of the way early, and we were better able to focus on the game and our opponent, the Worcester IceCats. Thankfully, it worked. We had a fun night, won the game and got a little national attention from ESPN.

I allowed myself to smile a little bit yesterday. It’s hard not to when you consider the way our team has been playing lately. We’ve won six in a row, beating some of the best teams in the Eastern Conference during the streak. I was especially pleased to see how our team responded after losing three players to injuries on Friday night against the IceCats.

With center Steve Kelly and right wings Greg Koehler and George Parros unable to play, right wings Sam Ftorek and Leon Hayward and defenseman Doug Nolan stepped in, played well and helped our team win. Nolan, in particular, did a fantastic job by filling in at forward.

We’re having a lot of fun, and we’re playing for each other. We’ve worked hard for 66 games and put ourselves in a good position. We want to keep the momentum and carry it into the playoffs.

The Manchester Monarchs won their fifth straight, a hard-earned 3-1 victory last night over the East Division-leading Flyers farm club, the Philadelphia Phantoms.

Monarchs goaltender Mathieu Chouinard (26 saves) thrilled the 15th sellout crowd of the season in the Verizon Wireless Arena when he stoned former Boston Bruin P.J. Stock on a penalty shot in the second period with the physical struggle knotted, 1-1.

Jerred Smithson added the empty-net goal with 28 seconds to play. The Monarchs (33-21-6-5, 77 pts.) closed to within six points of Atlantic Division leader Hartford. The Bridgeport Sound Tigers edged Hartford, 4-3 last night.

The Phantoms (37-22-6-1, 81 pts.) saw their three-game win streak end. The teams meet again in Philadelphia Spectrum in two weeks. On the road, the Phantoms had only lost once in their last eight, barreling into the hostile Big V, but they went 0-for-7 on the power play last night.

Three highlight film assists put the Monarchs ahead 2-1 just 2:55 into the third period. First Noah Clarke relentlessly worked to steal the puck from Phantom defenseman Joey Hope along Phili’s end boards. Lehoux picked it up and patiently found Max Kuznetsov cross ice at the left point. Kuznetsov faked a slapper, moved into the left circle still threatening a big shot, but slid a backdoor pass to wide-open Sam Ftorek. Ftorek finished off his third AHL game-winning goal, and has five goals on the season.

“We’ll take it,” said Lehoux. “I’m pretty happy. Tonight was just another huge win for us.”

With the game tied, 1-1, Chouinard denied Stock on a penalty shot with 37.2 seconds left in the second period. Pavel Rosa had thwarted Stock’s short-handed breakaway by first tossing his stick into his path and then chasing him down pulling his jersey from behind at the top of the crease.

“(Stock) faked a shot and I bit, but he went to his left and I just kicked it out . . . It feels good,” said Chouinard. “It was a hard game, emotionally and physically.”

Lehoux brilliantly tied the game, 1-1, tucking away Clarke’s centering pass 3:13 into the second period. Clarke, a rookie, drew two defenders into the right circle to free Lehoux, who deked down Finnish fifth-year pro goalie Antero Niittymaki (25 saves) with a backhanded fake then popped the puck into the open net, skating untouched by the short side.

“They are a big, strong physical team so we knew it was going to be a physical battle,” said Clarke. “We were just making plays . . . It was a lot of fun. Each win you get a little more confidence. Hopefully we can keep it rolling.”

For the only goal of the first period, Philadelphia’s Boyd Kane snapped in the rebound of John Slanney’s slapper with 4:48 left in the stanza. The Monarchs played six of the first 11 minutes of the opening session shorthanded. On the Monarchs’ only power play, defenseman Bryan Muir drove a left point blast off Niittymaki’s far post.

Today (4:05 p.m.) the Monarchs are at Bridgeport, the East Division co-leader with Philadelphia. The Monarchs return home on Saturday, March 20 (7:35 p.m.) versus the Providence Bruins.

That A-plus is up from an enthusiastic ‘A’ of a year ago.

No surprise, since the Monarchs once again lead the AHL in attendance, with a 9,019 fans per game average, and on the ice the team is knocking on Hartford’s back door for the Atlantic Division title.

“The report card is as good as it’s ever been,” said Gilmore, who juggles his time between Manchester and Los Angeles, where he is the Los Angeles Kings’ vice president of hockey operations. “Every player we’ve pulled up from Manchester has come up and given us a good game. And look where we are in the AHL. We’re second in the division with a club that has been kind of put together through patchwork throughout the course of the season.”

So what could possibly be a negative for the Manchester Monarchs?

“You have to be careful of the honeymoon effect,” said Gilmore. “If all of a sudden you sit back and say, ‘Well, the fans will come anyway,’ you’re in trouble.

“One thing flows into the other. If we don’t have a competitive product, the fans aren’t as interested.”

The Monarchs clearly have competitive, talented, skilled players. In another organization, one with less talent at the highest level, many probably would already be in the NHL.

“They are going hard every night,” Gilmore said of the Monarchs. “We need them playing hard. At the end of the day, it’s my job to make sure this team is competitive year in and year out.

“I don’t believe in developing through losing. You’re here to win because you’ve got to learn how to win. “When guys come up and score a clutch goal by going to the net, it’s because they learned it here.”

Gilmore noted one of the toughest elements Kings coach Andy Murray faces every night is deciding which players to keep out of the lineup. That’s a good problem to have since it means the previously ailing Kings are healthy. It stems from the fact that the Manchester Monarchs who have flown West — Scott Barney and John Tripp to name just two — have made outstanding cases for earning full-time jobs in the NHL.

At the end of the day, that is a bright reflection upon the coaching and pro hockey mentoring going on in the Queen City under coaches Bruce Boudreau, Jim Hughes and Dane Jackson, along with seasoned hockey operations director Hubie McDonough. In keeping with their understated style, none of those men want a slap on the back or any public attention.

So, Gilmore has stopped by this weekend and handed out kudos in hopes of spurring the team on to a fantastic finish.

Here’s a look at the Kings VP, along with a few comments about the team he usually follows from the West Coast:
 

Happy Gilmore files ...

There’s an Adam Sandler movie that just might have been about a died-in-the-wool hockey fanatic named Kevin Gilmore.

After law school at the University of Ottawa in the coldest national capital in the world, Montrealer Gilmore decided to find work somewhere warm. California was the place to be. He sent one of his painstakingly crafted job search letters to the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings were owned then by Bruce McNall, who gained great fame or infamey, depending upon which side of the U.S.-Canadian border you hailed from, when he used his riches to lure Wayne Gretzky from Edmonton to Tinseltown.

McNall wanted THE “Great One.” And McNall wanted the great Larry Robinson, but not a great intentioned Gilmore.

Gilmore’s rejection letter read something like this, “Mr. McNall has a team of lawyers who oversee the operations of this hockey club.”

“Obviously he didn’t have enough,” jokes Gilmore today.

So Gilmore landed a job with Disney a year and a half later.

“One day the vice president I worked for in the legal department walked into my office and said, ‘Hey, you’re Canadian right? You know anything about hockey? We’re going to buy a hockey team. Why don’t you come upstairs?”

After all those letters. All those rejections. It was just that easy for the Canadian kid who wouldn’t quit.

Thus Gilmore worked with the upstart Anaheim Mighty Ducks and later with the Disney-owned Anaheim Angels baseball club. And, like so many free-thinking Californians, Gilmore eventually staged a little corporate revolution, forging head-long into his own legal practice.
West Coast dude

You won’t find the Gilmore practice on reruns of “Perry Mason” or “Law and Order.” If you catch him in the right mood, he may tell you how he spent a year working in shorts and sandals. As president of Newport Beach-based Professional Sports Advisors Group, Gilmore stayed in hockey, consulting on player contractual issues for the Montreal Canadiens and several other NHL teams. Obviously they didn’t care what he wore to work. If you’ve never been to Newport Beach, as an outsider you tend to wander around wondering how all these perpetually-tanned casual Californians in no particular hurry to go anywhere make a living to support the lifestyle. But, in fairness, Gilmore was effective. A known quantity in southern California and pro hockey, Gilmore was hired by the Los Angeles Kings in 1999.

“Effective” and “knowledgeable” describe his work. The 39-year-old oversees all facets of the Kings’ hockey operations and is a key figure in contract negotiations for all the organization’s players. Gilmore is tough, but fair. Blunt, but reasonable. As proof, you rarely if ever hear players grousing about their deals with the Kings or holding out for money.

“In a nutshell, we all do the same thing,” said Gilmore, adding that micromanagement is not in his, or the Kings’ style. “Every day we try to make our organization better. No one makes a decision. We make group decisions. We all solicit opinions.”

A past member of the NHL’s salary and arbitration, and contract negotiations panels, Gilmore will be a key player to watch in the looming NHL contract negotiations struggle.

“I don’t expect anything to happen anytime soon because it’s not the M.O. for the players’ union,” said Gilmore. “They like to drag this out to the last minute. The issues are real. The ownership situation is dire now, and things need to change. At the end of the day, there needs to be a sense of trust and a partnership between the players and the teams. Hopefully, that’s what happens.”

In a job that never ends, sounds like Gilmore’s is just beginning.
 

Trading Jared Aulin ....

“We had a hard time doing that,” Gilmore said of the recent trade that sent former Monarchs and Kings forward Jared Aulin to Washington for Anson Carter. “You have to give up something to get something.”

“Jared’s been unfortunately injured the last two years, so we really haven’t been able to assess what he can become. We had a number of teams interested in Jared. We felt we had to bolster our lineup and give ourselves a chance down the stretch.”

At last Tuesday’s trade deadline, Gilmore said, the Kings got many calls about their young prospects, players he’s “unwilling to move at all.”

The most sought-after youngster? Konstantin Pushkaryov, a 19-year-old, 6-foot, 170-pound center playing his rookie pro season in Russia. Pushkaryov was the Kings’ second-round pick, 44th overall last summer. How extensive is the Kings’ scouting network? Pushkaryov hails from Kazakhstan — not exactly a hockey power.

The Hansons, of course, are from Hollywood movie fame. They were the quiet body-crushing sickos from the hockey classic, “Slap Shot,” which starred Paul Newman and former University of New Hampshire hockey player Michael Ontkean. Last night the Monarchs inducted the trio into the Mullet Hall of Fame much to the delight of more than 9,000 fans in the sold-out Verizon Wireless Arena.

Off screen, the Hansons are two of three Carlson brothers, Jeff and Steve, along with Dave Hanson. Their movie is a slice of their minor league hockey life. Not only were they real life professional players, they still look like they could suit up for the Monarchs. Their tie to Monarchs hockey is Manchester head coach Bruce Boudreau.

Boudreau played professionally with Steve and Jeff Carlson in the old WHA for Minnesota and later in the East Coast League for the Johnstown Jets. The movie is based on their experiences with the Jets. In the movie the Carlsons, a.k.a. Hansons, play for the Charlestown Chiefs, while Boudreau played for the archrival Generals. Further on, in their real hockey careers, Boudreau again played with Steve Carlson for the Baltimore Skipjacks of the AHL, and Boudreau also played against Jeff.

All four played together for the Johnstown Jets.

“It’s a hockey classic,” said Boudreau of “Slap Shot.” “There isn’t a hockey player in the world who hasn’t seen the movie.”

Indeed, Boudreau was playing with the Toronto Maple Leafs when the movie made its debut. He recalled the movie ran 55 weeks in Toronto.

You see, the movie was supposed to be a tale of the goons’ life in minor league hockey, a tale of the Carlsons. But, as the movie was nearing filming, Jack Carlson, the third Carlson brother, was called up to the Edmonton Oilers for real. So director George Roy Hill chose Dave Hanson as the third Carlson, and Hill liked the name “Hanson” so much he changed them all into Hansons. The rest is infamous hockey history.

Today the Carlsons make a good part-time living doing about 40 public appearances as the Hansons each year. They choose 40 from about 400 requests. They attribute their natural flowing mullets to “clean living.”

Boudreau knows otherwise. “I don’t think they’d do it full time because it’s so draining on their bodies,” said Boudreau. “They have to go out every night on the road and drink.”

The Carlsons, who said their toughest job now is “dealing with hockey chicks,” have scripts in hand for Slapshot sequels 3 and 4.

And asked if he would return to haunt the Hansons once more, Boudreau laughed, “My acting career is over.”

“I think Boudreau was sexier than Newman,” joked Steve Carlson.

Pavel Rosa scored twice, extending his goal streak to five games as Manchester won by a hair, 3-2, on the celebration of hockey hair night before 9,916 — the 14th sellout of the season in the Verizon Wireless Arena.

“It was kind of a playoff hockey game, a tight game,” said Rosa. “Everybody worked hard for the win.”

The win was the fourth straight for the Monarchs, who stay unbeaten in regulation in 11. The Monarchs (32-21-6-5, 75 pts.) and on their longest win streak of the season remain second in Atlantic Division behind the Hartford Wolf Pack, but the points gap between the two is shaving down. Hartford lost last night to Springfield. The Monarchs trail for the division crown by eight points.

How hot are the Monarchs? Only once in their last 15 games have they fallen in regulation, the red-hottest team in the AHL.

It was Worcester’s (28-23-11-3, 70 pts.) first regulation loss seven. The Ice Cats prowl third in the Atlantic Division.

“It was what we expected, a close game,” said Monarchs coach Bruce Boudreau. “We just found a way tonight. I thought we played a great third period and shut the door pretty good on them.”

The Monarchs’ scoreless third-period defense included killing off a 5-on-3 and many sparkling saves by Adam Hauser (23 saves), who has not dropped a game in regulation in his last eight starts.

“Not anything that we planned,” said Rosa of the intense focus on defense in the third period. “We like to play our game and that is to score. But everybody did a good job at (defense) and that’s why they didn’t score.”

Rosa’s second goal of the game, a personal best 28th of the season, served as the 3-2 game winner. With 6:14 to play in the second period, Rosa picked up Mike Cammalleri’s leave in the slot and slid a shifty backhander 5-hole on Ice Cats’ goalie Curtis Sanford (23 saves).

“Great win,” added Boudreau. “(Rosa’s) been great. No doubt about it he’s one of the best players in this league, if not the best player.”

Second-year Ice Cats’ pro Mike Glumac tied it 2-2 with a rocket slapper from the left circle during a 5-on-3 advantage. The goal was the 20th of the season for Miami-Ohio grad Glumac.

Manchester was in control 2-0 in the first period until Worcester’s Jeff Panzer scored on a flukey toss in from the sideboards. The bouncer handcuffed Hauser and finished the first, 2-1. Before that it was all Monarchs as Pavel Rosa neatly wristed away his team-leading 27th goal of the season, converting the seeing-eye feed up the middle by defenseman Bryan Muir. Only 5:10 into the game Max Kutznetsov fired home a perfect Steve Kelly center. Kuznetsov had drifted deep into the slot on a give-and-go with Kelly. Kelly was later injured by Mike Glumac hip check at center ice and Kelly did not return.

“We had some injuries so we kind of closed up the play, played safe,” said Monarchs defenseman Joe Rullier. “That’s what wins close games.”

Forwards George Parros and Greg Koehler were also hurt and are unlikely to be in the lineup tonight. Boudreau said the team will make some emergency callups from the ECHL. Tonight at 7:35 p.m. the Monarchs host East Division co-leader, the Philadelphia Phantoms. Then Sunday the Monarchs are at the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the other East leader.

HAIR TODAY, gone tomorrow.

Tonight the Manchester Monarchs get wigged out. It’s Mullet Night, the minor league hockey team’s major celebration of ’70s hockey hair.

Mullet Night creator and Monarchs promotions guru Jon Crabbe announced yesterday that the famed Hanson brothers, the lovable goons from the movie “Slapshot,” will be inducted into the mullet hall of fame at center ice of the Verizon Wireless Arena.

“Long in the back and short in front. It’s not just a hairstyle, it’s a lifestyle,” said Dave Sholow, a Manchester resident and self-proclaimed mullah of the Mullet Hall of Fame.

Last year ESPN hockey analyst and former L.A. Kings coach Barry Melrose was enshrined. Others in the hair hall include pro baseball pitcher Randy Johnson and actor Patrick Swazey, who played a hockey player in the movie “Youngblood.”

Tonight approximately 5,000 mullet wigs will be handed out at the door. Be there early. The visuals are hair raising. Last season the Monarchs warmed up to period rock adorned in mullet wigs. A contest is also being held for best — correction, grand — mullet.

“Devin Tebo is back,” said Monarchs publicist Mike Kalinowski. “The 12-year-old Derry kid will defend his title.”

The Hanson brothers will be available for autographs the ’70s way — free. And for $10 fans can purchase an 8 x10 autographed picture of the bruising bunch or have a picture taken by a Monarchs staffer. Crabbe is asking fans who have a wig from last year’s event to bring it along for others who are less fortunate.

Oh, by the way, the red hot Monarchs are on a 10-game unbeaten streak in regulation and are hosting divisional rival Worcester. Last night there were only single seats remaining. For tickets call 868-7300.

STREAKING: The Monarchs have one regulation loss in their last 14. They are unbeaten in regulation at home in six straight . . . Pavel Rosa, third-leading scorer in the AHL, has a four-game goal streak and at least a point in his last five games . . . Chris Schmidt has a four-game points streak. Schmidt’s assist on a Rosa goal Wednesday night was his 150th point in the AHL . . . In the last 11 games rookie Noah Clarke has eight goals and 11 points.

DID YOU KNOW? The Monarchs are on a three-game win streak. Their last three-game win streak ended Jan. 25. The Monarchs have not won four in a row this season.

MANCHESTER — Undermanned and outgunned, the Springfield Falcons were finally overwhelmed by the healthy Manchester Monarchs.

NOTES: Monarchs all-star defenseman Bryan Muir left the game injured in the first period and did not return. Muir is being evaluated . . . Defenseman Brian Sullivan, brother of Boston Bruins’ coach Mike Sullivan, played his first pro game last night. Brian played this season with UMass-Boston after skating three full seasons with Northeastern . . . Only once in their last 14 games have the Monarchs fallen in regulation . . . The Monarchs ended a three-game winless streak at home, their longest home W drought of the season. They did earn points during that streak.
 

Los Angeles Kings trades at the deadline yesterday had little impact on the Manchester Monarchs.