01/30/05 "This is a recording"... Monarchs lost to Lowell ahhhh-gain... Monarchs 2 Lowell 3
Monarchs goals scored: 1st period... ; 2nd period... Smyth Clarke; 3rd period...
Garon in goal
click here for game details1/31/05 Lowell extends reign over Monarchs
By JOHN HABIB
Staff Sports Writer UNION LEADERMANCHESTER — Another game against Lowell, another loss for the Manchester Monarchs.
Mike Zigomanis tallied a sudden death shootout goal, lifting the Lock Monsters to a 3-2 American Hockey League win over the Monarchs before 9,916 fans at Verizon Wireless Arena.
Manchester (32-9-3-2, 69 points) holds a two-point Atlantic Division lead over Hartford (32-13-1-2), which lost yesterday to Bridgeport, but it's becoming increasingly evident that Lowell has the Monarchs' number this season.
Yesterday's loss marks the first time in Monarchs' history that the locals have lost to one team five straight times. In those five games, Lowell has outscored Manchester, 19-8.
Perhaps the most alarming statistic this season between the two teams is that Manchester is 6-for-53 on the power play (11.3 percent), including 0-for-9 yesterday in 65 minutes of action.
"I don't have an answer for that one," said Manchester coach Bruce Boudreau. "All I know is that we had our chances and we just didn't put the puck in the net."
There were early signs that the Monarchs were going to have a difficult time scoring goals. In the first period, Manchester failed to capitalize on a 5-on-3 power play advantage and a five-minute major penalty when Lowell winger Gordie Dwyer was given a game misconduct for boarding Noah Clarke.
But that chance went by the boards when Manchester managed only one shot on net, resulting in a scoreless first period, despite outshooting Lowell, 9-2, in the first 20 minutes.
Before the period ended (9.8 seconds), referee Justin St. Pierre over-ruled a goal judge's decision, nullifying an apparent goal from Brad Smyth.
"It was a goal," said Smyth afterwards. "The puck crossed the line and got stuck inside the padding. The red light went on and he saw (goal judge) it. It hurts when they take away a goal, especially in your own building."
But there was no controversy on his next shot as Smyth, barreling down the left wing, deposited his 14th season goal at 2:12 of the middle frame for the early Manchester lead.
Later, St. Pierre awarded Clarke a penalty shot after he was hooked from behind on a breakaway. Clarke netted his 14th goal top-shelf past goalie Cam Ward (32 saves), who would have the last laugh in the shootout period.
But lady luck turned its head on Manchester with 14 seconds left in the period when St. Pierre ruled a Lowell power play goal good after Zigomanis' shot trickled past Manchester goalie Mathieu Garon. The Monarchs' netminder (23 saves) argued the puck never crossed the line when the whistle blew.
"It did eventually cross the line and that's what he (St. Pierre) saw it after he blew the whistle," said Garon.
Added Smyth, who was robbed of his first period goal, "I'd like to know how come he (St. Pierre) discussed my goal with the goal judge and didn't with their goal."
Lowell eventually tied the game with a third period shorthand bid by defenseman Allan Rourke at the 9:22 mark.
Manchester, which outshot Lowell, 34-26, couldn't take advantage of three power play attempts in the last frame.
The Monarchs were even given a power play chance in the five-minute overtime, but Dustin Brown's jam-in try banged off the post, sending the game into the shootout.
Perhaps the one shot that summed up Manchester's loss was taken in the shootout by Michael Cammalleri, who beat Ward high, but saw the puck bang off the crossbar.
Each team failed to score on their first five shots before Zigomanis connected, luring Garon across the crease before scoring on the far side. Ward stopped Clarke in close and Lowell skated off with another win over its rivals.
"To come in here, survive nine penalties, was a huge character win for us," said Lowell coach Tom Rowe, who credited his defense's play for the recent success over Manchester.
"There's no secret other than we mark their guys on defense and execute. They have too many horses that can score, but we play it simple and wait for our chances."
1/30/05 AHL All-Star Classic: All ice on Manchester
Staff Report UNION LEADERA little more than a year after Manchester took its quadrennial turn as the center of the political universe, the eyes of the professional hockey world are about to focus on New Hampshire’s largest city.
The main events for the Dodge AHL All-Star Classic — the Sunday, Feb. 13, skills competition and the Feb. 14 All-Star Game, both at the Verizon Wireless Arena — have been sold out for more than a week, with about 6,000 seats for each event purchased by season-ticket holders for the host Manchester Monarchs, about 2,000 more scooped up by other local fans, and the remaining 2,000 or so tickets going to fans, scouts and hockey officials from around the continent. The game is scheduled to be broadcast throughout the United States (via ESPN2) and Canada (by Rogers Sportnet), and the American Hockey League has granted credentials to about 90 media members from the two countries.
Why all the attention? Well, as a showcase for the best prospects playing in pro hockey’s top minor league, the AHL All-Star Game is always a solid draw, providing a sneak preview of the National Hockey League’s stars of tomorrow. Then, too, there’s the matter of the NHL lockout, which has left most of the NHL’s best players the option of playing in Europe or not at all, and has relegated younger players who ordinarily would be performing in hockey’s big time (the Boston Bruins’ Patrice Bergeron, for example) to spending another season in the minors.
In other words, if you want to see the greatest collection of active hockey talent in the world, the place to be and time to be there is Manchester, N.H., Feb. 13-14.
As major events go, that places the All-Star Classic, if not quite on the level of the New Hampshire Primary, at least a notch or two above the NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Northeast Regional, which drew sellout crowds to the Verizon last March 26-27 and received rave reviews from fans and participating teams alike.
“Speaking for our organization, we’re proud to be hosting some of the world’s greatest players,” said the man primarily responsible for bringing the AHL All-Star Classic to Manchester, Monarchs president Jeff Eisenberg. “Our entire staff has worked very hard over the last 16 months to put together a top-rate show and, hopefully, it will be an event that our fans and city will be proud of.”
Marcia Snively, executive director of the Manchester Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, expects those hopes to be met.
“We do this every four years with the primary, welcoming people from all over to Manchester, New Hampshire,” Snively said. “From a public relations perspective, the All-Star Classic is a very nice showcase for Manchester as a sports city and as a destination for sports fans.”
Added Mayor Bob Baines, “It’s a win-win situation for the city of Manchester. The exposure our city will receive from this single event will generate a lot of excitement.”
A good deal of Snively’s and Baines’ confidence and enthusiasm is derived from the track record of the host team, who two years ago, in just their second season, established themselves as the AHL’s top draw. In June of that year, the Monarchs received word from the league that their bid to host the 2005 All-Star Classic had been accepted. They went on to lead all of minor league hockey in attendance last year, and, with crowds averaging 8,876 (and climbing) this season, they’re on pace to lead the AHL in attendance for the third straight year.
Clearly, the bar is set high.
And so, in addition to the skills competition and game, All-Star weekend also includes the only event that hasn’t yet sold out, next Sunday night’s Party Palooza at the Center of New Hampshire Radisson Hotel. (The bash, which will feature appearances by each of the all-stars, displays of the Stanley Cup and Calder Cup, and separate theme rooms with musical performances by Beatles knock-offs Beatlejuice, boogie-woogie maestros Fat City and reggae artists Hot Like Fire.) It also includes an official VIP welcome reception on Sunday and the Hockey Hall of Fame/AHL All-Star Classic Luncheon on Monday.
To gain perspective on what an AHL All-Star Classic entails and formulate strategy for what his organization’s own event would look like, Eisenberg took 10 staffers with him to last year’s All-Star Classic in Grand Rapids, Mich. To ensure every detail and every guest gets the proper attention, the Monarchs augmented their staff with about 25 sports-management students from Southern New Hampshire University whose assignment for their 2004-05 class in facility and event management has centered on working the All-Star Classic.
The Convention Center and Visitors Bureau is using SNHU as a resource, too, enlisting students to keep its Downtown Visitors Center open later than usual on Saturday and for several hours on Sunday, when the center is usually closed.
And while the Monarchs organization — affiliated with and owned by the Los Angeles Kings — has gone to great lengths to ensure that each event is abundantly staffed, the team’s head coach and players have done their part to make sure the hosts are well represented on the ice.
Mike Cammalleri will start at forward for the Canadian squad, opposite Monarchs teammate Dustin Brown, who will start for the Planet USA, a team comprising Americans and Europeans. Monarchs goaltender Mathieu Garon will come off the bench for the Canadians, while defenseman Denis Grebeshkov fills a reserve role for Planet USA.
Manchester forwards Tom Kostopoulos and Yanick Lehoux also were selected to play for the Canadian team, but both are out with injuries.
Awaiting confirmation of his spot on the Planet USA team is Monarchs coach Bruce Boudreau. The AHL Eastern Conference coach with the best winning percentage as of tomorrow gets to head the Planet USA squad, and the Monarchs can wrap up the honor for their coach by beating Lowell today.
“In recent years I can’t find any coach that has had the opportunity to coach an All-Star Classic in his own building,” said Mike Kalinowski, the Monarchs’ director of public relations. “That may be a first.”
01/28/05 Monarchs sink the Pirate Ship AGAIN... Monarchs 4 Portland 1
Monarchs goals scored: 1st period... Giuliano Parros; 2nd period... Brown Cammalleri; 3rd period...
Hauser in goal
click here for game details1/29/05 Monarchs overwhelm Portland overcoming early deficit
By KEVIN PROVENCHER
Staff Sports Writer UNION LEADERMANCHESTER — Appropriately on '80s night in the festive and sold-out Verizon Wireless Arena, the Portland Pirates were a motley crew.
The '80s rock band Motley Crue made a comeback but there wasn't even a peep from the Pirates. Portland led for only 25 seconds as the league-leading Monarchs' Mike Cammalleri, Dustin Brown, George Parros and Jeff Giuliano ticked off four unanswered goals in a 4-1 victory.
Manchester has rocked the Pirates five straight times this season. The victory also secured the AHL PlanetUSA all-star head coaching position for Monarchs coach Bruce Boudreau.
Playing without five forwards, including all-stars Tom Kostopoulos and Yanick Lehoux. and in jeopardy of losing first-place in the Atlantic Division, the Monarchs (32-9-3-1, 68 points) unleashed the scoring wrath that got them the top spot in the first place.
All-Star Game starters Brown and Cammalleri officially stamped it a blowout with second period goals. Brown scored at 3:42, stealing the puck from former Monarch Jared Aulin. Cammalleri's team-leading 29th goal of the season on a power play with 1:08 to go in the second made it 4-1.
"It was lights out at that point," said Portland coach Tim Army.
Pirates goalie Max Ouellet (15-19-3) made his seventh straight start but took a shower in third period. Journeyman Kirk Daubenspeck, who commands a grilled cheese in any Wisconsin restaurant after starring at the U from 1995-'97, made his debut for his 10th different pro team.
Manchester led, 2-1, at the end of the first period. Midway through the period, big Parros popped in the go-ahead goal (and winner) courtesy of a big fat slot rebound of Denis Grebeshkov's left point drive. Nashua's Giuliano knotted the game, 1-1, 25 seconds after the Pirates struck. Keeping it on a 2-on-1, Giuliano fired a left circle shot off Ouellet's glove.
"Demoralizing," said Army of the Monarchs quick counterattack.
"We turned it right back on 'em and got momentum back on our side," said Parros. "That was great."
"When (Portland) scored I thought it might give them life but fortunately we came right back. . . . You play a disciplined game and good things will happen," said Boudreau.
North Dakota product Jason Ulmer, in his first game back from missing 11 with an ankle injury, scored on his first shift. At 6:37 his second backhanded swipe on a wrap-around made it 1-0 Portland.
Manchester's Adam "Brick" Hauser (11-4-0) made 22 saves. The Monarchs completely silenced Portland leading scorer Trent Whitfield. In all, the Pirates have led fewer than four minutes in their five losses to Manchester.
Portland (17-21-3-4 41 points), fighting to stay out of the Atlantic Division cellar, had its two-game win streak stopped.
Notes: Eighth sellout (9,916) of the season for the Monarchs. They host Lowell Sunday at 4:05 p.m. . . . D Joe Rullier was scratched with a knee sprain, the same injury that kept him out Jan. 19. . . . C Cammalleri and RW Brad Smyth have eight-game points streaks. Cammalleri tied a team record with his league-leading 14th power play goal. . . . LW Dustin Brown has points in 10 of his last 11 outings, a three-game points streak. . . . Monarchs broadcaster Ken Cail of Manchester will work his 300th consecutive game Sunday. Only Monarchs equipment manager Mike Holden has equaled that record. . . . Referee Scott Hoberg left the game with a back injury 44 seconds into the second period. Linesman Conrad Hache then worked his second game as a referee in less than a week, but Hoberg returned for the third. . . . The five-game scoring streak of Portland's rookie C Jakub Klepis ran into a road block, while RW Owen Fussey's two-game game-winning goal streak ended.
1/28/05 Two more Monarchs named All-Stars
Staff Report Union LeaderManchester Monarchs left wing Dustin Brown, who spent all last season with the Los Angeles Kings, and Russian defenseman Denis Grebeshkov have been named American Hockey League all-stars.
The pair of second-year pros will play for the PlanetUSA team against the best Canadian-born AHL players on Feb. 13-14 in the Dodge All-Star Classic hosted by the Monarchs in the city's Verizon Wireless Arena.
Brown, 20, from Ithaca, N.Y., will be a starter for PlanetUSA after a vote of the fans. Brown is the fourth-leading scorer for the Monarchs with 19 goals and 26 assists in 44 games. Bypassing college and playing Canadian junior hockey, in 2003 Brown was the Los Angeles Kings' first-round (13th overall) pick.
Grebeshkov, 21, hails from Yaroslavl, Russia, and was another Kings first-round pic. In 2002 the Kings chose the defenseman 18th overall. He leads all Monarchs defensemen in scoring with four goals and 25 assists. His assist total is second-best in the league.
In all, six Monarchs were chosen for the all-star game. Center Mike Cammalleri, the Monarchs leading scorer, was also voted a starter for the Canadians by the fans. Forwards Tom Kostopoulos and Yanick Lehoux are both injured and will not play in the all-star game. Mathieu Garon will play in goal for the Canadians.
The Monarchs, narrowly leading the league, led all teams with six all-star selections. The head coach of the PlanetUSA team will come from the team with the best winning percentage on Monday, Jan. 31. Before that deadline the Monarchs have two games. Tonight they host the Portland Pirates at 7:35, and Sunday they host the Lowell Lock Monsters at 4:05 p.m. Monarchs coach Bruce Boudreau has never coached the AHL all-stars.
01/26/05 Monarchs lost another to Lowell... Monarchs 2 Lock Monsters 5
Monarchs goals scored: 1st period... ; 2nd period... Grebeshkov; 3rd period... Grebeshkov
Garon in goal
click here for game details1/27/05 Lock Monsters have Monarchs' number
By KEVIN PROVENCHER
Staff Sports WriterLOWELL, Mass. — The mystery of the Lock Monsters remains unsolved.
Craig MacDonald, Mike Zigomanis and Danny Richmond scored second period goals for all Lowell needed in a 5-2 victory over the Manchester Monarchs before 3,127 last night in Tsongas Arena.
The Lock Monsters have beaten the league-leading Monarchs four times this season — the only team to do so. Last night they did it with a whirlwind five different scorers and rookie goalie Cam Ward, the Carolina Hurricanes' first-round pick (25th overall) in 2002. Ward made 27 solid saves.
Lowell (25-11-1-3, 54 points) has won eight of its last nine, climbing to third in the Atlantic Division behind the Monarchs and Hartford Wolf Pack.
Russian 21-year-old defenseman Denis Grebeshkov scored twice for the Monarchs (31-9-3-1, 66 points), who have managed to produce valuable points in five of their last seven.
Grebeshkov kept the Monarchs within striking distance with his second goal of the game less than three minutes after Lowell's Colin Forbes had put up what looked to be an insurmountable 4-1 cushion. Forbes jammed home his 20th goal of the season on defenseless all-star goalie Mathieu Garon 51 seconds into the third period.
The score would have been much wider if not for Garon's 39 saves. Lowell's Chad Larose put the game away on an empty net with 1:52 to play.
Lowell held a 3-1 lead after two periods. The Lock Monsters hustled for the last two goals of the second. Defenseman Richmond took a wide-open pot shot from the left point that bounced off a Monarch tumbling over Garon with one minute to go in the second. Zigomanis made it 2-1 Lock Monsters by finishing the perfect little center of Ryan Bayda during a five-on-three advantage midway through the second period.
Before that it was a stingy, rugged game.
Only 2:08 after the Lock Monsters had jumped on the scoreboard first, Grebeshkov's drive into traffic in front banked its way home, knotting it 1-1. Just 2:47 into the second period, former Harvard left wing MacDonald stood alone in front redirecting Carsen Germyn's toss-in from the left point for the Lock Monsters' short-lived 1-0 lead. No lockout leftover, MacDonald, a seventh-year pro, spent more than a third of the NHL season last year with the Florida Panthers and another 18 games with the Boston Bruins.
In the scoreless opening period, the Monarchs were stoned on three power plays, extending their drought to 0-for-25 on the man advantage against the Lock Monsters.
Friday, the Monarchs host the Portland Pirates at 7:35 p.m. and Sunday they host these Lock Monsters at 4:05 p.m.
1/27/05 Four Monarchs named all-stars
By KEVIN PROVENCHER
Staff Sports Writer UNION LEADERLOWELL, Mass. — The top three scorers for the Manchester Monarchs — Mike Cammalleri, Yanick Lehoux and Tom Kostopoulos — have been named to the Canadian team for the upcoming Dodge AHL All-Star Classic.
Also selected was the Monarchs goaltender Mathieu Garon, who spent all last season with the Montreal Canadiens and likely would have spent all this season with the Los Angeles Kings had there not been a lockout.
The sold-out event will be hosted by the Monarchs in the Queen City's Verizon Wireless Arena on Monday, Feb. 14. It will be broadcast by ESPN2 with coverage starting at 7 p.m.
Lehoux is out for the remainder of the season after knee surgery and Kostopoulos is out with an abdomen injury and will not play in the all-star game either. The AHL will add two Canadian-born players next week.
Cammalleri, 22, from Richmond, Ontario, is second in the league in scoring and was selected via fan voting. He will be a starter in his first pro all-star game.
Garon, 27, from Chandler, Quebec, is tied for third in the AHL in wins with 21 and shares the league lead with five shutouts. Surprisingly, he is a first-time AHL all-star despite having led the Hamilton Bulldogs to the Calder Cup finals two seasons ago.
Eight first-round NHL picks have been named to the Canadian all-star team, led by league-leading scorer Binghamton's Jason Spezza, Lowell's Eric Staal, San Antonio's Jay Bouwmeester, Cincinnati's Joffrey Lupul, Manitoba's Nolan Baumgartner, Milwaukee's Dan Hamhuis, Portland's Steve Eminger and Lowell's Chuck Kobasew. Kobasew is a former Boston College star.
The PlanetUSA all-star squad comprised of U.S.-born and European players will be named today. Monarchs forward Dustin Brown is expected to be named to that team.
Other Canadian stars included the Boston Bruins' Patrice Bergeron (Providence), the Tampa Bay Lightning's Eric Perrin (Hershey), the Toronto Maple Leafs' Kyle Wellwood (St. John's) and last year's AHL MVP, New York Rangers goaltending prospect Jason Barbera (Hartford).
2005 CANADIAN AHL ALL-STAR TEAM
Forwards : Patrice Bergeron, Providence; x-Mike Cammalleri, Manchester; Simon Gamache, Milwaukee; Jason King, Manitoba; Chuck Kobasew, Lowell; Tom Kostopoulos, Manchester (inj.); Yanick Lehoux, Manchester (inj.); Joffrey Lupul, Cincinnati; x-Michel Ouellet, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton; Eric Perrin, Hershey; Patrick Sharp, Philadelphia; Jason Spezza, Binghamton; Eric Staal, Lowell; Kyle Wellwood, St. John's; Defensemen: Nolan Baumgartner, Manitoba; Jay Bouwmeester, San Antonio; Steve Eminger, Portland; Dan Hamhuis, Milwaukee; x-Lawrence Nycholat, Hartford; Travis Roche, Chicago; Brad Tiley, Milwaukee; x-Dennis Wideman, Worcester; Goaltenders: Mathieu Garon, Manchester; x-Jason LaBarbera, Hartford; Joey MacDonald, Grand Rapids; Head Coach: Claude Noel, Milwaukee; Assistant Coach: Todd Richards, Milwaukee x - starters
1/26/05 Boudreau nears All-Star honor
By KEVIN PROVENCHER
Staff Sports Writer UNION LEADERTHE COUNTDOWN, or rather count-up, is on for Monarchs coach Bruce Boudreau to become the AHL's Planet USA All-Star coach for the Feb. 13-14 event in Manchester.
Boudreau holds the best winning percentage of all coaches in the league entering tonight's tough contest at Lowell (7 p.m.). The coach with the best winning percentage as of Jan. 31 will win all-star coach honors.
But this little task won't be easy for Boudreau. Lowell has handed Manchester three straight losses and the Lock Monsters are the only team to have beaten the Monarchs three times.
Boudreau's percentage is .767 and his closest rival is the Hartford Wolf Pack's second-year coach, Ryan McGill, with a .716 win percentage.
In six years as an AHL head coach, Boudreau has never won the honor. The Monarchs have three games left before that deadline. Friday the Monarchs host the Portland Pirates at 7:35 p.m. and Lowell is in the Queen City on Sunday at 4:05 p.m.
MAKE-UP DATE: Wednesday, Feb. 23, is the make-up date for this past Sunday's game that was snowed-out in Worcester, Mass. The Monarchs will face the IceCats in the DCU Center starting at 7:05 p.m.
SOLD OUT: The Feb. 13-14 Dodge AHL All-Star Classic in the Verizon Wireless Arena is sold out.
There are tickets remaining for the AHL All-Star Party Palooza on Sunday, Feb. 13, after the 7:05 p.m. skills competition. You can expect to see the all-stars at the party along with three bands, Beatle Juice, The Fat City Band and Hot Like Fire. It will be held at the Radisson Center of New Hampshire hotel on Elm Street, near the arena. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster at 868-7300. The arena box office opens at 10 a.m. daily.
FRIDAY TICKETS: Speaking of sellouts, Friday night's game against the Portland Pirates is moving toward a sellout. Yesterday there were 60 seats left in the lower bowl and 900 seats in the upper deck.
Kevin Provencher covers the Manchester Monarchs for The Union Leader and New Hampshire Sunday News. His e-mail address is kprovencher@theunionleader.com
1/26/05 Players step up in face of injuries
By BRUCE BOUDREAU
Special to The Union LeaderWE CONTINUE to adjust to life without center Yanick Lehoux, who was sidelined with a season-ending knee injury on Jan. 14.
With a healthy Lehoux in our lineup, we're more of a run-and-gun team, especially on home ice at the Verizon Wireless Arena. Now that we don't have Lehoux's playmaking abilities in the lineup, we need to continue to focus more on the defensive side of the game.
Now also is not the time to get down or upset because an all-star caliber player like Lehoux is gone. You can bet the Hartford Wolf Pack and the Lowell Lock Monsters aren't feeling sorry for us.
You hate to see injuries but you quickly realize that they are a part of the game. Every team deals with adversity during the course of the season. The great teams overcome.
Oftentimes, when a key player like Lehoux goes down, other players step up their games to make up for the loss. That seems to be the case with our team lately. Since Lehoux's injury, we've allowed the opposition just eight goals over five games while posting four wins. The Binghamton Senators accounted for four of those goals when they beat us, 4-1, in upstate New York on Friday night.
We bounced back nicely the following night against the Albany River Rats, winning by a score of 6-2 at the Pepsi Arena. I was especially pleased with the way our secondary scorers stepped up and contributed in that game.
Players like Petr Kanko, David Steckel and George Parros have consistently given us solid defensive play this season, but we need more. We need them to work as hard to get chances in the offensive zone as they work to defend others in the defensive zone. They did that on Saturday night.
On Sunday night, our contest with the Worcester IceCats was postponed because of inclement weather and safety concerns. We actually learned about the postponement shortly after our game with the River Rats, so instead of packing the bus and traveling to Worcester, we stayed in Albany and waited out the storm. We traveled back to Manchester the next day.
Hubie McDonough, our director of hockey operations, worked with the IceCats and our coaching staff to find a suitable make-up date for the game. Yesterday we announced with the IceCats that the Worcester game will be made up on Wednesday, Feb. 23, at 7:05 p.m. at the DCU Center.
We're just a few weeks away from experiencing the thrill of hosting the 2005 Dodge AHL All-Star Classic here in Manchester. Later today, the Canadian AHL All-Star team will be announced, and on Thursday, the PlanetUSA AHL All-Star team, a team made up of players born outside of Canada, will be named.
Both teams will compete against each other in the AHL All-Star Skills Competition, scheduled for 7:05 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 13, and the AHL All-Star Game, scheduled for 7:05 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 14.
Last year, we had four players represent our team at the 2004 Pepsi AHL All-Star Classic in Grand Rapids, Mich. It's my guess that we'll have at least that many players representing Manchester when the teams are revealed today and tomorrow.
Let me close by congratulating our great fans who continue to come out in huge numbers to support our team on a nightly basis. Because of their great support, we officially announced yesterday that the 2005 Dodge AHL All-Star Classic is sold out.
Soon the rest of the hockey world will understand what we already know to be true: The state of New Hampshire loves its hockey.
1/24/05 Monarchs take delays in stride
By JOHN HABIB
Staff Sports Writer Union LeaderBruce Boudreau said his team received a huge assist from its director of hockey operations Saturday.
"You've got to give Hubie McDonough credit. He got us rooms to stay overnight in Albany," said Boudreau, head coach of the Manchester Monarchs, who had an eventful day in New York.
On Saturday night, while the Monarchs were skating against the host River Rats at Pepsi Arena, McDonough was monitoring the situation involving his team's travel plans.
A snowstorm had immobilized the region and, with the team scheduled to play a night game Sunday in Worcester, Mass., McDonough was in constant contact with the IceCats, Boudreau said
Word finally came down from the league and the IceCats that night that yesterday's game would be postponed because of the inclement weather.
"Hubie had booked us rooms in Albany ahead of time and he kept them knowing we might need them," said Boudreau. "He also had rooms for us in Worcester, but there was no way we could get out of Albany Saturday night. The roads were closed because of the heavy snow. By the time the game ended, we were in a snowstorm and snowed in."
The Monarchs defeated the River Rats, 6-2, behind a 31-save performance from goalie Mathieu Garon, who notched his 21st win of the season. After the game, they remained in Albany for the night.
The Monarchs finally departed Albany at 10 a.m. yesterday and arrived in the Queen City around 2 p.m.
"We could have made it to Worcester (yesterday), but the IceCats were concerned about safety for their fans attending the game," said Boudreau. "All in all, we got a good night's sleep and Hubie deserves credit for staying on top of the situation."
On Saturday, the Monarchs (31-8-3-1, 66 points), owners of the best record in the American Hockey League, matched a season high for goals in a period with four in the first 20 minutes.
"The biggest thing I liked about the win in Albany was that we had scoring from different people," said Boudreau. Dustin Brown, Jeff Miles, George Parros and Petr Kanko all scored in the first period for Manchester.
Mike Cammalleri, the team's leading scorer with 61 points, tallied his league-leading 28th goal in the third period for a 5-2 cushion. Dave Steckel closed out the scoring parade for the final 6-2 margin.
"That's the way we're going to continue to win, with balanced scoring," said Boudreau.
1/22/05 Monarchs EXTERMINATE the Albany River Rats... Monarchs 6 River Rats 2
Monarchs goals scored: 1st period... Brown Miles Parros Kanko; 2nd period... ; 3rd period... Cammalleri Steckel
Garon in goal
click here for game details1/23/05 Monarchs skate past River Rats
Special to the Sunday News UNION LEADERALBANY, N.Y. — Six different players had goals as the Manchester Monarchs defeated the Albany River Rats 6-2 in the American Hockey League last night.
Goaltender Mathieu Garon finished with 31 saves and his 21st win of the season to backstop the Monarchs victory before 4,002 fans at the Pepsi Arena.
Mike Cammalleri, George Parros and Jeff Miles had a goal and an assist apiece for Manchester, which led 4-0 after one period and wound up being outshot, 33-30.
Left wing Dustin Brown, center Miles, right wing Parros and right wing Petr Kanko all had first-period goals as the Monarchs matched a season high for goals in a period.
Brown opened the scoring with his 19th goal of the season, registered at 6:05. Brown slipped his shot by goaltender Ari Ahonen (30 shots, 24 saves) a split second after Parros stole the puck at center ice. Parros had the only assist on the play.
Miles made it 2-0 Monarchs with his first career AHL goal, scored on a rebound at 14:35 of the period. Defenseman Denis Grebeshkov and left wing Chris Schmidt shared assists on the goal.
Miles was skating in his third game with the Monarchs. He was recalled from the Monarchs ECHL affiliate, the Reading Royals, on Tuesday.
Parros and Kanko struck for goals just 60 seconds apart in the closing moments of the period to make it 4-0. Parros redirected a slap shot from defenseman Joe Rullier into the Albany net at 17:19, and Kanko stuffed a feed from right wing Dan Welch past Ahonen at 18:19.
Cammalleri, the Monarchs leading scorer (28-33—61), collected the second assist on Parros’ fourth goal of the season. Welch had the only assist on Kanko’s fourth goal of the season.
Albany cut the deficit to two goals while outshooting the Monarchs 18-9 in a wild second period that included several outstanding saves by Garon (33 shots, 31 saves).
NHL veteran left wing Dean McAmmond had a goal and an assist in the period, and he made it a 4-1 contest with a shorthanded goal at 4:50. Left wing Ilkka Pikkarainen and defenseman Alex Brooks each assisted on McAmmond’s ninth goal of the season.
With the win, their fifth in six games, the Monarchs improved to 31-8-3-1 and 66 points on the season. The Monarchs, who hold the best record in the 28-team American Hockey League, lead the second place Hartford Wolf pack by three points in the Atlantic Division.
Dean McAmmond scored short-handed and set up Ahren Nittel for a power-play goal six minutes apart in the second period for Albany.
The River Rats, who have lost four straight and 14 of 15, remained in seventh place in the AHL’s East Division with a record of 10-23-4-5 and 29 points. (10-23-4-5)
Ari Ahonen, who allowed four goals on 13 shots in the first period, stopped 24 shots on the night.
