10/10/03 Manchester looking big and bruising
By KEVIN PROVENCHER
Union Leader Staff Sports WriterMANCHESTER — Heard of the Broad Street Bullies? Remember the big, bad Bruins?
Minor league hockey’s Kings of Crunch, the Manchester Monarchs, march into the Verizon Wireless Arena tonight at 7:35 on a mission, opening their third season by facing the Worcester IceCats. Yesterday there were fewer than 500 tickets remaining for tonight’s game.
“This year’s a new year, but there’s some unfinished business after last season. I still have a sour taste in my mouth from the way we ended last season,” said rugged defenseman Joe Rullier of a rather embarrassing early exit via a sweep from the postseason last season.
The Monarchs are bigger and stronger than they were a year ago. Newcomers including veteran 6-foot-4, 215-pound defenseman Bryan Muir of University of New Hampshire fame, rookie cornerman George Parros at 6-foot-5, 232 pounds, and hard-hitting veteran right wing John Tripp at 6-foot-3, 223 pounds, join a cast of bruising big defensive-minded hitters.
Also back for his second season in Manchester is the police chief Ryan Flinn at 6-foot-5, 248 pounds. Then there’s the hit parade of 6-foot-3, 212-pound Chris Schmidt and 6-foot-2, 200-pounder Jerred Smithson.
“Defense comes first. I’ve been preaching that every year,” said Monarchs coach Bruce Boudreau. “You play with the talent you have. We’ve got better defensive players, or more defensive players than we have offensive players right at this moment. So we’re going to play to our strength.
“We’re big. If you look at Chris Schmidt, George Parros, John Tripp, Bryan Muir, and Ryan Flinn, they’re all big guys so you have to play to your strength,” Boudreau said. “We’re just going to be bigger and stronger.”
With four defenseman back from last year including all-star Tomas Zizka and a new goalie — Milan Hnilicka — with 119 NHL games, the Monarchs strength will be defense. Hnilicka will start tonight. Boudreau said he is undecided on who will start Saturday night against the vastly improved Lowell Lock Monsters. The other new Monarchs goaltender is 23-year-old Mathieu Chouinard, a past first-round draft choice of the Ottawa Senators. The talent of both has Monarchs players already piping that the pair may represent one of the best one-two backstops in the league.
“I think our goaltenders are going to be the best in the league. We’re really strong defensively,” added Rullier. “Richard Seeley and Tomas Zizka, it’s our turn now to take the lead and that’s what I’m going to do.”
“I think Zizka has grown and grown from his first year ‘til now,” said Boudreau. “I think he’s going to be a very good player. I see the growth in Joe Rullier and it’s been extraordinary from his first year to this year. Those guys are important guys.
“If I’m predicting a big year I think Steve Kelly and Pavel Rosa are going to have very good offensive years,” added Boudreau of his leading returning scorers. And when it comes to hitting everything that moves, Boudreau’s first line center Kelly is no choirboy. He has flown in for the pre-season after getting bumped from Los Angeles after the Kings acquired veterans Luc Robitaille and Jozef Stumpel.
This week in practice former Colorado College leading scorer Noah Clarke, who was the third overall scorer in the NCAA last season, skated on a powerful first line with Kelly and Tripp. Chris Schmidt and either second-year pro Yanick Lehoux or Rosa can anchor a second line, with a multitude of possibilities for Boudreau on the third and fourth lines. Lehoux has a had a strong pre-season in Manchester’s three games. He has shown the streaking breakaway potential that he had as a junior in the Quebec League.
Boudreau sees the IceCats as one of the most formidable teams in the New England-centered Atlantic Division. The IceCats welcome back leading scorer John Pohl, who scored 26 goals as a rookie last season out of Minnesota. Pohl averaged a point a game in 58 AHL outings.
10/09/03 Tripp brings power at forward to Monarchs
By KEVIN PROVENCHER
Staff Sports WriterMANCHESTER — What a long strange “Tripp” it’s been.
Entering his seventh season of professional hockey, 26-year-old John Tripp is playing with his 11th different team. He hopes his new home with the Manchester Monarchs performing in front of the largest crowds in the American Hockey League will serve notice of his scoring and hitting abilities.
This could be Tripp’s ticket to the NHL.
Tripp is a 6-foot-3, 223-pound power forward, who grew up a couple houses away from former Monarchs enforcer Kip Brennan in the Toronto suburb of Kingston, Ontario. Tripp played for the famed Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League, the junior team of Hall of Famer Bobby Orr.
“When they asked me about (Tripp) this summer, all I remembered was when we played him in Hartford he was a force,” said Monarchs coach Bruce Boudreau. “He hit everything and he hit hard. He was a force, very strong on the puck.”
A third round draft choice of the Colorado Avalanche in 1995 with all the tools, Tripp made a rather unremarkable AHL debut, scoring just once in 61 games in his rookie season with the Saint John Flames in 1997-98. Then a serious knee injury sidelined him for nearly all of the 1998-99 season. After potting only nine goals in 92 games over two seasons with Saint John, Tripp crash-landed in the East Coast Hockey League’s gray, coal-filled hills of Johnstown, Pa.
Johnstown may be memorable as the centerpiece of the cult hockey movie “Slapshot,” but it was a forgettable stop in Tripp’s travels. The Flames rescued him in the middle of a creditable second partial season in Johnstown in 2000. But Saint John’s interest died out.
For the 2000-01 season he tried out for the Providence Bruins to no avail. He started with the AHL’s Hershey Bears but was quickly relegated to the ECHL’s Pensacola Pilots. He landed a deal with the Houston Aeros of the now-defunct International Hockey League, but was bought out after 15 games with no goals. He moved to the IHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. No goals in 12 games there.
Tripp ended 2000-01 with 19 goals in 68 games with four different teams in three different leagues.
His point-a-game season a year later back in sunny Pensacola, Fla., shed new light on his career. Then-Hartford Wolf Pack coach John Paddock and general manager Al Coates rewarded Tripp with an AHL opportunity late in the season. Tripp was a secret weapon in helping the Wolf Pack oust the Monarchs in a first-round playoff series. His gritty, relentless work ethic was not lost on the Los Angeles Kings scouts in attendance.
Still, the sport’s agents would not touch him. They felt he was washed up.
“I did my own one-way deal with Hartford last year, then I did my own deal with the New York Rangers,” he said. “I couldn’t get an agent. They didn’t want me. Seriously. I tried two or three agents and they said, ‘You gotta help yourself before I can help you.’
“I was like, ‘Well, I’m going to New York to help myself,’” he laughed.
Tripp made the most of his 23-game Wolf Pack debut and produced a career-best year last season with 29 goals and 21 assists in 57 games. He jumped out early as the leading scorer in the AHL and was promptly called up by the New York Rangers where he played nine games — the only NHL games of his career.
“Hockey Night in Canada” televised a feature on his hockey journey.
“About how many moves I’ve done in hockey,” laughed Tripp, but he would much rather his moves come around NHL defenseman.
“Rangers? They don’t want me,” he said. “Somebody didn’t like me. Who knows? They didn’t want me. That’s it. That’s why I’m here.”
“Since he’s gotten here he’s been a model citizen,” said Boudreau. “Works hard. Gets along with the guys. Takes direction well and he looks like he’s going to be a very good fit for our team.”
Tripp is prepared to lead the Monarchs and will likely play on the first line with veteran Steve Kelly and rookie Noah Clarke tomorrow night in the opener against the Worcester Ice Cats.
Tripp still has everything to prove.
“It’s not very often you find a guy his size that has a good touch,” said Boudreau. “He’s one of our top six forwards. If he has to fight, he’ll fight. But he’s a guy who’s a grinding scorer. He’s a power forward . He scored 29 goals in 57 games. That’s over a 40-goal season.”
In the last two seasons Tripp feels he has “bloomed” as a pro.
“I’m a late bloomer,” he smiled. And Tripp knows the long road. He’s realistic.
“You always have to prove yourself, no matter who you are. That’s what the game’s about. Every year, you have to have a good year.”
Tripp came in for some ribbing around the Monarchs locker room when earlier this week Boudreau said he hopes Tripp is not a “one year wonder.”
“So here I am now. I’m a one-hit wonder,” joked Tripp. “That’s it. That’s the tour of Tripp.”
Hit and shoot. Play hard, work hard. Hockey life according to the well-traveled Tripp.
Sounds like ingredients for a trip to the National Hockey League. The hard part has been making his way past all the detours.
10/08/03 Ready for opening homestand
By BRUCE BOUDREAU
Special to The Union Leader
Even though we’ve been in training camp for two weeks, yesterday’s practice had a different feel to it.We released 11 players after Sunday’s exhibition game in Salem and replaced them with several players coming off strong training camp performances in Los Angeles with the Kings.
From a coaching standpoint, the start of training camp is always exciting because you enter into it hoping to be surprised by the talent level of the players in for a tryout. It’s fun to see the players come together in such a short amount of time.
But after awhile, you want your team.
Yesterday our core players were back on the Verizon Wireless Arena ice, moving the puck faster and skating harder than their predecessors. We had four completely different lines, three new defensive parings and a new goaltender.
The Kings set their NHL roster yesterday, which means for the first time since training camp started nearly one month ago in L.A., we in Manchester know who we will be going to battle with on Friday night (7:30) against the Worcester IceCats.
Unfortunately, it’s a different season but the same story for the Kings. They will open their season at Detroit tomorrow without five key players.
Center Jason Allison and right wing Adam Deadmarsh are still dealing with the aftereffects of concussions suffered last season. Defensemen Aaron Miller and Brad Norton are also on the shelf after being injured during training camp.
The Kings are also still trying to get Maxim Kuznetsov into the country. The defenseman’s visa problems have kept him in Russia and away from Kings training camp.
Winning three home games to open the season is easier said than done. We will be hosting three strong teams, starting with the IceCats.
Worcester always fields a strong team. They have great talent and should be considered among the favorites to win the Atlantic Division.
The Lowell Lock Monsters, our Saturday opponent (7:35 p.m.), will be vastly different than last year. This season they field the 10 best players from both the Carolina Hurricanes and the Calgary Flames organizations, thanks to a new dual affiliation.
I still believe Ron Smith is one of the best coaches in the AHL, and I know several players are back from last year’s club. You can bet they remember their record against the Monarchs. They’ll be out for revenge.
We’ll close the three-game homestand by hosting the Portland Pirates on Wednesday, Oct. 15 (7:05 p.m.). We saw the Pirates twice during the exhibition season. They have experienced forwards like Scott Pellerin and Colin Forbes, and two elite goaltenders in Maxime Ouellet and Rastislav Stana.
Our hockey department is working hard to get ready for the season. We have three days to prepare for opening night, and you can bet that we’ll be jacked when Friday night arrives.
It’s the same story down the hall with team president Jeff Eisenberg and his staff. Over the last several weeks they’ve been putting in the extra hours necessary to make sure that Monarchs fans attending our game on Friday night will be entertained. Their hard work and the thousands of fans who fill Verizon Wireless Arena motivate us in the hockey department.
On Friday night, the grueling marathon that is the AHL begins. I’m confident that we have a strong team and a strong supporting staff, and I’m excited about this team.
Worrying about line combinations, defensive pairings and injuries can keep you up at night. But there is nothing more thrilling for me than opening night at Verizon Wireless Arena.
10/07/03 Here's some News tidbits from the Los Angeles Kings Area....
Projected goalie rotation
Cechmanek will play 60 to 65 games, Cristobal Huet will start the others
Projected defensive pairings
Modry-Visnovsky
Norstrom-Corvo
Miller-Gleason/Holland
Projected lines
Frolov-Stumpel-Palffy
Robitaille-Armstrong-Klatt
Avery-Belanger-Laperriere
Sim/Brennan-Chartrand-Pirnes/Brown
Projected Enforcer
Brennan was chosen over Flinn as the Kings' team enforcer
but will play only if Murray thinks the team needs more grit against a certain opponent.Rookie Keepers For Now
Allison and Deadmarsh are still out with injuries, so that opened up 2 spots on the Kings' 4th unit.
Rookie Esa Pirnes, a 26-year-old will start at center
and Rookie Dustin Brown, a 18-year-old will start at right wing
10/06/03 Monarchs prepare for season opener
By KEVIN PROVENCHER
Union Leader Staff Sports WriterA 0-3 preseason has proven that the Manchester Monarchs cannot win on any type of regular basis with a lineup comprised largely of players from the East Coast Hockey League.
But it has also revealed that the Los Angeles Kings organization is deep with eager talent and many of those East Coast players who spent this past week in American Hockey League digs will at some point this season contribute to a Monarchs team that has expectations of a strong march to the post-season for the third straight year.
Manchester closed its three-game exhibition season losing yesterday to the AHL veteran-filled Portland Pirates, 3-0, in the Salem ICEnter. There were just five players in yesterday’s Monarchs lineup who played more than 20 games with the AHL club last season.
“We didn’t want to go without a win,” said Monarchs coach Bruce Boudreau. “We didn’t score enough goals and our special teams aren’t where they should be ... The guys that have been here have worked really hard. The East Coast League guys have done a really good job of working hard. We will see some of these guys back in a Monarchs uniform, there’s no doubt in my mind.”
The Monarchs cut 11 players yesterday. Defenseman going to Reading, Pa., of the ECHL include Chris Barr, Jason Maleyko and Mat Snesrud. Forwards bound for Reading, Pa., were Brad Church, Kenty Davyduke and Chris Heisten. Goaltender Adam Hauser out of Minnesota was sent to Reading. Defenseman Austin Miller, forwards Jeff Hutchins, Travis Lisabeth and Judd Medak were released and likely all will play for Mississippi of the ECHL.
In preparing for the Monarchs home opener on Friday night against the Worcester Ice Cats at 7 p.m. in the Verizon Wireless Arena, the Kings sent six players to Manchester Saturday night. They were not in yesterday’s lineup.
Czech goalie Milan Hnilicka was the odd-man out in the Kings back-up goalie battle with Cristobal Huet. Hnilicka is expected to arrive in the Queen City today and skate in tomorrow morning’s practice. The Monarchs have the day off today. Hnilicka had a 4-13-1 record in 21 games for the Atlanta Thrashers with a 3.56 goals against average. Left wing Ryan Flinn, center Jerred Smithson, and defensemen Bryan Muir (a former UNH Wildcat), Tomas Zizka and first-round draft pick Denis Grebeshkov were also sent to Manchester. Zizka had 13 goals and 30 assists in 61 games for the Monarchs last season. He had three assists in 10 games for the Kings. Smithson had four goals and 21 assists last year in Manchester.
Yesterday, goalie Mathieu Chouinard, a Kings signee and a 1998 first round draft pick of the Ottawa Senators, played the last two periods after Hauser (7 saves) started. Chouinard (15 saves) gave up all three tallies. Portland’s Ivan Ciernik had a pair of goals.
“We had nine goals scored against us in three games,” said Boudreau, “and six of them were on the power play . . . Basically we went with (defense) six first-year guys. It’s tough because we played a Portland team that dressed everybody.”
Saturday night Davyduke erased a two-goal deficit in a span of two minutes, but a late goal by Bridgeport’s Kevin Colley gave the Sound Tigers a 3-2 victory in Ridgefield, Conn. Bridgeport swept the Monarchs in a first-round playoff series last season. Martin Chabada and Eric Manlow had the other Sound Tiger goals. Chouinard (16 saves) and former Cornell netminder Matt Underhill (16 saves) split time in the Manchester goal. Yesterday’s cuts leave Chouinard and Underhill battling for the back-up spot in the Manchester goal.
I see a dirty 4 letter word that the Monarchs better get rid of Quick !
L.O.S.E.Monarchs Lose Sunday's Exhibition Game # 3 to Portland Pirates (3 - 0)
Monarchs Lose Exhibition Game # 2 to Bridgeport Sound Tigers (3 - 2)
Monarchs Lose Exhibition Game # 1 to Portland Pirates(3 - 2)
King's Rookies Lose Exhibition Game to Anaheim Mighty Ducks Rookies(3 - 0)
10/03/03 City’s still wild for its hockey team
By KEVIN PROVENCHER
Union Leader SportsMANCHESTER — The honeymoon is far from over when it comes to the Queen City’s love affair with their Manchester Monarchs.
Yesterday there were less than 1,000 tickets remaining for the third-year franchise’s American Hockey League opener in Verizon Wireless Arena next Friday night with the Worcester Ice Cats. There are single seats only in the lower bowl.
“There’s a perception that we’re all sold out, so we want people to know that there are still good tickets available,” said Monarchs president Jeff Eisenberg.
And for next Saturday’s game against arch-rival Lowell there are about 2,200 tickets remaining, again only single seats in the lower bowl.
The “sold out” perception — perhaps a good problem to have — stems from the Monarchs having led the AHL in attendance last season, averaging 8,986 per game with a franchise-record 21 sellouts in 40 games. At the outset that trend looks like it will continue this season.
TODAY’S WAIVER DRAFT: Because of their current depth at forward the Los Angeles Kings have left Monarchs leading returning assist man Steve Kelly unprotected in tomorrow’s NHL waiver draft. Each team is allowed to protect 20 players.
Kelly is one of the better NHL-ready available forwards around the league and is the only Monarch to have won a Stanley Cup. If taken by another team, that team would have to keep Kelly in the NHL for a minimum of 30 days and if he is sent back to the AHL, the Kings would have first rights to reclaim him.
Not many players are claimed in this yearly pre-season draft because when one player is taken another from the 20-man protected list must be placed into the unprotected pool by the team that chose an unprotected player.
But, Kelly was hopeful that it might present itself as another avenue for him to find a permanent home in the NHL.
“They’re saying here I might get taken. There’s usually not too many guys who move. It’s (the) beginning of the year and teams are loaded, but you never I know, I guess,” said Kelly. “Tough to say.”
“I think Steve is a really good player,” said Monarchs coach Bruce Boudreau, “so it wouldn’t surprise me. For him it would be great.”
Another in the Kings organization available in the waiver draft is new goaltender Milan Hnilicka, who is still battling Cristobal Huet for the backup spot in Los Angeles. Huet is protected. Defensemen Joe Rullier and Richard Seeley, along with forwards Pavel Rosa, Jon Sim and John Tripp are also available. Rosa is the Monarchs leading returning scorer with Kelly. Both had 63 points last season.
Notables around the league available include Boston’s Ted Donato and goaltender Steve Shields, Carolina goalie Arturs Irbe, Detroit goalie Curtis Joseph and their AHL all-star goalie Marc Lamothe along with former UNH forward Mark Mowers, Florida forward and former Monarch Jaroslav Bednar and goaltender Travis Scott, Islanders forward and former UNH Wildcat Derek Bekar, injured N.Y. Rangers forward Pavel Bure. Los Angeles picks 13th in every round. The waiver draft lasts until all 30 teams have passed in one round.
ON THE DEFENSIVE: One place where the Kings suddenly are not so deep is on defense. Wednesday they learned that Brad Norton will be out three months. Tomas Zizka and rookie Denis Grebeshkov have been sidelined with injuries the entire Kings training camp. So for now veterans Jason Holland and Bryan Muir, along with rookie Tim Gleason, are staying in Los Angeles. Rullier and Richard Seeley are the top Kings blue liners in Manchester. Fortunately for the Monarchs, rookie Francis Nault looks good, while Doug Nolan and Mat Snesrud are playing well enough to start the season in the AHL.
RELEASED: The Monarchs released Lake Superior State goaltender Terry Denike and defenseman John Insana yesterday. Both are earmarked for Reading (Pa.) of the East Coast Hockey League.
INJURY REPORT: The rugged Rullier is nursing a sore hand from an NHL exhibition game fisticuff with Colorado’s Jim Cummings. Forward Schmidt is skating and patiently recovering from a groin injury suffered in L.A.
Rookie defenseman Nault got stitches on his chin and tongue for cuts opened up when he was viciously struck from behind in front of the Portland Pirates goal Wednesday night in Biddeford, Maine. Nault’s face hit the crossbar as he fell. The hit was by rookie left wing Louis Robitaille (out of the Quebec league), who is on a Pirates tryout. He earned a five-minute major and ejection. Around the Monarchs locker room the word on Robitaille was “idiot.” Nault returned to the game and practiced yesterday.
The Good News ....
The Monarchs Played their first preseason game!
Now The Bad News .... The Monarchs lose to Portland Pirates
3 - 2
October 1, 2003
