NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Manchester Monarchs received two points from Alexx Privitera and beat the South Carolina Stingrays, 2-1, in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals at the North Charleston Coliseum.
The Monarchs (9-4) handed the Stingrays (8-4) their first home loss of the 2017 Kelly Cup Playoffs.
After a scoreless first period, the Monarchs broke the ice when Kevin Morris scored his 4th goal of the playoffs at 7:21 of the second period. Privitera took a tour of the left circle before sending a soft backhander on frame that deflected off Morris who was camped in front of Stingrays goaltender, Parker Milner, and trickled into the net to put the Monarchs up, 1-0.
The Monarchs doubled their lead at 9:19 of the middle frame when Privitera scored his 1st goal of the playoffs. Privitera took a slap-shot from the left point and beat Milner to the glove side, to put the Monarchs up, 2-0.
South Carolina cut into the Monarchs lead at 6:34 of the third period when Max Nicastro scored his 1st goal of the playoffs while on the power play. Nicastro took a perfect point-to-point pass from Andrew Cherniwchan and sent a one-timer past the glove of Monarchs goaltender, Sam Brittain, to cut the Monarchs lead to 2-1.
The Stingrays put pressure on the Monarchs during the final five minutes of play, including pulling Milner with 58 seconds remaining in the game, but Brittain kept the door shut, and earned his 9th victory of the playoffs
The Monarchs return to the ice Saturday, May 13 (7:05 p.m.) when they face-off against the South Carolina Stingrays in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals at the North Charleston Coliseum.
Manchester returns home to SNHU Arena on Friday, May 19 (7 p.m.), when they host Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Notes
- Alexx Privitera scored his 1st career playoff goal
- Monarchs end Stingrays 29-consecutive home penalty kill streak
- South Carolina lost at home for the first time in the playoffs
Game 2: Game Day Capsule
Eastern Conference Finals Game 2
Saturday, May 13, 2017 – 7:05 p.m. at North Charleston Coliseum
Monarchs lead series, 1 – 0
MONARCHS PLAYOFF POINT LEADERS
Matt Leitner: 14 points (6g, 8a)
Quentin Shore: 12 points (4g, 8a)
Daniel Ciampini: 10 points (2g, 8a)
MONARCHS PLAYOFF GOALTENDING LEADERS
Sam Brittain: 9-3-1, 2.00 GAA, 0.932 save %
Charles Williams: 0-0-0, 0.00 GAA, 0.000 save %
STINGRAYS PLAYOFF POINT LEADERS
Rob Flick: 13 points (7g, 6a)
Domenic Monardo: 13 points (5g, 8a)
Kelly Zajac: 11 points (4g, 7a)
STINGRAYS PLAYOFF GOALTENDING LEADERS
Parker Milner: 8-4-0, 1.85 GAA, 0.931 save %
Adam Carlson: 0-0-0, 0.00 GAA, 0.000 save %
INSIDE THE SERIES
The Monarchs handed the Stingrays their first loss on home ice in Game 1, and look to make it two in a row at the North Charleston Coliseum tonight. During their six-game winning streak, the Stingrays outscored their opponents, 23-4. The last time South Carolina lost at home was Mar. 31, when they fell to the Orlando Solar Bears, 4-3.
SECOND PERIOD
Prior to Game 1, the Stingrays came into the Eastern Conference Finals with the largest second period scoring differential in the post-season, having outscored their opponents, 17-7. The Monarchs flipped the script Friday night, and potted two goals in the middle frame in what proved to be the decisive period of the game. During the regular season, the Monarchs held a +26 second stanza differential, but entering Game 1, the Monarchs were just a +2 (11-9) in the playoffs.
STREAKING NO MORE
Manchester ended South Carolina’s home penalty-kill streak last night when Alexx Privitera netted his first career playoff goal in the second period. Prior to Privitera’s goal, the Stingrays had killed 29-consecutive power plays at the North Charleston Coliseum. Manchester almost broke through minutes earlier, when Kevin Morris scored just seven seconds after a power play expired.
SCORE FIRST
The Monarchs improved their record to 5-1 when scoring the first goal of the game with their 2-1 win in Game 1. The Monarchs hold a 0.833 winning percentage when putting the first marker on the board in the playoffs, second only to the Stingrays who are a perfect 6-for-6 when lighting the lamp first.
IT WAS BOUND TO HAPPEN
The Stingrays suffered their first loss of the post-season when being outshot by their opponent in Game 1, and now hold a 3-1 record when trailing on the shot board. With the win, the Monarchs improved to 6-1 when leading the shot battle.
TICKETS
The Monarchs return home to SNHU Arena on Friday, May 19 (7 p.m.), when they host Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Tickets to see the Monarchs in the Eastern Conference Finals will be sold for $15, and includes a $5 voucher to the Monarchs Pro Shop. Click HERE for individual game tickets. For groups of 10 or more, click HERE to get special group pricing! Tickets to the Eastern Conference Finals for new and renewed Season Ticket Holders are on sale for $10, HERE.
All playoff ticket purchases are non-refundable and cannot be exchanged for another playoff game.
Visit us at ManchesterMonarchs.com, follow the team on Twitter: @MonarchsHockey, and like us on Facebook for additional information.
