Manchester to face Adirondack in the First Round of Playoffs
BRAMPTON, Ontario – The Manchester Monarchs were unable to hold on to two separate leads in Saturday night’s regular-season finale and fell, 5-4, to the Brampton Beast at the Powerade Centre.
The Monarchs (37-24-7-4) could not defeat the Beast (40-24-3-5) to move up in the standings, ending the season fourth in the division, and will square off against the Adirondack Thunder in the first round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs on Friday, April 14 at 7 p.m. at the SNHU Arena.
Manchester started the scoring late in the first period at 19:46 on Mario Puskarich’s fifth goal of the season. After a faceoff win, Craig Wyszomirski took a quick shot towards goal that was blocked out to the left point, where Chris Leone wristed a shot on net. The shot deflected in front, off Puskarich, and found its way into the net, giving Manchester a 1-0 lead.
Brampton answered quickly in the second period, just 44 seconds in, as Connor Crisp scored his 14th goal of the season. A clearing attempt by the Monarchs was picked up at the blue line by Willie Corrin, who stepped into a shot atop the left circle. The shot bounced off Jack Flinn’s pads and ended up in the slot on the stick of Crisp, who hammered the puck past Flinn to tie the game, 1-1.
The Beast would strike again at 3:14 of the second period, during a 4-on-4, on David Pacan’s 41st goal of the season. Brampton won a defensive zone faceoff, where Brandon Marino pushed the puck along to Pacan on the breakout. Pacan went end-to-end and deked around Gasper Kopitar, before pulling the puck from his backhand to his forehand and beating Flinn over his glove, putting the Beast up 2-1.
Manchester responded on the power play with a goal by Peter Leblanc, to tie the game back up at 4:28 of the second. Rihards Bukarts brought the puck into the offensive zone and sent a pass to David Kolomatis along the blue line. Kolomatis took a shot from the right point, where the rebound was knocked down in front and Leblanc was sitting at the side of the net waiting. With D’Agostini scrambling to cover the rebound, Leblanc flipped the puck over him and tied the game, 2-2.
At 10:19 of the second period, the Beast regained the lead on a shorthanded goal by Reggie Traccitto, scoring his fifth goal of the season. After a shot from the point by Brandon MacLean, Flinn kicked out a rebound that was taken by Crisp. Crisp pushed the puck back to Traccitto at the top of the right circle, where he wristed a shot between the wickets of Flinn, making it 3-2, Beast.
The Monarchs tied it back up at 1:25 of the third period on Ashton Rome’s 12th goal of the season. Chris Leone took a shot from the left point that was blocked in the slot, where Tyler Sikura gathered the puck, turned and fired towards goal. Rome was parked in front and got a piece of the puck to tip it past D’Agostini, tying it, 3-3.
Manchester regained the lead at 4:00 of the third period, when Tyler Sikura notched his 14thof the year. Leblanc received a pass in the high-slot and backhanded a pass to Kolomatis, making his way to the top of the right circle. Kolomatis wristed a shot that was stopped by D’Agostini, but Sikura was right on the doorstep, skating across the top of the crease, and buried the rebound to give Manchester the 4-3 lead.
At 6:13 of the third, the Beast bounced right back to tie the game on Chris Auger’s 21st goal of the season. Dalton Thrower shot a puck wide of the net from the right point, where it bounced off the boards from the right side of the net, to the left. Chris Leveille picked up the bouncing puck along the goal line and fed a pass to Auger at the bottom of the left circle, where he sniped the top corner, over the glove of Flinn, tying the game once again, 4-4.
Brampton tallied the final goal of the night at 17:47 of the third period on a power-play goal by Luke Pither to take a 5-4 lead. After a Rihards Bukarts roughing penalty, David Vallorani took a wrist shot from the left circle that was stopped by Flinn, and the rebound was lost amongst a sea of skates in the slot. Pither pulled the puck out of the group of players, turned and ripped a shot from the top of the circles that found its way past Flinn to give Brampton the lead and eventual game-winning goal.
The Monarchs will open the first round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs at SNHU Arena for Games A & B of their North Division semifinal matchup against the Adirondack Thunder on Friday, April 14 and Saturday, April 15. For tickets to the Kelly Cup Playoffs, click HERE!
Notes
- The Monarchs finish fourth in the North Division
- David Kolomatis recorded his fifth assist in two games
- Tyler Sikura scored his 30th professional goal and 80th and 81st professional points
