Monarchs Drop Game 1 in Overtime, 3-2

Zac Lynch nets two goals for Manchester, but it wasn't enough.

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Alexx Privitera on the ice. Photo/Manchester Monarchs

 BRAMPTON, Ontario – The Manchester Monarchs couldn’t find overtime magic for the second-consecutive game, and fell to the Brampton Beast, 3-2, in Game 1 of the North Division Finals at the Powerade Centre on Thursday night.

The Monarchs (4-3) now trail the North Division Finals, 1-0, to the Beast (5-2).

Manchester opened the scoring at 17:57 of the first period when Zac Lynch scored his 3rd goal of the playoffs. Lynch took a pass from behind the net by Daniel Ciampini just to the left of the goal, where Lynch lifted the puck over the glove of Beast goaltender, Zach Fucale, to put the Monarchs up, 1-0.

The Monarchs doubled their lead when Lynch scored his 2nd goal of the night at 2:02 of the second period. After a cycle in the left corner, Lynch found the loose puck after a Matt Leitner pass hit the cage and slid to the dot where Lynch had an open-net to put the Monarchs up, 2-0.

The Beast got on the board just 21 seconds later when Brandon MacLean scored his 4th goal of the playoffs. Luke Pither got the play started with a partial breakaway that Monarchs goaltender, Sam Brittain, stopped, but the rebound was dumped into the slot where MacLean pushed a backhander into the yawning cage to cut the Manchester lead to 2-1.

Brampton tied things up at 1:26 of the third period when Connor Crisp scored his 2nd goal of the playoffs. Crisp went in on a 2-on-1 and took a saucer pass from David Vallorani that he buried from the right hash-marks past a diving Brittain to even the game, 2-2.

After a scoreless third period, the game went into overtime where Crisp scored his second goal of the game at 1:27 of the extra frame. Crisp sent a wrap-around that hit the leg of a Monarchs defender in the crease and trickled past the line to end the game, 3-2.

The Monarchs play Game 2 of the North Division Finals against the Brampton Beast on Saturday, Apr. 29 (7:15 p.m.), at the Powerade Centre.

The Monarchs return home to SNHU Arena on Monday, May 1 (7 p.m.), when they host the Beast for the first of three games on home ice.

Notes

  • Zac Lynch now has four goals in his first professional post-season
  • The Monarchs have killed 22-consecutive penalties
  • Manchester has played consecutive overtime games
  • Lynch led the Monarchs with seven shots on goal

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