Winning-streak ends at six games
WHEELING, WV – The Manchester Monarchs couldn’t hold three separate leads and fell to the Wheeling Nailers, 4-3, Tuesday night at WesBanco Arena.
The Monarchs (17-8-1-1) dropped their lone game of the season to the Nailers (13-10-2-0), and will only face Wheeling again if the teams meet in the playoffs.
The Monarchs opened the scoring when Gasper Kopitar netted his 3rd goal of the season at 9:44 of the first period. Kopitar took a pass from Alexx Privitera at the top of the left circle where he fired a wrister past the glove of Nailers goaltender, Sean Maguire, to give the Monarchs a 1-0 lead.
Wheeling tied the game at 11:54 of the opening period when Christian Hilbrich scored his 3rd goal of the season. The Nailers forward took a stretch pass from Adam Krause and went in all alone on Monarchs goaltender, Sam Brittain, where he threw a deke and slid the puck five-hole to tie the game.
Rick Pinkston gave the Monarchs the lead back when he scored his first goal of the season at 15:08 of the opening period. Matt Leitner set the Monarchs defenseman up at the left face-off dot with a pass from the right of the Nailers goal, where Pinkston ripped a one-timer through Maguire to make the score, 2-1, Manchester.
The Nailers once again stormed back to tie the game when Nick Sorkin scored his seventh goal of the season with 52.2 seconds remaining in the first period. Garrett Meurs created a turnover in the Monarchs defensive zone and found a wide-open Sorkin in the slot, where the Wheeling forward sent a wrister past the blocker of Brittain to tie the game at 2-2.
The Monarchs retook the lead when Jordan LaVallee-Smotherman scored on the power play, his seventh goal of the season at 6:04 of the middle frame. While on an abbreviated man-advantage, LaVallee-Smotherman took a pass from Quentin Shore in the slot with mayhem surrounding Maguire, and the forward sent a wrister through the traffic to make it, 3-2, Monarchs.
Wheeling fought back again to tie the score when Danny Fick scored his first goal of the season at 9:39 of the second period. After a failed clearing attempt out of the Monarchs zone, Fick sent a shot from the right point that was deflected by a Monarchs defender past Brittain to make the score, 3-3.
The Nailers took their first lead of the game at 6:12 of the third period when Jordan Kwas scored his eighth goal of the season. Seconds after a Monarchs power play ended, Kwas flew down the left wing and sent a wrister through the legs of a Monarchs defender and the pads of Brittain, to make the score, 4-3, Wheeling.
Manchester would pull Brittain with 1:15 remaining in the game, but Maguire closed the door on a Monarchs comeback.
The Monarchs are back in action Wednesday night (7 p.m.), when they continue their road trip in Reading Pa., to take on the Royals in a North Division showdown.
Notes
- Jordan LaVallee-Smotherman extended his goal streak to four games
- The Monarchs penalty-killing unit has now killed 23 consecutive chances
- Rick Pinkston scored his 1st goal of the season
- Kevin Morris was given a game misconduct penalty after a fight at 6:53 of the 3rd period
