Monarchs on the hunt for Swamp Rabbits with 2 weekend matchups

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The 2017-’18 ECHL Season is now just a little over a week old, even if the weather isn’t quite hockey-level yet.

It’s Oct. 27, 2017. Here’s your Manchester Monarchs Week in Review.

Game Recaps

The Monarchs have had three opponents in their first five games, neatly dividing their results so far. Both wins came against the still winless Brampton Beast, first on Sunday, then on Tuesday. Both losses in regulation came against the Worcester Railers on Saturday and the Friday before that. And there was a shoot-out loss on the road to the Adirondack Thunder a Friday after their opening night loss to Worcester.

In each game, they’re outshooting their opponents, but are struggling on the power play. After those five games, they’re only 3-for-29 while holding an edge in men on the ice, under half the rate they posted over the 2016-’17 regular season.

The week also saw the addition of Matt Marcinew and Matt Schmalz, who were assigned to the team from the Ontario Reign (AHL).

Marcinew, 24, comes to the Monarchs after playing one game for the Reign this season. Marcinew spent the 2016-17 season with the University of Denver where he scored 22 points on 10 goals and 12 assists in 44 games, and won the NCAA National Championship.

Schmalz, 21, comes to Manchester after playing 62 games with the Owen Sound Attack (OHL) during the 2016-17 season. With the Sound Attack, Schmalz scored 31 points on 16 goals and 15 assists. The right-shot also skated in 17 playoff games and scored seven points on three goals and four assists.

Three Stars

Third Star: Tony Cameranesi – The Minnesota native came to Manchester in August and leads the Monarchs with six points so far (2 G, 4 A), with a multi-point game against Adirondack.

Second Star: Charles Williams – Williams is currently third in Goals Against Average among qualified ECHL rookie goalies (2.29), far outdoing two other goaltenders currently with 183 minutes on the ice (Wheeling’s Colin Stevens – 3.27 and Brampton’s Michael McNiven – 4.59)

Williams notched both wins against Brampton and kept the Monarchs in the game in the tough home opener against Worcester.

First Star: Joel Lowry – Lowry scored eight points in the AHL last year, he’s already up to five (3 G, 2 A), with points in all of the first five games, excluding the ones against Worcester.

Coming Up

This weekend, the Monarchs host the Greenville Swamp Rabbits (1-2-1-0), the New York Rangers ECHL affiliate, with games on Friday (7 p.m.) and Saturday (6 p.m.). After that, the Monarchs head to Norfolk for a three game set against the Admirals.

About this Author

Andrew Sylvia

Assistant EditorManchester Ink Link

Born and raised in the Granite State, Andrew Sylvia has written approximately 10,000 pieces over his career for outlets across Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont. On top of that, he's a licensed notary and licensed to sell property, casualty and life insurance, he's been a USSF trained youth soccer and futsal referee for the past six years and he can name over 60 national flags in under 60 seconds according to that flag game app he has on his phone, which makes sense because he also has a bachelor's degree in geography (like Michael Jordan). He can also type over 100 words a minute on a good day.