MANCHESTER, NH – The Manchester Monarchs couldn’t stop an offensive barrage by the Norfolk Admirals, and fell, 8-6, Sunday afternoon at SNHU Arena.
The Monarchs (31-19-7-4) have now lost their last four games against the Admirals (22-34-4-0).
The Monarchs struck first at 5:39 of the first period when Cory Ward scored his 13th goal of the season. Kevin Morris recovered the loose puck in the crease and sent a no-look pass to Ward behind him in the slot, where he sent a shot past the right shoulder of Admirals goaltender, Philippe Desrosiers, to make the score, 1-0.
The Admirals stuck back at 9:34 of the first period with a shorthanded goal by T.J. Foster, his 20th of the season. Foster recovered the loose puck on the edge of the right circle and shot one past the right side of Monarchs goaltender, Jack Flinn, to tie the game at 1-1.
Nick MacNeil added another goal for the Admirals at 11:21 of the first period, netting his 10th goal of the season. MacNeil won a puck battle on the left half-boards and skated to the face-off circle where he took a backhanded shot at the net. The puck deflected off a defender’s skate and past the left pad of Flinn, to put the Admirals ahead, 2-1.
The Admirals took a 3-1 lead late in the first frame, when Joey Benik scored his 10th goal of the season at 18:47 of the period. Foster lead a 2-on-1 from center ice to the attacking zone, and sent a cross-ice pass to Benik in the opposite circle, where he shot the puck into the left side of an open net.
The Monarchs came out swinging in the second period, when Quentin Shore earned his 18th goal of the season at 1:10 of the period. Matt Leitner passed the puck from the blue line through the sticks of two Norfolk defenders into the crease, where it was tipped and batted into the net by Shore, to cut the Admirals lead to 3-2.
The Admirals reclaimed their two-goal lead, 4-2, just 29 seconds later, when MacNeil scored his 11th of the season and second goal of the night at 1:39 of the second period. Paul Cianfrini shot the puck from the right point, where it was redirected by MacNeil in front and past the pads of Flinn.
Aston Rome brought the Admirals lead back to one goal, 4-3, when he netted his 11th goal of the season at 9:54 of the second frame. Joey Diamond banked the puck from the left circle off the boards behind the net to the stick of Rome, who took a wraparound wrist shot from behind the right post and over the glove of Desrosiers.
Tim Bozon gave the Monarchs new hope when he scored his 3rd goal of the season at 12:38 of the second frame to tie the game, 4-4. Chris Leone drove towards the net with the puck and took a shot from the right face-off circle that deflected off the pads of Desrosiers and Bozon found the rebound in the crease and shot on one knee into the open net.
Shortly after, Diamond scored a power-play goal, his 20th goal of the season, at 14:37 of the second period to put the Monarchs back on top, 5-4. Diamond took the puck from behind the net off a pass from Teddy Doherty, and wrapped the puck home to give the Monarchs their first lead of the night.
Foster tied the game for the Admirals, 5-5, when he scored his 21st goal of the season and second goal of the game at 17:08 of the second period. Foster collected the loose puck at the top of the right circle and fired a wrister past the blocker of new Monarchs goaltender, Colin Stevens.
The Admirals regained the lead, 6-5, in the closing moments of the second period, when Benik scored his 11th goal of the season and second of the game at 19:58 of the period. Benik took the puck in the slot on a spin-o-rama, and beat Stevens to send the Admirals into the second intermission with the lead.
Norfolk made it a 7-5 game when Frankie Simonelli scored his 13th goal of the season at 6:26 of the final frame. Simonelli found the rebound off a shot by John Dunbar to the left of the cage, and sent a wrister past a diving Stevens to give the Admirals their two-goal lead back.
The Admirals added to their lead when Benik completed his hat-trick at 8:42 of the third period. Benik took a cross-ice pass from Dunbar and sent a one-timer from the right dot past the glove of Stevens, to make the score, 8-5, Norfolk.
The Monarchs added one final goal in the closing minutes of the third, when David Kolomatis scored his 6th goal of the season. Kolomatis took a pass from behind the net off the stick of Diamond, and sent a one-timer past the right shoulder of Desrosiers, to end the scoring, 8-6.
Notes
- Colin Stevens replaced Jack Flinn as goaltender at 1:39 of the second period
- John Dunbar recorded six assists for the Admirals
- The Monarchs allowed a hat-trick for the second-consecutive game
