MANCHESTER, NH – The Manchester Monarchs received two goals from Craig Wyszomirski en route to a 6-3 victory over the Adirondack Thunder on Girl Scout Night, Jan. 14, at SNHU Arena.
The Monarchs (23-10-1-2) have now won two straight against the Thunder (17-11-3-3), and look to sweep the three-game series with their North Division rivals Monday afternoon in Glens Falls, N.Y.
Manchester took an early lead when Quentin Shore netted his 12th goal of the season at 4:24 of the first period. Shore sent a shot from just inside the right point that Thunder goaltender, Drew Fielding, tried to punch to the corner with his blocker, but the puck hit the inside of his right arm, bounced high in the air and into the goal for the early, 1-0, Monarchs lead.
The Monarchs added to their lead when Wyszomirski scored his 1st career goal at 11:09 of the opening period. Wyszomirski took a diagonal, cross-ice pass from Jordan LaVallee-Smotherman at the left dot, where he sent a wrister past the glove of Fielding, to push the Monarchs advantage to 2-0.
The Thunder came storming back when Stepan Falkovsky scores his 4th goal of the season at 12:29 of the first period while on the power play. Falkovsky sent a one-timer from the top of the right circle through traffic that beat Monarchs goaltender, Sam Brittain, to make the score, 2-1, Monarchs.
Adirondack added another power-play goal when James Henry potted his 7th goal of the campaign at 18:41 of the first period. Peter MacArthur tried to chip the puck around the high glass behind Brittain’s cage, but the puck took a right turn directly in front of the goal where Nick Bligh corralled the bouncing puck and set-up Henry for a one-timer into a yawning cage to even the score, 2-2.
Wyszomirski gave the Monarchs the lead again at 12:06 of the second period when he scored his 2ndgoal of the night. Just after a penalty to Derek Arnold expired, Arnold brought the puck into the offensive-zone and dropped a pass to Wyszomirski in the slot, where the Monarchs defenseman fired a wrister past the blocker of Fielding for the 3-2 Monarchs lead.
The Monarchs regained their two-goal lead when Derek Arnold scored his 8th goal of the season at 14:05 of the middle frame. Arnold found the puck in the slot off a pass from Ed Wittchow, turned his back to the goal and sent a backhander along the ice that slid past Fielding, pushing the Monarchs lead to 4-2.
Manchester struck again when Alexx Privitera netted his 5th goal of the season at 16:57 while on the power play. Privitera took a pass from the right half-boards from Matt Leitner, and fired a one-timer from the middle of the blue line that beat Fielding through a screen to make the score, 5-2, Monarchs.
The Monarchs extended their lead when Zac Lynch scored his 5th goal of the season at 5:57 of the third period. After a block by Privitera killed the last seconds of a Thunder power play, Lynch took the carom down the left wing, set his edges at the left dot and lifted a backhander over the right shoulder of Fielding, pushing the score to 6-2.
The Thunder inched back when Greg Wolfe netted his 7th goal of the season at 12:46 of the third period on the power play. Wolfe found himself alone in the left circle and sent a wrister over the glove of Brittain to cut the Monarchs lead to 6-3.
The Monarchs are back in action Monday, Jan. 16 (3 p.m.), when they visit the Adirondack Thunder in the final matchup of a three-game series with their North Division rivals.
Notes
- Craig Wyszomirski scored the 1st goal of his career
- Zac Lynch wore #26 his return to the Monarchs
- Jonah Imoo was loaned to the Utica Comets (AHL) prior to the game
- Drew Fielding replaced J.P. Anderson in the Thunder net just 43 seconds into the game
- Derek Arnold scored the 25th goal of his career
