Quest for the Kelly Cup: Manchester Monarchs Weekly Preview

Cheering on the hometown team as they continue their Kelly Cup quest.

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GAMES

Tuesday, April 25, 7 p.m. – Adirondack Thunder – Glens Falls Civic Center – Game 6

Wednesday, April 26, 7 p.m. – Adirondack Thunder – Glens Falls Civic Center – Game 7 (if necessary)

WEEK IN REVIEW

The Monarchs continued the North Division Semifinals as the series shifted to the Glens Falls Civic Center, and begin the week with a 3-2 series advantage over the Thunder.

Tuesday night, the Monarchs played the first of five-consecutive games in Glens Falls, N.Y., and fell for the first time in the series, 3-1. The Monarchs couldn’t answer three consecutive Thunder goals, grabbing their lone tally on a David Kolomatis power-play goal late in the game.

Thursday, the Monarchs pushed the Thunder to the brink of elimination with a 2-1 win. Matching goals by Manchester’s Ashton Rome and Adirondack’s Cullen Bradshaw sent the game into the third period tied, but Zac Lynch scored the eventual game-winner at 4:52 of the final frame on his first career playoff goal. Sam Brittain made 29 saves in the win.

Saturday night, the Monarchs couldn’t end the North Division Semifinals, and fell, 2-1. Colton Saucerman scored the lone Monarchs goal, but Dennis Kravchenko put the Thunder ahead for good at 3:03of the third period to extend the series to a Game 6. Brittain again was the best player on the ice but took the tough-luck loss, despite making spectacular saves all night long.

PLAYOFF SCHEDULE

The best-of-seven series will continue at the Glens Falls Civic Center for the remaining necessary games that can be found below:

Game 6: Manchester @ Adirondack – Tuesday, April 25, 7:00 p.m. at Glens Falls Civic Center

Game 7: Manchester @ Adirondack – Wednesday, April 26, 7:00 p.m. at Glens Falls Civic Center (if necessary)

LEADING THE WAY

The Monarchs continue to be paced by Quentin Shore who has registered six points (2g, 4a) in his first career playoff appearance. Shore’s six points leads the series for either team, while Matt Leitner sits in second with five points (2g, 3a). Monarchs goaltender, Sam Brittain, enters the second week of the Kelly Cup Playoffs third in the post-season with a 1.82 GAA, while his 0.938 save percentage is good for fourth.

CLOSING TIME

Manchester has a chance to advance to the North Division Finals with a win Tuesday night, and move into the second round of the playoffs for the first time since the 2015 Calder Cup season. In the history of the Monarchs, the team has made the playoffs in 15-of-16 seasons, but has only made it out of the first round three times.

BOOKENDS

Manchester has used the first and third periods effectively to gain their 3-2 series lead, having outscored Adirondack, 9-5, in the bookend periods. Strangely, the Monarchs have not fared well in the second period, and have been outscored, 4-2. The middle frame woes are in stark contrast to the regular season when the Monarchs outscored opponents, 115-89, good for the third highest goal differential in the league.

LOCKED UP

The series between the Monarchs and Thunder has come down to the third period in all but one game, with both teams holding a 2-2 record when heading to the third period tied on the scoreboard. The four games that have gone to the final stanza tied are the most in the Kelly Cup Playoffs to this point.

Visit us at ManchesterMonarchs.com, follow the team on Twitter @MonarchsHockey, and like us on Facebook for additional information. 

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