The Manchester Monarchs might not have been the most talked team during the majority of last season, but they certainly made sure they were on everyone’s radar to end the season. On April 6th, there was barely a 20% chance that they would make the playoffs. After that loss, they went on to win 6 straight and secure the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference. Even though they did not make it out of the first round, they put up an impressive fight against the Springfield Falcons.
During the past couple of seasons, the Monarchs have managed to get a playoff spot at the last minute. They have loved getting into the playoffs but are looking to start off hot and keep going.
“We finished strong to make the playoffs at the last minute. It’s one of those things where everything starts clicking,” Robbie Czarnik said of their late season success. “Everyone starts to realize that the season is about to be over. You want to be that team in the playoffs.”
With a good group of core players coming back this season, the Monarchs are expecting a strong showing from their team this season as well. Leading the returning players is goaltender Martin Jones who will be with the team for his fourth season.
“We have high expectations this year for sure. We have a really young team but we have a lot of skill,” Jones said. “We have a lot of speed. We definitely don’t want to leave it to the last month of the season like last year.”
Last season with the Monarchs, Jones was second in the league in minutes played and posted an impressive .919 save percentage. He will look to keep improving his play this season as he tries to get into that first NHL game. The key is to always try to improve.
“I want to make sure I clean up all the little bits and have great attention to detail this year to be an NHL goaltender some day,” Jones said.
Looking at the roster, the team thinks they show a lot of promise. Not only do they want to make the playoffs again, but they want to be a team competing throughout the season. They might have the right recipe to do that this season.
“We have an exciting team and I think we could score a lot of goals. We’ll be looking to string together a lot of wins,” returning leader Andrew Campbell said.
“There are a lot of guys coming back that were a huge part of the team last year that helped us do so well,” said Robbie Czarnik.” There are a lot of new guys coming in that are going to be good.”
Defenseman Andrew Campbell, who has been an assistant captain for the last three seasons in Manchester, and center Robbie Czarnik are two of the returning faces this season. Also joining them from last season’s Monarchs team are the top five scoring leaders: forwards Linden Vey, Brandon Kozun, Tyler Toffoli, Tanner Pearson, and Jordan Weal. Toffoli, Pearson, and Weal are all returning for their sophomore seasons and looking to improve on last year’s success.
“It’s going to be a lot different and I think I’ll have more time with the puck. I more know what to expect,” Pearson said on his second pro season. “The line we had last year with (Tyler Toffoli) and I produced pretty well. I think we’ll be seeing a lot of pairings again. We have to be ready for that.”
Other players creating the core group of returning players are defensemen Nick Deslauriers, Andrew Bodnarchuk, and Vincent LoVerde and forwards Brian O’Neill, Hunter Bishop, and Andy Andreoff. Andreoff, also starting his sophomore season, looks to build off of the style of play he established last year.
“I was trying to do a little bit of everything last year, kind of like (Rich) Clune. When he was leaving, I tried to kind of take over his spot,” Andreoff said. “I was trying to chip in everywhere: scoring, hitting, fighting. Hopefully I’ll keep that up this year.”
The familiar faces are going to be joined by some exciting new talent. Some new players, like Scott Sabourin, Derek Forbort, and Jean-Francois Berube, got into a few games at the end of last season and others will be looking to get into their first game when Manchester opens their season on Saturday, October 5th.
“It definitely helped to get into games last season. It was a good taste of the pro game to get those games under my belt. It helped a lot with knowing what to expect,” Forbort said.
“I think I’m more excited than anything. I’m looking forward to getting out there and starting the season,” new addition Colin Miller said about getting the season started.
The new players are lucky to have the returning Monarchs to help them as they adjust to the AHL. But there are still things they will have to learn on their own.
“I think the speed is the biggest adjustment. It’s a lot quicker and the players are a lot better. They’re going to make you pay if you make a mistake. So I think I just have to play my game and limit the turnovers,” Miller said.
“I think it’s a really different lifestyle. Being in college, you have to worry about your school and keeping up with that stuff,” newcomer Nick Shore said. “From that standpoint it’s a lot different. I’m looking forward to the challenge and I’ll see how it goes.”
With this mix of returning players and new talent, Manchester will definitely be a team to watch. They all seem confident in their team and in each other. They kick off their season on the road down in Springfield on Saturday, October 5th. They will open at home with back to back games on Saturday October 19th and Sunday, October 20th hosting the Providence Bruins and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins respectively.
Old School Nails: Québec Nordiques
Base: Avon Artic Waters
Details: So Easy White and Red
For the big toes I freehanded the logo from my Nords poster starting out with the outline and drawing the red in the middle. In retrospect it may be easier just to start with the red and outline it in the white.
The other toes I just used the fleur-de-lis.
Bases: Sinful Colors Snow Me White and Endless Blue & Avon Real Red
For the details and writing I used So Easy White, metallic blue, navy blue, and red.
Same colours were used as in the design from above.
I went old school with this one using their CAC sweater design
The New Jersey Devils opened their season on Thursday night in Pittsburgh with a 3-0 loss.
The morning of game-day the Devils activated forward Patrik Elias off injured reserve and announced that Cory Schneider would be starting in net. Coach Peter DeBoer explained that he wanted to give Martin Brodeur more time after everything he has dealt with in the past two weeks.
The Devils scratched Mark Fayne, Rostislav Olesz, Jacob Josefson and Mattias Tedenby for their season opener against the Pens.
The Devils and Penguins remained scoreless through almost half of the first period until Chuck Kobasew (9:26) and Sidney Crosby (12:16) scored within a few minutes of each other. The second period was scoreless, and in the third, the Penguins finished it off with a goal by Craig Adams (11:42).
Two big opportunities presented themselves throughout the game, but the Devils were not able to capitalize. Early on, the Penguins’ forward James Neal left the ice and their offense was clearly struggling. Pittsburgh only had three shots in the second period.
Later, Adam Henrique was given a penalty shot with about four minutes left in the third after Pittsburgh’s Matt Niskanen dragged him down. Henrique could not squeeze the puck between the post and the quick right pad of Marc-Andre Fleury.
Yet again, the Devils outshot their opponent but couldn’t get anything in the back of the net (this was a very common theme in the latter half of the season last year). With a lot of new faces, we can assume (and hope) that the players are just working out their chemistry. Especially considering a few big names did not participate much in preseason.
One positive to take away from the game for Devils fans was the presence of a few new names. Ryan Clowe provided some physicality the the Devils were in search of. At the end of the first period, he dropped the gloves with Pittsburgh’s Tanner Glass. He also had four hits and one shot on goal. Recently signed Damien Brunner also made an impact with a team-leading eight shots on goal.
As far as Cory Schneider goes, he looked like he was getting back into the swing of things. He was a little shaky with a few big rebounds and one or two shots that went off the top of his glove. He ended with a .857 save percentage and saved 18 of 21 shots faced. Veteran Marty Brodeur will be in net for Friday’s home opener against the New York Islanders.
Fortunately, the Devils faced one of their toughest opponents in Pittsburgh, so transitioning to play the Islanders might feel a little easier (Sorry, NYI fans). And being home at the Prudential Center with their long-time goalie back in net might provide a little better feeling of security.
Photo courtesy of NHL.com
Ladies and gents, the constant change between the rink and the outdoors can leave your skin dry. The use of equipment, skates and gloves on a weekly basis can do a number on your body parts as well. We have the perfect DIY to help combat the issues, an easy body scrub used once or twice a week can help the situation. It’s so gentle it can be used as a face scrub as well. What are you waiting for, get to mixing!
Ingredients
2-3 tablespoons Coconut Oil
2 tablespoons Honey
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
Mix all ingredients in a sealable container and use 1-2 times per week in the shower or bath. The mix will stay good for a month or so, but it probably won’t even last that long. You’ll love it almost as much as you love hockey!
Tip: This mixture also makes a great gift in a pinch. Just place in a small mason jar with a card and you’re good to go.
By Jake Shoemaker
After watching the St. Louis Blues defeat the Nashville Predators 4-2 in game 1 of the season, a few things stood out from the win:
1) Jaroslav Halak is Healthy
After a frustrating 2013 campaign where Halak was only able to play 16 games due to injury, the Slovakian looked healthy and poised in net on Thursday night. Halak stopped 28 of 30 shots and the two goals he allowed were not soft goals. The first goal, Mike Fisher’s one timer, came from point-blank range after St. Louis battled along the boards and failed to come up with the puck. Failed execution in front of the net by forwards on the backcheck left Fisher open for the score. The second goal, David Legwand’s tip-in, came off of an odd-man rush just moments after the Blues made a beautiful rush of their own that ended in a post-ringing shot. Nashville executed the 3-on-2 beautifully and it took a precise pass and an accurate tip-in to beat Halak. Long story short, Jaroslav Halak looks ready to have a monster season for the Blues.
2) St. Louis’ Offensive Depth is for Real
Offensively, the Blues showed just how deep they are on Thursday night. The Blues had 4 different goal scorers as they scored twice at even strength and twice on the power play. The most notable attribute of this Blues team was their unselfish play, perhaps best demonstrated on their third goal. David Backes, Alexander Steen and T.J. Oshie executed the rush in an organized, team oriented fashion. Backes carried the puck to net and distributed it across the crease precisely to Steen who assessed his two options – shoot or pass – in a split second, ultimately electing to send the luck back across the crease to hit a net-crashing Oshie for the goal. At first glance it looked like Steen should have buried Backes’ pass, but the return pass had the defense and goalie disoriented and helpless. The chemistry between the three top-line forwards was evident. Additionally, the two power play goals came as a result of good spacing and strong front of the net presence. Chris Stewart battled to maintain position screening in front of the net for Steen’s slap shot goal from the blue line and David Backes did the same, ultimately winding up with a rebound goal, for Alex Pietrangelo’s shot on net from the point. The Blues did it all on Thursday, scoring with grit and scoring with skill.
3) The Blues’ Defense Contributes on Both Ends
Although the defense might try to take responsibility for Nashville’s two goals, the onus was not on the blue-liners for the mishaps (see the bit on Halak). St. Louis’ defense was perfect on the penalty kill, shutting down 4 Nashville power plays. The defenseman also earned points on 3 of the team’s 4 goals, and we’re responsible for starting the breakout rush on the other.
The night started off pretty typically for the Los Angeles Kings. It was the usual slow start while the other team, in this case the Minnesota Wild, buzzed around them in circles and applied early pressure.
The Wild caught a fortunate break when Matt Cooke redirected the puck with his skate into the net that was deemed a good goal. It was a bit of a controversial call as Cooke appeared to be moving his foot forward in the overhead view.
Six minutes into the first, Zenon Konopka cleared the puck over the glass and sat for 2 minutes. Drew Doughty capitalized on a beautiful one timer from Slava Voynov while Dustin Brown provided a screen. A few minutes later, Colin Fraser was called for boarding and got into a scrap with Keith Ballard. Both served a 5 minute fighting major and the Wild were unable to score on their first power play of the night. Shortly after Fraser’s penalty expired, Nino Niederreiter took a hooking penalty. The Kings were unable to do much with this power play as the Wild successfully killed off that penalty. Almost immediately after the power play, Kyle Clifford took a took a boarding call and this time, their PK unit was unable to withstand pressure and the Jonas Brodin sniped a beautiful goal just over Jonathan Quick’s shoulder, making the score 2-1 in favor of the Wild.
The second period saw more of the same efforts from both teams until the last couple minutes when captain Dustin Brown was reunited with his linemates Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams. Brown had originally started the night on the third line as he missed all of training camp due to an injury and was still working himself back into game shape.
Finally, in the third period the Kings showed signs of life. The Kings were buzzing in the Wild end and the pressure paid off as Jeff Carter tapped in a rebound goal to tie the score at 2 a piece. They weathered some late pressure from the Wild on a power play with forward Trevor Lewis playing backup goalie to Jonathan Quick who had gotten caught out of position.
Trevor Lewis, American Hero dot gif
Five minutes of 4 on 4 OT couldn’t get the job done for either team and they went to a shootout.
Zach Parise was unable to score for his team while Anze Kopitar deked, fooled the goalie and slid the puck between his pads. Next up for the Wild was Mikko Koivu but he didn’t get much of a chance as Jonathan Quick made a great poke check to keep the Wild scoreless. Jeff Carter had a chance to put the game away and send his team home with two points. He made no mistake as he came in with good speed, froze the goalie and threw the puck top shelf stick side on his backhand all while making it look extremely easy (but that’s kind of his thing; he all makes it look so easy).
Looking Ahead
Tonight, the Kings look to build on their success after rallying against a tough opponent in the Minnesota Wild, who had never lost a home opener since its inception (11-0-1; the 1 was a tie back in 2002). They will be in Winnipeg for the Jets’ home opener and hope to return home with 2 more points in hand. The game will be broadcast on FSW with Bob and Jim calling the action; Daryl Evans and Nick Nickson are back on KTLK 1150am for the radio broadcast. The puck drops at 8pm EDT.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, hockey season. Whether you’re a player, fan or hockey mom; chances are good that most of your time during the fall and winter months are spent in a rink. From the rink to the harsh weather outside, to a warm car, back into a rink and then a sweaty locker room, that’s standard routine. The opportunity to catch that itchy sore throat, head cold that you try to avoid, is multiplied during hockey season, we’ve all dealt with it.
Here’s a little gem that is sure to help aid any rink woes that you may face in the health department. Player, fan, adult, child and hockey mom approved!
Cozy Orange Lemon Tea Cure All
8 c. Boiling Water
1 Lemon Sliced
Boil 5 minutes
*Meanwhile steep 3 tea bags in 2 c. hot water (Regular black tea such as Lipton works well, but feel free to get creative) then add to above with:
2 c. Orange Juice
1/2 c – 1 c. Lemon Juice
2 tsp. Almond Extract
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
Drink hot or cold. Mixture keeps well in the refrigerator for approximately 3 days but chances are it won’t last that long since it’s so delicious!
The Florida Panthers bested the Dallas Stars in a 4-2 victory Thursday night in Dallas. The first game of the season belonged almost entirely to the newly minted Panthers. Scott Gomez opened the scoring with his first goal in a Panthers uniform, a feat he claimed he hadn’t yet accomplished in his NHL career. The Stars’ Alex Chiasson scored the lone goal in the second period, tying the game at 1-1. After Dallas went ahead by a short handed Brenden Dillon goal in the third period, Alexander Barkov evened things up again by scoring his own first goal, not only as a Panther, but in the NHL. Florida reclaimed the lead a few minutes later with a goal by Marcel Goc. Goc then sealed the deal by way of an empty net goal with 1:29 left on the clock.
Perhaps the most anticipated aspect of the game was the return of Tim Thomas to NHL hockey. Thomas did not play like a goalie who had taken a year and a half off, but sparkled in his Panther debut. While he only made 25 saves (compared to Lehtonen’s 35), many of them were spectacular and kept up the Panthers’ morale. Thomas stated that his absence from the sport was owed to the fact that he just needed a break, and after taking it he feels energized. It remains to be seen whether or not Thomas will return to his Vezina glory, but what seems evident at the moment is that the Panthers have a solid option in net.
Midway through period one, due to a few extra pokes from Antoine Roussel on Thomas while he covered the puck, fighting broke out and multiple penalties and misconducts were administered. Mike Weaver and Antoine Roussel duked it out while Ryan Garbutt and Dmitry Kulikov exchanged not-so-pleasantries. The only one of the bunch to avoid a 10 minute misconduct was Weaver. After all was said and done, Florida was awarded a 2 minute power play for Roussel’s instigation. Power plays, however, proved ineffective on both sides of the ice as Dallas went 0/3 and Florida 0/4, including giving up a short handed tally.
Florida plays their next game on Saturday, October 5 in St. Louis.
In their first game of the season the Lightning lost to the Boston Bruins 3-1.
Even though the Lightning had five minutes of time with a two-man advantage, they were not able to use that to their benefit and allowed for the Bruins to score a short-handed goal. The Lightning did outshoot Boston 33-25, but ended 0-5 on the power play.
First goal of the game came twelve minutes in when Chris Kelly scored on a short-handed penalty shot. This would remain the score until midway through the game when new Bolt, Valtteri Filppula, would score. With the assists from Eric Brewer and Alex Killorn they were able to tie the game.
With one minute left in the second period, Milan Lucic gave Boston the lead. The lead was extended less than five minutes into the final period thanks to Patrice Bergeron. That would remain the score throughout the remainder of the game. Lightning goalie, Anders Lindback, was able to stop 22 of 25 shots faced.
The game saw it’s fair share of fights, including four fighting majors handed down to Shawn Thornton and Pierre-Cedric Labrie in the first period and Jarome Iginla and Radko Gudas in the second.
The Lightning travel to Chicago to take on reigning Stanley Cup champs on Saturday October 5th and 8:00 PM and the Bruins are at home against the Red Wings on the same day 7:00PM.
Stars of the game:
1. Tuukka Rask
2. Zdeno Chara
3. Chris Kelly
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