Shell
11-04-2003, 02:40 PM
Monsters can't solve Monarchs
By BARRY SCANLON, Sun Staff
Sunday, November 02, 2003 - 2:12:29 AM EST
MANCHESTER, N.H. On the entertainment scale, this one was a 10.
But professional hockey is a bottom-line business and Lowell found itself on the bottom of a 5-3 AHL decision here last night.
It was the second loss in eight days to the Monarchs (4-5-0-1), who received two goals from Scott Barney and a 38-save performance from Matt Underhill to sink Lowell before a near-sellout crowd of 9,682 at the Verizon Wireless Arena.
The Monarchs received third-period goals from Barney and Yanick Lehoux to snap a 3-3 tie and drop Lowell (4-3-1-0) to 0-3-1 in its last four games after a 4-0-0 start.
Lowell held a 41-37 shot advantage, but the quality scoring chances were not plentiful against Underhill, not to be compared with Patrick Roy. Underhill, whose two-year pro career has been spent mostly in the East Coast Hockey League, looked shaky at times, but kept the puck out of the net.
Lowell's goals came from Mike Zigomanis, Brett Lysak and Robert Dome. Patrick DesRochers (32 saves) has allowed 11 goals in the last two losses to Manchester.
The score was tied 3-3 entering the third period.
Manchester took its third lead of the night when Barney jumped on the rebound of a Bryan Muir slap shot and popped home a goal at 5:38. Lowell defenseman Tomas Malec was nowhere to be found, allowing Barney to beat a defenseless DesRochers.
Seconds earlier, DesRochers created a faceoff by robbing Muir with a nifty glove save.
A defensive breakdown led to Lehoux's back-breaking goal at 13:48. Lowell defenseman Alan O'Rourke lost his stick and got caught up ice, allowing the Monarchs an odd-man rush. Lehoux finished off the play by blasting a 30-foot shot past DesRochers inside the left post.
Lowell pulled DesRochers with just over a minute left to create a 6-on-4 advantage, but Underhill stood tall.
The game ended with a couple of punches and a couple of players on the ice, the end of an intense night.
The opening 20 minutes had enough action for three games.
There was a heavyweight fight Lowell's Joey Tetarenko pummeled George Parros plenty of pushing, shoving and just general dislike. Oh, yeah, there were four goals as well.
When the smoke had cleared to end the first period and fans got a chance to catch their breaths, it was Lowell 2, Manchester 2.
Zigomanis scored his first of the season, deflecting in a shot from Brennan Evans, to give Lowell a 1-0 lead 2:28 into the game. Barney countered for the Monarchs at the 4:50 mark following a wrist shot by Denis Grebeshkov.
Manchester took a 2-1 edge when Steve Kelly, seconds after DesRochers robbed Pavel Rosa in front, lifted a 15-foot backhander into the Lock Monsters cage at 13:35.
But Lysak scored a shorthanded goal exactly one minute later to even things. Martin Sonnenberg tipped the puck to spring Lysak for a breakaway. Lysak took advantage of indecision by Underhill to beat the goalie to the puck and a wrist shot into the left corner gave Lysak his first goal of the season.
The frenetic action continued in the second period and both goalies seemed to settle down. DesRochers made 14 saves in the period, while Underhill kicked aside 13.
But neither goalie was perfect in the middle stanza.
Manchester took a 3-2 lead when Richard Seeley, an ex-Lock Monster recently named Manchester's captain, saw his one-time slap shot from the right point deflected in by Noah Clarke at 7:02 for a power-play strike.
Lowell, however, tied it 3-3 thanks to its second breakaway goal of the night. Matt Davidson smartly spotted a streaking Dome through center ice and Dome did the rest, using his speed to get a couple of steps on the defense and then his skill to easily slip a shot past Underhill at 8:18.
Dome, a 24-year-old native of Slovakia, made it a mismatch when he quickly switched from his forehand to his backhand, freezing Underhill, and giving him the right corner of the net.
It was the third goal of the campaign for the Calgary Flames prospect.
By BARRY SCANLON, Sun Staff
Sunday, November 02, 2003 - 2:12:29 AM EST
MANCHESTER, N.H. On the entertainment scale, this one was a 10.
But professional hockey is a bottom-line business and Lowell found itself on the bottom of a 5-3 AHL decision here last night.
It was the second loss in eight days to the Monarchs (4-5-0-1), who received two goals from Scott Barney and a 38-save performance from Matt Underhill to sink Lowell before a near-sellout crowd of 9,682 at the Verizon Wireless Arena.
The Monarchs received third-period goals from Barney and Yanick Lehoux to snap a 3-3 tie and drop Lowell (4-3-1-0) to 0-3-1 in its last four games after a 4-0-0 start.
Lowell held a 41-37 shot advantage, but the quality scoring chances were not plentiful against Underhill, not to be compared with Patrick Roy. Underhill, whose two-year pro career has been spent mostly in the East Coast Hockey League, looked shaky at times, but kept the puck out of the net.
Lowell's goals came from Mike Zigomanis, Brett Lysak and Robert Dome. Patrick DesRochers (32 saves) has allowed 11 goals in the last two losses to Manchester.
The score was tied 3-3 entering the third period.
Manchester took its third lead of the night when Barney jumped on the rebound of a Bryan Muir slap shot and popped home a goal at 5:38. Lowell defenseman Tomas Malec was nowhere to be found, allowing Barney to beat a defenseless DesRochers.
Seconds earlier, DesRochers created a faceoff by robbing Muir with a nifty glove save.
A defensive breakdown led to Lehoux's back-breaking goal at 13:48. Lowell defenseman Alan O'Rourke lost his stick and got caught up ice, allowing the Monarchs an odd-man rush. Lehoux finished off the play by blasting a 30-foot shot past DesRochers inside the left post.
Lowell pulled DesRochers with just over a minute left to create a 6-on-4 advantage, but Underhill stood tall.
The game ended with a couple of punches and a couple of players on the ice, the end of an intense night.
The opening 20 minutes had enough action for three games.
There was a heavyweight fight Lowell's Joey Tetarenko pummeled George Parros plenty of pushing, shoving and just general dislike. Oh, yeah, there were four goals as well.
When the smoke had cleared to end the first period and fans got a chance to catch their breaths, it was Lowell 2, Manchester 2.
Zigomanis scored his first of the season, deflecting in a shot from Brennan Evans, to give Lowell a 1-0 lead 2:28 into the game. Barney countered for the Monarchs at the 4:50 mark following a wrist shot by Denis Grebeshkov.
Manchester took a 2-1 edge when Steve Kelly, seconds after DesRochers robbed Pavel Rosa in front, lifted a 15-foot backhander into the Lock Monsters cage at 13:35.
But Lysak scored a shorthanded goal exactly one minute later to even things. Martin Sonnenberg tipped the puck to spring Lysak for a breakaway. Lysak took advantage of indecision by Underhill to beat the goalie to the puck and a wrist shot into the left corner gave Lysak his first goal of the season.
The frenetic action continued in the second period and both goalies seemed to settle down. DesRochers made 14 saves in the period, while Underhill kicked aside 13.
But neither goalie was perfect in the middle stanza.
Manchester took a 3-2 lead when Richard Seeley, an ex-Lock Monster recently named Manchester's captain, saw his one-time slap shot from the right point deflected in by Noah Clarke at 7:02 for a power-play strike.
Lowell, however, tied it 3-3 thanks to its second breakaway goal of the night. Matt Davidson smartly spotted a streaking Dome through center ice and Dome did the rest, using his speed to get a couple of steps on the defense and then his skill to easily slip a shot past Underhill at 8:18.
Dome, a 24-year-old native of Slovakia, made it a mismatch when he quickly switched from his forehand to his backhand, freezing Underhill, and giving him the right corner of the net.
It was the third goal of the campaign for the Calgary Flames prospect.