Monarchs burn Devils – Saturday, Nov. 27, 2010
“Some nights the puck finds its way into the net,” said Monarchs head coach Mark Morris. […] Rookie Brayden Schenn scored his first pro goal and first of two on the night. Corey Elkins‘ shot was stopped, as was David Meckler’s rebound bid. But the third was the charm as Schenn banged the puck home on the open right side. “It felt pretty good,” Schenn said. “It was a greasy one, but it was good to get it.” Meckler made it 2-0 at 9:14 with a power play goal, his team-leading eighth. Schenn carried the puck behind the net and then fed the puck back to Meckler for a quick shot from the left circle that beat Dave Caruso high to the far post. Manchester captain Marc-Andre Cliche pushed the lead to 3-0 at 17:50 of the first, tipping a Jake Muzzin slap shot from the left point […]. The Monarchs made it 4-0 at 8:26 of the second period when Patrick Mullen drilled a one-timer past Caruso off an Oscar Moller pass from the left wing during a four-on-four. […] Corey Elkins gave Manchester a 5-1 lead at 19:04, striking on a five-on-three power play. Moller’s blast from the point hit traffic in front and bounced to Elkins, who kicked the puck to his tape and beat Caruso with a shot from the low right side. Schenn scored his second of the night 2:55 into the third period. Slava Voynov passed from the top of the left circle to Schenn in the slot and Schenn shoveled a backhander past Caruso. […] Manchester rookie defenseman Colten Teubert scored his first goal, driving a slap shot through traffic and under Caruso at 16:21. “It was a relief,” Teubert said of getting his first point of the season in his fifth game. “I’ve been injured for so long. I was just really happy. It wasn’t a monkey on my back, but it was a relief to get that first one out of the way.”
Medicine Hat Tigers – Milestones
Linden Vey recently surpassed 200 points for his career. In 215 career regular season games, the L.A. Kings draft pick has 72 goals and 135 assists. He currently sits only seven assists shy of passing Lanny McDonald for 20th place amongst the Tigers all-time assist leaders. […] STREAKS: […] With two goals and three assists in his last game, Linden Vey (8G, 9A) has points in five straight games […].
Jordan Nolan adjusting to life in the American Hockey League
“I went to camp with no contract and worked really hard over the summer so it worked out,” said Nolan. He did well, as L.A. signed him to a three-year entry level deal and assigned him to [Manchester]. […] “The speed and size of the players took a few games to adjust to, but I know now that I can play here, so I’ve enjoyed it.” A power forward in junior hockey, Nolan’s coach Mark Morris has told him what he needs to work on […]. “[D]eveloping my game, controlling the puck down low and being good at playing defensive hockey and to keep my feet moving,” said Nolan.
[While playing] for the Soo Greyhounds the last two seasons, he was able to stay at home on the nearby Garden River First Nation […]. [Now,] Nolan has a place in Manchester with two other teammates. “It’s the little things that I’m learning,” said Nolan. “How to cook, laundry. [My roommates] know how to cook lots of things and that’s been good for me. […] Just living on my own, paying bills and being professional about the game is a lot to do. My approach to the game is different now […]. It’s a job […]. If I don’t do things right I may be in the stands […]” But if there is someone he can lean on when things get tough, it’s his dad Ted, who went through his share of adversity in his quest to make the NHL. “We talk a lot,” says Nolan of his relationship with his father […]. “He keeps his distance on certain things, he tries not to coach me too much. He gives me little tips.”
“I’m going to have a ways to go to get a call-up but you have to get better and pay your dues.”
Analyzing the Chances of OHL Players Getting an Invite to the Team Canada Selection Camp | OHL News
Tyler Toffoli – Ottawa 67′s Not many forwards in the CHL are hotter right now than Tyler Toffoli. His terrific start to the season in combination with his appearance at the Summer camp, suggests he should have a really good shot at earning a camp invite. Plus, we could really use his scoring ability.
Monarchs rally 11/14/2010 | Concord Monitor
The Manchester Monarchs rallied from a 2-1 deficit […] to beat the Springfield Falcons, 3-2. Brandon Kozun and Marc-Andre Cliche set up Thomas Hickey for the tying goal […]. Then, with […] Kozun off for elbowing, Cliche assisted Richard Clune for the shorthanded game-winner [with 1:46 left in the third]. It was Clune’s second goal of the season. […] Martin Jones [earned] the win with a 24-save effort.
Jones now has enough minutes to qualify for the AHL leaderboard, where he just debuted at #2 overall with a GAA of 1.45 and a SV% of .950.
And to wrap up, here’s a Habs blogger’s post on the MTL/LAK game.
Hab it her way: Reigned in
After last night’s (fantastic) game [MTL 4, LAK 1], I feel pretty safe making a confession: I think I like the LA Kings. […] The Kings may not have played a great game yesterday, [but, despite] their recent mini-slump, they look pretty good. […] The last time I saw the Kings, I easily found tickets in the 8th row of Staples Center. The last time I saw the Habs, [I] scored seats at the back of the reds. And here I was, trying to watch the game from way up high, surrounded by a more rambunctious (read: irritating) crowd than I’d seen in the reds.Part of the reason why the Kings lost this game is because rookie goaltender Jonathan Bernier is still finding himself in the NHL. He wasn’t stellar, but he showed promise. I was really impressed by a glove save he made about halfway through the second period. I’ll have to watch Canadiens express when I get home later to have a closer look at all of the Kings and their style of play, but a few of their stars shined bright. Drew Doughty was solid. I will neither confirm nor deny reports that I turned to my sister and asked “Can we keep him?” As if he were a puppy or something. Juvenile, I know, but… can we keep him? Anze Kopitar didn’t get a point last night, but he looks so good on the ice. (No, not like that.) Every now and then there’ll be a player on an opposing team that I just can’t stop watching, because they’re so good. Kopitar is that guy. I can’t quite describe it. He’s just so good.
[…] If you think my reasons for contemplating the Kings as my #2 backup team are a little thin, let me end with this: I think I’m done with the Molson Ex Zone. I may not have loved the Staples Center, because it was too quiet and the fans were way too negative about anything that was not the Los Angeles Kings, but that’s about as far as it went. They did not boo their own players. They didn’t get in everyone’s way on the concourses outside the arena (maybe because there’s so much more space). They didn’t block aisles when others tried to pass them. What did I see last night? Habs fans taunting Kings fans (of which I saw a few). Did the Kings fans get angry? Not really, they played along a little and were polite the rest of the time.
There were some pretty loud boos for Scott Gomez when the starting lineup was announced. I’ve been disappointed with him for a while, but I’d never boo a Canadiens player unless he disrespected his team directly (there are worse things than having a terrible season […]). Then Scott Gomez scored and his name was met with cheers. From the same people who booed him. Heck, even the dim-witted couple sitting behind me couldn’t make up their mind about half the roster. (Actual exchange: “Cammalleri’s got the puck! He’s gonna score!” “What happened? That idiot!”) And then there was the completely useless Bernier-booing that started about 30 minutes in. Why boo someone you have no reason to boo?
I had the pleasure of sitting near two Kings fans, a father and son, in town from Los Angeles. They were by far the best fans sitting in my section. They were fun, but they weren’t loud or obnoxious. In the last two or three seasons (basically the whole time I’ve known anything about hockey) they’ve been to over 20 road games to see their Kings. They went to Ottawa before coming to Montreal, and I think the father went to Buffalo and Boston as well. They haven’t missed a single home game this season to date. (The son told me this, of course, after I raved about that dynamite game against the Stars, which he obviously attended.) In fact, they’ve barely missed any games at all. They found the Molson Ex Zone a little bizarre, and who can blame them? It’s the section billed as “the fan section”, but is it really?
People pay less attention to the game in Molson Ex. The random beer girls (who my LA friends compared to ice girls, UGH) are pretty useless when you think about it: they’re just there for eye candy (when there’s an NHL HOCKEY GAME going on) and to get the crowd pumped up (which shouldn’t be necessary, we’re the loudest fans in the league). How about Molson stops wasting their money on hoochies and second-rate rock bands and gives it directly to the Canadiens? I think I speak for all fans when I say I’d rather have lower ticket prices than a “fan zone.” The entire Bell Centre is supposed to be a fan zone. That’s why every game is sold out. I spent the entire third period talking to the son (I forgot to thank him for giving up Jeff Halpern) and now I miss Los Angeles. We talked about the team, the city, and its sports fans. Sure, not all Kings fans are as classy as he and his dad were yesterday, but they don’t boo their own team. Oh well. At least hockey fans here don’t stab each other like football and baseball fans do in California.