Monarchs (3-1-0) vs. Sharks (1-3-1), Oct. 27th, 2012: 4 p.m. PT/7 ET
After a woeful start to the season, the Worcester Sharks got their first win last night against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. The Monarchs haven’t played in a week, but took the lead in the Atlantic Division with a wild 6-4 win last Saturday over Portland.
Here are the highlights and the box score in case you missed it:
The Monarchs came back from a 2-0 deficit in the first. On the very first shift, O’Neill turned it over and the Pirates scored. Deslauriers took a needless charging penalty late in the first which led to a PP goal against. Manchester turned the tide with two tip-in goals by Pearson, another goal by Toffoli, and a pretty breakaway effort by Vey; but after allowing eight goals in the last two games, they will want to tighten up defensively.
IN/OUT: The Worcester Sharks have a reputation for tough and nasty play. They like to start fights and intimidate opponents. They’ll be without defenseman Matt Pelech, however; he’s serving a 4 game suspension for leaving the bench to start a fight. Yeah. That’s how they roll.
The Monarchs aren’t as physically imposing as the Los Angeles Kings, but hulking power forward/unlikely playoff hero Dwight King will be there to help tonight. They are taking advantage of a rule that allows players who were on last season’s “Clear Day” rosters to play in the AHL, even if they aren’t waiver-exempt. It looks like the prolonged lockout factored into King’s decision to return.
Where all these players will fit in is an ongoing problem. Even with Nolan’s injury, there is simply not enough ice time to spread around. Will Hickey ever be worked back in? Will Pearson get more opportunities after showing he has a knack for scoring in front of the net? It’s fascinating to see which lineup will appear on any given night.
As always, you can tune into the game via Monarchs Radio. We’ll have updates here.