BRUTAL 

   VERSUS    

Southwest Airlines must have had the Hartford Wolf Pack in mind when they came up with their slogan, “Wanna get away?” That had to be the only thought on Head Coach Ken Gernander’s mind as well watching his troops completely embarrassed Friday night, as the first place Monarchs destroyed the visiting Wolf Pack 7-1 in front of 4,012 at the Verizon Center in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Apart from a highlight reel, between the legs pass from Ryan Garlock to Derek Couture that set up the Pack’s only goal, there was not a single player that looked engaged…well except for the guy in the stands who used, as Secret Agent Maxwell Smart would say, “The-old-Wheel-of-Fortune-Promo-Surprise-the-Girlfriend-With-a–Ring-and-a-Proposal-Trick.”

The Pack played like they could have cared less.

After clearing waivers from the NY Rangers this week, and with Chad Johnson promoted to the Big Apple, veteran netminder Steven Valiquette got his first start for the Pack since February 2007. The amiable 6’6” 225 pounder unfortunately played as if this was his first game since. He was stiff and was more rusty than the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz. Valiquette surrendered three goals on nine shots in the first 9:21 before getting the hook from Head Coach Ken Gernander.

Valiquette’s replacement, Matt Zaba, also looking to regain his form and confidence, gave up two goals on four shots in 10:39 of service in the first before Valiquette came back in to start the second period and went the rest of the way and coughed up twp more tallies.

The Monarchs’ first goal came just 3:30 into the contest. Right off the draw, the game’s Third Star, Manchester center Gabe Gauthier slid the puck over to right wing Geoff Walker, who just blew it right past the Valiquette. Gauthier would finish the night with three Apples (Assists/Helpers…don’t feel bad…it took us a second to realize what the players meant when they said it to us too.).

Second star if the game, defenseman Viatcheslav Voynov lit the lamp just shy of four minutes later. Corey Potter and Garlock miscommunicated and both chased the puck behind the net leaving Voynov in the front of the net wide open. Oscar Moller, who had the puck behind the goal line spotted Voynov and one quick pass later and Manchester has a power play goal.

The Monarchs just kept coming and it took less that two minutes to send Valiquette to the bench. Kevin Westgarth, who’s know for his fists of stone rather than a shooter’s touch, torched the Pack for his first of two on the night at 9:21 when his shot off the rush up left wing, from a Voynov break out pass, was misplayed by Valiquette and wound up in the twine.

So it was on to Zaba and it didn’t change a thing.

Less than three minutes later, off a mini-two-on-one break-in, Voynov and Juraj Mikus trapped Bobby Sanguinetti, playing in his first game since coming back from a call-up in New York. Sanguinetti played it the way he’s been taught his whole life and it should have worked as it forced a bad angle shot from the left wing circle. But Zaba, who’s struggled mightily this season to return to he form that got him the number one job last season, just plain missed it and the puck flew in behind him over his glove.

The shots on goal were 10-2 at this point and the Pack were down 4-0.

But the Monarchs were not through beating up on the Pack. After Devin DiDiomete had his second tango with Richard Clune and Garlock and Walker mixed it up resulting in a Pack power play, the Pack would surrender a shorthanded goal marking a franchise record of futility for most goals-against in a single period.

After a turn over in the offensive zone, former Ranger draft pick, Marc-Andre Cliché and Gauthier once again caught Sanguinetti in a two-on-one. It could just as easily have been an instant replay as Sanguinetti forced the play wide, went down to cut off the pass and Cliché’s shot beat Zaba over the glove from almost the exact same spot.

The Pack went into the locker room…at least the group wearing the same uniform as the Pack usually sport, down 5-0. Unfortunately the same group emerged from the tunnel to start the second.

Valiquette was back between the pipes. Just :29 seconds into the period and after a Manchester icing call, Andres Ambϋhl took a very foolish slashing call right off the face-off for his second consecutive penalty.

Off to the penalty kill for the third time the Pack went. After allowing only one goal in their last 23 times shorthanded, 3 in their last 45, the Pack gave up their second in three tries in this one when the Monarchs executed a text book break in with sharp three way passing between Moller, Corey Elkins and finally Alec Martinez. The Monarch defenseman finished it off at 1:01 of the period when he got free past both Jared Nightingale and Potter and beat Valiquette with a hard shot from the right circle.

Couture scored his goal at 9:04 of the second for the Pack’s only tally of the game.

Westgarth got his second goal of the contest with just 1:32 remaining. Seeing the Manchester enforcer get his second was a final reminder of just how bad the team had played. Walker’s left point shot snapped his stick and as the puck came in on target, Westgarth redirected it past Valiquette.

“I don’t want to take anything away from our guys, but (Hartford) had a tough night in net,” Manchester head coach Mark Morris said to reporters afterwards. “At the same time, I credit our guys for putting pucks on net. The strong push at the beginning gave us enough momentum to carry us through.”

What is a bigger question is whether this game was an aberration and they’ll be able to get back on the horse in Wilkes Barre or is it a sign of things to come. The last time the Pack got beaten like this, by Sunday’s opponent, the Hershey Bears, they responded by winning four straight and six of seven.

Whether you’re a big fan or not, (we are) you have to give credit to Bob Crawford. He could easily have gotten bitter or down sounding. If you don’t think that he cares about this team winning as much as any Howlings reader you’d be wrong. He cares and it would have been easy to sulk or to blow it off and look to tomorrow, but he didn’t. He told it like it is…as he always does. Find his recap at  Hartfordwolfpack.com.  For the Manchester perspective, there’s Mike Culluty in the The Union-Leader.

GAME SUMMARY and OFFICIAL SCORERS SHEET

NOTES:

*  Rather than pointing out all that went wrong in this one, and there was enough to chew up terabytes, let’s stay positive and look for a bounce back contest against the 10-9-1-1 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins who’re 0-3-0-0 and 5-5-0-0 in their last ten.

MEANWHILE DOWN IN CHARLOTTE:

    VERSUS    

 CHECKERS BACK IN WIN COLUMN, EDGE ELMIRA 2-1 

Checkers fans had two reasons to cheer on Friday as they were given 2,000 “As Seen On TV” products and witnessed an exciting 2-1 victory over the visiting Elmira Jackals.

It was a night of firsts as the Checkers partnered with TeleBrands for the first ever giveaway of its kind at a sporting event and Andrew Carroll scored his first professional game-winning goal.

The two teams traded chances throughout the first period but were unable to capitalize and the Checkers took a 13-10 shot advantage into the dressing room.

Elmira struck first, less than two minutes into the second period, on a tally by the team’s leading scorer Chanse Fitzpatrick. Three Jackals skated into the Charlotte zone on a three-on-one and Yannick Tifu fed a cross-crease pass to Fitzpatrick who tapped it in for his 12^th of the season.

The Checkers would tie it up exactly seven minutes later on a beautiful goal by Randy Rowe. Rowe lost the puck in his feet in the slot, kicked it up to his stick and let go a laser beam of a shot that beat Jackals netminder Michael-Lee Teslak under the cross-bar. The goal was Rowe’s fourth in five games since being activated off injured reserve.

For the second time this season a Charlotte goaltender was injured and was forced to leave the game as Wiikman fell awkwardly and needed to be helped off the ice. Ryan Munce entered the game in relief of the Swedish netminder.

Midway through the third period, Charlotte would take the lead on a great effort by rookie Andrew Carroll. Carroll was dumped in front of the Elmira net and got back up just in time to convert a point shot from a bad angle. The goal was Carroll’s eighth and proved to be the game-winner.

Ryan Munce, who was in net for the Checkers when the game-winning goal was scored, earned the victory while Teslak stopped 41 of 43 shots in a losing effort for the Jackals.

The Checkers (12-5-2-0) begin a five-game road trip on Sunday in Gwinnett and will return to Time Warner Cable Arena on Wednesday, Dec. 16 to host South Carolina. Game time is 7 p.m. and ticket information can be obtained by calling 704-342-4-ICE or visiting www.gocheckers.com

Notes: Randy Rowe has eight points (4g, 4a) in five games since being activated off injured reserve…Daniel Tkaczuk has 17 points (6g, 11a) in 11 games since joining the team…T.J. Reynolds leads all ECHL defensemen with 92 penalty minutes and 10 fighting majors and leads the Checkers with a +13 rating…Derek Couture remains on loan to Hartford, Matt Ford remains with Lake Erie (AHL) and defenseman Ethan Graham is with Norfolk (AHL)…Trevor Glass and Aaron Slattengren are on the 21-day injured reserve.

GAME SUMMARY and SCORER’S SHEET

SCORE-SHEET:

Elmira 0 1 0 – 1

Charlotte 0 1 1 – 2

1st Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Reynolds Chr (high-sticking – double), 2:31; Proulx Elm (unsportsmanlike conduct), 16:08; Wright Elm (fighting – major), 19:21; Carroll Chr (fighting – major), 19:21.

2nd Period-1, Elmira, Fitzpatrick 12 (Tifu, David), 1:40. 2, Charlotte, Rowe 4 (Schepke), 8:40. Penalties-Lepine Elm (fighting – major), 0:03; Reynolds Chr (fighting – major), 0:03; Doig Chr (roughing), 9:52; Proulx Elm (interference), 11:44; Cunningham Elm (tripping), 12:56; Cunningham Elm (cross-checking), 16:22; Wright Elm (delay of game), 18:51.

3rd Period-3, Charlotte, Carroll 8 (Brouillette, Chabot), 10:02. Penalties-Korchinski Elm (high-sticking), 6:55; Reynolds Chr (tripping), 10:35.

Shots on Goal-Elmira 10-8-5-23. Charlotte 13-18-12-43.

Power Play Opportunities-Elmira 0 of 4; Charlotte 0 of 6.

Goalies-Elmira, Teslak 5-4-1-1 (43 shots-41 saves). Charlotte, Wiikman 3-1-0-1 (19 shots-18 saves); Munce 3-2-0-0 (4 shots-4 saves).

A-6,318

Referees-Steve Patafie (29).

Linesmen-Mathieu Chenier (71), Mark Hamlett (81).

BACK IN HARTFORD

LINES:

Byers – Locke – Weise

Grachev – Dupont – Ambϋhl

Soryal – Crowder – Owens

DiDiomete – Garlock – Couture

Potter – Nightingale

Berube – Sanguinetti

Sauer – Urquhart

Valiquette

 (Assistant Captains bold & italicized)

SCRATCHES:

Chad Johnson – On recall with the NY Rangers

Illka Heikkinen – On recall with the NY Rangers

Mathieu Dandenault – Lower Body – Indefinite

Nigel Williams – Concussion – Indefinite

Brent Henley – Lower Body Injury – Four to Six weeks

THREE STARS:

1. MCH – 15 Kevin Westgarth
2. MCH – 76 Viatcheslav Voynov
3. MCH – 28 Gabe Gauthier

ON ICE OFFICIALS:

Referee:
Ian Croft (87)

Linesmen:
Chris Libett (19)
Brian MacDonald (72)

NEXT GAME:

Saturday on the road in Wilkes Barre taking on the Penguins. Howlings will be there reporting live and again SUnday in Hershey agains t the Bears as the Pack look for a little revenge for the 6-1 shellacking they took from the Bears in Hartford o nNovember 19th.

SCORE-SHEET:

Hartford 0 1 0 – 1

Manchester 5 1 1 – 7

1st Period-1, Manchester, Walker 2 (Gauthier), 3:30. 2, Manchester, Voynov 5 (Gauthier, Moller), 7:25 (pp). 3, Manchester, Westgarth 2 (Voynov), 9:21. 4, Manchester, Mikus 2 (Voynov), 12:19. 5, Manchester, Cliche 3 (Gauthier, Piskula), 14:38 (sh). Penalties-DiDiomete Hfd (fighting), 3:28; Clune Mch (fighting), 3:28; Weise Hfd (hooking), 6:56; DiDiomete Hfd (fighting), 13:21; Clune Mch (fighting), 13:21; Garlock Hfd (roughing), 13:46; Walker Mch (roughing, roughing), 13:46; Ambuhl Hfd (holding), 15:20.

2nd Period-6, Manchester, Martinez 1 (Elkins, Moller), 1:01 (pp). 7, Hartford, Couture 2 (Garlock, Sauer), 9:04. Penalties-Ambuhl Hfd (slashing), 0:29; Nightingale Hfd (hooking), 12:52; Locke Hfd (hooking), 16:19.

3rd Period-8, Manchester, Westgarth 3 (Walker, Piskula), 18:28 (pp). Penalties-DiDiomete Hfd (cross-checking), 4:06; Cliche Mch (tripping), 10:38; Potter Hfd (hooking), 11:40; DiDiomete Hfd (hooking), 16:58.

Shots on Goal-Hartford 6-9-5-20. Manchester 13-10-12-35.

Power Play Opportunities-Hartford 0 of 2; Manchester 3 of 8.

Goalies-Hartford, Valiquette 0-1-0 (31 shots-26 saves); Zaba 1-1-1 (4 shots-2 saves). Manchester, Bernier 11-6-2 (20 shots-19 saves).