ORLANDO, FLA – The days may be getting shorter on daylight but the lights never go out on the ECHL. There was plenty of action during the first full week of December.
Manchester Monarchs (15-7-1-1, 32 points)
Manchester its tight battle with Adirondack and Reading, maintaining a slim one point lead over the Thunder thanks to two wins. The Monarchs and Florida were the first two teams in the conference to get to 15 wins.
The Monarchs began their week on Wednesday at home against a struggling Norfolk club. Six different players – Connor Hardowa, Dean Yakura, Kevin Morris, Zac Lynch, Rihards Bukarts and Quentin Shore – all found the back of the net in a 6-3 triumph over the Admirals. Goalie Sam Brittain made 29 saves to secure the win.
The Admirals were back in Manchester looking for revenge but the Monarchs refused to cooperate. Morris scored two goals and added an assist while Lynch, Daniel Doremus and Justin Agosta chipped in one each as Manchester won 5-3. Brittain was solid between the pipes again, making 31 saves.
Next Up: Friday – Elmira, Saturday – Elmira
Adirondack Thunder (13-4-2-3, 31 points)
Like Manchester, Adirondack had a pair of contests against Norfolk on the schedule. The Thunder picked up three of a possible four points in those two games.
Tuesday’s matchup with the Admirals was a tight affair. Ty Loney and Brian Ward each had a goal and an assist and James Henry added one of his own. On many nights three goals would be enough but Norfolk found a way to win, downing the Thunder 4-3 in overtime.
The rematch on Saturday ended up being no contest. Led by a hat trick and an assist from Mikkel Aagaard, Adirondack coasted to an 8-1 win. Dennis Kravchenko (goal, two assists), Brett Pollock (goal, two assists), Loney (goal, three assists), Phil Lane and Alexander Fedoseyev also scored for the Monarchs. Goalie Mason McDonald had 25 saves to earn the win.
Next Up: Thursday – at Brampton, Friday – at Brampton, Saturday – Brampton
Reading Royals (14-8-1-1, 30 points)
The Royals remained on the heels of Manchester and Adirondack, picking up a pair of wins over the Indy Fuel.
Friday turned out to be a mismatch as Reading scored seven unanswered goals in an 8-2 win. Chris McCarthy led the way with two goals and two assists while Mike Periera, Matt Williws, Florian Iberer, Tyrell Goulbourne, Ryan Penny and Derik Johnson all lit the goal light once. Netminder Mark Dekanich stopped 29 shots to pick up the win.
Saturday’s second meeting was much closer and again the Royals had to come from behind again to win 3-1. McCarthy, Steven Seavely and Michael Boivin each had a goal in support of Dekanich who notched 19 saves.
Next Up: Thursday – at Greenville, Friday – at Greenville
Brampton Beast (12-7-1-2, 27 points)
The Beast stormed their way into fourth place in the division thanks to a big week. Brampton played three home games and took all three.
On Wednesday, Indy came calling and found out that the Beast have become a tough team to beat. Luke Pither (goal, two assists) and Favis Vallorani (goal, assists) paced the Beast offense as Brampton won 6-3. Scott Jacklin, Brandon Marino, David Pacan and Luc-Olivier Blain all chipped in with a goal while goalie Zach Fucale posted 32 saves.
Division foe Wheeling arrived on Friday for a pair of contests. Game one saw Chris Auger bag two goals for himself while Pacan and Vallorani added one each in a 4-2 victory for the Beast. Fucale was again strong in net, making 34 saves. It was more of the same on Saturday as Fucale stopped 36 shots while Vallorani netted two and had two assists in yet another 4-2 win over the Nailers. Pither and Pacan had the other two goals for the Beast.
Next Up: Thursday – Adirondack, Friday – Adirondack, Saturday – at Adirondack
Wheeling Nailers (11-8-2-0, 24 points)
The Nailers fell back into fourth place behind Brampton after losing twice to the Beast on the road.
On Friday, Milo’s Bubela and Garrett Meurs provided the offense with a goal apiece and goalie Doug Carr made 21 saves. It was not enough as Brampton downed Wheeling 4-2.
It was more of the same on Saturday as the host Beast came away with a second straight 4-2 victory. Derek Army and Brett Stern each tallied once for Wheeling.
Next Up: Wednesday – Orlando, Friday – Fort Wayne, Saturday – at Fort Wayne
Elmira Jackals (6-12-4-0, 16 points)
Elmira spent much of last week in sunny Florida with three games against the Everblades. The Jackals lost the first two meetings but salvaged a win in the third.
On Wednesday, Matt Lane, Kyle Rankin, Vaclav Karabacek and Sebastien Sylvestre each had a goal but the host Everblades outgunned Elmira 7-4. Friday’s second game was a defensive classic. Jackals netminder Andy Iles was spectacular, making 26 saves but one got past him and it was the difference in a 1-0 loss.
Elmira got its revenge on Saturday, posting a 4-2 win over Florida. Casey Thrush and Karabacek both picked up a goal and an assist while Greg Betzold and Mark Bennett added one each. Iles backstopped the victory with 34 saves.
Next Up: Friday – at Manchester, Saturday – at Manchester
Florida Everblades (15-4-1-2, 33 points)
Florida joined Manchester as the first two teams in the Eastern conference to reach 15 wins on the season. The Everblades accomplished it by winning two of three contests with Elmira.
Wednesday’s first meeting was the Michael Kirkpatrick show as the forward collected a hat trick and added an assist in the 7-4 victory. Brendan O”Donnell and Brant Harris both picked up a goal and four assists while Adam Brace and newly signed Rory Rawlyk had one each.
Mike Ferrantino was the hero on Friday, scoring with 2:55 left in regulation to give the Everbladrs a 1-0 win. Goalie Matt Skoff made 30 saves to earn the shutout. The next night, O’Donnell and Akim Aliu had a score each but Florida fell 4-2 to the Jackals.
Next Up: Friday – Atlanta, Saturday – Atlanta
Orlando Solar Bears (14-7-2-0, 30 points)
The Solar Bears set out on section one of a ten-game road trip with two stops in Greenville and two more in Atlanta. Orlando came away with three victories in four games.
Tuesday’s stop in Greenville turned into the Brock Montgomery show as the big forward posted a goal and three assists in a 5-2 Solar Bears win. Austin Block (goal, two assists) Chase Witala (goal, assist), Tony Cameranesi and Joe Perry all hit the score sheet while rookie goalie Kasimir Kaskisuo made 32 saves. Orlando was not as lucky in the rematch on Thursday as Perry and Taylor Doherty were the only goal scorers for the Solar Bears in a 6-2 loss.
Orlando moved on to Duluth, Georgia on Friday to take on the Atlanta Gladiators. Block, Cameranesi and Patrick Watling staked the Solar Bears to a lead and Ben Danford sealed things with a late empty net tally in a 4-2 victory. Kaskisuo picked up his third straight win with a 35-save effort. Sunday’s rematch saw Watling and Eric Faille each grab a goal and an assist while Nik Brouillard and Perry lit the goal light once in a 4-1 win. Kaskisuo completed a huge week by making 36 saves for his third victory in five days.
Next Up: Wednesday – at Wheeling, Friday – at Kalamazoo, Saturday – at Kalamazoo, Sunday – at Fort Wayne
Greenville Swamp Rabbits (11-9-2-0, 24 points)
Greenville also had a busy week with four games on the schedule. The Swamp Rabbits split the week, winning two and losing two.
Ahti Oskanen and Spiro Goulakos each found the back of the net in Tuesday’s meeting with Orlando but the visiting Solar Bears came away with a 5-2 win. Thursday’s rematch was much more to the liking to Greenville fans as Desmond Bergin scored twice to lead the Swamp Rabbits to a 6-2 victory. Anglelo Miceli, Tommy Thompson, Bretton Cameron and Goulakos each added a goal to the cause while goalie Mackenzie Skapski made 26 saves.
Bergin was the offensive star again on Friday, scoring both goals in a 2-0 Swamp Rabbits win at South Carolina. Skapski earned the shutout with. 28-save effort. Saturday’s rematch with the Stingrays saw Cameron and Justin DaSilva score but the Swamp Rabbits fell by a final of 8-2.
Next Up: Tuesday – Atlanta, Thursday – Reading, Friday – Reading
South Carolina Stingrays (11-9-1-0, 23 points)
The Stingrays had just two games on their schedule for the week, both against Greenville. The results were mixed as they won one and lost one.
Friday’s matchup with the Swamp Rabbits saw goalie Adam Carlson make 26 saves to give the Stingrays a chance to win. On this night it was not to be as South Carolina was blanked 2-0.
The next night was a very different story. Led by Derek DeBlois (two goals, two assists) and Dylan Margonari (two goals, assist), South Carolina exploded for an 8-2 win. Rob Flick added two goals of his own while Kelly Zajac and Alex Gacek netted the other goals for the Stingrays.
Next Up: Wednesday – at Norfolk, Friday – at Norfolk, Saturday – at Norfolk
Atlanta Gladiators (10-12-2-1, 23 points)
Atlanta faced division opponent Orlando twice at home, falling twice to the Solar Bears.
On Friday, Ben Marshall picked up a goal and an assist while Derek Nesbitt added a score of his own in a 4-2 loss to Orlando. Goalie Dan Vladar made 28 saves in a losing effort.
Sunday’s rematch saw Brock Higgs net his sixth goal of the season with seven minutes left in the game. It was the only goal for the Gladiators as they fell 4-1.
Next Up: Tuesday – at Greenville, Friday – at Florida, Saturday – at Florida
Cincinnati Cyclones (9-10-4-0, 22 points)
The Cyclones had a tough week, losing three times. They did however pick a couple of points as two of the losses came in overtime.
Things did not start well as Cincinnati hosted Firt Wayne on Wednesday. Despite Michael Houser making 16 saves, the Cyclones fell 2-0.
Friday night was the first of back-to-back face offs with Quad City. Peter Leblanc scored twice and Dominic Zombo added one but the Cyclones lost to the Mallards 4-3 in overtime. On Saturday, it was the same result as Cincinnati again came out on the short end of a 4-3 overtime loss. Arvin Atwal, Tommy Mele and Craig Dalrymple scored the goals for the Cyclones.
Next Up: Thursday – Indy, Friday – Indy
Norfolk Admirals (3-16-4-0, 10 points)
The schedule makers had Norfolk playing four games up in the Northeast corridor last week. The Admirals started off with an overtime win at Adirondack but they list the final three games of the trip.
John Dunbar had two goals, including the overtime winner, to lead Norfolk to a 4-4 win. John Kurtz and Mike Seidel each scored once and T.J. Foster had three assists for the Admirals. Foster picked up a goal and an assist the next night in Manchester but the Admirals fell to the Monarchs by a final of 6-3. Dunbar and Jaedon Descheneau had the other goals for Norfolk.
Foster continued his hot week with two goals in Friday’s rematch with Manchester, a game that ended with the Admirals on the short end of a 5-3 final. Kurtz accounted for the other Norfolk tally. Back in Glens Falls on Saturday, the Admirals got a goal from Paul Rodrigues but it was not near enough as Adirondack pounded Norfolk 8-1.
Next Up: Wednesday – South Carolina, Friday – South Carolina, Sunday – South Carolina
Contact the author at Don.money@prohockeynews.com
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