ORLANDO, FLA – Now that the ECHL has past the week five mark of the season, teams are starting to build identities and figure out what is and is not working for them. In the Eastern conference, the South division is quickly becoming the strongest set of squads based on the fact that if the playoffs were to start right now, the south would have four of the eight invites to the dance.
Thankfully for everyone, the post-season does not start until April so for now it is full steam ahead as we close in on the quarter pole for 2015-2016. Here is how the east fared last week…
East Division
Adirondack Thunder (9-2-0-0, 18 points) Friday: won 4-1 at Atlanta, Saturday: lost 3-2 at Greenville
The Thunder headed south for a pair of road games below the Mason-Dixon line and found mixed results.
On Friday, Adirondack pulled into Duluth, Georgia to take on the Atlanta Gladiators. Led by Kyle Flanagan who notched two goals and an assist, the Thunder came away with their ninth win in ten outings. Greg Wolfe and Mitchell Heard also scored in support of goalie Ken Appleby who made 22 saves. The next night it was on the Greenville to face the Swamp Rabbits who took down the Thunder. Michael Kirkpatrick was the star for Adirondack, scoring both goals in the loss.
Next up: Wednesday – Norfolk
Reading Royals (8-4-0-0, 16 points) Wednesday: won 2-1 over Wheeling, Friday: lost 6-1 at Wheeling, Saturday: won 3-2 over Norfolk, Sunday: won 4-2 over Norfolk
The Royals had a busy week, hitting the ice four times in five days and coming away with three wins in the process.
The week started on Wednesday when Wheeling came to town. Mike Pereira and Robbie Czarnik each scored and Martin Ouellette made 20 saves as the Royals won 2-1. The return matchup in Wheeling on Friday was not a productive as Czarnik scored the lone Royals goal in a loss. Adam Comrie, Justin Crandall and Pereira all lit the goal light on Saturday in a home victory over the Admirals and Matt Hatch found the back of the net twice on Sunday to lead the Royals to a second win over Norfolk.
Next up: Friday – Elmira, Saturday – at Elmira
Manchester Monarchs (6-5-0-0, 12 points) Tuesday: win 7-3 at Kalamazoo, Friday: win 5-4 over Toledo, Saturday: loss 6-2 to Toledo, Sunday: win 4-3 (shootout) over Toledo
The Monarchs turned a slow start to the season around last week, winning three of the four games the team played.
Matt White began the week with a bang, netting a hat trick and adding an assist in a big win at Kalamazoo. Gasper Kopitar, Derek Arnold, Matt Leitner and Troy Power each scored once. On Friday, Michael Boivin had the game-winning goal as the Monarchs edged Toledo. Yann Sauve, Zac Larraza, Stefan Legein and Arnold had the other goals for host Manchester. Maxim Kitsyn scored twice on Saturday but it was not enough to topple the Walleye in game two of the three-game set. The rubber game of the series on Sunday went the way of the Monarchs as White scored twice and Joe Diamond once in regulation before Austin Block netted the game-winner in the shootout.
Next up: Wednesday – Elmira, Friday – Norfolk, Saturday – Norfolk, Sunday – Norfolk
Elmira Jackals (5-7-0-0, 10 points) Tuesday: won 4-3 at Norfolk, Friday: lost 4-1 to Norfolk, Saturday: lost 4-1 to Brampton
The Jackals had three contests on the schedule for the week, winning just one of them.
On Tuesday, Elmira went down to Norfolk and came away with a win over the Admirals. Cason Hohmann and Mike Seidel each picked up a goal and an assist in the win while Kevin Clark and Jacob MacDonald each contributed a score. On Friday, Tyler Currier was the only Jackal to score in the rematch with the Admirals. Then on Saturday, Justin Bernhardt had the lone tally in a loss to the Beast.
Next up: Wednesday – at Manchester, Friday – at Reading, Saturday – Reading
Norfolk Admirals (5-8-0-0, 10 points) Tuesday: loss 4-3 to Elmira, Friday: win 4-1 at Elmira, Saturday: loss 3-2 at Reading, Sunday: loss 4-2 at Reading
The Admirals played four games over the course of the week, splitting them down the middle with two wins and two losses.
Jonathan Lessard had a goal and an assist while Josh Currie and Tommy Mele added a goal apiece on Tuesdya as the Admirals downed Elmira. The rematch in Elmira on Friday was also a successful one as Mele and Steven Whitney had a tally and a helper each while Alexandre Ranger and Jordan Hill also scored in another win. The Admirals moved down to Reading on Saturday where Ranger and Currie both scored but it was not enough to win. The same result happened on Sunday as Ranger and Samuel Noreau lit the goal light in a loss.
Next up: Wednesday – at Adirondack, Friday – at Manchester, Saturday – at Manchester, Sunday – at Manchester
North Division
Wheeling Nailers (7-5-1-0, 15 points) Tuesday: win 7-5 over Cincinnati, Wednesday: loss 2-1 at Reading, Friday: win 6-1 over Reading, Saturday: loss 2-1 (OT) to Evansville, Sunday: win 4-2 over Evansville
The Nailers had five games in six days to contend with, coming away with three wins and points in four of the contests.
The week started with a school-day affair against Cincinnati. Down 5-2 with seven minutes left in the third period, the Nailers staged a huge comeback to win. Clark Seymour scored twice while Zack Torquato, Brett Stern (two goals in the game) and Jarrett Burton in the furious final minutes. Derek Army had the other Wheeling goal. On Wednesday, Brace Riley had the lone tally in a loss to Reading while goalie Brian Foster stopped 22 of 24 shots as the tough luck loser.
Patrick McGrath and Burton each scored twice while Brace and Mike Gunn each added a goal in a bounce back win Friday at Reading. Adam Krause was the lone goal scorer on Saturday and Foster made another 24 saves in a overtime loss to Evansville. The Nailers got revenge on Sunday as Brace scored twice and Torquato and Krause added one each in a win.
Next up: Wednesday – at Florida, Friday – at Florida, Saturday – at Florida
Kalamazoo Wings (6-7-1-0, 13 points) Tuesday: loss 7-3 to Manchester, Friday: win 4-2 over Evansville, Saturday: win 2-1 (OT) over Cincinnati, Sunday: loss 6-3 at Brampton
The K-Wings also had a busy week with four games, taking two of them and earning a point in a third.
Alex Mallet netted a pair of goals and Tanner Sorenson scored once but it wa snot near enough as Manchester beat the K-Wings on Tuesday. Friday was a much better outcome as Mallet and Dane Fox had a goal and an assist each while Tyler Shattock and Sorenson scored once in a win over Evansville. Justin Taylor was the hero on Saturday as he scored the game-winner in overtime to take down the Cyclones. Cory Pritz had the other tally against Cincinnati. On Sunday, the K-Wings went north to Brampton where Shattock, Taylor and Steve McCarthy all scored but the Beast were just too much to handle.
Next up: Thursday – at Toledo, Friday – at Fort Wayne, Saturday – at Evansville
Toledo Walleye (5-5-0-2, 12 points) Friday: loss 5-4 at Manchester, Saturday: win 6-2 at Manchester, Sunday: loss 4-3 (SO) at Manchester
The Walleye spent the weekend in New Hampshire, playing a three-game series with Manchester. Toledo went 1-1-0-1 including a heart-breaking ten-round shootout loss.
On Friday, Alden Hirschfeld, A.J. Jenks, Kyle Bonis and Joel Chouinard each found the back of the net but it was not enough as the host Monarchs won by one. Jenks had two goals and an assist on Saturday to lead the way in a win. Shane Berschbach, Bonis, Austing Wuthrich and Hirschfeld each contributed a score in support of goalie Jake Paterson who made 36 saves. Jenks, Hirschfeld, and Wuthrich all scored in regulation on Sunday but the Monarchs prevailed in a ten-round shootout.
Next up: Thursday – Kalamazoo, Friday – at Brampton, Saturday – Fort Wayne
Brampton Beast (5-6-1-0, 11 points) Saturday: win 4-1 at Elmira, Sunday: win 6-3 over Kalamazoo
The Beast have come alive, putting together a string of wins including two last week.
Scott Howes continued his hot scoring streak, netting two goals while Bryan McGregor and Luke Pither each added one in a win over Elmira on Saturday. On Sunday, Howes was right back at it with two more goals and two assists as the Beast doubled up on Kalamazoo. Mathew Maione, Mike Vernace, Brandon Marino and Luc-Olivier Blain had the other Brampton goals in the game.
Next up: Friday – Toledo, Sunday – Fort Wayne
South Division
Florida Everblades (11-4-0-0, 22 points) Tuesday: win 8-2 at Atlanta, Friday: win 4-3 (OT) over Idaho, Saturday: win 3-0 over Idaho
The Everblades had another perfect week, winning all three games they played including two over a western conference foe.
On Tuesday, Florida went up to Duluth to take on the Atlanta Gladiators. Mike Aviani led the way with two goals and an assist in the lopsided win. Evan Bloodoff, Ethan Werek, Gabriel Desjardins, Justin Agosta, Brant Harris and Matt Willows all chipped in with a goal in the rout. Willows was the star on Friday, scoring twice including the game-winner in overtime as the Everblades edges the visiting Steelheads. Harris and Matt Marquardt also cored for Florida. Saturday night was the Daniel Altshuller show as he stopped all 21 shots he faced for his second shutout win of the young season. Coey Syvret, Corey Cowick and Jon DiSalvatore had the goals for the Everblades.
Next up: Wednesday – Wheeling, Friday – Wheeling, Saturday – Wheeling
South Carolina Stingrays (7-5-1-1, 16 points) Friday: win 2-1 (SO) over Orlando, Saturday: loss 2-1 (SO) to Orlando
The Stingrays had just two games on the schedule but they were huge divisional contests. They split the two contests with Orlando as each team won in a shootout.
Friday night’s game was a defensive struggle throughout. Patrick Gaul had the lone score in regulation for the Stingrays before Joe Devin won it in the shootout. Rookie goalie Vitek Vanecek stopped 21 of 22 shots and all three in the shootout to get the win. The next night was a carbon copy except that it was the visiting Solar Bears who won. Brenden Ellis had the only goal for South Carolina while Vanecek added 22 more saves.
Next up: Friday – at Greenville, Saturday – at Atlanta
Atlanta Gladiators (7-5-1-0, 15 points) Tuesday: loss 8-2 to Florida, Thursday: loss 6-3 at Greenville, Friday: loss 4-1 to Adirondack, Sunday: win 4-1 over Greenville
The Gladiators had a tough week, dropping three of their four games including two divisional contests.
Tuesday’s game against Florida was not a good one for the host Galdiators as Justin Buzzeo and Thomas Frazee were the only two Atlanta players to score. Tyler Murovich, Daniel Bahntge and J.T. Barnett all lit the lamp on Thursday but the Swamp Rabbits had too much fire power for the Gladiators to handle. On Friday, Max Everson had the lone goal in a loss to Adirondack. Sunday’s rematch with Greenville went much better as Nathan Condon, Brock Higgs, Bahntge and Barnett all scored to help goalie Kent Patterson (29 saves) pick up the win.
Next up: Saturday – South Carolina
Orlando Solar Bears (6-3-1-1, 14 points) Thursday: win 5-4 over Idaho, Friday: loss 2-1 (SO) at South Carolina, Saturday: win 2-1 (SO) at South Carolina
The Solar Bears had three games on the schedule and came away with points in all three, including two hard-fought contests against division rival South Carolina.
Matt Rupert was the headliner on Thursday against Idaho, scoring twice in a one-goal game. Brett Findlay, Lindsay Sparks and Mark Louis each added a score in the win. On Friday, Eric Faille’s tally in the third period tied the score but the Solar Bears fell short in a shootout. Goalie Rob Madore made 33 saves in the loss but followed it up with 29 more, including a spectacular stop on a two-on-none in overtime, on Saturday in a shootout win. Findlay had the lone Orlando core in regulation but it was Denver Manderson’s tally in the shootout that won the contest.
Next up: Tuesday – at Greenville, Friday – at Evansville, Saturday – at Cincinnati
Greenville Swamp Rabbits (5-8-0-0, 10 points) Thursday: win 6-3 over Atlanta, Saturday: win 3-2 over Adirondack, Sunday: loss 4-1 at Atlanta
The Swamp Rabbits played three games in four days last week, taking two of them including a huge win over one of the best teams in the conference.
Scott Fleming and Jack Combs each recorded a goal and an assist to lead the way in a win over Atlanta on Thursday. Michael St. Croix, Kodie Curran, Brian Hart and Josh Nicholls each contributed a goal to the victory. On Saturday, Tyler Elbrecht, Combs and Hart all lit the goal light as the Swamp Rabbits behind the 21-save performance of goalie Jeff Malcolm took down Adirondack. Fleming was the lone goal scorer on Sunday as the Swamp Rabbits lost to the Gladiators in Duluth.
Next up: Tuesday: Orlando, Friday – South Carolina
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