ORLANDO, FLA – As the pages of the calendar turn from November to December, the ECHL hits the quarter-season pole. The standings are beginning to tighten up, teams are dealing with callups and we are starting to see which teams are playoff ready right now.
Adirondack Thunder (12-2-0-1, 25 points) Wednesday: win 2-1 over Elmira, Saturday: loss 5-4 (SO) at Elmira, Sunday: win 2-0 over Greenville
The Thunder continue to lead the East division but the gap is closing. Adirondack took two of three games last week.
On Wednesday, Louick Marcotte and Greg Wolfe scored goals and goalie Ken Appleby made 32 saves in a one-goal win over Elmira. Saturday night the Thunder visited Elmira and saw Michael Kirkpatrick and Garrett Ladd each post a goal and an assist in a shootout loss. Marcotte and Jeff Silengo netted the other two goals in the game. Silengo and Mathieu Brodeur each lit the goal light on Sunday in support of goalie Drew Fielding who celebrated his pro debut with a 32-save shutout over the Swamp Rabbits.
Next up: Thursday – at Brampton, Friday – Brampton
Manchester Monarchs (12-7-0-0-, 24 points) Tuesday: loss 3-2 at Atlanta, Thursday: win 3-2 at Atlanta, Friday: win 6-5 (SO) at Norfolk, Saturday: win 4-3 at Norfolk
The hard-charging Monarchs has a very busy but successful week. Manchester went on the road, taking three out of four contests on the southern swing.
Tuesday’s game in Duluth against the Gladiators saw Austin Block and Tony Tugeon each score and goalie Michael Houser make 21 saves but it was not enough to get a win. Thanksgiving night became revenge night as Yann Sauve, Zac Larraza and David Kolomatis each contributed a goal in a win. Stefan Legein was the star on Friday with a hat trick while Kolomatis and Matt White also scored in regulation before Michael Boivin won it in the shootout. On Saturday, the return meeting with Norfolk saw Larraza, White and Matt Leitner all post a goal and an assist while Boivin chipped in with a score as the Monarchs edged the Admirals.
Next up: Friday – Reading, Saturday – Reading, Sunday – Reading
Elmira Jackals (10-8-0-0, 20 points) Wednesday: loss 2-1 at Adirondack, Saturday: win 5-4 (SO) at Adirondack, Sunday: win 5-2 at Brampton
The Jackals played three times during Thanksgiving week, winning twice and losing once by the closest of margins.
Mark Bennett scored the lone goal while netminder C.J. Motte made 23 saves on Wednesday in a one-goal loss to the Thunder. The two teams then headed back to Elmira where Jacob MacDonald led the Jackals with two goals an an assist in a shootout win. Scott Jacklin and Cason Hohmann each scored in regulation before Hohmann played the role of the hero in the shootout. On Sunday, Hohmann bagged two more goals and added a helper in a win over Brampton. Justin Bernhardt, Colin Jacobs and Nathan Oystrick each scored to help Motte (32 saves) pick up the win in net.
Next up: Wednesday – Kalamazoo, Friday – Kalamazoo, Saturday – Kalamazoo, Sunday – at Wheeling
Reading Royals (9-8-0-1, 19 points) Wednesday: loss 1-0 at Wheeling, Friday: loss 6-3 at Greenville, Saturday: loss 4-3 (SO) to Greenville, Sunday: win 3-2 over Wheeling
The Royals had a tough week, playing four games and losing three (one in a shootout). They did end on a positive note with a win on Sunday.
Goalie Adam Morrison was the lone bright spot, making 24 saves in a heart-breaking loss on Wednesday at Wheeling. Mike Pereira, Brandon Alderson and Justin Crandall all scored on Friday but it was not near enough to take down Greenville. Pereira, Joe Rehkamp and Robbie Czarnik lit the goal light on Saturday against the Swamp Rabbits but the visitors pulled out the win in a shootout. Sunday’s rematch with the Nailers went better than Wednesday’s tilt as Yannick Tifu, Pereira and Matt Hatch provided the offense and goalie Connor Knapp stopped 42 shots to lead the Royals to a win.
Next up: Friday – at Manchester, Saturday – at Manchester, Sunday – at Manchester
Norfolk Admirals (5-14-0-1, 11 points) Wednesday: loss 6-0 to Greenville, Friday: loss 6-5 (SO) to Manchester, Saturday: loss 4-3 to Manchester
The Admirals continued to struggle as the franchise gets reacquainted with the ECHL. The Admirals lost all three games during the week.
The week began with a tough shutout loss to Greenville on Wednesday. Manchester then visited the Scope on Friday where Steven Whitney and Nicolas Blanchard both netted two goals while Alexandre Ranger scored once but the Monarchs prevailed in a shootout. The rematch on Saturday saw Blanchard, Ben Betker and Scott Allen all score for the Admirals but Norfolk fell one goal short again.
Next up: Wednesday – South Carolina, Saturday – at Greenville
Toledo Walleye (9-5-1-3, 22 points) Friday: win 4-1 over Brampton, Saturday: loss 1-0 (OT) at Fort Wayne, Sunday: win 4-3 (SO) at Kalamazoo
The Walleye took two of three games during the week with the lone loss coming in overtime to the Komets.
Friday’s home game against Brampton saw Austin Wuthrich, Tyler Sikura, Beau Schmitz and Marek Tvrdon all score while goalie Jeff Lerg made 24 saves to secure the victory. The next night the Walleye headed to Fort Wayne where goalie Jake Paterson stopped 30 shots before the Komets won in overtime. Toledo got back in the win column on Sunday when Michale Leone, Tvrdon and Joel Chouinard all scored in regulation before A.J. Jenks won the game in the shootout.
Next up: Thursday – at Indy, Friday – at Indy
Wheeling Nailers (10-8-1-0, 21 points) Wednesday: win 1-0 over Reading, Saturday: loss 6-3 at Brampton, Sunday: loss 3-2 at Reading
The Nailers began the week with a win but lost the two contests that came after the holiday.
The Wednesday game with Reading was a defensive struggle that saw Zack Torquato score the only goal of the contest. Goalie Franky Palazzese made it stand up by making 28 saves to post the shutout. The Nailers were not as lucky on Saturday as Torquato, Jarrett Burton and Adam Krause all scored but it was not enough to tame the Beast. A visit to Reading on Sunday also did not go well as Krause and Brett Stern each scored and Palazzese made 36 saves but the Nailers lost by one.
Next up: Friday – South Carolina, Saturday – South Carolina, Sunday – Elmira
Kalamazoo Wings (7-10-1-1, 16 points) Friday: loss 3-1 at Quad City, Sunday: loss 4-3 (SO) to Toledo
The K-Wings had a light schedule but it did not go well as Kalamazoo dropped two contests.
Tanner Sorenson score the lone goal for the Wings on Friday in a road loss at Quad City. Kalamazoo then hosted Toledo on Sunday where David Gilbert, Sorenson and Colin Murray all scored in regulation but the Wings fell in a shootout.
Next up: Wednesday – at Elmira, Friday – at Elmira, Saturday – at Elmira, Sunday – at Brampton
Brampton Beast (7-9-1-0, 15 points) Friday: loss 4-1 at Toledo, Saturday: win 6-3 at Wheeling, Sunday: loss 5-2 to Elmira
The Beast went 1-2 during the week with a win over Wheeling sandwiched by two losses.
Chris Auger provided the offense on Friday, scoring the lone goal in a loss to Toledo. He came right back on Saturday to score twice while Mike Vernace, Luke Sandler, Luke Pither and Travis each added a goal in a victory over the Nailers. On Sunday, Pither scored twice but the Jackals were just too much for the Beast to handle.
Next up: Thursday – Adirondack, Friday – at Adirondack, Sunday – Kalamazoo
Florida Everblades (14-7-0-0, 28 points) Wednesday: win 3-0 at Colorado, Friday: win 2-0 at Colorado, Saturday: loss 5-1 at Colorado
The Everblades took Horace Greeley’s advice and went west for the holiday, playing three games in Colorado last week.
Wednesday’s game belonged to goalie Anthony Peters who pitched a 30-save shutout for the Everblades while Corey Syvret, Matt Willows and John DiSalvatore provided the offense in the win. Not to be outdone, goalie Daniel Altshuller came up with a 21-save whitewashing of his own over the Eagles on Friday with Willows and Evan Bloodoff doing the scoring. Saturday’s final game saw Ethan Werek score the lone goal for the Everblades in a contest that devolved into a slugfest with 190 penalty minutes and suspensions on both sides.
Next up: Wednesday – at Idaho, Friday – at Idaho, Saturday – at Idaho
South Carolina Stingrays (10-6-1-1, 22 points) Tuesday: win 6-3 at Orlando, Saturday: win 2-1 at Orlando
The Stingrays stayed red hot despite playing only two games, winning one with offense and the other with goaltending and defense.
Tuesday’s battle with Orlando was quite the departure from the two one-goal defensive struggles a couple of weekends ago. David Pacan found his scoring touch, netting a hat trick while Austin Fyten, Brett Cameron and Brenden Ellis all added a goal each against the Solar Bears. On Saturday, the second game of the three-game set saw goalie Vitek Vanecek stone the host Solar Bears, making 32 saves while Joey Leach and Paul Rodrigues provided the offense in a one-goal win.
Next up: Monday – at orlando, Wednesday – at Norfolk, Friday – at Wheeling, Saturday – at Wheeling, Sunday – at Indy
Atlanta Gladiators (10-7-1-0, 21 points) Monday: win 4-3 at Greenville, Tuesday: win 3-2 over Manchester, Thursday: loss 3-2 to Manchester, Friday: win 4-3 (SO) over Orlando
The Gladiators had a busier-than-normal week, playing four games in five days. Maybe that was a good thing as Atlanta won three of the contests.
The week started with a rare Monday tilt with Greenville. Max Everson and Derek Nesbitt each registered a goal and an assist to lead the way while Eric Neiley and Brock Higgs each netted one. The next night, Neiley, Tyler Murovich and Justin Buzzeo did the scoring while goalie Andy Iles made 27 saves to earn a win over Manchester. The holiday night rematch with the Monarchs saw Ian Barteaux and Nesbitt scorce once each in a loss. On Friday, Thimas Frazee, Mike Merrifield and Nesbitt all scored in regulation before J.T. Barnett won the game in the shootout.
Next up: Saturday – at Orlando, Sunday – at Orlando
Orlando Solar Bears (8-5-1-3, 20 points) Tuesday: loss 6-3 to South Carolina, Friday: loss 4-3 (SO) at Atlanta, Saturday: loss 2-1 to South Carolina
The Solar Bears have fallen on hard times, finishing the week in the midst of a four-game winless streak.
On Tuesday the Solar Bears hosted South Carolina in the first of three meetings over the holiday. Things did not go well for Orlando as Denver Manderson, Eric Faille and Brett Findlay all scored but it was not enough to win. Friday night, Faille, Johnny McInnis and Eric Baier all score during regulation but the Solar Bears fell in a shootout. Game two of the set with the Stingrays was a lesson in frustration as T.J. Foster scored the lone goal while goalie Rob Madore made 32 saves but South Carolina found a way to win.
Next up: Monday – South Carolina, Saturday – Atlanta, Sunday – Atlanta
Greenville Swamp Rabbits (9-10-1-0, 19 points) Monday: loss 4-3 to Atlanta, Wednesday: win 6-0 at Norfolk, Friday: win 6-3 at Reading, Saturday: win 4-3(SO) at Reading, Sunday: loss 2-0 at Adirondack
The Swamp Rabbits began to find their groove during the holiday, winning three out of five games played.
Despite goals from Rob Kwiet, Ryan Rashid and Bretton Cameron, Greenville fell to Atlanta on Monday. Wednesday night in Norfolk, the Swamp Rabbits feasted on the Admirals as Michael Kantor scored twice while Jack Combs, Tyler Elbrecht, Richard Nejezchleb and Rashid all lit the goal light once. Goalie P.J. Musico made 26 saves to record the shutout. On Friday, Combs struck for a hat trick and Cameron, Kantor and Darian Dziurzynski netted one each. Josh Nichills scored twice and Scott Fleming once in regulation before Combs hit for the winner in the shootout on Saturday in Reading. On Sunday, the week ended with a shutout loss to the Thunder.
Next up: Thursday – Cincinnati, Friday – Cincinnati, Saturday – Norfolk
Contact the author at don.money@prohockeynews.com
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