ORLANDO, FLA – With Christmas just a few days away, teams in the ECHL are taking a look at where they stand and what they will need to do once the calendar turns to 2017 to be Kelly Cup contenders. For now, this is what everyone did during the last full week of play before the break.
Manchester Monarchs (17-7-1-1, 36 points)
The Monarchs were able to add to their division lead thanks to a weekend sweep over Elmira.
On Friday night, it was five unanswered goals and a balanced attack that gave Manchester a 5-1 win. Daniel Ciampini, Rihards Bukarts, Daniel Doremus, Matt Leitner and Jordan LaVallee-Smotherman all posted a goal and an assist in the contest. goalie Sam Brittain made 26 saves to earn the win.
The next night, it was three unanswered goals breaking a 1-1 tie that lifted the Monarchs to a 4-2 win over the Jackals. Alex Privitera led the way with a goal and an assist while Ciampini, LaVallee-Smotherman and Kevin Morris added a goal each. Jonah Imoo stopped 25 of 27 shots to get the victory.
Next Up: Tuesday – at Wheeling, Wednesday – at Reading, Friday – at Elmira
Adirondack Thunder (14-6-2-3, 33 points)
The Thunder lost a little bit of ground to Manchester as they lost twice in three meetings with Brampton.
Thursday’s game against the Beast saw Brampton score the first four goals before the Thunder got on the board. Greg Wolfe and Dennis Kravchenko were able to light the goal light but it was not enough as Adirondack fell 5-2.
Friday’s rematch was much more to the liking of the Thunder. Led by Phil Lane who notched a hat trick, Adirondack rolled to a 7-3 win. Peter MacArthur chipped in with a goal and two assists while Kravchenko, Wolfe and Brett Pollock added one score each. The final game on Sunday saw goalie Mason McDonald make 25 saves but his teammates gave him little help as Adirondack was shut out 3-0.
Next Up: Tuesday – Reading, Thursday – at Elmira, Friday – at Reading
Brampton Beast (14-8-1-2, 31 points)
The Beast continued to improve and impress, taking two of three contests against Adirondack.
On Thursday, Brampton netted the first four goals of the school day game and never looked back in a 5-2 win. David Pacan was the star, posting a hat trick while Tim Billingsley and Brandon MacLean each pitched in with one. Goalie Zach Fucale backstopped the victory with 33 saves.
The next night, MacLean, Luke Pither and Luc-Olivier Blair provided the offense with a goal apiece but the Thunder got their revenge with a 7-3 win. Saturday’s rubber game of the set belonged to Fucale who made 26 saves to record his first ECHL shutout. Brandon Marino scored twice and Pither added an empty net score as the Beast won 3-0.
Next Up: Tuesday – at Indy, Thursday – at Indy, Friday – at Fort Wayne
Reading Royals (14-10-1-1, 30 points)
The Royals did not have the best of weeks, dropping a pair of contests to the Greenville Swamp Rabbits on the road.
Thursday’s game was a defensive struggle as Reading goalie Mark Dekanich made 23 saves to keep the Royals in it. Justin Crandall was the only Royal to find the back of the net as Reading came up on the shirt end of a 2-1 final.
On Friday, the Royals held leafs of 2-0 and 3-1 as well as 4-3 but the defense failed, allowing Greenville to escape with a 5-4 win. Robbie Czarnik, Ian Watters and Tyrell Goulbourne each tallied a goal and an assist with Matt Willows netting the final Royals score.
Next Up: Tuesday – at Adirondack, Wednesday – Manchester, Friday – Adirondack
Wheeling Nailers (12-10-2-0, 26 points)
The Nailers had a busy week, playing three games in four days. The results were not exactly what they would have liked as they lost two of the three contests.
The week started on Wednesday when Orlando paid a visit. Wheeling fell behind early and never recovered, falling by a final of 5-2. Cody Wydo led the Nailers on offense with a goal and an assist while Christian Hilbrich had the other score.
Fort Wayne arrived in town on Friday for a weekend set of games. The Nailers erased a four goal Komets lead and fell behind again before striking for two more goals to grab a 6-5 win. Adam Krause had a huge night, netting a hat trick – including the late tying and game winning goals in a span of 18 seconds – and adding a pair of assists. Andrew Ammon, Garrett Meurs and Brett Stern provided the other goals in the game for Wheeling. On Saturday, Wydo, Ammon and Meurs lit the goal light but the Nailers came up short, losing 4-3 to the Komets.
Next Up: Tuesday – Manchester, Thursday – Cincinnati
Elmira Jackals (6-14-4-0, 16 points)
The Jackals had just two games on the schedule for the week, both coming against Manchester. Things did not go well as Elmira lost twice.
On Friday, J.P. LaFontaine scored the first goal of the game. As it turned out, it was the only score for the Jackals in a 5-1 loss.
Saturday’s rematch saw Cole Martin and Justin Kea find the back of the net and goalie Andy Iles make 26 saves. It was a for naught as the Jackals lost 4-2 to the Monarchs.
Next Up: Thursday – Adirondack, Friday – Manchester
Orlando Solar Bears (16-8-3-0, 35 points)
The Solar Bears picked up five of a possible eight points in four games last week. It allowed them to pull into a first place tie with Florida in the division.
Week two of Orlando’s ten-game road trip began Wednesday in Wherling against the Nailers. Brett Findlay led the offense with two goals and an assist while Tony Cameranesi, Eric Faille and Chase Witala chipped in with a goal each on a 5-2 win. Netminder Ryan Massa made 39 saves to post the victory. On Friday night in Kalamazoo, Cameranesi and Faille both posted two goals and an assist as the Solar Bears downed the Wings 6-4. Joe Perry and Denver Manderson accounted for the other goals while Kasimir Kaskisuo stopped 41 shots in the win.
Saturday’s rematch with the Wings saw Orlando fall behind twice but goals by Faille and Findlay allowed the Solar Bears to get to overtime and earn a point before losing 3-2, Kaskisuo had another solid night between the pipes, making 36 saves. On Sunday in Fort Wayne, Cameranesi scored Orlando’s only goal in a 7-1 loss.
Next Up: Wednesday – at Florida, Thursday – Florida
Florida Everblades (16-5-1-2, 35 points)
The Everblades hosted a pair of games against Atlanta, splitting the two contests.
Friday’s battle was just that as the teams combined for 15 goals with Florida coming away with a wild 8-7 overtime victory. Brendan O’Donnell scored twice on the game while Josh Wesley, Michael Kirkpatrick, Josh McCarron, Adam Brace and Akim Aliu netted one each. That all led to Brant Harris playing the hero, scoring the overtime game winner.
The rematch on Saturday was much more subdued. O’Donnell and McCarron accounted for the scoring with a goal apiece and goalie Anthony Peters stopped 29 shots. Unfortunately for the Everblades, the visiting Gladiators mustered a little bit more offense in taking a 3-2 win.
Next Up: Wednesday – Orlando, Thursday – at Orlando
Greenville Swamp Rabbits (14-9-2-0, 30 points)
The Swamp Rabbits had a very good week, coming away with three wins in three games including two against a non-divisional opponent.
The week began on Wednesday when division for Atlanta came calling at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Greenville gave up the first two goals of the contest before storming back to down the Gladiators 5-2. Bretton Cameron, Joe Houk and Tommy Thompson all notched a goal and an assist with Justin DaSilva and Spiro Goulakos picking up the remaining two goals. Goalie Mackenzie Skapski registered 32 saves to collect the win.
Reading followed Atlanta into Greenville Thursday for a two game weekend set and found out that the Swamp Rabbits can play a defensive style game. Cameron scored twice in the first period and Skapski made it stand up with 33 saves as Greenville collected a 2-1 victory. On Friday night, the rematch was a barn burner in which the Swamp Rabbits came from behind to win 5-4. Matt Prapavessis, Paul Zanette, Brandon Anderson and Trevor Gerling each posted a goal and an assist but it was Goulakos who was the hero, scoring the game winning goal midway through the third period.
Next Up: Tuesday – at South Carolina, Wednesday – Norfolk, Friday – at Atlanta
South Carolina Stingrays (12-10-1-1, 26 points)
Last week was a mixed bag for the Stingrays as they played three games against Norfolk, winning one and losing two.
Derek DeBlois, Kelly Zajac and Dylan Margonari handled the scoring duties while goalie Adam Carlson made 43 saves between the pipes in Wednesday’s first contest. On this night it was not quite enough as the host Admirals came away with a 4-3 win in a shootout.
Friday’s second game saw Max Nicastro and Zajac each collect a goal and two assists as the Stingrays got some revenge with a 6-3 victory. Joe Devin and Steve Weinstein had a goal and an assist apiece and Rob Flick accounted for the other South Carolina score. The final meeting on Saturday did not go the way of the Stingrays as Norfolk won 5-2 despite two goals from DeBlois.
Next Up: Tuesday – Greenville, Friday – Norfolk
Atlanta Gladiators (11-13-3-1, 26 points)
The Gladiators spent the week on the road, playing three games and winning only one of them.
Tuesday night in Greenville, Justin Buzzeo and Eric Neiley each scored as Atlanta jumped out to a two goal lead but the Swamp Rabbits scored five unanswered goals to send the Gladiators away with a 5-2 loss.
Friday night in Florida, Atlanta got into a shootout with the Everblades and came away with a point in an 8-7 overtime loss. Shane Bakker and Neiley each tallied a pair of goals while Cason Hohmann, Brock Higgs and Bryan Cameron delivered one score each. Saturday was a different story as Neiley netted two more and Derek Nesbitt added one of his own to lift the Gladiators to a 3-2 win over the Everblades. Goalie Kent Patterson made 41 saves to secure the victory.
Next Up: Saturday – Greenville
Cincinnati Cyclones (11-10-4-0, 26 points)
The Cyclones had a very productive week, hosting the Indy Fuel twice and coming away with two victories.
Thursday night’s game saw Cincinnati score the first two goals of the contest on the way to a 3-1 win. Andrew Yogan, Brandon McNally and Justin Kirkland each potted a goal and netminder Michael Houser made it stand up with 27 saves.
The second battle on Friday was just as hard fought as The game on Thursday was with similar results. Shane Walsh, Jordan Sims, Peter Leblanc and Dominic Zombo handles the goal scoring while Houser turned away 31 shots in the Cyclones’ 4-1 victory.
Next Up: Thursday – at Wheeling
Norfolk Admirals (5-17-4-0, 14 points)
The Admirals had one of their best weeks under Robbie Ftorek, taking two of three games against South Carolina.
Brodie Dupont, T.J. Foster and Mikael Tam all scored during regulation in Wednesday’s series opener but the game went to overtime and eventually a shootout. In the skills competition, Dupont scored the lone goal to give Norfolk a 4-3 victory. Goalie Brandon Anderson was outstanding, making 25 saves through overtime and stopping all three shootout opportunities for the Stingrays.
On Friday, Josh Brittain had a goal and an assist while Ben Murphy and Paul Rodrigues each scored once but the Admirals fell 6-3. In the rubber game of the set on Saturday, Tam had a breakout game with a hat trick and an assist to lead Norfolk to a 5-2 victory. Brittain and John Dunbar had the other two goals for the Admirals while netminder Steven Summerhays stopped 23 of 25 shots to earn the win.
Next Up: Wednesday – at Greenville, Friday – at South Carolina
Contact the author at don.money@prohockeynews.com
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