NORFOLK, VA – The Manchester Monarchs received two goals from Jordan LaVallee-Smotherman, and routed the Norfolk Admirals, 7-1, Wednesday night at Scope Arena.
The Monarchs (4-3-0-1) took their first meeting of the season with the Admirals (2-6-0-0) and won the shot battle, 40-17.
The Monarchs got going early when Zac Lynch scored his second goal of the season just 59 seconds into the contest. Lynch took a backhand pass out of the left corner from Matt Leitner in the slot, and buried the first shot of the game through the legs of Admirals goaltender Jake Paterson to put the Monarchs up 1-0.
Matt Marcinew doubled the Manchester lead when he potted his second goal of the season at 5:51 while on the power play. Tony Cameranesi skated behind the net and found Marcinew camped alone below the left dot, where Marcinew fired a wrister into the top right corner of Paterson’s net to make it a 2-0 Monarchs advantage.
Manchester made it 3-0 when LaVallee-Smotherman netted his third goal of the season at 12:31 of the opening period, the second power-play goal of the night for the Monarchs. Eric Schurhamer started the scoring play with a slap shot from the middle of the blue line that Paterson saved, but the rebound trickled to Smotherman at the top of the crease where he simply swept the puck into an empty net.
Norfolk stopped the bleeding when Brady Vail scored his fourth goal of the season at 13:03 to end the high-scoring first period. Vail took a drop pass from Erik Bradford in the slot, dragged the puck to his forehand on the left dot and sent a wrister past the blocker of Monarchs goaltender Charles Williams to make it 3-1 Manchester.
The Monarchs took their three-goal lead back when Kevin Morris scored his second goal of the season at 5:22 of the middle frame. Leitner erased an icing when he beat TJ Melancon to the line, out-muscled the Norfolk defender around the back of the cage and found a charging Morris in the slot. Morris couldn’t get a stick on the puck, but the puck hit his skates and slid past the right leg of Paterson, to make the score 4-1 in favor of the Monarchs.
The rout was on when Sam Kurker scored hi third goal of the season at 5:48 of the second period. Michael Doherty took a shot from the top of the right circle that was blocked by a Norfolk defender. The puck fell to the stick of Kurker in the slot where the right-shot forward corralled the puck and swept a backhander on the ice around the right left of Paterson to put the Monarchs up 5-1.
LaValle-Smotherman made it a 6-1 Monarchs lead when he scored his second power-play goal of the game and fourth marker of the season at 13:49. Smotherman took a pass off the left half-wall from Lynch while boxing-out a defender in the slot, moved the puck backhand-to-forehand and flipped a shot over the right leg of Paterson to put the Monarchs up by five.
The Monarchs ended their scoring outburst when Cory Ward scored his third goal of the season just :44 seconds into the third period. Ward played catch across the slot with Kurker while on a 2-on-1, and finally buried the puck into a wide-open net to end the scoring at 7-1.
The Monarchs are back on the ice Friday Nov. 3rd at 7 p.m. when they play the middle game of a three-game series with the Admirals from Scope Arena.
Notes: Jordan Smotherman scored two goals for the second time this season… Tony Cameranesi recorded the 45th point of his professional career… Cory Ward now has 50 professional points… The Monarchs set a season-high with seven goals… Joel Lowry fought Rick Pinkston at 14:45 of the third period.
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