MANCHESTER, NH – David Van der Gulik scored twice to help the Monarchs beat the Pirates, 3-1 on Friday night at the Verizon Wireless Arena.
Manchester (27-10-4-2) has earned at least one point in four of its last five games. The club holds a 5-1-0-1 record against the Pirates (24-18-3-0) in VIP Cup play this season.
“That shorthanded goal was huge,” Head Coach Mike Stothers said. “It’s nice to see [Van der Gulik] get a couple goals. He does so many things so well for us. He doesn’t get the recognition he deserves, but with the roster we have, he’s a very reliable player. That shorthander was a big sigh of relief for us on the bench.” 
J.F. Berube made 26 saves to improve his record to 20-4-2 on the season.
The Monarchs opened the scoring with a goal by Van der Gulik at 4:24 of the first period.
Darian Dziurzynski tied the score at 1-1 when he beat Berube five-hole on a one timer at 9:29 of the first period.
Kevin Raine netted the go-ahead goal at 9:25 of the third period to put the Monarchs on top 2-1. It marked his second goal of the season and first since the first game of the season on Oct. 12 at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Van der Gulik picked up his second goal of the game at 12:50 in the third period to make it 3-1. The goal came with Manchester shorthanded.
The Monarchs return to the ice on Wednesday when they host Albany at 7 p.m. They will also play at home on Saturday (Feb. 7) for the annual “Pink in the Rink” game. Proceeds from that game will benefit the Breast Care Center at CMC.
Notes:
- David Van der Gulik’s two goals tonight brought him to 299 career points in the AHL.
- Van der Gulik’s shorthanded goal was his second of the season and first since Oct. 17.
- Mike Richards appeared in the first regular-season AHL game of his career. He played in 14 playoff games with the Phantoms in 2005.
- The Monarchs became the first Eastern Conference team to reach 60 points this season.
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