GLENS FALLS, N.Y. – Cory Ward scored 2:57 into overtime and the Manchester Monarchs clinched the North Division Semifinals with a 6-5 overtime victory over the Adirondack Thunder on Tuesday night at the Glens Falls Civic Center.
The Monarchs won their first ever ECHL playoff series and ended the season for the Thunder. Manchester now moves on to the North division finals against Brampton.
Adirondack opened the scoring at 11:25 of the first period when Dennis Kravchenko scored his third goal of the playoffs. Ryan Culkin sent a wrister from the top of the right circle that Kravchenko re-directed in the slot past Monarchs goaltender Sam Brittain to put the Thunder up 1-0.
Manchester tied things up when Matt Leitner potted his third goal of the playoffs at 13:24 while on the power play. Colton Saucerman sent a slap-pass to Leitner from the top of the left circle to the slot, where Leitner tipped the puck over the blocker of Thunder goaltender J.P. Anderson to tie the score at 1-1.
The Thunder took the lead back when Kravchenko scored his second of the night at 6:06 of the second period. Kravchenko sent a wrister from just inside the left dot and beat the glove of Brittain to make the score 2-1 in favor of the Thunder.
The Monarchs squared the score again when Tyler Sikura scored his first goal of the playoffs at 6:23 of the second period. Sikura tipped a shot from the point off the stick of Connor Hardowa past Anderson to tie the game at 2-2.
Manchester took its first lead of the game when Kevin Morris scored his first goal of the post-season at 9:17 of the middle frame. Morris found the loose puck after a Leitner bid on the doorstep, and lifted the puck over the glove of Anderson to put the Monarchs on top, 3-2.
Adirondack answered back at 12:34 of the second period when James Henry notched his first goal of the playoffs to tie the score at 3-3. Ryan Culkin sent a slap shot from the middle of the blue line that missed the net, but the carom off the end boards spit the puck next to the goal where Henry was there to bury the puck past Brittain.
The Thunder ended the high-scoring second period when Brian Ward scored his first goal of the playoffs. Ward went in on a breakaway and scooped the puck over the glove of Brittain to put Adirondack on top 4-3.
Manchester tied the game again just 26 seconds into the third period when Sikura netted his second goal of the night. Sikura put his stick on a shot from Ashton Rome that snuck through the legs of Anderson, to tie the game at 4-4.
The Monarchs took the lead when Zac Lynch scored his second goal of the series at 10:04 of the third period. Lynch tipped a Schemitsch shot in the slot over the glove of Anderson to put the Monarchs on top 5-4.
The Thunder would not go without a fight as Patch Alber netted his first goal of the playoffs at 17:26 of the third period. Alber took a pass from Alex Wall at the right dot and fired a one-timer past the right leg of Brittain to send the game into overtime.
In the extra period, Ward ended things when he scored his first goal of the playoffs. Ward took the puck after the seventh consecutive Monarchs face-off win and from a sharp angle in the right corner, put a shot through the legs of Anderson to clinch the series for the Monarchs.
The Monarchs begin the North Division Finals on Thursday, April 27 at 7:15 p.m. when they open a best-of-seven series with the Brampton Beast at the Powerade Centre.
Notes: The five goal second period was the highest scoring period of the series… Cory Ward netted his first career playoff goal… Matt Leitner recorded the 9th and 10th points of playoff career… Colton Saucerman recorded the 10th point of his playoff career.
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