2013–14 Manchester Monarchs season

2013–14 Manchester Monarchs
Division 1st Atlantic Division
Conference 1st Eastern Conference
2013–14 record 8–1–1–2 (19 pts)
Home record 3–1–1–0
Road record 5–0–0–2
Goals for 42
Goals against 29
Team information
General Manager Rob Blake
Coach Mark Morris
Assistant Coach Freddy Meyer
Arena Verizon Wireless Arena
Team leaders
Goals Tyler Toffoli (7)
Assists Brandon Kozun (11)
Points Brandon Kozun (11)
Penalties in minutes Nick Deslauiers (26)
Plus/minus (+) Derek Forbort (+8)
(–) SCott Sabourin (–2)
Wins Martin Jones (8)
Goals against average Martin Jones (2.02)
< 2012–13 2014–15 >

The 2013–14 Manchester Monarchs season is the franchise's 13th season in the American Hockey League, which began on October 5, 2013. It marked the first season with General Manager Rob Blake, who replaced Ron Hextall.

Off-season

Rob Blake, pictured here in 2010, became the Manchester Monarchs general manager effective this season.

Rob Blake became the new Manchester Monarchs general manager during the off season, replacing Ron Hextall after he departed for the Philadelphia Flyers organization after seven years at Manchester. The future of Monarchs head coach Mark Morris was placed into question due to the position changes, but on July 25 it was announced Morris was given a one-year contract extension, which will keep him with the team for an eighth season.[1]

The Monarchs retained most of their line-up from the previous season heading into 2013–14.[2] Linemates Tyler Toffoli, Tanner Pearson and Linden Vey spent an extended stay with the Los Angeles Kings training camp during the off-season, but ultimately returned to Manchester in the final cuts.[2][3] New additions to the team included forwards Sean Backman,[4] and Maxim Kitsyn, and defensmen Colin Miller, Alex Roach.[5] and Nick Shore[6] Defenseman Jeff Schultz was traded to the Kings from the Washington Capitals, but was sent down to Manchester after Kings coach Darryl Sutter said he needed time to adjust to the new team.[3] Manchester re-signed defensemen Andrew Bodnarchuk,[7] and Vincent LoVerde, as well as and wingers Hunter Bishop,[8] and Brian O'Neill.[9] Marc-André Cliche, Manchester's captain for the last three seasons, was claimed off waivers by the Colorado Avalanche,[10] while goaltender Peter Mannino left for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins,[11] and defenseman David Kolomatis joined the Hershey Bears.[12]

Manchester played a pair of exhibition games against the Portland Pirates and won both of them. Nicolas Deslauriers scored four goals in the September 28 preseason opener, matching his entire goal total for the previous season as he led the Monarchs to a 5–2 victory.[13] Manchester earned a 3–0 shutout against Portland the next day, with goaltender Martin Jones stopping all 24 shots against him.[14]

2013–14 Preseason Game Log: 2–0–0–0 (Home: 1–0–0–0; Road: 1–0–0–0)
# Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Record
1 September 28 Manchester 5–2 Portland Berube 1–0–0–0
2 September 29 Portland 0–3 Manchester Jones 2–0–0–0

Regular season

October

Tyler Toffoli led the Manchester Monarchs with seven goals in October.

The Monarchs went their first eight games of the season without a regulation loss.[15] They started their season with five away games, four of which went to a shootout. They lost their October 5 season opener 3–2 against the Springfield Falcons after failing to score on the shootout,[16] but they won the next game 3–2 against the Portland Pirates after Kozun and Toffoli both scored in the shootout.[17] Manchester also defeated the Providence Bruins by 3–2 on October 11 after coming back from a two-goal deficit, with Toffoli, Andy Andreoff and Jordan Weal scoring in the shootout.[18] Jones stopped 11 of 15 shootout in the three games.[16][17][18] The next day, Jones stopped 38 shots in a 3–0 shutout victory over the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, a game in which the Monarchs gave Bridgeport a season high 11 power plays and failed to score on seven such chances themselves.[19]

The next two games were also decided in the shootout, starting with a 4–3 loss to the Hartford Wolf Pack on October 18 after Hartford tied the game with two goals in the last 24 seconds of regulation. Deslauriers, who scored an assist,[20] would score at least a point in seven of his next eight games.[21] Manchester won their home opener the next day, defeating Providence 3-2 despite allowing them to score three goals in the third period.[22] The Monarchs earned three of four points in their next two games,[23][24] including a 4-1 victory over the Worcester Sharks on October 24 in which Deslauriers and Toffoli each scored in the final 90 seconds.[24] Manchester saw their first regulation loss on October 25 after falling 3-2 to the St. John's IceCaps.[25] The Monarchs defeated that same team the next day 5-3 after rallying with four goals in the second period. Toffoli scored two of them, bringing his team-leading seven goals scored in October.[26]

November

Starting off the month leading the league in points, the Monarchs lost two of their top scorers -- Linden Vey and Tyler Toffoli -- to the Los Angeles Kings on November 1. Manchester nevertheless defeated the Providence Bruins in back-to-back games on November 1 and 2.[21][27] Andreoff scored a goal in the latter game with assists by Pearson and Kozun;[28] it was the fourth consecutive game Kozun recorded a point, and third straight game for Andreoff and Pearson.[21]

Standings

Divisional standings

    		 Atlantic Division[29] GP W L OTL SOL Pts GF GA
    1 Manchester Monarchs (LA) 17 11 3 1 2 25 54 43
    2 Providence Bruins (BOS) 15 7 5 1 2 17 55 52
    3 St. John's IceCaps (WPG) 17 7 7 1 2 17 48 49
    4 Portland Pirates (PHX) 13 6 5 0 2 14 38 37
    5 Worcester Sharks (SJ) 13 5 7 1 0 11 29 41

    After games of November 20, 2013

    Conference standings

      		 Eastern Conference[30] Div GP W L OTL SOL Pts GF GA
      1 *y– Manchester Monarchs (LAK) AT 76 48 19 3 6 105 244 188
      2 *y– Springfield Falcons (CBJ) NE 76 47 23 1 5 100 247 212
      3 *y– Binghamton Senators (OTT) ET 76 44 24 3 5 96 276 232
      4 x– St. John's IceCaps (WPG) AT 76 46 23 2 5 99 258 207
      5 x– Albany Devils (NJD) NE 76 40 23 5 8 93 220 193
      6 x– Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (PIT) ET 76 42 26 3 5 92 206 185
      7 x– Providence Bruins (BOS) AT 76 40 25 2 9 91 233 210
      8 x– Norfolk Admirals (ANA) ET 76 40 26 3 7 90 201 192
      9 e– Hershey Bears (WSH) ET 76 39 27 5 5 88 221 213
      10 e– Hartford Wolf Pack (NYR) NE 76 37 32 1 6 81 202 220
      11 e– Worcester Sharks (SJS) AT 76 36 34 4 2 78 189 226
      12 e– Syracuse Crunch (TBL) ET 76 31 32 4 9 75 198 232
      13 e– Adirondack Phantoms (PHI) NE 76 30 38 2 6 68 182 225
      14 e– Bridgeport Sound Tigers (NYI) NE 76 28 40 2 6 64 183 238
      15 e– Portland Pirates (PHX) AT 76 24 39 3 10 61 222 284

      * = Division leaders are seeded 1, 2, and 3 in Conference standings.
      The top eight teams in each conference qualify for the playoffs.
        y–  indicates team has clinched division and a playoff spot
        x–  indicates team has clinched a playoff spot
        e–  indicates team has been eliminated from playoff contention

      Schedule and results

      2013–14 Game Log – Regular season
      November: 2–0–0–0 (Home: 1–0–0–0 ; Road: 1–0–0–0)
      # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Gamesheet
      11 November 1 Manchester 5–2 Providence Jones 5,651 7–1–1–2 17 Gamesheet
      12 November 2 Providence 1–4 Manchester Jones 5,441 8–1–1–2 19 Gamesheet
      13 November 8 Manchester St. John's
      14 November 9 Manchester St. John's
      15 November 13 Norfolk Manchester
      16 November 15* Manchester Portland
      17 November 16 Norfolk Manchester
      18 November 22 Worcester Manchester
      19 November 23 Providence Manchester
      20 November 24 Manchester Worcester
      21 November 29 Springfield Manchester
      22 November 30 Manchester Hartford
      * Game to be played at Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine

      Legend:       Win (2 points)       Loss (0 points)       Overtime/shootout loss (1-point)

      Player statistics

      Skaters

      Note: GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalty Minutes
      Updated as of November 4, 2013[31]

      Regular Season
      Player GP G A Pts +/- PIM
      Kozun, BrandonBrandon Kozun 12 2 11 13 6 8
      Toffoli, TylerTyler Toffoli‡ 10 7 5 12 3 2
      Weal, JordanJordan Weal 12 2 10 12 3 2
      Pearson, TannerTanner Pearson 12 6 5 11 6 6
      Vey, LindenLinden Vey‡ 10 3 8 11 5 4
      Deslauiers, NickNick Deslauiers 12 4 4 8 0 26
      Bodnarchuk, AndrewAndrew Bodnarchuk 12 3 4 7 4 8
      Andreoff, AndyAndy Andreoff 12 2 3 5 0 16
      O'Neill, BrianBrian O'Neill 12 2 2 4 3 2
      Forbort, DerekDerek Forbort* 12 1 3 4 8 21
      Miller, ColinColin Miller* 12 1 3 4 0 6
      Shore, NickNick Shore* 12 2 1 3 4 12
      Campbell, AndrewAndrew Campbell 12 2 1 3 4 12
      Backman, SeanSean Backman 12 2 0 2 2 4
      LoVerde, VincentVincent LoVerde 12 0 2 2 1 8
      Czarnik, RobertRobert Czarnik 8 1 0 1 0 6
      Schultz, JeffJeff Schultz 12 1 0 1 5 4
      Sabourin, ScottScott Sabourin* 8 0 1 1 -2 −2 21
      Huxley, ChrisChris Huxley 1 0 0 0 1 0
      Kitsyn, MaximMaxim Kitsyn* 4 0 0 0 0 0
      Bishop, HunterHunter Bishop 8 0 0 0 0 4

      †Denotes player spent time with another team before joining team. Stats reflect time with the team only.
      ‡Left the team mid-season
      *Rookie

      Goaltenders

      Note: GP = Games Played; TOI = Time on Ice; W = Wins; L = Losses; GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; SV = Saves; SA = Shots Against; SV% = Save Percentage; SO = Shutouts; G = Goals; A = Assists; PIM = Penalty Minutes
      Updated as of November 4, 2013[32]

      Regular Season
      Player GP TOI W L GA GAA SV SA SV% SO G A PIM
      Jones, MartinMartin Jones 11 682:59 8 3 23 2.02 322 345 .933 0 0 0 0
      Bérubé, Jean-FrançoisJean-François Bérubé* 1 60:22 0 1 4 3.98 19 23 .826 0 0 0 0
      Totals 743:21 8 4 27 2.18 341 368 .927 0 0 0 0

      ‡Left the team mid-season
      *Rookie

      Awards and records

      Awards

      Player Award Awarded
      Martin Jones AHL Player of the Week October 13, 2013[33]

      Milestones

      Player Milestone Reached
      Colin Miller 1st AHL Game October 5, 2012[34]
      Nick Shore 1st AHL Game October 5, 2012[34]
      Colin Miller 1st AHL Goal October 18, 2012[20]
      Colin Miller 1st AHL Assist October 19, 2012[35]
      Nick Shore 1st AHL Assist October 20, 2012[36]
      Nick Shore 1st AHL Goal October 26, 2012[37]
      Maxim Kitsyn 1st AHL Game October 26, 2012[38]

      References

      1. ↑ Clark, Ian (July 25, 2013). "Monarchs' coach Morris earns one-year extension". New Hampshire Union Leader. Archived from the original on September 24, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
      2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Weinreb, Josh (October 4, 2013). "2013-2014 Manchester Monarchs Season Preview". The Hockey Writers. Archived from the original on October 11, 2013. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
      3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Dillman, Lisa (September 29, 2013). "Kings waive Jeff Schultz, send three players to Manchester". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 11, 2013. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
      4. ↑ Fornabaio, Michael (October 5, 2013). "Young Sound Tigers open AHL season tonight". Connecticut Post. Archived from the original on October 11, 2013. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
      5. ↑ Dillman, Lisa (September 21, 2013). "Moving day: Kings make more roster cuts". Los Angeles Kings. Archived from the original on September 24, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
      6. ↑ "Kings Loan Forbort, Shore To Manchester". Manchester Monarchs. September 25, 2013. Archived from the original on October 11, 2013. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
      7. ↑ "Kings agree to terms with Andrew Bodnarchuk and Colin Miller on multi-year deals". Los Angeles Kings. July 29, 2013. Archived from the original on September 24, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
      8. ↑ "Monarchs sign three players to AHL deals". New Hampshire Union Leader. August 21, 2013. Archived from the original on September 24, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
      9. ↑ "Kings Sign Kitsyn and O'Neill". OurSports Central. July 10, 2013. Archived from the original on September 24, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
      10. ↑ Dater, Adrian (September 22, 2013). "Avs claim Marc-Andre Cliche from L.A. Kings on waivers, send Pickard to minors". The Denver Post. Archived from the original on September 23, 2013. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
      11. ↑ "Penguins sign Peter Mannino". The Times-Tribune. July 25, 2013. Archived from the original on September 14, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
      12. ↑ Leone, Tim (October 3, 2013). "Hershey Bears 2013-14 preview: List of free agent arrivals and departures". The Patriot-News. Archived from the original on October 6, 2013. Retrieved October 6, 2013.
      13. ↑ Pelletier, Justin (September 29, 2013). "Pirates fall in preseason tilt, team unveils ticket packages for Lewiston season". Bangor Daily News. Archived from the original on October 11, 2013. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
      14. ↑ "2-0, Now It Begins". Manchester Monarchs. September 29, 2013. Archived from the original on October 11, 2013. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
      15. ↑ Weinreb, Josh (October 21, 2013). "Monarchs Fall in Overtime to Undefeated Penguins". The Hockey Writers. Archived from the original on October 22, 2013. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
      16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Remillard, Jason (October 5, 2013). "Springfield Falcons open 20th American Hockey League season with 3-2 shootout win over Manchester Monarchs". The Republican. Archived from the original on October 10, 2013. Retrieved October 10, 2013.
      17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Betit, Paul (October 10, 2013). "Pirates fall in their new home". Portland Press Herald. Archived from the original on October 11, 2013. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
      18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Monarchs rally for 3-2 win over Providence Bruins". Concord Monitor. October 12, 2013. Archived from the original on October 13, 2013. Retrieved October 13, 2013.
      19. ↑ "Magic Martin". Manchester Monarchs. October 12, 2013. Archived from the original on October 13, 2013. Retrieved October 13, 2013.
      20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 "Monarchs blow two-goal lead on way to 4–3 shootout loss to Hartford". Concord Monitor. October 19, 2013. Archived from the original on October 20, 2013. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
      21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 "Four Monarchs score in 4-1 win over P-Bruins". New Hampshire Union Leader. November 2, 2013. Archived from the original on November 4, 2013. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
      22. ↑ "Monarchs beat Bruins in a shootout, 5-4". Concord Monitor. October 20, 2013. Archived from the original on October 20, 2013. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
      23. ↑ Castro, Ken (October 21, 2013). "Penguins win battle of unbeatens in Manchester". The Sunday Dispatch. Archived from the original on October 22, 2013. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
      24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Setterlund, Carl (October 24, 2013). "Worcester Sharks' offense can't deliver vs. Monarchs". The Telegram. Archived from the original on October 28, 2013. Retrieved October 28, 2013.
      25. ↑ "Monarchs dealt first regulation loss of season". Concord Monitor. October 26, 2013. Archived from the original on October 30, 2013. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
      26. ↑ "Toffoli scores twice to lead Monarchs over IceCaps". The Sports Network. October 26, 2013. Archived from the original on October 30, 2013. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
      27. ↑ "Monarchs subdue Bruins". New Hampshire Union Leader. November 1, 2013. Archived from the original on November 4, 2013. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
      28. ↑ "Gamesheet: Providence at Manchester". American Hockey League. November 2, 2013. Archived from the original on November 4, 2013. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
      29. ↑ "2013–14 Regular Season – Division". American Hockey League. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
      30. ↑ "2013–14 Regular Season – Conference". American Hockey League. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
      31. ↑ "Skaters – 2013–2014 Regular Season – Manchester Monarchs". American Hockey League. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
      32. ↑ "Goalies – 2013–14 Regular Season – Manchester Monarchs". American Hockey League. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
      33. ↑ "Monarchs' Jones named Player of the Week". American Hockey League. October 14, 2013. Archived from the original on October 22, 2013. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
      34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 "Rookie debuts". Manchester Monarchs. October 9, 2013. Archived from the original on October 30, 2013. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
      35. ↑ "Gamesheet: Providence at Manchester". American Hockey League. October 30, 2013. Archived from the original on October 30, 2013. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
      36. ↑ "Gamesheet: W-B/Scranton at Manchester". American Hockey League. October 20, 2013. Archived from the original on October 30, 2013. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
      37. ↑ "Toffoli scores twice to lead Monarchs over IceCaps". The Sports Network. October 26, 2013. Archived from the original on October 30, 2013. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
      38. ↑ "Gamesheet: St. John's at Manchester". American Hockey League. October 26, 2013. Archived from the original on October 30, 2013. Retrieved October 30, 2013.

      External links

      Wikimedia Commons has media related to Manchester Monarchs.