Mike McKenna

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InGoal Magazine contributing writer Mike McKenna gets the hard luck award for Friday night’s 3-2 overtime loss. With 1:23 left in the extra period and Monarchs Captain Marc-Andre Cliche camped in front of the net, Linden Vey sent a wrister from the left circle on goal, but before it got to McKenna the puck bounced off Cliche’s left skate then off his right skate and between McKenna’s pads and into the net. 

Vey put Manchester up 1-0 in the first when he grabbed a rebound from the left circle and fired a one timer into the net.

The Senators tied it at 17:39 of the second period when Mike Hoffman took a pass from behind the net and beat Jeff Zatkoff high glove side from the top of the right circle.

Manchester went up 2-1 at 14:17 of the third frame whem Dwight King redirected a Brandon Kozun shot past McKenna.

Not to be outdone, the Seanators knotted the score at 2 a piece just 14 seconds later when  Jack Downing skated in all alone and lifted a high shot past Zatkoff.

 Zatkoff (14-8-1) picked up his 14th victory of the season stopping 30-of-32 shots.  McKenna (13-13-0) took his 13th loss of the season making 26 saves on 29 shots.

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Cam Ward

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Cam Ward picked up his third shutout of the season with a 3-0 win Thursday night over the Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins thus giving the Carolina/Hartford franchise their first ever series sweep over Boston.

Carolina may be dwelling in the cellar of the Eastern Conference but they have had Boston’s number all year out scoring them 14-5 in their four victory’s

Boston peppered Ward with 47 shots, 22 in the first period and 20 in the third but seemed to be asleep at the wheel during the second as they only managed 5 shots in that frame. Not only did Ward quiet the sellout crowd with his performance, but a series of boos started emanating from the stands by the end of the game.

“I felt really comfortable,” Ward said. “I felt like I was seeing the puck well and for the most part I was really happy with my rebound control and we had to get off to a good start because we know that they play extremely hard, especially in their building. To walk away out of the first period with a 1-0 lead, we felt good about that and improved our play in the second period

Carolina scored in all three periods with Eric Staal starting it off in the first with a one timer past Rask. Tuomo Ruutu netted his 15th goal of the season in the second followed by Brandon Sutter’s 11th tally in the third.

Rask, 0-3 in his last three starts, played well all night, making a couple of highlight reel saves but was unable to overcome a lack of support up front.

“It’s tough,” Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask said. “They’re a good team. You look at the standings and they’re not where they want to be, but they, especially against us, they play some good hockey. And they seem to have our number. But, you know, still giving credit to them they’re playing good but we, in these four games we’ve played, we haven’t played our best either.”

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Craig Anderson

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A funny bounce of the puck completes Boston’s comeback from a 3-1 deficit to to take  the 4-3 victory over their division rival Ottawa Senators.

While Dennis Seidenberg’s idea was to just get the puck into the offensive zone, the end result was the game winning goal. Seidenberg launched a one time timer from center ice that just happened to take a funny bounce on the way to the net, glance off Craig Anderson’s stick and through the five hole for the winning score.

 ”It took a one-bouncer and it hit my stick and went in,” Anderson said. “Just one of those things where I’ve got to make the save but, at the same time it took a crazy bounce.”

Ottawa outplayed the B’s for most of the first 2 periods mounting a 3-1 lead but the momentum started to swing the other way with 45 seconds left on the clock in the second frame as Milan Lucic saw an opening from the slot and went top shelf past Anderson’s stick side.

Zedeno Chara, fresh off his Team Chara victory in the All-Star game, got Boston on the board first but the Senators countered with 3 tallies of their own starting with Colis Greening’s 12th goal of the season at the 18:40 mark of the first period.

Ottawa controlled the second stanza out shooting Boston 12-5 while lighting the lamp twice with goals from Kyle Turris and Erik Karlsson to take a 3-1 lead.

Boston’s third goal of the night came when Brad Marchand grabbed a rebound at the top of the crease and wacked the airborne puck to the back of the net. 

Craig Anderson (25-17-4) took the loss, his fourth in a row. Anderson’s last win was 1/19 over the San Jose Sharks.

Tim Thomas (21-9-0), who has received a considerable amount of non hockey related press recently, chalked up the win. The Boston fans showed their love for Timmy with a standing ovation to start the game.

When asked after the game about it, Thomas replied, “Yeah, I was happy to hear the reception from the fans. It was just good to hear, you know? And I wanted to get them a win real bad. When we got down there in the second I didn’t know if we’d be able to pull it off, but we found a way again”.

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Henrik Lundqvist New York Rangers

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14 of the last 17 contests between the Rangers and Bruins have been decided by one goal and Saturday was no different as New York took the first of four games with a dramatic 3-2 victory in overtime.

With 3.6 seconds to go in the extra period and the Rangers on a 4 on 3 powerplay, Tuuka Rask made two saves on Ryan Callahan and Brad Richards offerings but was unable to stop Marian Gaborik from gathering the rebound and sending the game winner into the back of the net.  

“I think the guys did a great job killing it, but then an unfortunate bounce there and it’s an automatic,” said Rask, who broke his stick in frustration. “I saved it twice, right? He just wacked at it. I think I was on my stomach. Not too good of a chance at it.”

After a scoreless first period New York got on the board first when Callahan raced out of the penalty box down the left side and sent a wrister past Rask at the 1:31 mark of the second frame. Bruins defenseman Andrew Ference tied it at one a piece when he floated a backhander past Henrik Lundqvist glove side.

Gaborik put the Rangers back up by one when he grabbed a bouncing puck that deflected off of Bruins defenseman Dennis Seidenberg and sent it past Rask. B’s defensman Adam McQuaid lit the lamp for the second time this season with a shot on net that deflected off Ryan McDonough and past Lundqvist.

Lundqvist (21-10-4) picked up the win stopping 32 of 34 shots. It’s his 7th straight year with 20 or more wins

Rask (11-4-2) stopped 30 of 33 shots on goal.  

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Jeff Zatkoff

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Friday night the Manchester Monarchs dropped their fourth contest in a row, a 4-2 loss coming at the hands of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

Prior to the game Monarchs goaltender Jeff Zatkoff received some hardware for his mantle as he was named the Reebok/AHL Goaltender of the Month for December.  In seven appearances during the month, Zatkoff went 5-2-0 with a 1.70 goals-against-average and a .946 save percentage.

Zatkoff (10-6-1) took the loss, his sixth of the season stopping 34-of-37 shots. Manchester got on the board first when Brandon Kozen buried a shot from the point past Sound Tigers goaltender Anders Nilsson. 

The second frame was all Sound Tigers as they outshot Manchester 19-4 and and took the lead 2-1.  A Rhett Rakhshani wrist shot that beat Zatkoff high glove side knotted the game at one a piece. David Ullstrom put the Sound Tigers up 2-1 with his team leading 13th goal, a one timer from the slot.

At 3:24 of the third period Manchester’s Robbie Czarnik tied the game 2-2 when he won a battle for the puck behind the net and banked a shot off of Nilsson that found its way to the back of the goal. The tie lasted all of 22 seconds as Bridgeport’s Tyler McNeely picked up a loose puck off a blocked shot and sent it through traffic in front of the net past an outstretched Zatkoff.

 Rhett Rakhshani sealed the game for Bridgeport with his second tally of the night, an empty net goal in the final minute of the game. 

Anders Nilsson (6-6-1) stopped 16 of 18 saves to earn his sixth win of the season. Bridgeport outshot Manchester 38-18. 

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Tuuka Rask

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After Saturday’s emotional loss to Vancouver, the Boston Bruins turned to Tuukka Rask to get them back on the winning track. Rask, who has won his last six decisions, picked up his tenth victory with a 5-3 win over the Winnipeg Jets.

Boston, down 3-2 after two periods of lethargic play, turned it on for the final frame and rattled off 3 quick goals in 6:41  from Nathan Horton, Tyler Seguin and Benoit Pouliot to put the game away.   

Rask stopped 29 of 32 shots including a first period penalty shot from Winnipeg’s Chris Thornburn. This was Rask’s third penalty shot faced, two of which were saves.

 Ondrej Pavelec (15-14-5) took the loss for Winnipeg stopping 37 of 42 shots. Andrew Ladd, former Bruin Blake Wheeler and Eric Fehr scored for the Jets.

Pavelac also faced a penalty shot, Boston’s second in as many games, when Tyler Stapleton held Bruins winger Shawn Thornton on a breakaway at 5:16 of the second period.

Thornton, known more for his work with his fists, beat Pavelec with a toe-drag and backhander to Pavelec’s stick side to tie the game at two apiece.

Rask said it was a move that Thornton had tried so often in practice he’d stopped trying it.

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Corey Schneider

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Saturday’s Stanley Cup finals rematch between Vancouver and Boston had been circled on everyone’s calender for months. It was supposed to be billed as a heavyweight bout between Thomas and Luongo but the day before the billing was changed to Thomas vs Schneider. One has to ask the question why?

Could it be because Luongo’s demons in the Garden might come back to haunt him again after his less than stellar performance in last years finals, he gave up 15 goals on 66 shots in a little under 112 minutes. This totals out to be an 8.04 GAA with a .773 Save%.

Did Schneider get the call because he’s the local guy, a feel good story who grew up in Marblehead, Mass and backstopped his Boston College Eagles to two Hockey East Championships? Or could it be that he more than proved himself in last years finals where he only let in 2 goals on 41 shots in 66 minutes in relief of Luongo?

Whatever the reason, Luongo’s more than capable backup got the call and a 4-3 victory Saturday.  In the process, he silenced a capacity crowd that began chanting for Vancouver’s $64 million dollar man to come of the bench at the drop of the first puck.

Schneider (9-5-0) looked at home on the Garden ice as he stopped 36 of 39 shots including a second period penalty shot by Daniel Paille. His offense rang up four goals for him, all coming from Vancouver’s top ranked powerplay unit.

“I think it makes a statement to the rest of the league that we’re back and we’re looking forward to getting back to where we were,” Vancouver goalie Corey Schneider said.

Vancouver did what it couldn’t do in last years final, beat Thomas (17-7-0) on his home ice. This was Thomas’ third loss in 17 games.

Boston got its scoring started from everyone’s favorite brat (here in Boston at anyway) Brad Marchand in the first period, Rich Peverley in the second and David Krejci closed it out with a tally at 1:51 in the third frame.

For those of you who watched the game, the ill will is still evident between these two teams and it definitely overflowed at times with 107 minutes in penalties. With the blessing of our editor, I’ve included some shots of the extracurricular activities at the end of the slideshow.  

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Mikka Kiprusoff

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The last stop on the Calgary Flames seven game road trip was in Boston Thursday night and the Black and Gold sent them home with a 9-0 defeat.

Both teams played the night before but clearly the Bruins came out of the gate with more energy as they rang up 3 goals in the first 8:49 against rookie netminder Leland Irving.

Irving got the start , his fourth of the season, with hopes of giving Mikka Kiprusoff a night off. But after Boston netted their sixth tally of the night at 4:15 of the second frame, Kipper was sent in to relieve the battered goaltender. Leland (1-1-2) took the loss stopping 15 of 21 shots on goal. 

Kipper didn’t fair much better as he let in 3 goals on 21 shots.

Tuukka Rask (9-4-1) notched the win with his third shutout of the season and 11th of his career. This was his third shutout in his last four starts and he has now allowed just one goal in his last 276:08 of play.

The dynamic duo of Rask and Thomas have backstopped the B’s to 9 wins in the last 10 games, four of which were shutouts. Rask himself remains on top of all goaltenders leading the league in both GAA 1.49, and Save % .949.

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Carey Price

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The last time I had the pleasure of shooting a B’s-Habs game the scoreboard was lit up like a Christmas tree and the penalty box was overflowing like a stocking hung over the fireplace due to numerous fisticuffs that culminated with a goalie fight between Thomas and Price. (Sorry, just getting into the Christmas spirit.) 

This one was a more typical, nose to the grindstone, just get the job done game as Boston topped their arch rival 3-2 to even the season series at two games a piece.

Tim Thomas (16-5-0) picked up the win stopping 33 of 35 shots.  Former Canadien Benoit Pouliot opened the scoring for Boston with a first period tally when he took a Rich Peverley pass off the faceoff and sent it past Price blocker side.

David Krejci lit the lamp in the second breaking a 1-1 tie. The prettiest goal of the night came off the stick of Brad Marchand when he skated in all alone on Price and scored on a backhanded, falling-down wrist shot to extend the lead to 3-1.

Price (12-11-7) halted 28 of 31 shots on the night. Erik Cole and Tomas Plekanec scored for the Canadiens.

With Price pulled for the last minute, Montreal tried to mount a comeback but it fell short when Chris Campoli’s shot on Thomas hit a Montreal player in front of the net.

With Christmas fast approaching, I’d like to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season.

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Justin Pogge Portland Pirates

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Jones over Pogge in the Shootout

Martin Jones backstopped his Monarchs to a 5-4 shootout win over the Portland Pirates Sunday afternoon.

Jones (9-7-1) earned his ninth victory stopping 24 of 28 shots in regulation and all four Pirates snipers in the shootout.

Portland opened up the scoring with two early first period goals from Brett MacLean and Brock Trotter but the Monarchs countered with a tally of their own just 15 seconds later as Patrick Mullen launched a wrist shot from the right dot that beat Justin Pogge blocker side.

Brett MacLean picked up his second tally of the afternoon on a Pirates power play when he picked up a rebound and sent it through the five-hole to give Portland a 3-1 advantage. Just 0:31 later the Monarchs responded when center Robbie Czarnik recorded his first goal of his professional career with a one-timer that beat Pogge high blocker side.

 Stefan Legein knotted the game at 3 a piece in the third stanza when beat Pogge high glove side with a wrist shot.

Nathan Oystrick scored the fourth Pirate goal with a bad angle shot from the lower right circle that found its way past Jones. Not to be outdone, Stefan Legein sent the game into overtime with his second goal of the day when he went top shelf  on Pogge with a slap shot from the right dot.

After a scoreless overtime period, Czarnik and Marc-Andre Cliche beat Pirates netminder Justin Pogge to give the Monarchs their fifth shootout win in their last 10 games. 

Pogge (3-2-2) took the loss with a 31 save effort.

On a lighter note, normally I spend my time in the box between the benches keeping an eye out for errant pucks and sticks but Sunday was a different story. I found myself dodging large teddy bears. It was the annual teddy bear toss where the Monarchs encourage the fans to bring a stuffed animal to game to be donated to local kids in need around the community. After the Monarchs first goal of the game everyone throws the toys onto the ice. Quite a few made it into the box with me. I’ll take that any day over getting hit with a puck.

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