February 2, 2010 E-MAIL PRINT

Monarchs have overcome adversity

by Dan Hickling/

Jonathan Bernier (photo: Dan Hickling)

Jonathan Bernier (photo: Dan Hickling)

A little baling wire. Maybe some Band-Aids.

Definitely some stellar goaltending, and perhaps a touch of Houdini.

There must be some way to explain how, despite an overflowing M*A*S*H unit and some poaching by their parents in L.A., the Manchester Monarchs have been able to stay afloat in the Atlantic Division.

Heck, they're doing better than that.

The Monarchs have occupied the top spot in the Atlantic, which many regard as the toughest division in the AHL, since Oct. 17. And that's despite icing a line-up that bears little resemblance to the one that got them into first place, in the first place.

“It's been a tough stretch for us,” said Monarchs coach Mark Morris. “We've got nine injuries and three call-ups. That's a dozen guys out of the line-up.”

Morris proceeded to try to name all of the missing, and fell well short.

“There's (captain Drew) Bagnall,” he said, “and (former first-round pick) Marc-Andre Cliché, (former first-rounder) Trevor Lewis, Shawn Bates. Too many to count.”

The list of those still in Los Angeles with the Kings is easier to recite than replace:
Brandon Segal, Oscar Moller, and Scott Parse.

“It's crazy,” said Morris. “We're trying our best to keep a boat full, until we get some guys back. The major surgeries are guys who are pretty key players.”

That may be an understatement.

Defenseman Thomas Hickey, tabbed fourth overall by the Kings in 2007, put his shoulder under the knife in November. A gifted puck mover, Hickey's loss set the Monarchs' power play back a big step. It also robbed him of an important year of development.

And rookie winger Andrei Loktionov, a scoring threat every time he touches the puck, played well enough to earn a call-up in November, only to suffer a shoulder separation in his second NHL contest. His return is said to be weeks away, at best.

“Those guys have played only a handful of games,” said Morris. “We've been without them for all this time. Thank goodness, we've had some strong efforts from some of our (ECHL) players. A lot of these guys are getting ice that they normally wouldn't get. It's an opportunity to show what they can do. ”

One showing the most is rookie center Corey Elkins, an undrafted gem out of Ohio State, who played for the Buckeyes in the NCAA Northeast Regional held in the Monarchs' home rink, the Verizon Wireless Arena, last spring. Elkins has paid Morris back for his increased ice time by zooming to the top of the team's scoring list (16-19-35).

He's exceeded our expectations in a lot of ways,” said Morris. “From the tops of the circles down, at both ends, he's really proficient.”

Thankfully for Morris, the one constant has been the outstanding goaltending delivered by Jonathan Bernier, the current AHL Player of the Week, and his understudy, Jeff Zatkoff.

The two have hooked up to allow just 112 tallies in 50 games, fourth-best in the AHL, and only four more goals than league leaders, the Texas Stars.

Bernier, a Kings first-rounder in 2006, has been near the top of the AHL pile in goals against (currently a paltry 1.90) and save percentage (a robust .940). That, plus comparable work from the rookie Zatkoff has kept the Monarchs in nearly every game.

“It's a credit to the strong goaltending,” said Morris, “and to the leadership that we've had. These guys really believe in one another. At the rink and away from the rink. It's a really tight team, now.”

It should get even tighter once the walking (or limping) wounded get back on their skates. Until then, Morris will hope that all those Band-Aids stay in place.

“Nobody's going to feel sorry for us,” he said, “so we've got to work hard.”

Around the AHL

The now completed month of January was nothing short of outstanding for Hershey Bears center Keith Aucoin (Chelmsford, Mass.). The diminutive pivot amassed 35 points in 14 games, racking up 12 goals and 23 helpers, while compiling a plus-11 rating. With numbers like those, Aucoin deserved to be named the AHL's Player of the Month, which he indeed was. ... The Rookie of the Month for January was Colin Wilson (Greenwich, Conn.) of the Milwaukee Admirals. Wilson, taken eighth overall by Nashville in 2008, registered 20 points in January (7 goals, 13 assists). ... And congratulations to Springfield Falcons rookie defenseman Alex Plante, who was called up over the weekend by Edmonton and made his NHL debut. In the process, he helped the Oilers stop a massive 13 game losing streak.

Dan Hickling can be reached at feedback@hockeyjournal.com.


 

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