Monarchs Sweep Hitmen

Team earns impressive 8th 40-win season in a row

Hooksett, NH - The New Hampshire Monarchs picked up a weekend sweep over the visiting Jersey Hitmen (5-1, 4-3) and also notched their 8th 40-win season in a row as they earned their 40th and 41st overall wins of the year. "Truly amazing," commented GM/Head Coach Sean Tremblay when asked about the accomplishment. "When you have one 40-win season you have to be really proud of your players, but to do it consistently over an 8-year period you have to sit back and marvel at just how many great players you have had the fortunate pleasure of coaching. You also must have great ownership and a staff that allow you to be successful and I have been blessed with both."

Game one on the weekend looked like it was going to be a long one for the Hitmen as the Monarchs came out of the gate outshooting the Hitmen 22-4. Nick DelGallo (pictured) scored just 1:43 into the contest when he fired home a Rence Coassin/Pat Knowlton feed. At the 13:32 mark Jeff Fanning fired a bullet pass to a streaking Zack Joy who re-directed the puck past a helpless Mike Hengen. Providence bound Austin Mayer would round out the first period scoring when he took a Matt Germain (Providence) pass and snapped one by Hengen for a 3-0 lead. Jordan Krusch also assisted on the play.

The Hitmen would not go quietly and played a tremendous second period as they outshot the Monarchs 14-10. James Mello would be outstanding in goal for the Monarchs as he made many point blank saves to keep the Hitmen off the scoreboard. Hengen would counter at the other end as the second period would be a scoreless one. It would not be scoreless in the third as Mark Armstrong streaked by the Monarchs bench and let a laser go under the bar to make it a 3-1 game just 2:43 into the final stanza. Just under three-minutes later the two youngest players for the Monarchs would strike when Greg Burke (UNH) found Jimmy Gaudet (Dartmouth) on the back door and Gaudet would backhand it by Hengen for the first goal of his junior career. Austin Mayer would finalize the game when he scored his second of the game from linemates Germain and Burke. Mello would finish with 29 saves, while Hengen stopped 41.

Game two of the series started out exactly like the first game as the Monarchs would post a three-spot lead. Nick DelGallo would score a beautiful shorthanded goal when he went top dog on the shortside for a 1-0 lead. The Monarchs special teams would strike again as would DelGallo as he slid a pass to Denny Kearney (Yale) who would fake a shot and slide the puck behind his back to a wide open Paul Thompson (UNH) who snapped it by Ross Tashjian for a power play tally. With only 28-seconds remaining in the first Pat Knowlton would score on a re-direct with Rence Coassin and Lance Herrington assisting on the play. New Jersey again would not go away and they would score two goals in the second to make it a 3-2 game. Corey Callen would strike just 45-seconds into the period when he fired home a Ryan Craig feed past Patrick Galbraith. Nearly ten-minutes later Chip Mladenoff would throw a shot to the front that would go off a couple people and sneak past Galbraith. Tashjian would make several great saves at the other end and it would make for an interesting third period. New Jersey rode the momentum and came out flying in the third and Galbraith had to make numerous key saves to keep it at 3-2. At 12:54 Eric Baier (Providence) would fire a low shot that Nick DelGallo would tip up over Tashjian for a 4-2 lead. Again, Jersey would not quit and Josh Newburg batted home a rebound off a Corey Callen shot to make it 4-3. Galbraith would hold the fort down and again make some big league saves as the Monarchs were outshot 17-9 in the third. Galbraith finished the game with 25 saves, while Tashjian closed the door 27 times.

Both teams have mid-week action as the Jersey Hitmen host the New York Applecore Wednesday at 7:15pm. The Monarchs will host the Green Mountain Glades on Thursday afternoon at 2pm at the Tri Town Ice Arena. The Monarchs are now 32-4-1 in the EJHL and sit alone in 1st place and are 41-5-1 overall.