First OT loss on home ice this season for Monarchs.
MANCHESTER, NH – Patrice Cormier scored the overtime game-winning goal as the Manchester Monarchs fell to the St. John IceCaps in the opener of back-to-back games against them, 4-3.
“We fell behind by two and we came back … I liked our resilience,” IceCaps head coach Mike Stothers said. “Certainly, we had the puck a lot in overtime. Sometimes that’s all it takes is one chance.”
Manchester (31-12-5-2) went into overtime for the 12th time, the second time they have faced the IceCaps (24-23-5-2) in overtime this season. It was Manchester’s first OT loss at home this season.
Mike Richards (2 assists) recorded his fourth multi-point performance in eight games with Manchester this year.
IceCaps opened up the scoring with a power-play goal from Austen Brassard just 4:30 into the first period. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty to Kevin Raine set up the man advantage.
Eric O’Dell extended the IceCaps lead at 7:42 when he put a rebound from J.F. Berube in the back of the net.
The Monarchs would cut the IceCaps lead in half at 16:43 of the first period when Andrew Bodnarchuk netted his fourth goal of the season. Zach O’Brien took a trickling puck across the front of the net before Bodnarchuk came crashing down from the blue line to backhand it in.
Manchester tied the game at 2-2 with a power play goal from Michael Mersch, his 11th of the year, at 14:56 of the second period. The Monarchs were on a two-man advantage when Mersch tipped in a one-time shot from Colin Miller.
Julien Brouillette put the IceCaps ahead 3-2 with a power play go at 14:42 in the third. Brouillette collected a pass in the high slot and wristed it past Berube.
Minutes after St. John’s took the lead, Brian O’Neill scored his team-high 16th goal of the season, tying the game at three. O’Neill netted the puck sitting in the crease thrown on net by David Van der Gulik.
During three-on-three play in OT, Cormier beat Berube with the game-winner at 5:02.
The Monarchs will play host to St. John’s again Feb. 21 (7 p.m.) and play Worcester at home with a 3 p.m. start on Feb. 22.
Notes:
- Bodnarchuk’s has scored a goal in back-to-back games, marking the first time he scored in consecutive games since Oct. 19-20, 2013.
- Sixteen different players have scored a power play goal this year for the Monarchs, while they have totaled 43 goals on the man advantage.
- It was Manchester’s first overtime loss at home this season, and first OT loss overall since Jan. 23 at Providence. They have four wins this year in nine OT games.
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