March 26-28

The early part of the week was a mixed bag in terms of weather, a sunshiny Monday was followed by rainy conditions on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Wednesday evening we were back at the Arena as the Manchester Monarchs visited for the opener of a two-game set. The Royals' roster was bolstered earlier in the week with the return of Steven Swavely and John Muse from the Phantoms, on this night they both figured into a surprisingly one-sided victory. The Royals came out "guns a-blazing", Matt Wilkins scored forty-three seconds from the opening faceoff. Thirty-three seconds later Swavely lit the lamp, Chris McCarthy's goal twenty-seconds after that put the Royals up by three before many of the fans were in their seats. The three scores came within one minute of play and reminded me of that old breakfast cereal jingle: "they ate their Wheaties this morning". Late in the period Wilkins netted his second of the night, at the intermission the Royals led 4-0. In the second period Matias Cleland (first-year pro from the University of New Hampshire) scored on a rebound, moments later Adam Schmidt hustled in a shorthanded goal to make it 6-0 after two. The third period was scoreless but not uneventful, several of the Monarchs took the opportunity to leave calling cards for the rematch on Friday. The 6-0 win was the club's eighth whitewash of the season, the second consecutive at home and the third for John Muse in the ECHL (he also has one shutout in thirteen games played with the Phantoms). The Royals stand at 36-23-8, 22-10-1 at the Arena. The teams meet again on Friday evening and one must think it will not be dull. Take care, thanks for reading.