Monarchs prepped for playoff test

SAME NAMES, different team.

The Monarchs began the season as one of the youngest teams among the 29 in the AHL. Of those 29 teams, they are one of 16 left playing for the Calder Cup. The Monarchs have come of age.

Tonight at 7:05 the fourth-place Monarchs open their best-of-seven Atlantic Division semifinal series against the best team in the league, the Providence Bruins. Game 2 is Friday in Providence. Manchester hosts Game 3 Saturday and Game 4 on Monday. All games start at 7:05 p.m.

"We'll find that out in a hurry," quipped coach Mark Morris on just how "different" his Monarchs are.

This is not the same Monarchs club that went 2-4-1-1 against Providence this season. Manchester's offense is far more lethal and confident. The defense is quite a bit more dependable backed by rookie goaltenders Jon Bernier and Jon Quick.

In the last four weeks the Monarchs grew from a club struggling to make the playoffs to one mentioned in the same breath as the league's hottest. Both teams are red hot. Manchester is 11-3-1-0 in its last 15 with a pair of four-game win streaks. Providence is 11-2-0-2 in its last 15, which included a six-game win streak.

The Monarchs' only losses in their last seven games were a pair to Providence. The Bruins' only loss in their last eight outings was to Manchester.

"I have to believe that we are (underdogs)," said Morris, despite the recent Monarchs' run. "It's going to take a big effort on our part."

The Monarchs' strength is clear -- its power play. Both at home and on the road Manchester leads the league in the man advantage. Providence must avoid the penalty box to skirt this danger.

"(Providence) seems to play an honest, tough game," said Morris, noting that the Monarchs cannot sit around and wait for the Bruins to take penalties. "They finish their checks and work exceptionally hard."

The AHL rookie of the year Teddy Purcell, center Brian Boyle and complementary winger Matt Moulson have all come into their own for Manchester. They are bona fide NHLers. Boyle is injured but Morris said he hopes to see the 6-foot-7 star rookie at some point in the series.

Morris believes secondary scoring might make a difference in the series.

"In playoff hockey the teams study one another in great detail. I don't think there will be too many secrets and sometimes it's not always your top players who do the damage," Morris said. "Sometimes it's your secondary scorers who wind up being the heroes. We have a pretty good group of forwards. We're fortunate to have gotten lots of different contributions up front. It is certainly our strength."

But, disappearing defense and turnovers in its own end are Manchester's weaknesses. Defenseman Peter Harrold has returned from the Los Angeles Kings to tighten up the defensive effort and key the power play. Look for Harrold to log huge amounts of ice time if the Monarchs are going to cure their back-end ills. Calm, confident depth on defense has been missing all season. But the recent arrival of rookie defensemen Davis Drewiske from Wisconsin and Josh Kidd from the Erie Otters of the OHL have given the Monarchs a much bigger and smoother puck handling presence.

"We're better in that position but we still have a ways to go," said Morris. "You take a look at the experience of Providence in that department and it's pretty apparent they have the upper hand there."

Providence's defense is led by Dwayne Zinger (ninth year), Sean Curry (sixth year) and Jonathan Sigalet (third year). Highly-touted Matt Lashoff (third year) was injured in the last regular-season game against Manchester and his status is not known. Rookie defenseman Matt Hunwick out of Michigan is a regular on the Bruins' power play. At the other end, five of Manchester's eight defensemen are rookies.

"The pressure is not on us right now," said Morris. "We weren't the guys who finished on top of the American Hockey League."

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Notes: All-time the Monarchs are 6-6 in playoff games (1-1 in playoff series) versus the Bruins, 3-3 both at home and away ... Bernier was the first goalie taken in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft (11th overall by Los Angeles). In that draft Boston selected University of Minnesota center Phil Kessel with the fifth pick. Kessel, who has played only two games for Providence in two seasons with Boston, is on Providence's playoff roster and could make a big difference in the series. On the AHL level Kessel is a standout, although he has been a healthy scratch in the Montreal-Boston series so far ... Saturday, Monarchs all-star center and MVP Gabe Gauthier, who has been out with a leg injury since March 16, skated for the first time ... Monarchs leading scorer RW Purcell has points in 10 of his last 11 games ... Bruins are 34-0 when leading in the third period ... Providence is carrying four goaltenders in Tuukka Rask (coming off a groin injury), Jordan Sigalet, Adam Courchaine and Kevin Regan out of UNH. Monarchs goaltenders are Bernier, Quick and Jeff Zatkoff. Sigalet is the only goaltender in the series who is not a rookie. Rask and Bernier are both first round NHL picks.

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Kevin Provencher covers the Manchester Monarchs for the New Hampshire Union Leader and Sunday News. His e-mail address is kprovencher@unionleader.com.