By Eddie Graveline, Glovedropper.com
If you've been watching the Fresno Monsters play all season long, you probably saw this one coming. They've developed several patterns, one of which is playing great on Sundays. There are probably various factors that contribute to that, but one of them is certainly the work they do in the gym during the weeks between games. They always seem to have a lot more gas in their tanks on Sundays than the teams they play against. It was evident on Sunday afternoon, as they thrashed the San Diego Gulls in front of a passionate crowd in Selland Arena.
The Monsters cut through the Gulls' defense much more quickly than in the first two games of the weekend. Thomas Freeman scored just under five minutes into the first period. San Diego's Ryan Finn answered back five minutes later, but Trevor Tracy put the Monsters out front for good at the 11:37 mark. Ben Conroy and Ryan Parkhouse added goals to make it 4-1 after the first period.
The second period was quieter in terms of scoring. J.R. Lafferty scored the only goal on a power play. Monte French and Don Coyle picked up the assists.
Things got a little chippy in the late stages of the game, but the Monsters kept their heads and continued to put up points. Rob Kolander put one in, as did Chase Sisk. Ryan Finn scored the last goal of the game, which was his second, for San Diego, but it was way too little, way too late.
Brent Hollerud was unflappable in the Monsters net. The only two goals he gave up came on San Diego power plays and both came when the puck went out to a wide open shooter in the slot. Other than those, he was perfect and continues to put up stellar numbers.
The Monsters' newest faces also had some success. Monte French played his first two games this weekend and earned an assist in each of them. He was playing on a line with Alex Johansson and Don Coyle on Sunday. James Perkins saw his first action in a Monsters uniform on Sunday. He got two assists while playing with Chase Sisk and Ben Conroy and was named the second star of the game.
Predictably, the coaching staff was very pleased with Sunday's performance. "We finally came out and played hard for a full game and pretty much controlled it from start to finish," said co-Coach Eric Ballard afterward. "Their only two goals were on the power play, but other than that, we played well in all three zones."
The Monsters will have to keep up the solid play, because they have their most important series of the season, so far, coming up next weekend. The Idaho Jr. Steelheads, who happen to occupy second place behind the Monsters in the WSHL's Western Division, will be in town for two games on Friday and Saturday nights at Selland Arena.
Comments
Loved it, as usual.
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!