Fresh off a dominant victory over the Worcester Railers last night, the Jacksonville Icemen (11-22-3-2, 27 pts) have their sights set on a second straight win over the Manchester Monarchs (23-13-3-1, 50 pts) tonight at 6:00 p.m.
The Icemen were able to get scoring from a range of players in last night's win. In fact, eight different skaters registered at least one point, and three players recorded multiple points. Jacksonville is going to need production throughout the lineup once again tonight as they take on the top team in the North Division.
Manchester has one of the most high-powered offenses in the ECHL. Currently, the Monarchs are fourth in the league in goals for, with an average of 3.63 goals per game. Two reasons for their dangerous offense are their leading scorers, Zac Lynch and Jordan LaVallee-Smotherman. Combined, the two forwards have totaled 37 goals, 29 assists for 66 points.
This is the third meeting between these two clubs in the 2017-18 season, presented by Community First Credit Union. In a defensive battle in early November, the Monarchs edged the Icemen, 2-1. However, both teams combined for 11 goals on Dec. 13 when Jacksonville took the victory, 6-5. Tonight's game is important for the Icemen as they look to build momentum for a seven-game homestand after Sunday's tilt with the Monarchs.
Do you have your tickets for Faith and Family Weekend yet? Join the Icemen from Jan. 26-28 and don’t miss out on a live performance by Colton Dixon immediately after the Jan. 26 game against the Greenville Swamp Rabbits. Help us defeat cancer as we host Hockey Fights Cancer Weekend on Feb. 1-3. Find out more about this special weekend by visiting here.
Tonight's game will be streamed on ECHL TV, with puck drop set for 6:00 p.m. from the SNHU Arena.
Matchup Breakdown
Records:
Jacksonville Icemen: 11-22-3-2 (7th in South Division)
Manchester Monarchs: 23-13-3-1 (1st in North Division)
Power Play:
Icemen: 15/153 – 9.8% (27th in ECHL)
Monarchs: 33/182 – 18.1% (11th in ECHL)
Penalty Kill:
Icemen: 135/165 – 81.8% (17th in ECHL)
Monarchs: 143/168 – 85.1% (6th in ECHL)
Players to Watch:
#9 D Christopher Dienes (JAX)
4G, 13A – 17 Pts, 0 Rating
In his last game against Manchester on Dec. 13, Dienes had one goal and one assist.
#17 F Matt Leitner (MAN)
10G, 15A – 25 Pts, +2 Rating
Leitner has one goal and two assists against the Icemen this season.