The Manchester Monarchs out-shot the Hartford Wolf Pack 37-16 but fell 2-0 at Verizon Wireless Arena on Friday night in a game that featured the professional debuts of forwards Michael Mersch and Nic Dowd and defenseman Kevin Gravel.
“We applied a lot of energy and pressure, but we weren’t good in front of the net,” Morris said to Manchester Monarchs TV after the game.
After Mersch and Dowd signed entry level contracts with Los Angeles earlier this week, Gravel, a 2010 fifth round draft pick who, like Dowd, spent four years at St. Cloud State, signed an amateur tryout agreement with Manchester that preceded his professional debut.
Mersch, wearing number 27, took four shots in the loss. In the highlights below, he had a nice strip of a Hartford breakout attempt that led to a quality scoring opportunity.
Gravel, wearing number 57, took a two-minute closing the hand on the puck penalty that led to the Wolf Pack’s second goal. He had a fine stretch pass that sprung Andy Andreoff free for a breakaway in the second period, which can be seen in the game highlights.
Dowd, wearing number 29, did not register a shot in the loss. All three players finished even on the score sheet.
Tangentially related: former Monarch Nic Deslauriers scored his first National Hockey League goal last night with the Buffalo Sabres.
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