Once the New Hampshire Junior Monarchs got going, there was no stopping the top team in the USPHL North Division.
The Monarchs defeated the Twin City Thunder 6-2 Wednesday At the Tri-Town Ryan Frew Memorial Rink in Hooksett, New Hampshire.
The loss snaps a three-game winning streak for the Thunder (18-19-3, 39 points).
Twin City coach Dan Hodge said the Thunder spent too much time in their defensive zone Wednesday.
“We were having trouble to get pucks out,” Hodge said. “We were having trouble keeping it simple and weren’t doing the things that made us successful lately.”
Christopher Repmann and Matthew Sullivan each had two goals and an assist, while Jake Alpine had a pair of goals for the Monarchs (24-13-5, 53 points). Scarborough’s Zander Lizotte had three assists.
The Thunder did take an early lead, when forward Patrick Last scored his eighth goal of the season nearly four minutes into the contest. Linemates Tommy Gannon and Liam Hodgson had the assists.
The three players make up the Thunder’s fourth line for the Thunder, which has been clicking over the past 10 days.
“They have been working hard, and that’s what all you can ask for,” Hodge said. “That’s what that line is for. They are tough to play against.”
Matthew Cole extended Twin City’s lead to 2-0 at the 15:34 mark of the first period, with James Tetro and Last recording the helpers.
New Hampshire soon took over, beginning with Alpine’s first goal 39 seconds after Cole scored. Former Maine Nordiques player Bryce Bollman had one of the two assists.
Repmann, a former Maine Nordiques Academy player, evened the game at 2-2 at the 17:28 mark of the first period. Lizotte had an assist.
Sullivan, who also had an assist on Repmann’s tally, beat Thunder goalie Trey Miller (35 saves) to give the Monarchs a 3-2 lead only 68 seconds into the second period. Lizotte had the only assist.
Repmann scored again a little past the eight-minute mark, and the Monarchs had a two-goal lead. Bollman and Lizotte added to their point totals by recording assists.
Alpine and Sullivan scored 50 seconds apart in the midway through the third period, extending the Monarchs’ lead to 6-2.
Goalie Oliver Drum stopped 21 shots in the win for New Hampshire.
With the loss, the Thunder remain seven points behind the Boston Advantage (21-16-4, 46 points) for the fourth and final playoff spot in the North Division.
The Thunder return to action Thursday at the Presidents Day Showcase in Foxboro, Massachusetts, against the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Knights at 7 p.m.
“We are still looking for points every game, and we have to make sure we bounce back tomorrow,” Hodge said. “We can’t lose a couple in a row, and we got to keep going. Wilkes-Barre is a different team than what we saw at the beginning of the year.”
BOSSIE, MILLER HONORED
Lewiston native Damon Bossie earned North Division Defenseman of the Week after recording an assist and was a plus-2 in three games last week for the Thunder.
Miller was chosen as the Goalie of the Week. He picked up three wins last week, including a 2-0 victory over the Monarchs last Wednesday.
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