Jake McGrew flicks a wrist shot against Rapid City this past weekend. McGrew had two goals and two assists in the three-game series, helping the Knight Monsters win two of three.
Photo by Ron Harpin.
The Tahoe Knight Monsters put together a 4-1-1 (W-L-OTL) record over their six-game homestand the past two weeks, jumping up a position in the ECHL’s Western Conference Mountain Division standings.
Tahoe (34-20-4, 73 points) took two of three from the Mountain Division’s last-place team, the Allen Americans (14-34-8, 38 points), winning the first two games, 3-2 (OT) and 2-1.
The Knight Monsters dropped the third game, 4-1 on March 2.
Simon Pinard had a pair of goals in the series while Sloan Stanick tallied an assist in games 1 and 3.
Troy Loggins had assists on both goals in the game 2 win.
Last weekend, the Knight Monsters opened their series with the sixth-place Rapid City Rush (24-24-6, 57 points) by besting the Rush in the first two games of the set.
Tahoe scored three times in 1:33 in the second period on March 6 en route to a 5-4 win to open the series.
Sloan Stanick started the rally in the second period, netting his 22nd goal of the season. Stanick finished the series with three goals and three assists to bring his team-leading season point total to 63.
The Knight Monsters followed with a 7-1 win Saturday before picking up a point in the final game of the series — a 5-4 loss in overtime.
In game 2, seven different Tahoe players found the back of the net. Isaac Johnson had a goal and an assist in the win.
Pinard scored in game 3, netting his team-best 27th goal of the season.
Brennan Kapcheck, who leads the team in plus/minus (+18), recorded three assists in the final two games of the series with Rapid City.
MOUNTAIN STANDINGS
The Knight Monsters might have moved up from fourth to third in the Mountain Division but enter a crucial eight-game stretch against opponents also in the thick of the playoff hunt.
The black and teal tangle with the fifth-place Idaho Steelheads in six of their next eight games. Idaho (29-19-8, 67 points) sits two points behind fourth-place Wichita (31-20-6, 69 points).
Next weekend, the Knight Monsters will travel to take on the second-place Tulsa Oilers (33-17-5, 74 points), potentially getting a chance to move up in the standings once again.
Tulsa will play a three-game series this weekend against the Bloomington Bison (25-27-3, 55 points), who play in the Western Conference’s Central Division, before hosting Tahoe.
The top four teams in the Mountain Division will make the postseason, which begins April 16.
COMING UP
Saturday: Game 2 of a two-game series at Idaho (29-19-8, 67 points)
March 21-22: Tahoe at Tulsa Oilers (33-17-5, 74 points)
March 26, 28-30: Idaho Steelheads at Tahoe (34-20-4, 73 points)
Wednesday, March 26 will be “Pucks and Paws” night, where $35 will get spectators a seat for their pet and a commemorative collapsible dog bowl. Friday, March 28 will be “Marvel Super-Hero Night,” featuring four tickets and four pucks for $140. March 29 and 30 will be “First Responders Weekend” with a pregame fire vs. police hockey game, beginning at 5 p.m.
(Sloan Stanick, the Tahoe Knight Monsters’ points leader this season, puts his hands up in celebration after scoring against the Rush this past weekend. Stanick had three goals and three assists in three games against Rapid City. / Ron Harpin)