The Manchester Monarchs sit atop the Atlantic Division with 15 points and a record of 7-4-0-1.  Nine of the first 12 games have come in Manchester at the Verizon Wireless Arena.  In the next week, the Monarchs will hit the road for their next three games before returning home for the Black Friday game on November 23 against the Worcester Sharks at 7:00 p.m. 

On Wednesday, the Monarchs played two good periods before giving up three third period goals and losing 4-1 in their third annual Education Day game.

“It is a shame we didn’t reward our work yesterday,” said Monarchs right wing Brian O’Neill.  “We played two really solid periods and shut them down for the most part besides the one power play goal.  To have that let down in the third period was pretty frustrating and hopefully we can learn from that and move on.”

The Monarchs will have a chance to redeem themselves sooner than later with the team traveling to square off against the Providence Bruins this Friday night at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.  The team will then travel to Webster Bank Arena to play the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Saturday night.

“It is a good opportunity to bounce back and get the ball rolling the right way,” said Monarchs left wing Richard Clune.  “We have been up and down the last two weeks and we want to put together solid efforts.  We don’t want to attach ourselves to the result, win or loss.  Obviously, we want to win but we need to start playing hard for all three periods and get everyone playing hard.”

A couple of games on the road may be beneficial to a team looking to get back on the right track and play hockey as a team.

“I think the guys enjoy going on the road and building team camaraderie and the guys get closer together when you go on road trips,” said O’Neill.  “I think it will help us.”

Despite having played only a few games on the road, the Monarchs have found success in their opponent’s rinks this season.  The Monarchs are 2-0-0-1 on the road this season with their only loss coming in a 1-0 shootout against the Worcester Sharks.

“When you go into another team’s building, there is not a lot of pressure on you,” said Clune.  “There is obviously pressure to get two points but you are not playing with that pressure in front of your home fans so it is a double-edged sword.  It is good to have the fans on your side and sometimes it is good to go in and just get the job done.”

The Monarchs will have to carry that workman type attitude and focus into their games if they want to get back on track in the victory column on the road this weekend.