Sloan Stanick crashes in on net Wednesday evening against the Wichita Thunder. Stanick and the Knight Monsters clinched a playoff spot during their overtime loss to the Thunder. Stanick, a 21-year-old ECHL rookie, has 77 points this season, which is the most for any rookie in the league.
Photo by Ron Harpin.
After splitting last weekend’s two-game road series with the Utah Grizzlies, the Tahoe Knight Monsters were in need of a single point over their final three games of the regular season to punch a ticket to the ECHL playoffs.
Wednesday evening, Tahoe (41-23-4, 88 points) hosted the first of three home games against the Wichita Thunder (39-24-6, 85 points), who came into the series in third place in the Western Conference’s Mountain Division.
The Thunder tallied the first two goals of the third period, turning a 4-3 deficit into a 5-4 advantage.
With one second left in the third period and regulation, Nate Callen scored to force overtime, which earned Tahoe the point it needed to qualify for the playoffs in its inaugural season.
The Knight Monsters went on to lose in a shootout but still hold the edge for the No. 2 seed in the Mountain Division.
Tahoe (88 points), Wichita (85) and the Tulsa Oilers (38-24-5, 84 points) hold the final three postseason spots, respectively. The Idaho Steelheads (37-24-8, 83 points) are currently on the outside looking in as the fifth seed with two games remaining in the regular season.
The Kansas City Mavericks (47-18-5, 99) had previously clinched the Mountain title.
Tahoe is 21-8-3 at home this season and 20-15-1 on the road.
PLAYOFF SEEDING JUGGLE
The Knight Monsters have the upper hand on the No. 2 seed in the Mountain Division for the upcoming postseason.
Earning the second seed in the division means Tahoe would have home-ice advantage through the first round series, which is best-of-7.
With two games remaining, one more point will solidify Tahoe into the No. 2 seed.
The Kelly Cup playoffs begin April 16 and the first two rounds will all be played within the division.
No. 1 seed Kansas City will hold the home-ice edge over the No. 4 qualifier in the Mountain Division.
The Mavericks won the conference title last season before losing to the Florida Everblades in the Kelly Cup finals.
Florida has won three consecutive Kelly Cup titles. The Everblades are second in the Eastern Conference’s South Division.
OFFENSIVE POWERHOUSE
It’s been Tahoe’s offense getting the job done this season.
The Knight Monsters are second in the ECHL in goals, with 252 through 70 games.
Tahoe only trails the South Carolina Stingrays (50-14-3, 105 points) in goals scored. South Carolina has 267 tallies this season.
Leading the way for the Knight Monsters has been Sloan Stanick, a 21-year-old ECHL rookie, who had a goal and two assists in the Knight Monsters’ playoff-clinching game Wednesday night.
Stanick is second in the ECHL in points with 77, coming on 28 goals and 49 assists.
His 77 points are 22 more than the next-closest rookie.
Simon Pinard is third in the league in goals scored with 32 this season. Pinard has also tallied 30 assists for a 62-point total.
Bear Hughes and Logan Nelson have both tallied 52 points apiece this season.
Knight Monster goalie Jordan Papirny has the 13th-best goals against average in the ECHL with a mark of 2.48.
Jesper Vikman, Papirny’s counterpart in net, leads the league in saves with 1,130.
(Brennan Kapcheck takes a shot on goal Wednesday against Wichita. Kapcheck and the Knight Monsters are postseason-bound in their inaugural year as an ECHL franchise. / Ron Harpin)