By BRUCE BERLET, Courant Staff Writer
The Wolf Pack were in regrouping mode Thursday, and coach Ryan McGill took a bit of a different tack after one of the most listless performances of the season Wednesday night in a 5-1 loss to Manchester, their worst at home.
McGill wrote a few notes on the locker room board about the morning skate but didn't talk to the players, leaving them to figure out how to prepare for the final weekend of the season, starting tonight against Albany.
"What more can I do?" McGill said. "It's up to them. It's not up to me. I've just got to worry about [tonight]. It's Game 78, and if I'm talking about [Wednesday], then I'm not in the right frame of mind. We've got a chance to get our 30th win at home, which would be pretty exciting for the team."
Garth Murray won't be available tonight after receiving a one-game suspension for being third man in a fight Wednesday. But McGill will have the high-energy checking line of captain Ken Gernander, Murray and Jed Ortmeyer together for the final two games.
The Pack need to get prepared in all areas for an eighth straight playoff appearance that will begin next Thursday or Friday, likely against Lowell.
"The effort wasn't there [Wednesday], and you can't afford that," Ortmeyer said. "If that happens in the playoffs, you can be assured it'll be a short run. We have to look in the mirror, readjust our approach to the game and make sure we come ready to go."
Ortmeyer, Murray, Gernander, Jamie Lundmark, Ryan Hollweg and Trevor Gillies were about the only forwards to show up Wednesday. Top scorers such as Jeff Hamilton, Dominic Moore, Jozef Balej and Layne Ulmer need to produce if the Pack are to advance in the playoffs. Getting Chad Wiseman and Craig Weller back from concussions also would help.
Monarchs coach Bruce Boudreau said goals by lesser lights David Steckel and Ryan Kinasewich gave his team "a lot of inspiration" and is something needed in the playoffs.
"You're not going to win anything if you're going to depend on the same three or four guys to score every game," Boudreau said.
But Boudreau depends plenty on center Michael Cammalleri, who had a goal and two assists to increase his point total to 109, four behind Binghamton's Jason Spezza. One of them is likely to be named AHL MVP today. Spezza is arguably the league's most skilled player and was on the first all-star team ahead of Cammalleri, who leads the AHL with 46 goals.
"He comes to play every night, and I don't think people realize how good he is defensively, which is why he's on our No. 1 penalty kill," Boudreau said. "Spezza is really talented and the most visible, but Mike is just as smart a player as I've ever seen. The 13 writers who don't see Mike play are going to look at the visible name of Spezza at the top of the leaderboard. But Mike has done great."
Though the Monarchs are one point from clinching their first Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference titles, Boudreau knows no team will be a pushover in the division playoffs. The Pack finished 4-3-0-1 against Manchester, 5-2-0-1 against Lowell, 5-5 against Providence and 5-3 against Worcester, which is one point from elimination.
"Pick your poison," Boudreau said. "No team is sitting there saying, `I hope we play this team' because every team can beat you. Lowell is loaded, you never want to play Hartford and Providence scares the crap out of me. So what do you do? You just get there and hope your game plan is better than their game plan, your players execute better than their players, and your goalie plays better than their goalie.
"Everybody competes against everybody, so it always boils down to goaltending and special teams, and I don't see 2005 being any different than any other year."
Miller Top Goalie
Rochester's Ryan Miller, the first goalie to win 40 games since Gerry Cheevers won a league-record 48 for the Americans in 1964-65, was named recipient of the Baz Bastien Award as the AHL's outstanding goaltender, succeeding the Pack's Jason LaBarbera. ... Norfolk Admirals left wing Rene Bourque (franchise-record 33 goals, 27 assists) is the winner of the Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award as the AHL's outstanding rookie. ... Hamilton's Duncan Milroy received the Yanick Dupre Memorial Award as AHL Man of the Year for outstanding contributions to his community and charitable organizations. Moore was the Pack's nominee. ... Rochester center Chris Taylor received the Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award as the AHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of sportsmanship, determination and dedication to hockey. ... The Pack will hand out their annual awards after Sunday's home finale against Springfield. This writer's choices: MVP - (tie) LaBarbera and Steve Valiquette; best defenseman - Lawrence Nycholat; best defensive forward - (tie) Gernander and Ortmeyer; unsung hero: Craig Weller. ... The Worcester IceCats play their final home game Sunday against Manchester before moving to Peoria, Ill., next season.
