Monsters having a monster season

Published online on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009

Whispers in the preseason that the Fresno Monsters had a championship-caliber team are now being heard loud and clear in the Western States Hockey League.

Fresno, a junior team in its inaugural season, is making noise in numbers: unbeaten in regulation through 14 games, outscoring opponents 83-20 and averaging 2,833 fans per game at Selland Arena.

This week, the Monsters reached No. 8 in the Junior A Tier III rankings -- among 73 teams across the U.S.

"We knew we had some pretty talented kids and realized we're deep, have scoring and physical defense and goaltending," co-coach Brandy Semchuk said. "But I would never have predicted this kind of start."

And that's even after losing premier scorer Chad Lowell (broken wrist) and top defenseman Jimmy Bashara (fractured thumb).

"It was time for guys to step up, fill the gap and see it as a challenge," said forward Thomas Freeman, who was recruited to replace Lowell and leads the team in scoring with seven goals and 14 assists in seven games.

Freeman skates on Fresno's "Gold Line" with Ryan Parkhouse and Rob Kolander, a trio that has accounted for 24 goals and 32 assists. Goalies Matt Anderson, Brent Hollerud and Peter Megariotis have totaled four shutouts and a 1.43 goals-against average.

The Monsters, who range in age from 17 to 21, have made Semchuk -- a former NHL forward -- a believer with scores of 11-1 and 9-2 against the Arizona Redhawks; and 11-0 and 7-0 against the Bakersfield Junior Condors.

Last weekend, defending WSHL champion Phoenix upended Fresno 4-3 in a shootout, despite getting outshot 42-27. That didn't sit well with the Monsters, who dominated the next two games 4-1 and 3-0.

"Everyone out to get us is a big motivator for this team," Semchuk said.

Co-coaches Semchuk and Eric Ballard recruited players from 10 different states, Finland and Sweden, but the team jelled immediately.

"The first day of practice I knew we'd be a top team," Freeman said. "It was the work ethic."

Defenseman Mike Richmond was out of hockey a year after playing for the San Jose Junior Sharks, but that kind of attitude lured him back.

"Everyone here plays with a lot of heart, passion and dedication," he said. "We win because we work harder than the other team in the gym and in practice."

"It starts on Tuesday with lifting," defenseman and enforcer J.R. Lafferty added. "We get stronger every day, and it builds off that. We're here to win a championship and also get to the next level, whether it's college, the pros or getting drafted."

Competition for jobs, Semchuk said, prevents letdowns and puck hogging.

"We challenge them every week, let them know no one's job is safe. They can be released or traded at any time."

It took the Monsters only one game to send a message to the league. They crushed Bakersfield 7-0 in the season opener before a Selland Arena crowd of 4,600, a record for Junior A Tier III.

"That was one of the best nights of my life," Richmond said. "To play, to score, hit and fight in front of a crowd like that was the best feeling in the world."

It appears the hockey fan base is returning. Semchuk anticipated slow growth, that it might take former Fresno Falcons fans a while to jump back on the bandwagon. The Falcons, a professional franchise in the ECHL, folded in December after decades here in various forms and leagues.

Semchuk said he expects attendance to increase after Christmas when high school football is done. The team has sold 700 season tickets, he said, and needs crowds of just more than 1,000 to break even for home games.

"We're constantly promoting and have been out in the community 10 times more than the Falcons," said the former Falcons standout from the 1997-99 seasons.

The Monsters, in a grass-roots effort, have visited schools, hospitals and malls. They sign autographs and give away team merchandise, trying to be as visible as they can to get their word out.

Parkhouse's eyes got wide as saucers describing the support he's felt so far.

"I've never been a part of anything this big," he said. "I'm used to playing in front of 50 fans. Now people recognize us around town and wear jerseys with our numbers on the back. It's amazing."