Two months ago, the South Carolina Stingrays traded defenseman Colton Saucerman to the Manchester Monarchs for forward Derek Arnold. Next week, the teams face each other in the ECHL Eastern Conference Finals.
Saucerman found his offensive spark with the Monarchs, matching his goal output (two) and adding six assists in 11 games.
Arnold became a fixture on a normally rough-and-tough third line, putting up nine points and a +2 rating in 12 games with the Stingrays. The UMASS-Lowell alum had a -23 rating in 53 games with Manchester before the trade.
MANCHESTER MONARCHS
The Monarchs limped into the postseason with a 7-11-1-0 record since March 1.