The Manchester Monarchs' climb back to playoff contention has been a slow one.
Slow but steady.
That ascension reached a significant step last night as the Monarchs squeaked past the Portland Pirates, 4-2, before 3,936 at Cumberland County Civic Center.
The win enabled Manchester to slip past the Springfield Falcons (6-2 losers at Springfield, last night) into fourth place in the Atlantic Division, as the regular season heads into its final two months.
"It's funny," said Manchester coach Mark Morris, "but playoff hockey has started already for teams fighting for the top four spots. It's seems to have started a little earlier than I recall, last year."
Monarchs creep into fourth with win (Union Leader) 
