FOR THE Manchester Monarchs, everything is looking up.
The numbers are optimistic as they continue their fight with Worcester and Springfield for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Atlantic Division. The Monarchs are two points back of fourth-place Springfield.
This weekend the Monarchs won't meet either team but face a pair of playoff-style tests with teams ranked considerably higher in the AHL standings.
Friday the Monarchs host the Hershey Bears (Washington) and Saturday the Providence Bruins (Boston) visit Manchester. Both games are at 7:05 p.m. Hershey is the sixth-rated team in the Eastern Conference (Monarchs are 11th). Providence not only leads the conference, it tops the AHL.
Momentum is on the Monarchs' side. They are coming off back-to-back wins for the first time in 17 games. Only two other times this season have the Monarchs won two straight over divisional rivals ahead of them in the standings
UnionLeader.com - New Hampshire news - Kevin Provencher's Monarchs Insider: Monarchs' prospects improving - Thursday, Mar. 6, 2008
Monarchs' prospects improving (Union Leader) 
