It was a season in two acts for Markus Tegernako and the Minnesota Monarchs.

First came the surge after a very difficult first month. For almost 3 consecutive months after their rocky start, the Monarchs were sitting tightly in 3rd position of the Northwest Division, ahead of the season 57 semi-finalists Winnipeg Jets/Aurora, and a team that was aggressive on the market the previous off-season, the Seattle Argonauts. And while Markus doesn't like boasting... he still enjoyed seeing both himself and his backup of 3 seasons, Separa Borro, sitting atop the goalie leaders in Sv% for so long, and even himself showing up in the top 10 for GAA from time to time. The Monarchs forged an interesting lead in the standings, but then...

The return to Earth came hard. This roster is still fairly young, and Markus couldn't contain the effect that tired legs had on the team. The number of odd-man rushes, of breakaways became too much for him to be able to save - he became human again, faltering among the middle of the pack of starters in the SHL. The two other teams vying for the 3rd and last spot in the Northwest Division started winning more and more games against them, and were making ground... leaving the Monarchs ultimately without a first appearance in the playoffs, for the 12th straight season - by two points did the Aurora snap up this spot. With one of the vets of the team retiring in Gallagher, team morale took a hit, and Markus confounded himself in various apologies, about how he couldn't get his groove back and how he needed to be a rock for the young guys. There's a few of these youngsters that will become free agents... He just hopes not too many faces change in the off-season.

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