Monthly Archives: January 2020

Monsters on wrong side of shutout vs Comets

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The Cleveland Monsters lost to the Utica Comets Friday evening by a score of 3-0. This loss ended their two-game winning streak.

The Cleveland Monsters were looking to continue their winning streak after the conclusion of the All-Star Break. Unfortunately they were not able to do that in front of their largest crowd of the season Friday, losing to the visiting Utica Comets.

Cleveland listed the following players as inactive for the contest: Ryan Collins, Steve Johnson, Bryan Moore, Justin Scott, Michael Prapavessis, Zac Dalpe, Markus Hannikainen.

1st period

With 4:12 gone in the 1st period, the Cleveland Monsters had an odd man rush they executed almost perfectly. The only misstep? Not putting the puck in the back of the net. Comets goalie Michael DiPietro was able to stop Kole Sherwood’s shot on goal.

Utica put themselves on top with 14:42 left to play in the first. The managed to find itself right in front of Veini Vehvilaninen and Utica’s Carter Bancks just tapped it in. Vehvilainen did not have a legitimate chance of stopping the shot.

Cleveland’s Derek Barach was called for tripping with 5:52 gone in the period, putting the Monsters in a tough spot having just surrendered a goal. Cleveland’s penalty kill went to work and prevented any further damage.

The Comets extended their lead with their second goal of the period. Nikolay Goldobin scored his 16th goal of the season with a rather soft shot that just got by Vehvilainen. The shot from Goldobin looked like it would be more at home on a golf course and not a hockey rink.

The Monsters actually took more shots on goal in the period, but were unable to score. Cleveland had 8 shots while Utica had 7. The difference being that the Comets scored twice while the Monsters have a zero on the scoreboard.

2nd period

Penalties to Adam Clendening (kneeing) and Brett Gallant (roughing) put Cleveland back into an unenviable situation. The Monsters were down a man while Utica was on their second power play of the game. Cleveland successfully navigated through the situation without giving up a goal.

Utica’s Brogan Rafferty was called for high-sticking just over midway through the 2nd period, giving the Monsters their first power play opportunity of the evening. Shortly after, Utica’s Dylan Blujus was called for slashing, giving Cleveland a much needed 5-on-3. Unfortunately the Monsters were not able to take advantage of either opportunity as Utica’s penalty kill was impressive in stopping Cleveland’s efforts. Not being able to make anything out of the 5-on-3 opportunity was a defining moment in the game. Things appeared destined to not go Cleveland’s way when these events unfolded in this manner.

Cleveland led in shots on goal after two periods (17-11), but that still did not materialize into anything on the scoreboard.

3rd period

With about six minutes gone in the 3rd it appeared for a brief moment that Cleveland got on the scoreboard, but the goal was waved off by the official. When asked about it after the game, head coach Mike Eaves stated that it was due to goalie interference.

https://twitter.com/ThisIsMonsters/status/1223440011535822848?s=20

If the goal would have stood it could have changed the outcome of the game dramatically. Being down one compared to two changes how the game is approached and handled overall. Going from what seemed like striking distance and back to what was an insurmountable lead can certainly take the wind out of the sails of any team in any sport.

The Monsters found themselves down two men late due to penalties on Kole Sherwood and Brett Gallant. Utica took advantage and turned a two-goal lead into a three-goal lead. Nikolay Golobin scored his second goal of the game and put the finishing touches on the Comets victory.

The Monsters found themselves on the wrong side of the scoreboard even though they attempted more shots than Utica (27-16). The Comets simply took advantage of their chances when they had them and Cleveland did not. Ultimately that was the difference in the game.

The Monsters will look to get even in Game 2 Saturday at 1:00 P.M.

Cavaliers set to face Warriors at home

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The Cleveland Cavaliers are looking to avoid losing their third consecutive game when they take on the Golden State Warriors at home.

Not too long ago this matchup would have been must-see tv. Now that the Cleveland Cavaliers are a shell of their former selves and the injury bug has hit the Golden State Warriors pretty hard, this is a game that may not draw that much interest.

Due to being without their best players in Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, Golden State currently has a worse record than Cleveland, pretty hard to believe isn’t it? The Warriors are 10-39 on the season while the Cavaliers are 13-36. Much like Cleveland, Golden State is looking to snap a losing streak. The Cavs have lost two games in a row and the Warriors have lost five straight. Cleveland’s last loss coming against Toronto on Thursday.

Golden State has allowed 124.2 PPG during their losing streak while only scoring 109.2 PPG, their largest loss coming by 33 to the Utah Jazz on January 22nd. The Warriors are just as prone to getting blown out as the Cavaliers are. Cleveland has lost by 20 or more points three times during their last 10 games. The Cavs average 106.6 points per game during that span, not quite enough to outscore Golden State during their losing streak. Although they may able to score just a bit more against the Warriors on Saturday.

Cavaliers noticeably absent from Rising Stars Game

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The Cleveland Cavaliers will not be represented at the NBA Rising Stars Game despite having three players who could have been selected.

The rosters for the NBA Rising Stars Game were released Friday and the Cleveland Cavaliers do not have a representative.

Things could change, but at this moment the Cavs young players are staying at home. Players could end up being replaced for one reason or another, opening up the possibility that a Cavs player makes it in.

Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, and Kevin Porter Jr. were all candidates for the NBA Rising Stars Game.

Even with his faults, Collin Sexton has a case for making the team. Sexton is someone who is able to score, although there is a certain volume aspect to his scoring output. The good news is that an event like this lends itself to that particular type of play. This is an exhibition game that is meant to show off young players and their exciting skill sets.

Darius Garland may not have the best case, but he still has a case. Garland is able to score fairly well and set up his teammates for baskets. Not just wide open three-pointers, but alley-oops as well. Garland set Larry Nance Jr. pretty well in Thursday’s loss to Toronto.

This is the exact type of play fans want to see in an event like the Rising Stars Game.

Kevin Porter Jr. also did not make the cut and interestingly enough he could end up as the best one of the three Cavaliers mentioned here. Porter just have that it factor when playing that attracts fans to watch games. Kevin Porter Jr. can do it all.

Wouldn’t it be exciting to see Porter do this with some of the other young NBA talents in the league? There would definitely be some highlight worthy plays to come out of an appearance from Porter.

Cavaliers keep things close late, lose to Raptors

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The Cleveland Cavaliers nearly came away with an upset victory, but were unable to finish their comeback attempt against the Toronto Raptors.

The Cleveland Cavaliers found themselves down one point with just 1:18 left to go in the game. Cleveland actually had a chance to upset the reigning champs. Unfortunately their rally from down 14 earlier in the quarter came up short as Toronto outscored Cleveland 10-3 to close out the game. The Cavaliers found themselves on the wrong end of a 115-109 final score.

Turnovers were the story yet again for the Cavs. Cleveland had 23 turnovers in the game compared to Toronto’s 14. It is hard to win any game with that amount of turnovers, much less a game against a team as good as Toronto.

Collin Sexton and Kevin Love led Cleveland’s scoring effort

Kevin Love and Collin Sexton both had 23 points on the night. Kevin Love went 8-13 from the field, 6 of his 9 makes were three-pointers. The 12-year veteran is averaging three made three-pointers per game in the month of January. Love also had 5 rebounds, four assists, and one steal.

Collin Sexton finished going 9-17 from the field and 1-5 from deep. Sexton also made all four free throw attempts. Sexton’s recent trend of increase in assist numbers continued as he had 4 assists. The second-year guard is averaging 4 assists per game over his past five games. Sexton also had 4 rebounds, 1 steal, and one block.

Darius Garland with a bounce back performance

Darius Garland had a rough stretch coming into this game, combining to go 16-59 from the field (27.1%) over the previous four games. Garland’s assist number also took a bit of a tumble, down to 2.8 from his average of 6 per game prior January 20th. The Cavaliers rookie was in need of a good game, he had one. Garland had 16 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, and 1 steal. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come because his previous performances were rough, possibly leading to his absence from the loss to New Orleans on Tuesday. Garland was kept out of the game due to rest and it seems like he really needed it.

Larry Nance Jr. has another excellent game off the bench

Larry Nance Jr. had another good game off the bench, scoring 13 points on 5-10 shooting (1-2 3PT) in 26 minutes. Nance also grabbed 9 rebounds and blocked one shot. Nance was one of two Cavs bench players to play more than 20 minutes in the game, there other being Kevin Porter Jr.

The 27-year old Cavaliers power forward has been quite productive since returning from injury. In his last eight games, Larry Nance Jr. is averaging 13.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1 steal per game. Nance is shooting 61% from the field and 42.1% from deep over this stretch and has been one of the better bench players for the Cavaliers as of late.

Kevin Porter Jr. has an up and down performance

Kevin Porter Jr. scored 13 points in 29 minutes off the bench. Porter made 5 of 9 attempts, including going 2-4 from three-point range. Porter also had 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal in the contest.

Not everything was great for Kevin Porter Jr. Porter committed 7 turnovers in the game. Two of his turnovers came within 16 seconds of each other with the Cavaliers still fighting to comeback in the game. Kevin Porter Jr.’s turnover are not the reason why Cleveland lost, but they certainly did not help as they came at a crucial time.

The Cleveland Cavaliers will look to snap their two-game losing streak when they host the Golden State Warriors at 8:00 P.M. Saturday

Cavaliers sign Marques Bolden to 10-day contract

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The Cleveland Cavaliers have added some depth to their roster by signing forward Marques Bolden to a 10-day contract with Tyler Cook’s deal expiring.

A little bit of a shakeup for the Cleveland Cavaliers ahead of their matchup with the Toronto Raptors. Cleveland has signed forward Marques Bolden to a 10-day contract while Tyler Cook’s deal has expired.

Cleveland originally signed the former Duke Blue Devil after he went undrafted. The Cavaliers assigned him to their G-League affiliate Canton Charge. Marques Bolden has appeared 28 games for the Charge, averaging 9.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, and 1.2 assists in 18.3 minutes per game. Bolden has made 63.6% of shots from the field and 22.2% from deep, although Bolden only attempts 0.3 three-pointer per game.

Marques Bolden spent there years at Duke. During his time at Duke, Bolden was not much of a scorer. Only averaging 3.8 points per game over three seasons, his career-high in college being 5.3 PPG in his final year as a Blue Devil. Part of the lack of scoring is a direct result of playing with Zion Williamson, R.J. Barrett, and Cam Reddish. There is jut not going to be a whole lot of scoring opportunities with those three as his teammates.

The primary big men for the Cavs are Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, Larry Nance Jr., and John Henson. Marques Bolden figures to replace the 3.6 minutes per game that Tyler Cook was receiving. Playing time will not come in a large quantity barring a blowout in either direction.

Browns hire Alex Van Pelt as offensive coordinator

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The Cleveland Browns have named former Bills, Bucaneers, Packers, and Bengals quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt as their offensive coordinator.

Another piece of the puzzle is falling into place for Kevin Stefanski and the Cleveland Browns. Stefanski now has his offensive coordinator in Alex Van Pelt.

Alex Van Pelt has been in the NFL as a coach in some capacity since 2006. Van Pelt started in Buffalo as an offensive quality control coach before working his way up to offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2009. A brief stint in Tampa Bay followed before heading off to Green Bay. Initially their running backs coach, Van Pelt developed a relationship with Aaron Rodgers as his quarterbacks coach for four seasons. To the dismay of Rodgers, Van Pelt was not retained by the Packers. Van Pelt subsequently joined the Cincinnati Bengals before coming to the Cleveland Browns.

While in Green Bay, Aaron Rodgers had three of his best seasons. From 2014-2016 Rodgers totaled 12,630 passing yards and 109 touchdowns. Rodgers only through 20 interceptions in those three seasons, less than all of Baker Mayfield’s 2019 campaign.

Now, Baker Mayfield is not Aaron Rodgers. Not now and probably not ever. Rodgers is an elite quarterback and there is a good chance Mayfield will not reach that level. The duo of Kevin Stefanski and Alex Van Pelt may be able to help Baker Mayfield improve, but it is highly unlikely that he is able to accomplish anything close to what Rodgers did while Van Pelt was with the Packers.

Monsters: Matiss Kivlenieks recalled by Columbus

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Cleveland Monsters goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks has been recalled by the Columbus Blue Jackets. Veini Vehvilainen will remain as Cleveland’s primary goalie.

The Cleveland Monsters will be down a goalie when they face the Utica Comets this weekend. The Blue Jackets have recalled Matiss Kivlenieks to come back up to Columbus. Kivlenieks has made one career start in the NHL, a win against the New York Rangers in Madison Square Garden. Kivlenieks allowed one goal 32 shots in a 2-1 win for the Blue Jackets.

The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline believes that this could be due to the recovery timetable for Joonas Korpisalo.

Columbus needs two goalies and Korpisalo is not an option at the moment. The Blue Jackets will now have the combination of Elvis Merzlikins and Matiss Kivlenieks.

Kivlenieks has been excellent during his time with the Monsters. Appearing in 18 games and allowing 2.91 goals per game on average. This comes on a save percentage of .903, barely behind Veini Vehvilainen’s save percentage of .907.

Cleveland now has two goaltenders on their roster. Veini Vehvilainen and Brad Thiessen. Vehvilainen and Kivlenieks are the only goalies to appear in a significant number of games this season. Brad Thiessen has apperad in three and Elvis Merzlikins has appeared in two. Predictably, Merzlikins has the best goals against average of the four (1.52). Thiessen has allowed fewer goals per game than Kivlenieks (2.60), but his save percentage is significantly lower (.887).

Mike Eaves could opt to go with Veini Vehvilainen for one game with Brad Thiessen in the other. Vehvilainen struggled against Utica earlier this season, allowing five goals in 40 minutes. This game was also a second game of a back-to-back, although it took place at 7:00 P.M. rather than 1:00 P.M. Splitting the two starts between Vehvilainen and Thiessen should be given serious though given the quick turnaround between games.

Indians extend netting at Progressive Field

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The Cleveland Indians have announced that they will be joining the rest of Major League Baseball and extend the protective netting along the foul lines.

This has been a long time coming. The Cleveland Indians will be extending the protective netting down the foul lines.

As Mandy Bell of MLB.com notes, the netting will not go all the way to the foul pole, but most of the way. Sections 125 and 117 will not have netting in front of it in right field. Left field sections 175, 178, and 179 will not have netting either. The way the ballpark is constructed, a protective net is not necessarily needed in front of those sections. The net leading up to them will provide protection to those sitting in those areas.

Bell mentions that the height of the net will increase by 10 feet. Going from 23 to 33 feet. The Indians will also be removing the canopy behind home plate. More fans will have the chance to catch a foul ball with the removal of the canopy.

At the end of the day this is about safety for everyone attending a baseball game

It is about making the ballpark safer. A concept that should not have much opposition, but does for some bizarre reason. A common misconception is that simply paying attention to the game and not being on their phone will lead to improved safety. That is the main argument against the netting. “Millennials being on their phone too much” is a completely nonsensical argument that only those far out of touch with reality make, (cough, cough, Kent Sterling). It’s great that you protected your young child at a baseball game, but wouldn’t the entire experience be much more enjoyable not having to play superhero in the event a ball comes your way? Just a thought.

The reality is that there are sometimes people who are incapable of properly protecting themselves in the event a screaming line drive comes in their direction. The elderly and small children do not have the reaction time required to dodge a line drive. Some may not be entirely able to comprehend what is happening. Instead of having to constantly worry about whether or not a ball capable of causing injury is coming your way, you will be able to properly spend time with your friends and family.

If baseball players (current and former) are barely able to get out of the way, what chance does the average person have? Here’s a hint, not a good one. It’s great that some fans in the stands played baseball in high school, college, etc., but there is a reason that they are in the stands and not on the field.

The Indians want to make sure that every fan that attends a game at Progressive Field is safe. There is nothing wrong with safety.

Monsters to take on Utica Comets

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The Cleveland Monsters will play host to the Uitca Comets this weekend as they have a two-games series against the third place team in the North Division.

Winners of two-straight, the Cleveland Monsters will take on the Utica Comets at home Friday and Saturday. Cleveland is currently in eighth place in the North Division with 44 points while Utica is in third with 54. Cleveland previously faced Utica on January 18th, the Comets coming out on top by a score of 6-2.

Utica comes into town losers of four straight games, their last win coming against Cleveland earlier this month. The average score of their past four games is 4.5-2.25, with Utica on the losing end. While Cleveland has two wins in their past four games, the average score of their games is 4-3.5, with the Monsters being outscored by half a goal on average. The 6-2 loss to Utica is a major factor in this negative goal differential.

Utica has scored 162 goals this season while allowing 146. The Comets have scored the second-most goals in the division while giving up the second-most. Cleveland’s 123 goals scored this season is the least, but they have only surrendered the second-fewest (130). This weekend will be a serious battle of goal scoring versus goal prevention.

Reid Boucher leads Utica in points this season with 50 in 41 games. Boucher is tied for the team lead in goals with Justin Bailey (24). Bailey has appeared in 45 games this season. Utica’s assist leader is rookie Brogan Rafferty with 32 in 42 games.

Utica has deployed two different goalies this season with an even amount of appearances (32). Rookie Michael DiPietro edges out Zane McIntyre in average goals allowed (2.82-3.17) and save percentage (.903-.894).

Getting off on the right foot now that the All-Star festivities have concluded will be key for the Monsters. Cleveland has six straight games at home before heading out on the road. The Monsters need to take care of business at home before worrying about their performance on the road.

Cavaliers host Champion Raptors

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The Cleveland Cavaliers look to bounce back from Tuesday’s loss as they host the reigning NBA Champion Toronto Raptors for the only time this season.

It is going to be a difficult matchup Thursday for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Toronto Raptors come to town looking to extend their winning streak to nine straight games. Cleveland has lost eight of their previous nine games, the most recent being Tuesday’s loss to New Orleans.

The Cavs have faced Toronto twice this season, both losses coming on the road. The average score of the two games being 125-105 in favor of the Raptors. Granted both games were on the road, but Toronto is clearly a superior team to Cleveland in just about every way.

The Raptors are currently averaging 122.4 points per game during their winning streak. Toronto has not been held below 107 points at any point over the last eight games. Defensively, the Raptors have surrendered 111 points per game, but being able to average 11 more points than that per game has led to their recent run of success.

Cleveland has failed to exceed 107 points in four of their past nine games, averaging 106.3 points per game. The Cavs have given up 117.8 points per game over this span which has been a huge reason why they’ve lost eight of nine. Toronto may give up 111 per game over their last eight games, but Cleveland has not shown that they are able to score consistently enough for that to matter all that much.

Darius Garland will be returning to the Cavaliers lineup Thursday after receiving Tuesday off for rest. Garland should help Cleveland keep things closer, but that does not mean that they necessarily have a chance to win. Toronto has the second-best record in the Eastern Conference while Cleveland has the third-worst.