Category Archives: Monsters

Monsters begin brutal 3,3,3 stretch

Posted on by
Advertisements

This is as brutal as brutal can get. The Cleveland Monsters are about to begin a stretch of three road games, in three days, in three different cities. Cleveland travels to Grand Rapids, Rockford, and Chicago while having Columbus pluck players from their roster along the way. The Blue Jackets are unable to turn to Liam Foudy this weekend due to their NHL-CHL agreement.

This means the Monsters are likely going to provide Columbus with options during their upcoming road trip, providing less options for Mike Eaves to turn to. 

Grand Rapids 

First stop, Grand Rapids to take on the Griffins. Cleveland absolutely dominated Grand Rapids at home Tuesday in a 6-2 win. The Griffins will without a doubt be seeking revenge. The Monsters will need to do everything they can to avoid falling in a similar fashion that the Griffins did while at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. 

Rockford 

Cleveland has faced Rockford three times this season, winning all three matchups.  The Monsters have outscored the IceHogs 15-3 in their three previous games. The only game decided by one goal was December 21st’s matchup in Rockford. 

Rockford has 51 points on the season, which puts themselves in 5th place in the AHL’s Central Division. The IceHogs have a negative goal differential this season (-24). Rockford has scored four fewer goals this season while giving up 12 more.

Considering their previous matchups with Rockford and their negative goal differential, Cleveland has quite the opportunity in front of them. It is possible they come away with their fourth straight win against Rockford. Although, the IceHogs could be due for a win and come out victorious against the Monsters. 

Chicago 

Cleveland has faced Chicago twice this season, both being wins at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. The Monsters scored twice as much as the Wolves in those two games (8-4). 

The Wolves have 53 points this season and have given up 11 more goals than they have scored this season. Defense is the name of the game for Chicago. The Wolves have only scored 128 goals this year while surrendering 139. This is the second-fewest amount of goals given up in the division. The only team that has given up less is Milwaukee with 116. 

The fact that Chicago is not necessarily the best offense may help a Cleveland team that is prone to giving up goals in bunches. The fact they face teams who have scored fewer goals in each subsequent game in this three day stretch could prove to beneficial when exhaustion inevitably shows up Sunday in Chicago. 

Monsters dominate Griffins in 6-2 win

Posted on by
Advertisements

The Cleveland Monsters took on the visiting Grand Rapids Griffins in their final game of their six game home stand and won by a score of 6-2.

Brad Thiessen got the start in goal after Veini Vehvilainen had a rough start in the Monsters loss to Binghamton Sunday. Giving Vehvilainein the night off before a long road trip will perhaps give him a chance to clear his head and focus on what is ahead of Cleveland moving forward.

The following players were listed as inactive by Cleveland: Ryan Collins, Bryan Moore, Michael Prapavessis, Zac Dalpe, Marko Dano.

1st period

Cleveland got on the board early with a goal just over a minute into the game. Gabriel Carlsson was able to put back the rebound after a shot from Jakob Lilja was blocked by Calvin Pickard. Adam Clendending and Jakob Lilja were credited with an assist on the play.

The Monsters had the first power play opportunity of the game, but were not able to do anything with it. Their 26th ranked power play unit showed exactly why they are ranked that low. Cleveland only managed three shots during their one man advantage.

With 6:39 left to play in the 1st period Cleveland’s 5th ranked penalty kill went to work. An interference penalty on Jakob Lilja saw the Monsters left winger head to the box. Cleveland was able to increase their lead to two thanks to a Stefan Matteau shorthanded goal. Matteau’s shot went right past Pickard and into the top right corner of the net. The fact the Monsters were able to increase their lead while down a man instead of when they were speaks volumes in the effectiveness of their power play and penalty kill units.

Cleveland and Grand Rapids tied in shots on goal in the 1st with 12 apiece. The difference is that Cleveland scored twice while Grand Rapids did not.

2nd period

Early on in the 2nd the Monsters were to able to extend their lead to three. The puck was behind the Griffins net and Calvin Thurkauf initially took the puck away from Grand Rapids. Kole Sherwood then sent the puck right in front of the goal to Paul Bittner. Bittner made sure to make the most of his opportunity and gave Cleveland a 3-0 lead.

It didn’t take long for the Monsters to increase their lead to four. Jakob Lilja added to the Cleveland lead with 5:03 gone in the 2nd period. Adam Clendening and Derek Barach assisted on the goal.

A penalty to Anton Karlsson saw the Monsters penalty kill go back to work. This time their penalty kill was unsuccessful as Grand Rapids got on the board, making it a 4-1 game.

Cleveland scored two goals back-to-back to take a commanding five goal lead. Trey Fix-Wolanksy and Maxime Fortier scored within one minute of each other. This was Fortier’s first goal of the season. Fortier would later describe his goal.

https://twitter.com/ThisIsMonsters/status/1227430790360977409?s=20

Cleveland’s sixth goal resulted in a goalie swap for Grand Rapids. Calvin Pickard went to the bench as Pat Nagle replaced him. Monsters coach Mike Eaves would comment on their strategy against Nagle and his performance the rest of the game.

https://twitter.com/ThisIsMonsters/status/1227429513308581891?s=20

Cleveland found themselves back on the power play due to a Grand Rapids slashing penalty. A second Griffins penalty gave Cleveland a 5-on-3 with 7:52 to play in the 2nd. The Monsters were unable to make anything of their two-man advantage.

Cleveland pulled ahead in regards to shots on goal in the period (16-13).

3rd period

Cleveland went on the penalty kill early in the 3rd period. Doyle Somerboy was called for cross-checking with 1:49 elapsed in the final period. This time the Monsters penalty kill was successful in preventing Grand Rapids from scoring.

Grand Rapids was able to score their second and final goal of the game at the 13:42 mark in the 3rd period.

The Monsters were dominant on the scoreboard but trailed yet again in regards to shots on goal (39-34). In all four games since the break this has been a recurring theme.

Mike Eaves is not necessarily concerned with the large differential. Eaves is more concerned with scoring chances and not necessarily shots on goal.

The differential in Tuesday’s win (4) is significantly closer than some of the other games (20, 14, 23).

Cleveland’s next game is in Grand Rapids as they look for their second straight win against the Griffins.

Monsters face Griffins in final game of home stand

Posted on by
Advertisements

The Cleveland Monsters finish off their home stand with a matchup with the visting Grand Rapids Griffins before heading out on the road.

One game left in the home stand. That’s it for the Cleveland Monsters before they head out on a two-and-a-half week road trip. Before they leave they have to take on the Grand Rapids Griffins Tuesday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Cleveland will look to bounce back from Sunday’s disappointing 4-0 loss to Binghamton.

Grand Rapids comes in just a little bit ahead in the points department (51-48), which is good for 4th place in the Central Division. The Griffins are 5-2-1-2 in their past 10 games. Like Cleveland, Grand Rapids has a negative goal differential on the season (-16). 

Chris Terry leads Grand Rapids in total points, goals, and assists. Terry has 45 points on the year with 18 goals and 27 assists in 48 games. Looking at the goaltenders for Grand Rapids, Calvin Pickard is their leading goaltender on the year. Pickard has appeared in 28 games with a 2.84 goals against average. Pickard has a save percentage of .904 this season. The only other goalie who has appeared in move than eight games this season is Pat Nagle (11 games). Nagle has a 2.19 goals allowed average with a .922 save percentage.

This will be the first of two matchups in a row with the Griffins for the Monsters as they head to Grand Rapids on Friday.

Monsters: Gabriel Carlsson recalled by Columbus

Posted on by
Advertisements

Cleveland Monsters defenseman Gabriel Carlsson has been recalled by the Blue Jackets and will be in Columbus for Monday’s game.

The Columbus Blue Jackets need some help after the injury to Seth Jones and are turning to the Cleveland Monsters roster to potentially solve their problem again. Columbus has gone to the well and recalled players from Cleveland multiple times due to the injury bug being wreaking havoc on the Blue Jackets roster. Defenseman Gabriel Carlsson is headed up to Columbus to join the Blue Jackets ahead of Monday’s game against Tampa Bay.

Gabriel Carlsson has appeared in six games for Columbus this season. Carlsson has not register a point while with the Blue Jackets. This will not be the first time in the NHL for Carlsson. The 23-year old defenseman has three previous stints with the Blue Jackets the past. Carlsson has 3 points (all assists) in 23 games at the NHL level. 1 point came during his two-game stint with Columbus during the 2016-17 season. Carlsson finished with 2 points during his 14 games in 2017-18.

Gabriel Carlsson has appeared in 39 games for the Cleveland Monsters this season. Carlson has 11 points this season (1 goal, 10 assists) and carries a +8 while on the ice.

Monsters split weekend set with Binghamton

Posted on by
Advertisements

The Cleveland Monsters were not able to complete a sweep of the Binghamton Devils, settling for a split with a 4-0 loss on Sunday afternoon.

The Cleveland Monsters got some bad news prior to puck drop on Sunday as Derek Barach is suspended for his actions in Friday’s game against Binghamton. Barach’s cross-checking penalty was deemed severe enough to warrant a suspension. Barach scored two of Cleveland’s three goals on Friday.

Cleveland listed the following players as inactive: Ryan Collins, Justin Scott, Derek Barach, Zac Dalpe, Michael Prapavessis, Markus Hannikainen, Marko Dano.

1st period

The first few minutes of the game were a bit more aggressive when compared to their first meeting. There was no testing the waters or seeing how the opponent reacts. It was go time right from the start. No messing around whatsoever. Each team was decisive and aggressive early on with how they played the puck and getting in position to attempt a shot on goal.

Cleveland’s Bryan Moore was the first player to receive a penalty in this one. A hooking penalty sent Moore to the penalty box and put Cleveland on the penalty kill. Cleveland successfully killed the penalty and returned to full strength without any damage done.

With just over nine minutes gone in the 1st the Monsters found themselves on the penalty kill again. This time Brett Gallant was called for high-sticking, resulting in a two-minute penalty. Cleveland’s penalty kill came to the rescue again, preventing the Devils from striking first.

Binghamton got on the scoreboard first with a goal from Brett Seney. Seney was just to the left of Vehvilainen and snuck the puck past him into the net. It was only a matter of time before Binghamton scored. The Devils were clearly in control for some time and it seemed inevitable that they would take the lead.

Binghamton led in shot attempts during the 1st period 13-5. To be blunt, Binghamton was just more aggressive to start the game. The different in the level of aggression certainly led to the shot disparity and the Devils leaned on the scoreboard. Cleveland just had a difficult time keeping possession of the puck for any period of time, making things difficult to get anything going offensively.

2nd period

After about five minutes of a non-stop attack from Binghamton, the Devils increased their lead to two. The shot from Nick Merkley deflected off of Adam Clendening’s skate and went into the net.

Monsters head coach Mike Eaves would comment on the goal and the impact it made after the game.

https://twitter.com/ThisIsMonsters/status/1226610671216922628?s=20

Cleveland was able to capture some of the momentum midway through the 2nd period. The Monsters just seemed to be playing with more energy when compared to the 1st and looked a bit more composed as well. The problem? Nothing came of it.

A Gabriel Carlsson slashing penalty put Cleveland’s back against the wall yet again. However the Monsters were only shorthanded for 11 seconds. Binghamton’s Brett Seney was called for holding the stick, resulting in a two-minute penalty of his own. Before anyone could get comfortable in the 4-on-4 situation Binghamton increased their lead to three on a Josh Jacobs goal.

Binghamton ended the period with 18 shots on goal during the 2nd compared to Cleveland’s 10. After two periods Binghamton has twice as many shots on goal as Cleveland (30-15).

3rd period

Binghamton extended their lead to four with a goal from Egor Sharangovich (2:51). Sharangovich stole the puck from right behind the net and just shot it right past Veini Vehvilainen.

There was a near goal for the Devils as a shot from Fabian Zetterlund went right between Vehvilainen’s legs and almost crossed the line. Luckily Abbot Girduckis cleared the puck and Binghamton did not increase their lead to five on what would have been an ugly goal.

The Monsters found themselves on a power play after a brief scuffle between Paul Bittner and Michael McLeod. Unfortunately the Monsters were not able to anything with their opportunity as Binghamton was able to stifle their attack.

The two teams traded shots for the final 10 minutes of the game until the clock read 0:00, resulting in a 4-0 Monsters loss.

Binghamton led in shots on goal (42-22). This was the third straight game that Cleveland trailed in shots. The Monsters are on the wrong side of a 124-67 shot differential over their past three games. It certainly is hard to win games on a consistent basis when they have nearly twice the amount of shots on goal.

The Monsters will look to bounce back against the Grand Rapids Griffins in the final game of their home stand Tuesday.

Ryan MacInnis assigned to Monsters

Posted on by
Advertisements

The Monsters will have a familiar face join them for round two with the Binghamton Devils Sunday. The Columbus Blue Jackets have assigned Ryan MacInnis to Cleveland. This move is not surprising in the least bit due to MacInnis not playing in Saturday’s loss to Colorado.

Once the lineups came out for the Blue Jackets Saturday night and MacInnis was inactive it appeared more likely than not that a move was coming. That move did indeed come as Ryan MacInnis joins the team in Cleveland.

The Monsters are now able to avoid a short bench situation due to the return of MacInnis. The fact MacInnis did not play Saturday points towards the possibility of MacInnis playing Sunday for Cleveland. The Monsters having MacInnis in the lineup could go a long way towards possibly winning at home Sunday.

Just how long Ryan MacInnis stays in Cleveland is not known at this time. Columbus has another home game Monday night and could bring him back. Although, Cleveland has another home game Tuesday and it may better for everyone involved if he remains with the Monsters for the final two games of the home stand. However the possibility remains that MacInnis pulls double duty Sunday and Monday while someone else gets assigned to Cleveland.

Ryan MacInnis appeared in two games with Columbus. The soon-to-be 24-year old center registered one shot on goal in just under 16 minutes of ice time. MacInnis did not register any points, but was part of a team that continued an impressive point streak.

The puck drops for Sunday’s game at 1:00 P.M. at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

Monsters shut out Binghamton Devils 3-0

Posted on by
Advertisements

The Cleveland Monsters were able to get back into the win column with a victory over the Binghamton Devils in their first of two matchups.

The Cleveland Monsters took on the visiting Binghamton Devils Friday looking to bounce back from Wednesday’s loss to the Rochester Americans. Cleveland did just that with a comfortable 3-0 win.

Veini Vehvilainen returned to his starting spot in net after Matiss Kivlenieks started Wednesday. Columbus recalled Kivlenieks Thursday, leaving Cleveland with Vehvilainen and Brad Thiessen as their options in goal.

The following players were inactive for Friday’s game: Ryan Collins, Justin Scott, Michael Prapavessis, Zac Dalpe, and Markus Hannikainen.

1st period

Binghamton was in control to start the period, keeping the puck in Cleveland’s defensive zone fairly easily. The Monsters were unable to register a shot on goal until after four minutes had passed.

After what briefly looked like to be a repeat of Wednesday’s shot differential, Cleveland was able to even things out just a bit. The Monsters were able to get the puck into Binghamton’s zone quite often and their shots on goal not only increased in number, but increased in quality as well. They were able to manufacture good shots on goal, they just were not going in yet.

With just under four minutes left to play in the 1st, Gabriel Carlsson was sent to the penalty box for holding the stick. Cleveland and their 7th ranked penalty kill went to work and kept Binghamton from getting a goal with their man advantage.

Shortly after returning to full strength Derek Barach was able to get the Monsters on the board firs, this was Barach’s 6th goal of the season. Stefan Matteau and Trey Fix-Wolansky assisted on the first goal of the game. Barach would later describe the buildup leading to his goal.

https://twitter.com/ThisIsMonsters/status/1225977250614587392?s=20

Cleveland outshot Binghamton 10-6 in the 1st period, a refreshing change from Wednesday.

2nd period

Three minutes into the period the Monsters found themselves on the power play. Binghamton’s Matt Tennyson was called for interference, resulting in a two-minute penalty. Unfortunately their 25th ranked power play unit was not able to take advantage of a golden situation. Cleveland had some good looks and had a chance to score, but just were not able to make it happen.

It did not take long for the Monsters to be back on the power play. Matt Tennyson went back to the box due to an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. The time Cleveland would not let this chance get away from them. Paul Bittner was able to get the puck past Cory Schneider to give Cleveland a two-goal lead. Jakob Lilja and Adam Clendening were credited with assists on Bittner’s 6th goal of the season.

There was an all-out brawl with several Monsters and Devils players resulting in the following penalties: Michael McCleod roughing, Brett Gallant roughing, Bryan Moore boarding. Cleveland found themselves down a man due to the penalties. A cross-checking penalty on Derek Barach saw Cleveland go down two men. The Monsters managed to work their way out of being on the wrong side of a 5-on-3 situation.

It was a bit of reversal in the shot department in the 2nd period. Binghamton had 10 more shots than Cleveland in the period (16-6). This was partly due to the fact of the back-to-back penalties resulting in the Monsters being on the wrong side of a 5-on-3. Binghamton was able to rack up the shots on goal during their power play opportunities.

3rd period

The 3rd period started as a 4-on-4 due to both Cleveland’s Kole Sherwood and Binghamton’s Josh Jacobs receiving roughing penalties for their post-2nd period fight.

The 3rd period was mostly both teams taking shots on goal without success. Each team would take their turn attacking, but nothing really came of it.

With 15:17 gone in the period, Cleveland’s Kole Sherwood was called for holding resulting in yet another power play for Binghamton. For the fourth and final time, Cleveland’s penalty kill did their job and kept the Devils off the board.

Derek Barach scored an empty net goal with just 15 seconds remaining in the game. Anton Karlsson and Dillon Simpson assisted on Barach’s second goal of the evening.

Binghamton finished with an edge on shots on goal (34-20). The Devils were. not able to score despite 14 more shot attempts. This is a massive improvement from Cleveland’s last game where they were nearly doubled up and allowed four goals.

Postgame notes

Monsters goalie Veini Vehvilainen was fantastic in the win, saving all 34 shots on goal. This was Vehvilainein’s third shutout of the season. Mike Eaves would later comment on Vehvilainen’s performance and how it is was crucial to their victory.

https://twitter.com/ThisIsMonsters/status/1225978567042822146?s=20

A crucial part to the win was the Monsters speciality teams performance. Eaves would also comment on how excelling in that area helped lead the team to a win.

https://twitter.com/ThisIsMonsters/status/1225979597994516480?s=20

Friday’s win is massive for Cleveland and where they are in the standings. Mike Eaves would address that fact and that the team needs to go out and do it again Sunday.

https://twitter.com/ThisIsMonsters/status/1225981792156561413?s=20
The second game will take place at 1:00 P.M. at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

Monsters to host Binghamton Devils this weekend

Posted on by
Advertisements

The Cleveland Monsters will continue their home stand as they play host to the visiting Binghamton Devils Friday and Sunday.

The seventh and eighth place teams in the AHL North Division square off at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse this Friday and Sunday. The Cleveland Monsters will look to bounce back after Wednesday’s disappointing loss at home to the Rochester Americans as they take on the Binghamton Devils.

Cleveland will look a bit different this weekend. Columbus recalled three players who appeared in Wednesday’s game. Matiss Kivlenieks, Andrew Peeke, and Kevin Stenlund will be with the Blue Jackets while the Monsters face the Devils.

Binghamton comes in 6-4-0-0 in their last 10 games while Cleveland is 4-5-1-0. Both teams have switched places multiple times in regards to their place in the standings. Neither team has been able to pull away from the other and both have 46 points on the season.

Brett Seney leads the Devils in points this season with 37 (15 goals, 22 assists) in 45 games this season. Seney is tied for the team lead in goals with Joey Anderson and assists with Nick Merkley.

Rookie Gilles Senn is their main goaltender and has a goals allowed average of 2.89 in 20 games. Senn has a save percentage of .895 and has allowed 57 goals on the year. Cory Schneider is Binghamton’s other goaltender with a goals allowed average of 2.99, just slightly higher than Senn. Schnieder’s save percentage is marginally better than Senn’s (.897).

Game 1 is Friday at 7:00 P.M. and Game 2 is Sunday at 1:00 P.M.

Monsters: Three players recalled by Columbus

Posted on by
Advertisements

The Columbus Blue Jackets have recalled goalie Matiss Kivlenieks, center Kevin Stenlund, and defenseman Andrew Peeke from the Cleveland Monsters.

Two of the players assigned to the Cleveland Monsters Wednesday are going back to Columbus. The Blue Jackets have recalled Matiss Kivlenieks, Kevin Stenlund, and Andrew Peeke.

The general feeling was that their stay in Cleveland would not be long. Mike Eaves stated as such after Wednesday’s loss to Rochester. Wednesday’s start in Cleveland for Matiss Kivlenieks could have been a way to keep him in a routine prior to their games this weekend. Kivlenieks last NHL start came this past Saturday while Elvis Merzlikins has started the past two for the Blue Jackets. Columbus has games on both Friday and Saturday and could opt for Kivlenieks one game and Merzlikins the other.

Andrew Peeke also returns to Columbus after being assigned to the Monsters Wednesday. Peeke has not appeared in a game for Columbus since mid-December while appearing in eight for the Monsters since then.

Kevin Stenlund makes a return to Columbus after his assignment to Cleveland in mid-January. Stenlund has appeared in 17 games for the Blue Jackets this season, totaling 6 points (4 goals, 2 assists). Stenlund has appeared in 33 games for Cleveland this season, totaling 18 points (6 goals, 12 assists).

Monsters lose to Rochester Americans at home

Posted on by
Advertisements

The Cleveland Monsters were not able to win their second consecutive game falling to the Rochester Americans by a score of 4-2 at home.

Matiss Kivlenieks got the start in net Wednesday, giving Veini Vehvilainen the night off to start their upcoming every other day schedule. Kivlenieks, along with Andrew Peek and Jakob Lilja returned to the Monsters Wednesday after being assigned by Columbus.

Ryan Collins, Steve Johnson, Justin Scott, Michael Prapavessis, Zac Dalpe, Markus Hannikainen, Brett Gallant, and Brad Thiessen were listed as inactive Wednesday.

1st period

The first six and a half minutes the game featured alternating attacks from both teams. The Monsters and Americans traded volleys without much success. Cleveland failed to register a shot on goal while Rochester managed five shots, all saved by Kivlenieks. Both teams appeared to be testing the waters to find out as much as possible about the opposing teams strategy.

Rochester struck first with a goal by Nathan Paetsch with 9:20 gone in the 1st period. Matiss Kivlenieks really didn’t have much of a chance to stop the shot on goal. Kivlenieks’ stick broke while he was attempting to play the puck from behind the net. Paetsch was able to corral the puck and fire it in to a rather defenseless goal giving the Americans an early 1-0 lead.

Mike Eaves believes that the way the first goal was scored was “an indication of how the whole night went”. Kivlenieks stick breaking when attempting to play the puck and having to do his best soccer goalie impression was an ominous sign quite early in the contest.

With 8:30 left in the period Rochester scored again. Kivlenieks had a tough task when it came to defending this shot. Rochester’s Sean Malone shot on goal and the puck deflected up into the air right in front of the net. Pascal Aquin proceeded to put the puck in the goal resulting in a 2-0 lead for Rochester.

Rochester had three times more shots on goal than Cleveland in the 1st period (15-5). The Americans were just the more skilled team and the scoreboard clearly showed just that.

2nd period

Just over a minute into the 2nd period and Calvin Thurkauf got the Monsters on the board. Thurkauf fired the puck right past Andrew Hammond and right into the back of the net. Recently assigned defenseman Jakob Lilja got the assist on the goal.

Rochester increased their lead back to two after Pascal Aquin’s second goal of the night (4:53). Aquin went right down the ice and was able to beat Kivlenieks to restore their two-goal lead.

Stefan Matteau was called for hooking at the 8:17 mark in the 2nd period, putting Rochester on the power play. The Monsters penalty kill sprung into action and prevented any further damage with Matteau in the penalty box.

With 5:31 left to play in the 2nd period the Cleveland Monsters found themselves on the power play for the first time in the game. The power play was off to a fairly rough start as Cleveland had a difficult time getting the puck out of their defensive zone. The Monsters were able to muster a few legitimate shots on goal after the initial struggle, but were unable to make anything of their power play chance.

The Monsters got caught with too many men on the ice resulting in a bench minor that was served by Kole Sherwood. Cleveland was able to fend off Rochester’s power play for the second time in the period.

Rochester attempted more shots on goal than Cleveland yet again (19-14). While the margin is closer than the 1st period, it is part of the reason why the Monsters found themselves down two goals for the second straight period.

3rd period

It didn’t take long for the Rochester Americans to turn their two-goal lead into a three-goal lead. With just over two minutes gone in the 3rd period Rochester’s Eric Cornel put the puck right between Matiss Kivlenieks legs to extend their lead.

Shortly after the Americans goal Cleveland found themselves down a man yet again. Defenseman Doyle Somerboy received a two-minute penalty for cross-checking. The Monsters penalty kill went to work and was able to foil the Americans power play for the third time.

Almost immediately after Doyle Somerboy exited the penalty box, Cleveland found themselves back on the penalty kill. Adam Clendening was called for tripping leading to another two-minute penalty. Cleveland prevented Rochester from scoring on their fourth power play opportunity of the game.

Cleveland was able to cut the lead back to two thanks to a goal from Trey Fix-Wolanksy, but that was as close as they would get. It was a 4-2 loss for the Cleveland Monsters as they were unable to build off their win against Utica Saturday.

Rochester absolutely dominated shots on goal in the contest. Nearly doubling Cleveland’s total (48-25). There comes a point when that many shots are attempted that eventually the puck will find the back of the net quite a few times. It’s up to the other team to fight their way back and score goals of their own. Cleveland was simply just unable to do that Wednesday.

Roster status of Kivlenieks, Lilja, and Peeke

Monsters head coach Mike Eaves stated after the game that they may not stay in Cleveland for long. Eaves said the following in regards to the statuses of Kivlenieks, Lilja, and Peeke, “I’m going to make a phone call after we’re done and chances are our lineup is going to be different on Friday”. Later adding that the late additions to their lineup presented some challenges due to not having the trio skate with the rest of the team.

Cleveland will look to change their fortunes when they take on Binghamton Friday at 7:00 P.M.