Cleveland Monsters (4) at Rockford IceHogs (1)
Attendance: 2,654
Starters
Monsters
T.Broadhurst-Thurkauf-A.Broadhurst
Ramage-Carlsson
Kivlenieks
IceHogs
Fortin-Martinsen-Sikura
Raddysh-Gustafsson
Delia
Monsters Lines
T.Broadhurst-Thurkauf-A.Broadhurst
Bittner-Camper-Koules
MacIntyre-Scott-Hodgson
Gallant-Maletta-Somerby
Monsters Pairings
Austin-Siebenaler
Benoit-Gaunce
Ramage-Carlsson
Goal Recap
The Cleveland Monsters started 2018 on the right side of the bed with a 4-1 win over the Rockford IceHogs.
A little over three minutes into the game Terry Broadhurst let everyone know he was still alive and doing well. After seeing him open in front of the net, Alex Broadhurst tossed his older brother the puck. Broadhurst the elder fired the puck into Collin Delia’s pads. He quickly scooped up the rebound and fired it through Delia’s five-hole for the first goal of the night.
A power play and Paul Bittner’s resolve would land the Monsters their second goal of the night. Bittner attacked the net multiple times during the Monsters’ power play. It wasn’t until the third attempt that he was able to score.
Andre Benoit passed the puck to Broadhurst the younger who launched it towards the net. Bittner picked up the rebound and slammed it behind Delia for the goal.
The IceHogs would spoil Matiss Kivlenieks’ shutout with 3:44 left in the game. Tomas Jurco fired a shot from the goal line which bounced off of the leg of Kivlenieks.
With 1:18 left in the game, the Monsters extended their lead to 3-1. T. Broadhurst snatched the puck at the defensive blue line and took off toward the empty net. He tripped at center ice. While falling Broadhurst managed to push the puck with enough muscle for it to fly into the empty net.
A minute later A.Broadhurst raced after a loose puck heading towards the faceoff circle. He scooped it up and fired into the empty net for the Monsters’ fourth goal of the night.
But Wait! There’s More
Quick Thoughts
- The Monsters special teams looked great tonight. Their penalty kill unit applied so much pressure the IceHogs were forced to constantly play catch. Thanks to Paul Bittner’s dedication they went one-for-one on the power play.
- Matiss Kivlenieks came to play tonight. He saw shots coming from a mile away and cleaned up rebounds like a vacuum cleaner. The more the IceHogs attacked the net, the more Kivlenieks reached into his bag of tricks to stop shots.
- There were a few changes to the lines tonight. Calvin Thurkauf centered the Broadhurst brothers. The speed he provided allowed the line to set up some pretty spectacular play. Doyle Somerby switched from defense to forward playing with Brett Gallant and Jordan Maletta.The three worked very well together. Plus having Somerby, Maletta, Gallant, Brady Austin, and Blake Siebenaler on the ice at the same time is scary for the opponent. They are aggressively skillful. I hope this is something the Monsters roll with for a bit.
- In the second period, Hayden Hodgson slammed Viktor Svedberg into the glass so hard he had trouble getting up. Sometimes I forget that Hodgson is a beast in the making.
- Terry Broadhurst was back in action tonight. He made sure the whole world knew by scoring two goals and helping create an abundance of offense. /
3 Stars
1st – Matiss Kivlenieks ( 36 shots faced, 35 saves, 60:00 TOI)
2nd – Alex Broadhurst (1g, 2a)
3rd – Terry Broadhurst (2g, 0a)
Game Stats
Captaincy Report
Andre Benoit and Brett Gallant wore the “A” tonight.
What’s Next
The Monsters head to Rosemont Wednesday night to take on the Chicago Wolves. Puck drop is at 8pm est.