Cleveland Monsters (3) at Rockford IceHogs (2)
The Cleveland Monsters took down the Rockford IceHogs, 3-2, in regulation last night.
The game started off on a sour note for the Monsters when the IceHogs scored a goal on their first shot 30 seconds into the first period.
After this the Monsters were bound determined to turn the game around. The penalty kill was finally back to it’s old self. On Friday night, they could barely get out of the slot in the defensive zone. Last night, they spent a good chunk of their time on the kill in the offensive zone. They even made it extremely difficult for the IceHogs power play to get into the neutral zone.
The Monsters came out guns blazing to start the second period. Maxime Fortier made multiple IceHogs cough up the puck along the boards. While Brett Gallant and Stefan Matteau laid bone rattling hits left and right. One of Matteau’s hits changed the momentum of the game in the Monsters favor.
With their new found momentum, the Monsters were able to put themselves in scoring position near the top of the faceoff circle. Adam Clendening launched a shot towards the net 4:03 into the second. As it neared the slot, Gallant was able to deflect the puck across the goal line to tie the game at one.
Nathan Gerbe gave the Monsters the 2-1 lead with 6:45 left in the second period. He launched the puck from the near faceoff dot with such velocity that it popped in and out without anyone realizing the puck had gone into the net. Marko Dano picked up the puck after it popped out of the net and swept it across the goal line for good measure.
Aye Aye Captain 😃 pic.twitter.com/mz3XHg1kBg
— Cleveland Monsters (@monstershockey) December 22, 2019
Stefan Matteau extended the Monsters lead over the IceHogs,3-1, after intercepting a pass from one IceHog to another during the Monsters kill. He then powered down the ice towards the net with IceHogs in tow. For a moment, Matteau contemplated passing the puck off to his linemate. He quickly changed his mind and hustled towards the net before launching the puck past Kevin Lankinen with 4:46 left in the second period.
As you can see, the Monsters were able to tighten things up in the second period. This lead gave the Monsters a chance to catch their breath for the rest of the game. Justin Scott took this breath of fresh air to energize his play and continually attack the net. Lankinen picked up everything Scott laid down.
With 12:02 left in the game, the Admirals narrowed the gap on the Monsters lead, 3-2. Philip Holm rushed the net before passing the puck off to Cramarossa who fired the puck straight at Vehvilainen. The netminder stopped the initial shot but not the rebound shot.
The IceHogs turned up the heat after their second goal of the night. At one point they had the Monsters hemmed into their defensive zone for a solid minute.
Despite the IceHogs best attempts to tie the game, Vehvilainen and the defense were able to shut down the IceHogs at every turn. In the end, the Monsters ended up the victors over the IceHogs, 3-2.
3 Stars
1st – Joseph Cramarossa (Rockford IceHogs) – 2g, 0a
2nd – Stefan Matteau (Cleveland Monsters) – 1g, 1a
3rd – Adam Clendening (Cleveland Monsters) – 0g, 2a
Monsters Lines
Stefan Matteau – Nathan Gerbe – Trey Fix-Wolansky
Marko Dano – Justin Scott – Kole Sherwood
Sam Vigneault – Maxime Fortier – Paul Bittner
Brett Gallant – Derek Barach – Brady Shaw
Monsters Pairs
Anton Karlsson – Adam Clendening
Steve Johnson – Dillon Simpson
Michael Prapavessis – Doyle Somerby