Rockford IceHogs (2) at Cleveland Monsters (5)
Attendance: 5,212
Starters
Monsters
Gerbe-MacInnis-Stenlund
Simpson-Prapavessis
Thiessen
IceHogs
Highmore-Nilsson-Sikura
Raddysh-Tuulola
Delia
Monsters Lines
Abramov-Dalpe-Broadhurst
Gerbe-MacInnis-Stenlund
Thurkauf-Vigneault-Robinson
Bittner-Scott-Sherwood
Monsters Pairings
Cross-Cockerill
Prapavessis-Simpson
Somerby-Collins
Goal Recap
The Rockford IceHogs kicked the scoring off with 6:07 left to play in the first period. Tyler Sikura was posted near the crease with no defender there to stop him from scoring.
Thirty seconds later, Eric Robinson fired off a shot from the faceoff dot directly into the net to tie things up for the Monsters.
Mere moments later the Monsters took the 2-1 lead over the IceHogs. Zac Dalpe went top shelf from the bottom of the left faceoff circle to make it happen.
With nine seconds left in the first period, Robinson received a pass from Dalpe through traffic and went top shelf to extend the lead 3-1.
Two minutes and 48 seconds into the second period, Kole Sherwood scored the Monsters’ fourth goal of the game on a rebound. He sat just far enough away from the crease which allowed him the space to watch the play unfold.
The Monsters extended their lead over the IceHogs to 5-1 with a minute and a half to play in the second period. Alex Broadhurst passed to Dalpe who lofted the puck into the net.
Lucas Carlsson scored the IceHogs second goal of the evening with a little over 12 minutes to play in the game. It was too little too late for the IceHogs as the Monsters would come out on top, 5-2.
But Wait! There’s More
Quick Thoughts
– Eric Robinson is doing on the right things on the ice. For a rookie, his ability to read the ice is quite astounding.
– So far this season, Zac Dalpe is doing a great job setting up scoring chances and creating open lanes to the net.
– Dillon Simpson is the real deal. He’s unafraid to sacrifice his body and knows where to be on the ice to break up a play. He, along with Robinson, are welcome additions to the Monsters this season.
– One thing I’ve noticed the past two games is the lack of dump and chase the Monsters have employed. This has led to much less icing.
“Dump and chase is part of the game. It’s just about making smart puck decisions. I think we are also a little bit more skilled this year than last year. We can try a guy one-on-one when you have good wide speed…. When you have good guys on the roster, you don’t always have to dump it.” – John Madden (Cleveland Monsters Head Coach)
– After almost a year of not playing, Brad Thiessen was back in action this afternoon. Despite coming back from an injury, he looks to be well on his way to having a great season.
– The Monsters looked outstanding for the first two periods of the game. They slowed the intensity down a bit in the third.
“The work ethic is always there. Except for the third period. The guys were cheating a bit, sniffing around for some loose pucks when they should have been playing hard on the right side of the puck.” – John Madden (Cleveland Monsters Head Coach)
3 Stars
1st – Zac Dalpe (2g, 0a)
2nd – Eric Robinson (2g, 0a)
3rd – Kole Sherwood (1g, 0a)
Game Stats
Milestones
Kole Sherwood scored his first professional goal during the second period.
What’s Next
The Monsters have a day off before heading to Toronto on Monday. The Marlies will be raising their banner during Monday afternoon’s game.