Frequent Cannon poster Nathan Stine suggested we have a live thread for tonight’s Monsters game because he’s smarter than I am and he thinks of these things. Whereas I can’t remember where I put my car keys.
Anyway, Lake Erie takes on the San Antonio Rampage in American Hockey League action tonight at 7 on Fox Sports Ohio. The teams played last night, with the Monsters coming back from a 3-1 deficit to win 4-3 on a Michael Chaput goal in overtime. It was Chaput’s second goal of the game, and it sent 12,124 fans home happy on an emotional night at Quicken Loans Arena.
Why emotional? There were a few reasons for that. Most importantly, this was the first meeting of the season between the Monsters and the Colorado-affiliated San Antonio Rampage, whose roster is comprised largely of guys who played the last few seasons in Cleveland before Lake Erie hooked up with the Blue Jackets. As a nine-year LEM season ticket holder, I can’t tell you how great it was to see guys like Andrew Aggozino, Patrick Bordeleau, Daniel Maggio, Colin Smith, Michael Schumacher, etc., even if they were wearing the other team’s uniforms.
Once the puck dropped, though, we in the stands were all about the “new” Monsters, and despite a relative lack of energy in the first two periods, they came through in the end.
The emotion was evident in the opening couple of minutes when there were not one but two drop-the-helmets-and-square-off fights. The second of those was between Oleg Yevneko and Maggio, and I’d probably call that one a draw. But the one you have to watch was between Brett Gallant and Bordeleau. Here’s video of the bout, in case you haven’t had the chance to see it.
Yeah, I’m going “win Gallant” there, but man, give Bordy credit for remaining upright. He ate 8 or 9 punches right to the melon.
So the two teams go back at it tonight. I’m assuming Coach Jared Bednar will put Brad Thiessen in goal after he replaced a shaky Anton Forsberg late in the second period on Friday. But who knows? Maybe Bednar will start Forsberg again in an attempt to bolster the young netminder’s confidence (because he clearly needs a shot of confidence right about now).
I’ll be in attendance with my youngest son tonight, and he and I like to talk about anything and everything when we’re together at hockey games, so I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to post here. But if you’re watching, feel free to contribute below. I’ll chime in when I can. And go Monsters!