San Diego Gulls (2) at Cleveland Monsters (1)
Attendance: 11,735
Starters
Monsters
Bittner-Thurkauf-Schroeder
Gaunce-Graves
Zatkoff
Gulls
Fiore-Kossila-Tropp
Megna-Larsson
Boyle
Monsters Lines
A.Broadhurst-Stenlund-T.Broadhurst
Bittnere-Thurkauf-Schroeder
Besse-Scott-Koules
Kessy-Pendenza-Naas
Monsters Pairings
Austin-Collins
Gaunce-Graves
Somerby-Cockerill
Goal Recap
The Cleveland Monsters came into today’s game ready to avenge last night’s loss against the San Diego Gulls.
They held their own for most of the game matching the intensity of the Gulls with every passing moment.
Due to this off the charts intensity, it took almost the entire first period before a goal was scored by either team.
With 27.8 seconds left in the first period, the Monsters were the first on the board. Kale Kessy, Calvin Thurkauf, and Jordan Schroeder skated towards the net as one cohesive unit. Thurkauf passed the puck off to Schroeder who immediately shot the puck at Kevin Boyle. Everyone made a mad dash for the net after the puck bounced off of Boyle. Kessy was able to grab the rebound and backhanded the puck into the net.
A scoreless second period left both teams hungry for a goal. Unfortunately, the Gulls had the bigger appetite scoring two goals within four minutes and 11 seconds of each other.
The Gulls first goal of the night came after a slew of shots.
Corey Tropp fired off the initial shot which Jeff Zatkoff was able to stop. Kalle Kossilla picked up the rebound in hopes of scoring the goal. Zatkoff had other ideas and made a highlight reel save with his chest. This save left him out of place a little. Doyle Somerby rushed to close the gap but Giovanni Fiore launched the puck into the net mere moments before he could get into the crease.
Four minutes and 11 seconds later, the Gulls took the 2-1 lead over the Monsters.
Jacob Megna fired a shot through traffic which Nic Kerdiles tipped into the net.
The Gulls may have skated away victors but the Monsters have a lot they can hang their hat on tonight.
But Wait! There’s More
Quick Thoughts
- The Monsters didn’t really start heating up until Garret Cockerill got into a little tiff with Sam Carrick and told him words that are not suitable for children.
- The second line of Calvin Thurkauf, Jordan Schroeder, and Paul Bittner had a good night . They were flying from the moment the puck dropped. /
“I thought some guys stepped up in bigger roles. Calvin Thurkauf played with Schroeder and Bitsy (Paul Bittner).I thought they had a pretty good game.” – Head Coach John Madden
- The Monsters were able to match the Gulls aggression for the first two periods of the game. When the third period rolled around, Cleveland fell a little flat and struggled to meet San Diego’s intensity.
- Terry Broadhurst played with copious amounts of energy tonight. He’s like the energizer bunner. I have no clue how he manages to maintain that kind of energy throughout the whole game. /
3 Stars
1st – Nic Kersiles (1g, 0a)
2nd – Kevin Boyle (28 shots faced, 27 saves, 60:00 TOI)
3rd – Kale Kessy (1g, 0a)
Game Stats
Captaincy Report
Alex Broadhurst and Cameron Gaunce wore the “A” on their sweaters again this afternoon. With Nathan Gerbe out, the Monsters got to experience life with a new alternate captain. Terry Broadhurst had the honor of wearing the “A”.
What’s Next
The Monsters hit the road for a four game west coast road trip.
They kick things off against the Stockton Heat on Wednesday, March 28th at 10 pm et.
On Friday, March 30th, the Monsters head to Ontario to take on the Reign at 10 pm et.
They have a few days off before heading to Iowa to take on the Wild on April 3rd at 8pm et.
The roadtrip ends in Milwaukee on April 4th at 8 pm et.