Chicago Wolves (2) at Cleveland Monsters (3) – Overtime
Attendance: 6,117
Starters
Monsters
Gerbe-Scott-Schroeder
Austin-Cockerill
Kivlenieks
Wolves
Klolesar-Tynan-Hyka
Leslie-Garrison
Dansk
Monsters Lines
A.Broadhurst-Stenlund-T.Broadhurst
Gerbe-Scott-Schroeder
Bittner-Thurkauf-Hodgson
Kujawinski-Vigneault-Koules
Monsters Pairings
Austin-Cockerill
Gaunce-Collins
Somereby-graves
Goal Recap
The Cleveland Monsters returned home tonight to take on the Chicago Wolves. It was a hard fought battle between the two.
Chicago kicked the scoring off 2:23 into the game. Stefan Matteau fired off a shot from the left faceoff dot towards the Monsters’ net. It bounced off of the right post and into the net.
Alex Broadhurst tied things up at one for the Monsters nine minutes into the second period.
Nathan Gerbe fired the puck from the blue line towards Oscar Dansk. Paul Bittner placed his big body in front of Dansk to keep him from making an incredible save. The puck bounced off Bittner’s stick and rolled behind Dansk. A. Broadhurst skated around the back of the net. Upon seeing the puck lying in the crease unattended, A.Broadhurst quickly swept it into the net.
With 3:42 to play in the second, the Wolves took the 2-1 lead over the Monsters. Wade Megan faked a shot which caused Matiss Kivlenieks to drop low. With Kivlenieks low, Megan shot the puck high and off the crossbar.
The Monsters were able to tie the game 1:13 into the third period.
A. Broadhurst stole the puck from Brandon Pirri. He raced down the ice and launched a shot from the faceoff dot. It banged off the far post and into the net.
A.Broadhurst was so excited he fell while celebrating along the boards.
Despite both teams best efforts to win in regulation, the game headed to overtime.
A little over a minute into overtime, T.J. Tynan scored the game winning goal.
A.Broadhurst fired a point blank shot at Dansk who was able to stop it from going in the net. Terry Broadhurst scooped up the rebound. Realizing there was no way he was going to be able to get a shot off, T.Broadhurst passed the puck towards Jordan Schroeder at the near faceoff dot. The pass went wide .
At this time, T.J. Tynan had just been released from the penalty box and was headed towards the bench. The puck meant for Schroeder bounced off the wall and ended up near Tynan. Instead of hopping on the bench, he shot off down the ice and fired the puck between Kivlenieks’ five-hole.
“Those guys did a great job killing the penalty. I just got lucky. It was great timing. They made a great play in front. I was fortunate to get a breakaway there after taking a stupid penalty.” – T.J. Tynan
The luck of the Irish was clearly with former Notre Dame standout, T.J. Tynan.
But Wait! There’s More
Quick Thoughts
- Where has this team been hiding? The Monsters looked better tonight than they did for the majority of their west coast road trip. They played with confidence and had fun. Yes, the beginning of the game was a bit messy but we can look beyond that for a bit.
- It appears Paul Bittner has stepped into the role Nick Moutrey left behind when he was traded to the Senators. He’s been placing his big body in front of the net to block Oscar Dansk’s view. It’s like Bittner knows Dansk’s every move. Every time Dansk moved, Bittner would move with him. They were synchronized tonight. /
“I think right now he’s just trying to find his way in terms of conditioning wise. He was off so long. He can skate but game shape is different. There are moments we see really good things out of Paul. Other times he’s just gassed a little bit.” – Head Coach John Madden
- Kevin Stenlund did not have a stellar first night as a Monsters. The first stat for him on the Monsters’ score sheet was a penalty. A minute and 23 seconds into the penalty the Wolves scored. Stenlund also had issues connecting with his line and ended up passing to the Wolves a few times. I’m chalking this up to travel and minimal practice time with a new team. /
“I was impressed with some of the things he did out there. I think he’s still feeling his way. It’s a big transition for someone to come over from Sweden and play in this league.” – Head Coach John Madden
- Garret Cockerill is a great player to have in front of Matiss Kivlenieks. He doesn’t get in the way and knows how to communicate with his goalie. /
3 Stars
1st – T.J. Tynan (1g, 0a, Game winner in overtime)
2nd – Alex Broadhurst (2g, 0a)
3rd – Wade Megan (1g, 0a)
Game Stats
Captaincy Report
Alex Broadhurst, Cameron Gaunce, and Nathan Gerbe wore the “A” tonight.
Milestones
Tonight was Kevin Stenlund’s first game with the Monsters as well as his first professional game.
Alex Broadhurst earned his 18th goal of the season tonight. This is a career high for him.
What’s Next
The Monsters and Wolves meet again on Thursday, March 22nd in Cleveland at 7 pm et.