by The Cleveland Monsters rang in the new year on a high note with a three-game winning streak. The Monsters took on the Charlotte Checkers on Saturday, January 3, and then again on Monday, January 5, at Rocket Arena. Cleveland had a close game at the Coca-Cola Coliseum on Wednesday, January 7, against the Toronto Marlies. The Cleveland Monsters are now 16-11-4-1 and fifth in the AHL’s North Division Standings.
Saturday, January 3
Saturday’s game was back-and-forth throughout the night, but the Monsters took the lead late in the first period when Riley Bezeau scored the team’s first goal at 16:22 with help from Hunter McKown and James Malatesta. Charlotte quickly followed up with their own point at 19:27 to end the first 20 minutes in a 1-1 tie.
Cleveland dove right into the second period, at 5:59 Tate Singleton scored the second goal of the night for the Monsters with an assist from Hudson Fasching. The Checkers were quick to counter once again, scoring a goal at 8:30 to tie the game once again at 2-2. The action stayed high when Cleveland added another tally to their score. Roman Ahcan scored the Monsters’ third goal at 13:38 with an assist from Jack Williams and Corson Ceulemans, but Charlotte quickly countered to tie the game for a third time at 15:00. Cleveland followed up with their own goal when Luca Del Bel Belluz scored at 18:25 with help from Tate Singleton and Corson Ceulemans to end the second period 4-3.
The Cleveland Monsters put an end to Saturday night’s game when Hunter McKown scored an unassisted shorthanded goal at 4:22, which was quickly followed by an empty-net goal from James Malatesta with help from Jack Williams and Luca Del Bel Belluz to end the game 6-3. Ivan Fedotov was in the net for the Cleveland Monsters on Saturday night and saved 22 out of 25 shots on goal.
Monday, January 5
The Monsters faced off against the Checkers once again on Monday night and secured another win. Both teams left the ice after the first period without any points, but Charlotte came into the second period hot when they scored the first goal of the night on a power-play at only 0:51 into the action. Cleveland quickly answered when Mikael Pyyhtia scored an unassisted goal at 4:42, sending them into the final period tied at 1-1. The Monsters took the lead in the third period when Guillaume Richard scored a goal at 14:09 with help from Mikael Pyyhtia and Luca Del Bel Belluz. Justin Pearson was able to end the night with an empty-net goal at 19:06 that was assisted by Jack Williams and Mikael Pyyhtia, finishing with a 3-1 victory. Ivan Fedotov was in goal again for Cleveland on Monday, where he saved 30 of the total 31 shots on goal.
Wednesday, January 7
The Cleveland Monsters headed north on Wednesday night to take on the Toronto Marlies. Toronto took an early lead in the game, scoring two goals back-to-back at 1:18 and 2:01 in the first period. Justin Pearson was able to add a tally to the Monsters’ score at 6:55 with a short-handed shot to end the first period 2-1. Cleveland jumped right into the second period, tying the game at 2-2 when James Malatesta scored a goal at 4:03 with helpers Corson Ceulemans and Luca Del Bel Belluz. Toronto was able to take back the lead when they scored at 18:45 to end the second period 3-2.
The Monsters came back onto the ice ready for the third period, with Roman Ahcan tying the game once again at just 0:33 with an assist from Luca Pinelli. Owen Sillinger was able to pull Cleveland ahead when he scored a goal at 10:15 with helpers Luca Pinelli and Will Butcher. Toronto managed to tie the game at 13:42, ending regulation in a 4-4 tie. After a scoreless overtime, Hunter McKown managed to score the only shootout goal of the night to grant Cleveland a 5-4 victory. Ivan Fedotov was in goal for the Monsters on Wednesday night and made 28 saves out of 32 shots on goal.
What’s Next
The Cleveland Monsters will continue their road trip and take on the Hershey Bears on Saturday, January 10, at 7 p.m. ET at the Giant Center. For full coverage of the game, tune into WTAM 1100, SportsRadio 99.1 Powered by Rock Entertainment Group, AHLTV on FloHockey, and the Monsters Hockey Network.
