CLEVELAND – After a disappointing 4-3 loss to the Texas Stars, the Cleveland Monsters came into Sunday’s game ready to make a statement.
“This was like a three-game weekend mini series. Tonight was like a game three. It was a rubber match,” said Monsters Head Coach Mike Eaves, “These are competitive men, I think when we look at it like that they are going to bring a good amount of effort and as close to their “A” game as they can bring.”
On the scoring side of things, the Monsters brought their “A” game to the first period lighting the lamp three times.
Forward Tyler Sikura kicked the scoring off for the Monsters 2:38 into the game. He got dirty in the crease scrambling after a puck that had banged off the post behind Stars netminder Tomas Sholl.
Tyler Sikura gets dirty in the crease to give the Cleveland Monsters the 1-0 lead over the Texas Stars 2:38 into the game#CLEMonsters #TXStars #TEXvsCLE @FPC_AHL pic.twitter.com/aPSRvcBgnk
— Elaine Shircliff (@imaraindancer) March 28, 2021
Not even 2:30 later, forward Nathan Gerbe gave Cleveland the 2-0 lead over Texas with a snipe through Sholl’s five-hole.
With 8:52 left in the first period, the Monsters took the 3-0 lead over the Stars. Defender Andrew Peeke shot the puck through traffic. Stars defender Jared Rosburg was able to get his stick on the shot. As the puck glided across the ice, Rosburg and Cleveland forward Evan Polei leapt to grab the puck. Polei was able to get to the puck first and backhand it into the net for the goal. “We were just shooting pucks on net. It happened to be a good bounce,” Polei said of his first period goal. “I’m not sure what the goalie was doing, but I’ll take it.”
The first period also held a suspect power play for the Monsters. Finding a shooting lane from the point or faceoff circles was rough due to the fact the Stars clogged every possible opening.
Within minutes of the second period starting, Cleveland seemed to calm down a bit. “Naturally when you’re up 3-0, you ease up on the gas pedal. A couple things happen and next thing you know it’s a one-goal game,” said Monsters defender Gavin Bayreuther.
Easing up on the gas, as Bayreuther put it, allowed Texas to gain some dangerous momentum in the second period. Stars forward Nick Baptiste picked up a rebound and fired it through Monsters goaltender Brad Thiessen 3:47 into the second period.
With 11:17 to play in the second period, Texas forward Adam Mascherin put the Stars within one of the Monsters, 3-2. He backhanded the puck past Thiessen, who was out of place. The puck didn’t initially cross the goal line; it first flew under Thiessen’s arm. As he moved to smother the puck, either Thiessen of Bayreuther knocked the puck across the goal line into the corner of the net.
The birds eye view of Adam Mascherin's goal gives a bit more to the story.
Looks like either Gavin Bayreuther or Brad Thiessen pushed it across the goal line#CLEMonsters #TXStars #TEXvsCLE @FPC_AHL pic.twitter.com/fWp47Ltf5D
— Elaine Shircliff (@imaraindancer) March 28, 2021
Not only were the Stars finding ways past Thiessen, they dominated on special teams. They had multiple high danger chances on net, as well as hemming the Monsters in the neutral zone before stealing pucks off of their sticks. Easing up on the gas pedal may not have been the best option for Cleveland in the second period.
“Second periods like that are going to happen,” said Coach Eaves of the less than stellar period, “It’s just the flow and ebb of the period. It’s just inevitable.”.
For Coach Eaves, situations like this are like a riddle. “The riddle is, they are always going to push back and it’s how you handle that push back.”
According to Polei, the Monsters had a discussion in the locker room before the third period to remind them of what needed to happen to take back momentum. “You know, it was the exact same situation as last night. We were up 3-0 after the first and up 3-2 going into the third,” said Polei, “We had a conversation in the dressing room. We’re right back where we were the other night. So, let’s go out and make up what happened the night before.”
And that’s exactly what happened.
A little under eight minutes into the third period, Cleveland extended their lead over the Stars to 4-2. Monsters forward Carson Meyer showed the world his dirty dangles before tossing the puck across the slot to Polei, who lifted it into the net for the goal.
“He was going down and I was kind of following the play,” said Polei of his second period goal, “If I can slip by Tufte and get open, maybe he’ll make a play here. When he made that toe drag around the d-man, I yelled for it.”
Carson Meyer with the dirty dangles before saucing the puck to Evan Polei for a beauty of a topshelf goal#CLEMonsters @AAABlueJackets pic.twitter.com/ArVj2qjfYH
— Elaine Shircliff (@imaraindancer) March 28, 2021
The Monsters were able to keep applying pressure on the Stars, forcing them to eventually opt for the extra attacker in the final four minutes of play. A minute after Texas pulled Sholl from net, Cleveland unleashed their final blow with an empty-net goal. From the goal line in the Monsters defensive zone, Sikura launched the puck into the empty net — a solid 200-foot play to seal the deal for Cleveland.
When the final horn blew, the Monsters had taken down the Stars, 5-2.
It’s important to note that Bayreuther, a former Stars player, had assists on four of the Monsters’ goals. So, how did he feel about notching those four assists? I’ll let him tell you. “It was awesome,” said Bayreuther, “It was bittersweet when I left that organization. They were very good to me. I have nothing but compliments for that organization. But, at the same time, it was awesome to bring it to them and win two out of three this weekend.”
Next up for the Monsters is a midweek in Rochester against the Americans on Wednesday, March 31 at 6:05 p.m. EDT.
