AHL: Monsters Shut Down the Americans

The Monsters were back in the basement of the division after yesterday’s loss to the Manitoba Moose and a win by the Rochester Americans.  The good news was, they took on the Rochester Americans with a chance to move back ahead of them in the standings.  This game was a must win for the Monsters.  You have to beat the teams just above and just below you to get anywhere.  Dale Puriton was back in the lineup for the Monsters, fresh off a twenty five game suspension.  Lake Erie took care of business all evening, and came away with a 3-0 victory.

 
Less than two minutes in, the Monsters were up 1-0 on an odd man rush and some beautiful passing from T.J. Hensik to Healey to Brent Kelly, and just like that the momentum was on the Monsters side.  Brent Kelly looked like he had an extra gear this evening as his next shot just missed, skimming the crossbar and out.  That would have given him two goals in six minutes.  Tyler Weiman was sharp all night.  He started the evening with a great save on Stewart, the brother of the Monsters #25 Chris Stewart.   Rochester did not let off the gas, and a scrum erupted just after Weiman gloved another point blank shot to put the brakes on play.  Taylor shot one for Rochester that was again gloved by Weiman.  This was Weiman’s first start since December 8th and he was looking good early on.  Mike Funk of the Americans went to the box for interference, and the Monsters, halfway through the first, picked up the first power play of the evening.  The power play was oddly backwards , as the Americans squeezed off two short handed shots.  The first was a pick-pocket turnover by Jeff Jillson that Johny Boychuk raced back and stopped, making the shooter pull the string early and giving Weiman a good look for the stop.  The Monsters went back on the power play again, and yet again the Americans broke out on a three on one.  Boychuk, the only Monster back, picked off a pass happy American team, and Lake Erie charged down on ice.  Inexplicably, the Americans broke back again on a three on one.  This time Net Minder Tyler Weiman came up big; burying the shot.  You wouldn’t know the Americans were the team shorthanded four minutes in a row.  They were the ones that looked like they were on the power play.

Denisov registered the first penalty for the Monsters, a two minute holding call.  Now the Americans were really on the power play.  Lake Erie had an excellent penalty kill, throwing the puck out of the offensive zone every time the Americans brought it in.

The first period ended with the Monsters up 1-0, but down in the shot column 8-12.  While the Monsters seemed to outplay the Americans most of the period, the turnovers and shorthanded chances they gave up made the period appear even.
 

The second period proved a promising opening for the Monsters yet again, as they controlled much of the action.  Mitch Love tried twice to pick a fight with right winger Patrick Kaleta.  The first time Kaleta wouldn’t bite, but the second hit almost brought the two to blows.  The game got a little dicey from there, with three players getting eight minutes worth of penalties.  The shots for both sides were point blank efforts that either missed the net, or were stopped.  Puritan still hadn’t learned his lesson from the 25 game suspension and took a bad penalty, retaliating on a stick to his face, and the Monsters penalty box looked like the bench with three guys sitting in it.   The shorthanded Monsters broke out. Corbin took two shots, the first was stopped, but the rebound he slammed into the net and the Monsters were up 2-0.  Jeff Jillson got an assist. The very same penalty, the Monsters almost struck again.  Unfortunately Kelly hit the cross bar and did not tally the dead on shot for a goal.  Tonight seemed to be a game for the short handed teams doing better than the teams on the power play.  The penalties settled down both teams and they went back to the business of hockey.

McCardell and Hensick got tied up at center ice, with Hensick getting the two minutes for slashing.  This time the team on the power play was actually the team that controlled the puck.  The Americans held it in the zone for well over the first minute.  Net minder Weiman covered up a shot and a tired penalty kill squad got a chance to leave the ice.  Rochester went right back to work on controlling the puck, and ended up throwing the puck out of their offensive zone.  While they did keep the puck in the offensive end almost the entire penalty, they did not get any quality scoring chances and the penalty was killed off with no damage on the scoreboard.   Stewart was whistled a two-minute unsportsmanlike conduct and yet again the Americans went on the power play.  This time, Lake Erie cleared the puck thirty seconds in and changed units.  A little over a minute remained in the second, with Rochester mounting one of its best charges of the game.  A slap shot from the point was partially blocked and covered up by Weiman.  Off the face off, another slap shot was covered, all this in the span of ten seconds.  Lake Erie cleared on the subsequent face off, and the final minute ended with more pushing and shoving.  The shots for the second period favored the Americans again, 11-10.  Where it counted though, the Monsters led 2-0.

The third period has been an Achilles heel all year for the Monsters.  Not so today.  Mitch Love took a slap shot from the blue line and Lundmark poked home the rebound, giving the Monsters a 3-0 lead with less than four minutes gone in the period.  An assist was given to Kelly as well.  Kelly was really having himself a game.

The Americans did not help themselves by taking a Zagrapan tripping penalty and putting the Monsters on the power play.  While the power play did not generate much offense, it did kill two minutes of the third.  At the end of the penalty, the Americans ended up with two more shorthanded chances; both stopped by Weiman.   Rochester demonstrated a lot of speed this period, and a turn around backhander by Beaudoln was stopped cold by Weiman again.   With 12:22 to go, Vernace took a high sticking penalty, giving the Americans power play life.  The Monsters killed off the penalty with very little damage.  Weiman covered up a shot from the point, preserving his shutout.   Seven minutes to go and the Monsters would leapfrog back over the Rochester Americans for sixth place in the division.  Additionally, they would move into a tie for fifth since the Hamilton Bulldogs, the team in fifth place, lost  Brent Kelly produced yet another quality scoring chance with 6:22 left to play. While he did not score, he was having a whale of a game. 

Puritan took a holding penalty that the Monsters killed off.  Two plus minutes remained and the three goal lead looked secure.  Forty-one seconds left in the game a fight broke out between McCutcheon and Weber, an appropriate end to the game.

Would they end up with a shutout was the only question.  Tyler Weiman did preserve his shutout, quite an accomplishment for a guy who’d been off for a month with a lower body injury.  Weber got five for fighting, McCutcheon got five for fighting, Boychuk got two for roughing. Third star of the game was Mitch Love second star J.D. Corbin of the Monsters, and star of the game was Tyler Weiman with the shutout. He definitely deserved the honors.  Shot total ended favoring Rochester 36-26.

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