CLEVELAND— Scores in a hockey match are not always indicative of the effort put forth. Such was the case in Saturday night’s bout between the Cleveland Monsters and the Hershey Bears at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. In a match that showcased the Bears’ offensive prowess, the Monsters found themselves on the wrong end of a resounding 5-0 defeat.
A Spark That Set Off the Powder Keg
The Cleveland Monsters have had a rough go since the NHL Trade Deadline on March 8th. Since then, Cleveland has found itself without the services of five of its top six scorers who were called up to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Combined with injuries, seven of the Monsters’ top eight scorers this season were unavailable to the team.
In addition, top defensive prospect David Jiricek was also unavailable to the team despite being sent back down off an emergency recall earlier in the day. Travel schedules from either Denver or Las Vegas, where the Blue Jackets were participating in back-to-back games, simply couldn’t get Jiricek back to Cleveland in time.
A skater down and icing three ECHL players on Professional Tryout Contracts, Cleveland rallied together to hold the top AHL team, Hershey Bears, scoreless for almost two full periods. Hershey’s Matt Strome broke the deadlock at 19:35 of the second period, setting the stage for a third-period onslaught.
The Bears exploded in the final frame, netting four goals to secure the commanding victory. Ethen Frank and Joe Snively added to the lead midway through the third period, each contributing a goal just 35 seconds apart. Alex Limoges also made his mark, notching a pair of goals in his 200th professional game.
Twenty-one goals for number 12. I’m always a fan of some nice symmetry!
Defensive Cohesion
Compared to Friday night’s matchup between the Bears and Monsters, Saturday night’s rematch was much tighter and unified defensively. For the first 39:35 of game time, there were only 28 combined shots and significantly more blocked shots and lanes.
Roman Ahcan and Owen Sillinger led the Monsters’ front while also trying to spur the heavily depleted team offensively.
Bears goalkeeper Hunter Shepard stood tall between the pipes for Hershey, turning away all 20 shots to secure his second consecutive shutout. Shepard’s performance extended his shutout streak to an impressive 141 minutes and 29 seconds. This solidifies his lead in the league for goals-against average.
Shepard’s outstanding performance, combined with teammate Clay Stevenson‘s work this season, has set a new Hershey Bears franchise single-season record. The duo has 11 combined shutouts during the 2023-24 season.
Cleveland’s Malcolm Subban made a valiant effort in goal, making 23 saves despite Hershey’s relentless offensive pressure.
The win marked Hershey’s fourth consecutive victory, extending their point streak to six games. With the victory, the Bears also reduced their Magic Number for clinching the Atlantic Division title to just six points.
Hershey: Calder Cup Playoffs Ahead
Hershey locked into the 2024 Calder Cup Playoffs on March 10th, the first team in the league to do so. They finished the regular-season series against Cleveland with a 4-0 record. Now, the Bears set their sights on clinching both the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference titles. Thanks to the Providence Bruins losing 3-2 in overtime to the Charlotte Checkers, the magic numbers for the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference title clinches were reduced to six and 13 points, respectively.
Cleveland: An Uphill Climb Toward the Post-Season
Cleveland’s roster woes have dampened what has been an exciting and successful season. The team’s rapid roster turnover over a short period has destroyed any sense of line chemistry. However, this “never say die” squad has still put together some gutsy performances!
The Columbus Blue Jackets have 11 games remaining, with the final on April 16th. For the Monsters, their regular season runs until April 21st. That should hopefully give the team enough time to reform that explosive chemistry and winning culture that was prevalent just a month ago.
Cleveland’s magic number to clinch the playoffs is 12, the same as the Syracuse Crunch. Syracuse is first in the North Division thanks to a “games played” tiebreaker.
Up Next
Hershey returns home to the GIANT Center to face the Providence Bruins on Tuesday, March 26, at 7:00 p.m. for Mike Vecchione Bobblehead Night.
Cleveland travels to Grand Rapids to face the red-hot Griffins on Wednesday, March 27, at 7:00 p.m.
