CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Monsters took a decisive two-games-to-none series lead against the Syracuse Crunch on Saturday afternoon. Led by an offensive outburst, the Monsters broke away for a 4-1 win. Despite penalty problems for Cleveland, they were able to hold Syracuse at bay, only letting in one power-play goal on four attempts.
Which players stood above the rest? What lessons were learned? If Syracuse wants to come back for the reverse sweep, what do they need to do? Keep reading to find out!
Three Stars: Cleveland Monsters vs Syracuse Crunch Game Two
In an offensive breakout for the Monsters, there’s no shortage of players to choose as our Three Stars. However, one player for the Crunch deserves a nod as well. Game Two’s stars, in no particular order, are Jakub Zboril, Devante Stephens, and Hunter McKown.
Jakub Zboril
Zboril has been a key defensive pickup for the Monsters, coming over at the National Hockey League trade deadline. Normally a stay-at-home defenseman with a physical presence, he’s been essential in stabilizing a young and largely inexperienced defensive corps.
On Saturday, Zboril tallied his first career postseason goal. It was also his first goal as a Cleveland Monster. After Saturday’s game, Zboril shared with The Calder Times about acclimating to the Cleveland locker room since mid-March and the closeness of the roster:
It was my first trade, so I was kind of scared and nervous coming into a new locker room, because I’ve never done it before. But it’s an amazing group of guys. They just embraced me and took me in as your own. And, yeah, really great. I’m Grateful That they made it really easy for me
Jakub Zboril on the Cleveland Monsters locker room
With all of his contributions, it was about time that he scored. Having it be an insurance goal seemed all too appropriate.
To say he unloaded every bit of nervous energy and previous attempt to score in one shot is an understatement. In a loud arena filled with 10,570 fans, this shot echoed in the massive Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse bowl.
Devante Stephens
Stephens scored the only goal for the Syracuse Crunch on Saturday. His power-play goal at 8:07 of the first period was, like Zboril, his first career postseason goal. It also was Stephens’ first power-play goal.
Overall, Stephens had an outstanding game, playing all 200 feet. His -1 rating is reflective of Cleveland’s outburst and not of his overall play. He had some fantastic play on the penalty kill during the Jordy Bellerive penalty in the second period, skating on two different PK units.
Defending against a deep and talented scoring squad, he helped limit Cleveland to two shots on the man advantage.
Hunter McKown
Can we give a star purely for someone’s hockey IQ, eyes, and ability to read a play? McKown’s go-ahead goal in the first period would not have happened if one of those traits weren’t 100% on.
Crunch goaltender Brandon Halverson went behind his net to play the puck. Stephens was along the board, ready for the pass. However, McKown followed the puck and skated into a lane where he had the option to bear down on Stephens or pivot to head back down the ice.
Halverson set up for the pass, but the puck rolled off the stick’s blade and right toward McKown. Streaking toward the net, he held the puck until Halverson was committed to sliding across the crease before scoring the go-ahead goal.
After the game, McKown told The Calder Times about how he’s settling into the 2024 Calder Cup playoffs:
“I’ve been building [since] the start of the first round. It was definitely an adjustment to pro playoff hockey. We’ve had talks internally about the best ways to adjust to that. It’s just a process. Tonight was good on the results side, and we’re gonna keep building on it.”
Hunter McKown on Cleveland Monsters vs Syracuse Crunch Game Two
Honorable Mention: Trey Fix-Wolansky
Trey Fix-Wolansky gets an honorable mention for pointing out the Cleveland Monsters’ first goal of the game. Initially, the goal was not called, and a media time-out was started. However, Fix-Wolansky skated behind the net to point out the goal to the officials.
That kicked off a 7:56 review, with the officials taking 1:18 of that to determine the initial call on the ice.
Ultimately, the goal was awarded to Monsters defenseman Billy Sweezey. Without Fix-Wolansky’s initiative, who knows how the game would have turned out?
Two Takeaways From Cleveland Monsters vs Syracuse Crunch Game Two
Cleveland’s Scoring Has Woke Up. Maybe?
Here’s a no-so-fun fact. Of the eight teams remaining in the American Hockey League Calder Cup Playoffs, the Monsters are first in goals against with nine, but dead last in goals for with 16. The next lowest goals for are the Central Division’s Grand Rapids Griffins with 16 in one fewer game. After that is the Crunch with 17 in one more game.
Scoring has not come easy for the Cleveland Monsters. In Game One of the North Division Finals, there was only one goal for either team. In the North Division Semifinals, Cleveland scored 11 goals across four games against the Belleville Senators.
Having a four-goal breakout against another defensive-heavy team might signify an awakening of the Monsters’ offense. However, they still have not seen some of the more potent scorers in the regular season, like Fix-Wolansky, Luca Del Bell Belluz, and James Malatesta, stand out on offense in the postseason.
Is this four-goal outing a sign of things to come for the Monsters? Or does head coach Trent Vogelhuber need to switch out personnel or adjust the lines to get those three skaters back to form?
Shoot the Puck
I know, I know. It’s an age-old cliche in hockey- the person sitting in the stands screaming “SHOOT” every time their team has the puck. However, in game two of the Cleveland Monsters vs the Syracuse Crunch, the skaters needed to listen. Especially for the Crunch.
In total, the Crunch put 18 shots on the net: five in the first period, six in the second, and seven in the third. Against a strong NHL goaltending prospect in Jet Greaves, putting single-digit numbers on the net is in no way a recipe for success.
Part of stifling the shot count goes to Cleveland’s defense. After the game, Vogelhuber shared with The Calder Times his view on his team’s defense and how they kept Syracuse’s shot count low:
“it starts just killing plays early like we like we did and that’s that’s about going to it arriving heavy. Having the second man there, having the third man there if you need it and managing the puck better so we’re not going back and playing in the defensive side.
They (syracuse) still had some good ozone shifts. they’re a good team, But we blocked shots and really beared down in those areas and I thought we did a really good job.
Trent Vogelhuber on the Monsters’ defense
Syracuse needs to take the game footage from the first two games and figure out how to stymie a Cleveland squad that rolls the whole lineup all game long.
It’s not about setting or driving the pace anymore. The key will be who can sustain it for a full game. Who can pepper the opposing goalie enough times and force the defense out of the way so they can beat the goalie one-on-one?
Cleveland Monsters vs Syracuse Crunch Game Two: One Question
Can Syracuse Take Advantage of Two Games at Home?
After falling 0-2 in the series, the Syracuse Crunch heads home to continue the AHL North Division Finals. With the next two games at home in the Upstate Medical University Arena, they need to take advantage of their fans’ energy.
The Crunch must win the next three games to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. It’s a best-of-five series, and one more loss means their season is over. This squad can’t let the start of this series dictate how the rest of it will go. Cleveland will press hard to close out the series, eyeing the conference finals.
Cohesiveness is the name of the game for Syracuse. In the second period, they were extremely tight, not giving Cleveland much room to move or make plays. Declan Carlile‘s neutral zone play was a glimpse of what this team can do: preventing breakaways with knocked-down pucks, swift skating to disrupt the transition, and stopping turnovers.
The rest of the team needs to follow Carlile’s example and also help protect Alex Barre-Boulet to give him the chance to score.
In a “do it or you’re out” situation, the Crunch need to leave it all on the ice for the next three games.
What’s Next
The Syracuse Crunch and Cleveland Monsters return to the ice on Wednesday, May 22, at 7:00 p.m. Eastern in Syracuse, NY. If needed, Game Four will be on Friday, May 24, also at 7:00. Game Five, again, if needed, will be on Sunday, May 26, at 3:00 p.m. in Cleveland, OH.
