After forcing a split of the homestand for the Belleville Senators, the Cleveland Monsters returned to Ohio for the remainder of the 2024 AHL North Division Semifinals. It was a night full of drama, huge swings of momentum, and two overtimes. Cleveland ultimately prevailed 3-2 in the second OT, but there were several lessons and takeaways from Game Three of the North Division Semifinals.
Who were the three stars of the night? What is the takeaway for each team? What’s the biggest question heading into Game Four? Let’s take a look.
Three Stars
Belleville defenseman Donovan Sebrango has been a breath of fresh air this postseason and gets my third star of Game Three. In my series preview, he was a player to watch and is keeping up his production with yet another goal.
This goal tied the game in the third and took us into that double OT thriller. His work on the blue line all night was magical, especially in the second period.
Cleveland’s David Jiricek gets my second star of the night. He’s had his difficulties throughout the regular season, being a bubble player between the NHL and AHL. However, he had a stand-out performance Wednesday night. First was a cannon blast goal on the power play at 9:54 of the first period.
He also had the primary assist on the OT2 game-winning goal- but more on that later. Jiricek paired well with Stanislav Svozil and heavily contributed to shutting down Belleville’s top line. Check out my first takeaway later in the article for more on that!
My top star of the night, not surprisingly, goes to Owen Sillinger. He’s been the true embodiment of a utility player for the Monsters this season. Switching up positions at a moment’s notice, Sillinger could sneakily be an MVP for this squad. On Wednesday, he brought the crowd of 12,659 to their feet with his game-winner!
His one goal and one assist don’t really reflect his impact on the game last night. When things started going wrong in the second period, Sillinger was still grinding and moving his feet. Blocked shots, forechecking, and poke checks were the name of his game last night.
Two Takeaways
Aggressive Play = Success (Again)
Where Belleville shone in Game One, Cleveland took inspiration from in Game Three. The first period was full of physicality and speed. No one stood out as much as defenseman Jiricek and forward Trey Fix-Wolansky. Jiricek, especially early, was paired up against Belleville’s Angus Crookshank, who led the team in regular season goals with 24 in 50 games. Jiricek used his 6′-4″ and 206-pound frame to neutralize Crookshank and knock him off both the puck and his skating lane. His play helped limit the top line of Crookshank, Rourke Chartier, and Egor Sokolov to zero points and 11 shots. Seven of those were Sokolov’s.
Fix-Wolansky has been largely held off the scoresheet this series. His response? Play the body and allow his teammates to regain possession.
Former Monsters head coach Mike Eaves has playfully referred to Fix-Wolansky as an “angry little bowling ball” in the past. That moniker seems all too appropriate here.
Switching over to Belleville, their defensive play took over in the second period and first overtime. The line of Bokondji Imama, Zack Ostapchuk, and Cole Reinhardt lead the Sens’ pressure most of the night. Thanks to them, the Sens were able to build traction and blocked Cleveland from exiting the defensive zone for most of the second period and first OT. Almost every time the puck popped out to the neutral zone, Belleville’s D was there to regain control.
Goaltending is the X-Factor
If we could pinpoint one singular reason this game did not swing wildly in one team’s favor, it was the magnificent clinic put on by netminders Mads Sogaard and Jet Greaves. Every other period was skewed heavily in one team’s favor. Just take a look at the shots on goal:
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | 2OT |
| BEL | 8 | 13 | 2 | 15 | 3 |
| CLE | 11 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 5 |
Sogaard really clamped down in the third, allowing the Senators’ enough time to tie the game at 6:08. From there, he rode out Cleveland’s pressure to take his team into overtime.
With the Monsters’ speed and intensity in the first and third periods, Sogaard was vital and gave his team a chance to succeed. If Belleville wants to take this series to game five, Sogaard needs to be their best player again.
One Question
What Response is in Store?
Simple question. Is Belleville able to stage a comeback to take this series the distance? Even when outshooting Cleveland 13-7 in the second period, they were not able to crack Greaves. With each game, the Monsters look more solid and dangerous.
Will Crookshank break out of his scoring slump? Can Sogaard continue to give his team chances? What happened to Maxence Guenette‘s scoring?
Stay tuned to find out!
What’s Next?
The Cleveland Monsters and Belleville Senators return to action in Cleveland on Friday, May 9, for game four of their best-of-five series. Puck drop is at 7:00 pm Eastern. The Monsters are up 2-1 in the series.
