2024 Calder Cup Playoffs: Game 3, Cleveland - 6 at Syracuse - 4 (5/22/24)

SYRACUSE, NY - In a back-and-forth game of epic proportions, the Cleveland Monsters delivered the final blow - completing the three-game sweep of the Syracuse Crunch with a dramatic 6-4 victory Wednesday night at the Upstate Medical University Arena.

Six different players scored goals for the Monsters in the win, including four third period tallies after Syracuse had taken a 3-2 lead with a pair of goals 1:05 apart in the waning moments of the middle frame.

The Monsters' trio of Justin Pearson (one assist), Josh Dunne (goal, assist) and Alex Whelan (goal, assist) came up especially huge in the final frame as Whelan tallied 1:02 into the third period to tie the game back up at 3-3 before Dunne's goal gave the Monsters the lead back.

Syracuse didn't go down without a fight, as Alex Barre-Boulet (two goals) tied the game up at 4-4 with 3:28 left to play before the Monsters rallied for another go-ahead goal by Luca Del Bel Belluz just over a minute later before Roman Ahcan put the final nail in the coffin with an empty net tally to complete the 6-4 final score.

With the win, Cleveland advances to the Eastern Conference Finals where they will face the defending Calder Cup Champion Hershey Bears in a best-of-seven series beginning in Hershey with Game 1 next Thursday, May 30.

GAME STORY

With their season on the line, Syracuse came out firing much as you'd expect a team facing elimination in front of their home fans would.

The opening period set the tone, as both teams were finishing checks at every opportunity and there was plenty of animosity between the two North Division foes.

It wasn't until there was less than six minutes left before the first intermission that the game's opening goal was scored, and at this time of year there's no such thing as a bad shot on goal - especially in a scoreless tie.

After Jakub Zboril kept a puck alive in the Monsters' offensive zone at the left point, he flipped it into a soft spot in the Crunch's defensive zone coverage in the left-wing circle for Tyler Angle. Angle quickly got it to Gaudet in the corner, and Gaudet turned and threw a bad angle shot to the net that eluded Tomkins - giving Cleveland a 1-0 lead with 5:44 left in the period.

On the next shift, Felix Robert tripped Stanislav Svozil but the officials deemed that Svozil embellished the trip. It resulted in 4-on-4 hockey and a call that loomed large as Trey Fix-Wolansky was later called for slashing, giving Syracuse a partial 4-on-3 power play.

The Crunch converted on the 4-on-3 man advantage, evening the game at 1-1 with 3:22 to go after a back-and-forth passing sequence between Barre-Boulet (right-wing circle) and Max Crozier (center point) ended with a one-timer from Barre-Boulet that beat a sliding Subban.

Tempers flared after the first period horn, as several skaters converged into a scrum after Zboril knocked Gabriel Fortier off his feet.

Zboril was assessed a double-minor for roughing, while Crunch defender Phil Myers was whistled for a 2-minute roughing penalty - giving Syracuse a power play to begin the middle period.

The Monsters were able to kill off the Crunch power play to begin the second period, and the two teams settled in to the 1-1 game with the same intensity and physicality that the first period was played with.

After Daniel Walcott was whistled for hooking just past the midway mark of regulation, Cleveland got their power play on the ice and converted quickly to re-gain the lead at 2-1.

Owen Sillinger got the puck from the left-wing wall to David Jiricek at the left point, who slid a pass across to Matteau at the center point for a big blast that found the back of the net for Matteau's first of the postseason.

Cleveland had a chance to add to their lead on a power play with 6:57 left before the second intermission, but were unable to do so.

Instead, Syracuse stole momentum when Koepke raced down the left-wing and fired a shot past Subban to tie the game at 2-2 with 3:13 left in the middle frame.

On the next shift after Koepke's goal, Tomkins came up big on a breakaway opportunity from Fix-Wolansky - and the Crunch scored moments later to take their first lead of the hockey game with 2:08 left in the middle frame.

Niko Huuhtanen stole a puck just inside the Crunch's offensive zone blue line, firing a hard shot on net that Subban stopped initially but Bellerive was able to knock in the rebound atop the crease - giving Syracuse a 3-2 lead heading to the third period.

Despite all the momentum Syracuse had heading into the second intermission, Cleveland was able to get right back at it in the third - getting a goal from Whelan 1:02 into the period to tie the game back up at 3-3.

Dunne worked a puck down low, but was tied up by two Crunch defenders below the goal line. Dunne wisely kept those two defenders tied up with him, allowing Justin Pearson to gain control of the puck behind the net and take it out in front.

Tomkins made the initial save, but Whelan was in position atop the crease to slam home the rebound.

The trio of Dunne, Pearson and Whelan weren't done there either.

After Marcus Bjork attempted a stretch pass from behind his net to the far side blue line for Whelan, the puck skipped into the Monsters' offensive zone where Dunne was able to pick up the loose puck and make a nifty move to his backhand for his third of the season - giving Cleveland the lead back at 4-3 with 10:31 left in regulation.

Things only got more crazy as the third period progressed as Barre-Boulet brought the Crunch back even with the Monsters on his second goal of the night with 3:28 left in regulation.

Ultimately, the Monsters prevailed - re-taking the lead one last on a goal from Del Bel Belluz off an offensive zone face-off win with 2:18 left before Ahcan sealed the deal with an empty net tally with 1:01 left to complete the 6-4 final score.

Cleveland Monsters Lineup Notes

Malcolm Subban got the start in net for the Monsters Wednesday night, with Pavel Cajan serving as his backup goaltender.

Scratches: Jett Greaves, Corson Cuelemans, Nick Blankenburg, Zachary Okabe, Samuel Knazko, Jake Christiansen, Cameron Butler, Luca Pinelli, Mikael Pyyhtia, Ole Julian Bjorgvik-Holm

Lines/Pairings:

Owen Sillinger - Luca Del Bel Belluz - Trey Fix-Wolansky James Malatesta - Hunter McKown - Stefan Matteau Tyler Angle - Jake Gaudet - Roman Ahcan Justin Pearson - Josh Dunne - Alex Whelan

Stanislav Svozil - David Jiricek Jakub Zboril - Cole Clayton Marcus Bjork - Billy Sweezey

Malcolm Subban (Backup: Pavel Cajan)

Syracuse Crunch Lineup Notes

Down 2-0 in the series, Matt Tomkins got the start in net for Syracuse Wednesday. Brandon Halverson served as Syracuse's backup netminder.

Scratches: Hugo Alnefelt, Benjamin Gaudreau, Scott Walford, Quinn Schmiemann, Gage Concalves, Gabriel Dumont, Tyson Feist, Lucas Edmonds, Milo Roelens, Jack Finley, Roman Schmidt, Gabriel Szturc, Ilya Usau and Chris Harpur

Lines/Pairings:

Daniel Walcott - Jordy Bellerive - Miko Huuhtanen Cole Koepke - Felix Robert - Waltteri Merela Dylan Duke - Gabriel Fortier - Alex Barre-Boulet Shawn Element - Tristan Allard - Max Groshev

Emil Lilleberg - Phil Myers Devante Stephens - Sean Day Declan Carlile - Max Crozier

Matt Tomkins (Backup: Brandon Halverson)

GAME SUMMARY

1st Period

3:00: SYR - (PP) Allard, minor (interference) 7:15: SYR - Carlile, minor (roughing) 7:15: CLE - Whelan, minor (roughing) 14:16: CLE - Gaudet (2) - Angle, Zboril 15:03: SYR - Robert, minor (tripping) 15:03: CLE - Svozil, minor (diving/embellishment) 15:52: CLE - (PP) Fix-Wolansky, minor (tripping) 16:38: SYR - PPG Barre-Boulet (3) - Crozier, Huuhtanen 20:00: CLE - Zboril, minor (roughing) 20:00: CLE - (PP) Zboril, minor (roughing) 20:00: SYR - Myers, minor (roughing)

2nd Period

10:47: SYR - (PP) Walcott, minor (hooking) 11:02: CLE - PPG Matteau (1) - Jiricek, Sillinger 13:03: CLE - (PP) Whelan, minor (tripping) 16:47: SYR - Koepke (4) - Day, Stephens 17:52: SYR - Bellerive (3) - Huuhtanen, Walcott 18:11: SYR - (PP) Merela, minor (tripping)

3rd Period

1:02: CLE - Whelan (2) - Pearson, Dunne 9:29: CLE - Dunne (3) - Whelan, Bjork 12:40: CLE - (PP) Pearson, minor (delay of game - closing hand on puck) 16:32: SYR - Barre-Boulet (4) - Carlile, Fortier 17:42: CLE - Del Bel Belluz (1) - Fix-Wolansky 18:59: CLE - ENG Ahcan (1) - Bjork

BOXSCORE

Cleveland  1 - 1 - 4 = 6 Syracuse   1 - 2 - 1 = 4

Shots

Cleveland  4 - 13 - 10 = 27 Syracuse   8 - 11 - 10 = 29

Goalies

CLE: Malcolm Subban (25 saves - 29 shots) SYR: Matt Tomkins (21 saves - 26 shots)

Power Play

CLE: 1-for-3 SYR: 1-for-4

Penalty Kill

CLE: 3-for-4 SYR: 2-for-3

Post-Game EXTRA!

Video interviews with Cleveland Monsters head coach Trent Vogelhuber and forward Josh Dunne!