Greetings, all. Sorry for the delay, but we’re back for the usual week in review. Starting off in Cleveland…or Milwaukee (The Good Land) as it were, the Monsters loaded up the bus (plane maybe?) for a trip to play the Admirals to start their first three in three of the season. Starting off with some bad news it was announced by Aaron Portzline that Oliver Bjorkstrand will miss 4-6 weeks with an upper body injury.
Without Oliver, and Kerby Rychel in transit back from his latest callup to the Blue Jackets, the Monsters allowed the Ads to take a 2-0 lead before Alex Broadhurst would score his first of the campaign late in the third. With the Monsters on the power play, and Anton Forsberg pulled Daniel Zaar hammered a shot that Ryan Craig tipped right to Alex at the side of the net. In the loss, Forsberg had 20 saves. Milwaukee added an empty net goal in the 3-1 loss.
In fisticuff news, the only two Monsters to get in a fight so far this season got into a scrap. Brett Gallant took on one-time Jacket Cody Bass in a bit of the draw by the two vets. Earlier in the game, Jamie Devane and Oleg Yevenko earned coincidental minors with Yevenko also getting a misconduct; and then, because the pair had unfinished business, in the third the two dropped the gloves in what was the first fight that Oleg didn’t have almost a foot on his opponent (watch at the end folks, I think that shows how much these guys that fight respect each other).
Next it was off to Des Moines, Iowa for a pair against the Wild. The Monsters let the Wild take an early lead before Michael Paliotta hammered home his first goal as a pro. Zaar started the sequence when he came out of the corner and found Broadhurst who took a check and passed to Paliotta who unleashed a rocket from the sideboard to tie it at one. The Monsters took the lead in the second when, after a passing sequence, Broadhurst got the puck down low to Craig who found Michael Chaput in the slot, giving him four goals on the season. The Wild tied the game late in the third with overtime solving nothing so we went to a shootout. Sonny Milano shot first and, stop me folks if you’ve heard this, he went backhand to score the eventual game winner. Joonas Korpisalo would make 35 saves along with three more in the 3-2 (Monsters call) shootout win. (Iowa Call) That call was a little boring so let’s turn things over to Tony Brown for his call of Sonny’s game winner.
To close out the weekend, the Monsters again allowed their opponent to take a 2-0 lead before Andrew Bodnarchuk started a big night when he skated into the zone and fired a shot just outside the circles late in the first for a goal. Midway through the second Trent Vogelhuber deflected a Bodnarchuk point shot to tie the game. Late in the second, Andrew cleared the puck with ex-Jacket Jeremy Smith trying to play it allowing Vogelhuber to pressure and steal the puck before finding Josh Anderson in front for pretty much an empty net to shoot into. That marked Anderson’s first goal of the season and second career game winning goal. Forsberg made 14 saves for his fourth win of the season.
As for next week, the Monsters open the week with something I would hate – on Wednesday faceoff will be at 10:30 am in Milwaukee against the Admirals in front of probably a packed house full of schoolkids. That game is then followed by a pair against the Grand Rapids Griffiins.
Quickly in Cincinnati Peter and Seth were both held without a point but would get into his second pro fight taking on Evansville’s Vincent Dunn.
Kole Sherwood-London Knights (OHL)
Season Stats 16GP 6-11-17 +9 12PIM
Somehow Kole and the Knights had a light week as they only had one game and still scored enough for a weekend’s worth of games. Midway through the second, Cliff Pu (no seriously) skated through the neutral zone to find Kole just above the blueline. Kole dropped the puck right back to Pu who fired a shot in the slot to make it 7-2 in a 9-2 Knights win.
Blake Siebenaler-Niagara IceDogs (OHL)
Season Stats 17GP 2-4-6 +9 4PIM
Opening up the week against Markus Soberg and the Spitfires, Blake picked up an assist on Vince Dunn’s goal to make it 4-2 in a 5-4 Dogs win. To close out the week in the Dogs Rememberance Day game, Blake picked up another assist when the rebound of his point shot just missed the net and Graham Knott cleaned up the garbage to make it 2-1 in a 5-1 IceDogs win.
Markus Soberg-Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
Season Stats 6GP 1-1-2 -2 2PIM
Markus opened the week by being held pointless in a loss to Niagara and a win over Erie before picking up his first assist of the season against Guelph. In the second, Aaron Luchuk started and finished the sequence. First he sent a pass from their own zone to Markus who dropped a pass to Christian Fischer who found Luchuk to made it 3-0 in a 4-0 Spitfires win. The game ended with something that is one of my hockey bucket list items to see live…a goalie fight that resulted in the Storm’s goalie getting a five game suspension.
Olivier LeBlanc-Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (QMJHL)
Season Stats 19GP 2-14-16 +10 37PIM
Olivier and the Eagles opened the week against the Chicoutimi Saugeneens in the first of two multi point games for Olivier. First, in the second period, Olivier kept the puck in at the blueline before sending a crossrink pass to Maxim Lazarev who fired a rocket for his ninth of the season. Olivier also picked up an assist on Phelix Martineau’s empty net power play goal in a 6-3 Eagles win. Olivier was held pointless in a 6-3 loss to Rimouski before adding a goal and an assist in one of those junior games I like to define as “defense optional” with the Eagles losing the game 10-6. Olivier’s assist on Pierre-Luc Dubois’ goal was his 100th point in the QMJHL.
Julien Pelletier-Sherbrooke Phoenix (QMJHL)
Season Stats 17GP 9-4-13 -5 15PIM
Julien opened the week against the Saint John Sea Dogs and scored his 8th goal of the season when he took a pass from Guillaume Gauthier at the doorstep to get the Phoenix on the board in a 3-2 overtime loss. Up next against Rimouski, with his team trailing 3-0. Julien helped get the Birds (feel like I should say that in French) on the board by picking up assists on the team’s first two goals in a 4-3 overtime win. Julien closed out the week by picking up a goal to make it 7-2 in a 7-3 Phoenix win.
Paul Bittner-Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
Season Stats 16GP 4-8-12 E 21PIM
Paul and the Hawks faced off against the Kelowna Rockets in a back to back series. Paul was held off the scoresheet in the opener before helping with an early goal in the rematch. With Portland leading 1-0, Paul skated the puck out of the zone and passed to Keegan Iverson whose shot was deflected by Bredan De Jong in a 8-5 Portland loss.
Sam Ruopp-Prince George Cougars (WHL)
Season Stats 16GP 1-3-4 +9 19PIM
Sam and the Cats were on the road this week as they traveled to Everett and Kamloops. Starting off in Everett, Sam earned an assist when he took a hit before passing to Brad Morrison. Morrison’s resulting shot was stopped but Brogan O’Brien picked up the rebound to tie it at one in a 2-1 Cougars overtime loss. Sam was held off the scoresheet in a game against Kamloops that closed out the week.
Keegan Kolesar-Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL)
Season Stats 17GP 12-12-24 +5 19PIM
Keegan and the TBirds were road warriors this week playing four games away from home. Starting off against Red Deer, Keegan picked up an assist on Nick Holowko’s goal in a 4-3 Seattle loss. Keegan was held without a point in the Birds next two games (both losses) before bouncing back against Medicine Hat. Keegan ended up making the game 2-0 (1-0 goal was at nine seconds) when Mathew Barzel sent a pass to Keegan at just about the goalline and the Jackets’ prospect hammered the puck past the Tigers goalie. Keegan’s second goal came when he fired a shot into an empty net from just over the redline to secure the Birds 5-2 victory.
There you have it folks – we should be back to normalcy next week with the European guys getting back underway after an international break.
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