Monsters nip Marlies, 3-2, for sixth straight victory
Dec. 27—The Monsters beat the Toronto Marlies, 3-2, on Dec. 27 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, and in doing so three different players tallied goals and four others contributed with assists.
Everybody getting into the act has been the recipe for success all season, and that includes the goalies and the defensemen who block shots but don't score goals or dish the puck to those that do.
The Monsters (20-7-0) have won six straight games. They are in first place in the North Division. The only team in the entire AHL with a better record is the Atlantic Division-leading Hershey Bears at 25-6-0-0.
#Monsters beat Marlies, 3-2, and the celebration begins. The players truly appreciate their loyal fans. pic.twitter.com/D1Ss6d3dym
— Jeff Schudel (@jsproinsider) December 28, 2023
"One of the most important things these guys are learning is how to win," Coach Trent Vogelhuber said after the game. "Ultimately that's why we all have jobs — to win hockey games. I think the understanding of what each player needs to do to win is invaluable on top of developing skills.
"I'm proud of the group for finding different ways to win. You develop confidence and then you expect to win going into games. I'm sure we're going to encounter some rough waters along the way with over half the season left, but when we do encounter a lull or a downtime, they can refer back to this because they've learned how to do it together."
Monsters defenseman Corson Ceulemans gathered a loose puck in front of the Toronto net, skated to the right circle to create some room and flicked the puck past Marlies goalie Dennis Hildeby for an unassisted goal with 2:15 left in the first period for a 1-0 Cleveland lead.
A team effort made @monstershockey a 3-2 winner over the Toronto Marlies on Wednesday night, says Coach Trent Vogelhuber. pic.twitter.com/iWROh3801h
— Jeff Schudel (@jsproinsider) December 28, 2023
The Marlies made it a 1-1 game on a goal by Joseph Blandsi 1:01 into the second period, but just 38 seconds later, Trey Fix-Wolansky muscled his way down the right boards, skated to a spot low in the right circle and beat Hildeby to give the lead back to the Monsters.
Fix-Wolansky earlier this season set a Monsters career record for career points (166). When he added to that mark with a tie-breaking goal, the crowd of 15,096, the largest of the season for a Monsters home game, roared approval.
Owen Sillinger expanded the led to 3-1 216 into the third period when he redirected a shot by Cole Clayton inside the left post.
The Marlies made it 3-2 with 6:56 to play. They managed only two shots on goal the rest of the way because the defense in front of goalie Jet Greaves did an excellent job blocking shots and clearing the puck after Hildeby was pulled for a sixth attacker with 1:48 to play.
Greaves stopped 24 of 26 Toronto shots.
