Patrick WilliamsTheAHL.com Features Writer
The Cleveland Monsters are here. One big step remains tonight, however, when the Eastern Conference Finals come to a close in Game 7 at the Giant Center in Hershey (7 ET, AHLTV, NHL Network).
After a three-game tie in the series, the Monsters have won three straight, including a 3-2 overtime victory in Game 6 on Monday.
Tonight’s winner earns a trip to the Calder Cup Finals to face Coachella Valley starting Friday. For the Calder Cup champion Bears, it could mean a repeat of last year’s seven-game slugfest with the Firebirds. For the Monsters, it would be impossible given where they were last week.
Cleveland, the fifth team in AHL history to reach a Game 7 after losing the opening three games of a Calder Cup Playoff series, isn’t just trying to make history tonight; they’re trying to do it against a team that posted the second-best regular season record in league history (53-14-0-5, .771). Even in winning the North Division title, the Monsters finished Hershey with 23 points.
But that was a normal era. The Monsters have shown they can go toe-to-toe with the playoff-tested Bears, as evidenced by their late game in the series.
As the 1-1 battle in Game 6 stretched into the final minute of regulation, Hershey was ahead Joe Snively he broke free and shot the puck past Cleveland’s goalkeeper Jet Greaves. With just 49.3 seconds on the clock, it finally seemed as if the magic had run out for the Monsters.
The head coach Trent Vogelhuber He quickly called a timeout before the next face.
“You have to control your emotions,” explains Vogelhuber, “and be able to control pain. There is nothing you can do about what happened. There is still time for this team.
“So answer it. We have a shift to play.”
Greaves struck out in the sixth. Trey Fix-Wolansky won the faceoff, then was able to move the puck into the Hershey zone to allow the Monsters to set up perhaps one final push. From there, captain Brendan Gauncepower since returning from injury in Game 2, directed a shot into the corner that almost never went over the angle Hunter Shepard with 32.9 seconds remaining which sent the game into overtime.
Just like they did in Games 1 and 2, the Monsters held a late rally at the Giant Center to force overtime. But the first two times both ended in defeat.
Not at this time. With a group of players blocking shots in front of him, Greaves stood up and defended several dangerous chances for Hershey in OT. Eventually the Monsters took over before the defender Jake Christiansenback from the lineup after missing 10 games with an injury, he went left, turned, and lofted a long shot through traffic that slipped past Shepard at 17:31 of overtime.
This one will play in Game 7.
“I’m proud but not surprised,” Vogelhuber said of his players. “You cannot guarantee the results. I knew I could guarantee that we would play. I just know what they are like and why we are in this position.
“I’m just saying the words, and I think the most important thing is that the guys in charge of the locker room echo that. So when that happens on the bench, they say, ‘Okay, guys, let’s go,’ and it takes the edge off the whole bench, and you go play. I can’t find them doing anything. Those are the guys who deserve the credit.”
Said Christiansen, who had been out since May 3, “They gave me a chance to come back and play.” They have been grinding, winning games, doing everything they can. It’s a great team, a special team that we have.”
And for the Bears, they need to find answers quickly. Their quest to become the first AHL club to repeat as Calder Cup champions since they did so in 2009 and 2010 is now in jeopardy. Injuries cost defenders Lucas Johansen again Aaron Ness. Forward Pierrick Dubewho had 28 goals in the regular season, hasn’t played since Game 3. Ethan Frank has nine goals in 12 playoff games following a 29-goal season but exited midway through Game 6 and never returned.
But this is a team Hershey has struggled with before. There’s a lot at stake for a 2023 team that was completely blown away by the Firebirds in the first two games of last season’s Calder Cup Finals before responding with three home wins to regain control of the series. And down 2-0 late in the second half of Game 7, the Bears rallied to tie the game and win their 12th Calder Cup title. Mike VecchioneOvertime goal.
Nearly eight months after opening night, the Bears and Monsters are still playing on June 12. Through injuries, setbacks and repeated challenges, both teams are still standing.
“You focus on what’s right in front of you,” Vogelhuber said.
The upside for both teams tonight is a trip to the Calder Cup final.
“We’re very happy that we get another day together,” said Christiansen, “and another chance to try to win the game.”
TheAHL.com features writer Patrick Williams has covered the American Hockey League for nearly two decades at outlets including NHL.com, Sportsnet, TSN, Hockey News, SiriusXM NHL Network Radio and SLAM ! Sports, and most recently was the host of The Hockey News On The ‘A’ podcast. He was the recipient of the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for the league’s top scorer in 2016.
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