Cleveland, OH–David Jiricek scored the overtime winner to lift the Cleveland Monsters to a 6-5 win over the Admirals Sunday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
The loss extended Milwaukee’s winless drought to four games (0-2-1-1). But, the Admirals did mount an impressive comeback to earn at least one point.
Jiricek went to the net from the Admirals blue line. Replay showed he was offside, but it wasn’t called as he redirected a pass into the goal for his first tally of the season at 1:49 of the overtime session giving Cleveland its eighth straight win.
Down 4-0 halfway through the contest, the Admirals scored the next five goals to come away with an improbable point, but fell short.
The comeback started after Milwaukee’s Anthony Angello went to the penalty box at 9:41 of the second period, putting Cleveland on its second power play. However, it was Milwaukee getting the goal to bring them back into the contest. Reid Schaefer rushed out of the Admirals zone with the puck toward the Cleveland goal. As he crossed the blue line, defenseman Jake Livingstone joined Schaefer on the right wing. Livingstone received a pass and ripped a wrist shot over the glove of Cleveland goalie Zach Sawchenko at 10:16 of the second frame. It was Livingstone’s first goal of the season and his first career shorthanded goal. Schaefer and Adam Wilsby picked up the assists.
Milwaukee kept buzzing. Jake Lucchini received a pass from Vinnie Hinostroza and sidestepped a Cleveland defenseman to get to the net. Lucchini’s shot was stopped, but Schaefer buried the rebound at 12:23 to make the score 4-2. It was Schaefer’s team-leading ninth goal of the season.
Lucchini brought the Admirals within one goal at 13:25 of the second period as he converted a pass from Schaefer for his second goal of the season. Hinostroza also picked up an assist on the play.
In the third period, Vinnie Hinostroza scored a power play goal at 3:50 to tie the score at 4-4. It was Hinostroza’s sixth goal of the season. Lucchini and Nick Blankenburg picked up the assists.
The Admirals claimed the improbable lead at 10:30 of the third frame when Lucchini scored his second goal of the game with a writer from the left circle that cleared the right shoulder of the Monsters goalie.
But, Cleveland tied the game very late. After the Monsters pulled their goalie, Trey Fix-Wolansky flew past defenders along the right wing boards and slid a backhander into the goal past Admirals goalie Magnus Chrona with :22 remaining to force the overtime.
Cleveland took an early lead, just 1:07 into the game, when Owen Sillinger deflected a shot into the goal past Ads goalie Magnus Chrona.
The Monsters made it 2-0 with a long time of possession in the Admirals zone. After over a minute of puck movement, Luca Del Bel Belluz was able to push the puck across the goal line at 8:42 of the first frame.
Cleveland took a 3-0 lead early in the second period when Del Bel Belluz finished a pass from Stanislav Svozil for his second tally of the day just :30 into the middle period.
Fix-Wolansky scored a power play goal at 6:10 of the second period to give the Monsters a 4-0 advantage.
Admirals goalie Magnus Chrona stopped 27 shots in the loss. Cleveland outshot Milwaukee 33-17.
The Admirals will visit Grand Rapids Fri., Nov. 29. Milwaukee’s next home game is Sat., Nov. 30 against Rockford at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena.
