Cleveland Monsters 3 at GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS 5

Nov. 25, 2016

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Griffins scored five unanswered goals during the third period to rally from a 3-0 deficit and shock the defending Calder Cup champion Cleveland Monsters by a 5-3 count on Friday at Van Andel Arena.

The Griffins needed nearly every one of the 48 shots they fired on Cleveland’s net, including 23 during that frantic final frame in which they tied their home record for goals in a period and fell one shy of their overall mark for shots in period.

Goals by Brian Lashoff, Martin Frk and Kyle Criscuolo knotted the score by the 11-minute mark of the third, before Tomas Nosek put the Griffins ahead with 2:42 remaining and Mitch Callahan added the night cap into an empty net at 19:02. On the other end, Eddie Pasquale made six saves over the final 20 minutes to finish with 23 for the game and earn the win in his home debut.

The Griffins (10-6-0-0), who are now 3-0 against the Monsters this season and 5-1 in their last six meetings dating to their division finals series last spring, will travel to Cleveland (6-9-1-1) for a 7 p.m. rematch at Quicken Loans Arena on Saturday.

Although the Griffins enjoyed a 13-7 shot advantage during the opening period, it was the Monsters who came closest to drawing first blood midway through. A mishandled puck at the right point resulted in a breakaway for Sonny Milano, but the Cleveland sniper fired wide of Pasquale, who was making only his third appearance of the season.

The Monsters eventually grabbed that lead 7:20 into the middle frame, shortly after the Griffins failed to convert a third consecutive power play opportunity. Grand Rapids couldn’t get a handle on the puck as it pinballed behind the net, enabling Brett Gallant to push it out front to Aaron Palushaj for a shot that Pasquale denied, but Gallant followed up on the doorstep to tally his first goal of the season.

Oliver Bjorkstrand gave Cleveland a two-goal cushion less than seven minutes later, taking a sharp-angle shot from the right goal line that glanced off Pasquale’s paddle and settled inside the far post at the 14:12 mark. Pasquale denied another breakaway try, this time by Nick Moutrey, to keep it a 2-0 game, but soon after Bjorkstrand swooped down the right side and scored a backhand goal for his second of the night at 17:24.

After allowing three second-period goals and piling up 25 fruitless shots through 40 minutes, the Griffins finally broke through on their 31st shot during a delayed penalty 3:08 into the third, when Criscuolo sent a pass through the goalmouth to a driving Lashoff for a backdoor goal. Lashoff’s tally sparked a cascade of stuffed animals thrown by the crowd as part of the Griffins’ 17th annual Teddy Bear Toss for Hug-A-Bears of Kent County.

After the cleanup, Frk pulled the Griffins within one just 1:46 later, giving him five goals in nine games since returning from the NHL. He flashed through the slot to tip Dan Renouf’s blast from the left point past Anton Forsberg.

Grand Rapids was presented a prime chance to knot the score when Dillon Heatherington was whistled off for four minutes in penalties at 6:49, and Criscuolo made good during a scramble with 22 ticks remaining in the second power play, potting a Tomas Jurco feed into a yawning net from the left side at 10:28. That power play goal marked the Griffins’ seventh consecutive game in which they scored during a man-advantage, their longest such streak in exactly three years (seven games from Nov. 7-25, 2013).

Nosek’s game-winner came only five seconds after former Griffin Sheldon Brookbank was sent off for roughing. Nosek won the draw back to the left point to Ben Street, whose long shot was denied by Forsberg, but the centerman was waiting outside the crease to jam the rebound home and ignite the crowd of 8,901.

The Monsters pulled Forsberg for an extra attacker and nearly tied it with just over a minute remaining, but Bjorkstand’s uncontested blast from the slot hit the iron behind Pasquale and a whack at the rebound went into the left corner to Callahan, who threw the puck the length of the ice into the empty net.

The Griffins, who finished 2-for-7 on the power play, have converted 12 of 40 opportunities (30%) during their seven-game run. Grand Rapids’ penalty kill denied both Monsters chances and has not allowed a goal in eight of the last nine outings.

Notes: Pasquale’s only previous action at Van Andel Arena came more than six years ago, when he stopped 28 of 31 shots for the Chicago Wolves in a 4-2 loss to the Griffins on Nov. 6, 2010…The Griffins scored five goals in a home period on 10 previous occasions, most recently on Dec. 27, 2014 versus Iowa (2nd period).

Three Stars: 1. GR Nosek (game-winning goal); 2. CLE Bjorkstrand (two goals); 3. GR Criscuolo (power play goal, assist)