CLEVELAND -- The Grand Rapids Griffins' third-period comeback bid was denied by the Cleveland Monsters in a 3-2 shootout loss at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Tuesday. 

Grand Rapids pushed their point streak to 10 games in the shootout loss. The defeat halted the Griffins' road win streak at seven games, which tied a franchise record. Jonatan Berggren and Carter Mazur both picked up a point in the outing, which kicked off a three-game point streak for the duo. Berggren's goal marked his 19th point (8-11--19) in his last 15 games. Michael Hutchinson, who curated a .931 save percentage (27-of-29) in the loss, has put together a 5-1-2 record in his last eight contests. 

Following a scoreless tie in the first period, Carson Meyer broke the ice for the Monsters, as he slipped the puck past Hutchinson’s left pad from the doorstep at 13:03 in the middle frame. After Alex Whelan received a backdoor pass, he then fired the puck into an open net from the goalmouth, which extended Cleveland’s lead to 2-0 with 1:43 remaining in the period.

A left-point snipe from Berggren changed direction and snuck past Jet Greaves for Grand Rapids’ first tally at 13:59 in the final frame. An equalizer for the Griffins came sooner rather than later, as Antti Tuomisto registered Grand Rapids’ second goal just over two minutes after Berggren’s tally with a long shot from the top of the right circle with 4:51 remaining. 

In the extra frame, a close shot from Berggren hit the post and bounced out. While on a 4-on-3 power play, Grand Rapids sent a volley of shots to Greaves’ net but they were unable to convert on the man-advantage.

For the fourth straight contest, Grand Rapids entered a shootout. Tim Gettinger fired the puck past Greaves in the first round to put the Griffins ahead. The lead did not last long, as Trey Fix-Wolansky matched the shootout score at 1-1 with a goal. Amadeus Lombardi’s attempt in the second round was denied, while Mikael Pyyhtia netted a lead for the Monsters with a tally. With the game on the line, Berggren’s shot hit the post and Cleveland came away with a 3-2 shootout victory.

Notes
- Josiah Didier's four penalty minutes in the contest marked 500 as a pro. 
- The last time Grand Rapids had four consecutive contests decided by shootout came between March 24-30, 2018.
- The Griffins' 42 shots marked the second-most attempts they have had in a game this season (44 shots on Nov. 15 vs. Chicago and Dec. 9 at Belleville).

Box Score
Grand Rapids 0 0 2 0 - 2
Cleveland 0 2 0 0 - 3

1st Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Lombardi Gr (high-sticking), 6:03; Jiricek Cle (cross-checking), 11:06; Hanas Gr (slashing), 17:55.

2nd Period-1, Cleveland, Meyer 19 (Gaunce, Ceulemans), 13:03. 2, Cleveland, Whelan 4 (McKown, Pearson), 18:17. Penalties-Didier Gr (tripping), 0:25; Angle Cle (high-sticking), 4:09; Didier Gr (roughing), 7:14; Fix-Wolansky Cle (roughing), 7:14; Sillinger Cle (tripping), 10:38; Aston-Reese Gr (roughing), 15:48; Gaudet Cle (unsportsmanlike conduct, roughing), 15:48.

3rd Period-3, Grand Rapids, Berggren 15 (Wallinder, Mazur), 13:59. 4, Grand Rapids, Tuomisto 4 (Lombardi, Spezia), 15:09. Penalties-Gaudet Cle (kneeing), 9:56.

OT Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Fix-Wolansky Cle (slashing), 2:39.

Shootout - Grand Rapids 1 (Gettinger G, Lombardi NG, Berggren NG), Cleveland 2 (Fix-Wolansky G, Pyyhtia G).
Shots on Goal-Grand Rapids 10-14-12-6-0-42. Cleveland 7-12-8-2-1-30.
Power Play Opportunities-Grand Rapids 0 / 6; Cleveland 0 / 3.
Goalies-Grand Rapids, Hutchinson 10-8-3 (29 shots-27 saves). Cleveland, Greaves 20-9-2 (42 shots-40 saves).
A-7,510

Three Stars
1. CLE Meyer (goal); 2. CLE Justin Pearson (assist); 3. CLE Greaves (W, 40 saves)

Record / Next Game
Grand Rapids: 21-15-4-3 (49 pts.) / Fri., Feb. 16 vs. Cleveland 7 p.m.
Cleveland: 27-15-2-1 (57 pts.) / Fri., Feb. 16 at Grand Rapids 7 p.m.

Photo by Cleveland Monsters