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AHL Cleveland Monsters

Hannikainen Hoists Cleveland to 4-3 Shootout

April 10, 2017 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Cleveland Monsters News Release


MONSTERS GAME SUMMARY: Hannikainen Hoists Cleveland to 4-3 Shootout Triumph
MONSTERS GAME SUMMARY: Hannikainen Hoists Cleveland to 4-3 Shootout Triumph
(Cleveland Monsters)

CLEVELAND - The AHL's defending Calder Cup Champions, the Cleveland Monsters, proudly powered by Constellation, defeated the Grand Rapids Griffins in front of 10,797 fans at The Q on Sunday in a shootout by a final score of 4-3. With the win, Cleveland's 11th in the team's past 13 games, the Monsters improved to 38-28-4-4 overall this season and with a .578 points percentage, sit in a virtual tie with the Charlotte Checkers for the Central Division's final playoff spot with two games remaining in the regular season.

The Griffins claimed a 2-0 lead early on with a shorthanded goal from Colin Campbell at 0:41 and an even-strength Dominic Turgeon tally at 14:07 of the first, but Cleveland forward Alex Broadhurst battled back with a five-on-five finish at 14:37 of the frame, assisted by Vitaly Abramov and Oleg Yevenko, to draw the Monsters within a goal at 2-1 entering the middle stanza.

In the second period, Abramov leveled the score at two apiece with his first professional goal, an even-strength tally at 7:16, set up by Ryan Collins and Jaime Sifers. Cleveland kept their foot on the accelerator in the third, as Jordan Maletta buried a shorthanded breakaway at 15:01 on Markus Hannikainen's lone assist to claim the Monsters' first lead at 3-2 before Matt Ford tallied a five-on-five marker at 19:42 to tie the game at three for Grand Rapids and force overtime.

After a scoreless extra session, Monsters goaltender Anton Forsberg stopped Griffins sniper Evgeny Svechnikov in the first round of a three-round shootout before Cleveland's Zac Dalpe tallied in the bottom of the round. Another Forsberg stop in the second round, this time vs. Ford, led to Hannikainen's game-winning backhand finish in the bottom of the second round that delivered the Monsters a 4-3 victory.

Forsberg stopped 33 of the 36 pucks he faced to improve to 26-16-4 between the pipes for Cleveland while Griffins backstop Jared Coreau is now 17-11-3 in net this year following a 27-save performance in defeat. Abramov's assist on Broadhurst's first-period goal was the rookie's first professional point and similarly, Collins' primary assist on Abramov's middle-frame tally was the former University of Minnesota defenseman's first point in the professional ranks.

Next up for the Monsters, it's a Thursday home clash vs. the Manitoba Moose with full coverage, live from The Q, underway at 7:00 pm on 99X and the Monsters Hockey Network.

Tickets for every Monsters home game start at just $10 and are on sale now! Full and partial season ticket memberships are also available and provide you with the best seat locations, custom member benefits and the lowest ticket prices. Group outing and birthday bash packages for 10 or more people are also on sale now. All tickets can be purchased by visiting ClevelandMonsters.com, calling (216) 420-0000, visiting The Q Box Office or any Northern Ohio Discount Drug Mart. Be sure to follow the Monsters on Twitter @monstershockey, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/clevelandmonsters, and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/monstershockey.

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MONSTERS GAME SUMMARY: Hannikainen Hoists Cleveland to 4-3 Shootout Triumph
MONSTERS GAME SUMMARY: Hannikainen Hoists Cleveland to 4-3 Shootout Triumph
   



American Hockey League Stories from April 10, 2017


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