Monsters Snap Charlotte's Winning Streak
Published on January 3, 2026 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Charlotte Checkers News Release
The Charlotte Checkers (18-10-2-0) had their four-game winning streak snapped as the Cleveland Monsters (14-11-4-1) picked up a 6-3 victory at Rocket Arena on Saturday night.
Former Checkers forward Riley Bezeau notched the game's first goal for Cleveland, scoring at 16:22 of the first period. Brian Pinho evened the scoring at 19:28 as Charlotte's top line continued its red-hot stretch. Pinho's fifth goal of the season extended his personal point streak to three games. Nolan Foote and Nate Smith recorded assists on the tally.Cleveland outshot Charlotte 14-6 in the first period.
The second period contained five goals as the teams went back and forth. Tate Singleton, Roman Ahcan and Luca Del Bel Belluz struck for Cleveland. Pinho added his second of the game, and Smith provided a highlight-reel tally. The Monsters controlled the shot totals after 40 minutes, leading the category 28-15.
Hunter McKown buried a shorthanded goal at 4:22, swinging momentum firmly in Cleveland's direction, increasing their lead to 5-3. James Malatesta capped off the night with an empty-netter in the game's final seconds.
With the victory, Cleveland is 2-1 against the Checkers in the 2025-26 season series. The teams will battle again on Monday, January 5, at Rocket Arena. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. ET. Coverage of the game can be found on FloHockey and Mixlr. Charlotte went 0-for-1 on the power play and 3-for-3 on the penalty kill.
NOTES
Kirill Gerasimyuk made 31 saves in the loss while Ivan Fedotov stopped 22 shots in the victory ... Charlotte's five-game winning streak on the road also comes to an end ... Pinho has goals in back-to-back games ... Foote has points in five straight games ... Smith has points in four consecutive appearances ... Bezeau appeared in 107 games with Charlotte over the past three seasons, logging five playoff games in 2024-25 with the Checkers ... Ryan McAllister, Liam McLinskey, Eamon Powell, Colton Huard, MacKenzie Entwistle, Jake Livingstone, Riese Gaber, Tobias Bjornfot and Louis Domingue were scratched for Charlotte.
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