Game Preview: Monsters vs Crunch 10/14
Oct 14, 2022In the first of four meetings between the two teams this season, the Cleveland Monsters, AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets, drop the puck vs. the Syracuse Crunch, AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning, on Friday with full coverage, live from Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, underway at 7:00 pm on FOX Sports 1350 “The Gambler”, AHLTV, and the Monsters Hockey Network.
MONSTERS PRE-SCOUT: With a record of 28-35-8-5 and a .454 points percentage, the Cleveland Monsters ended the 2021-22 campaign in seventh place in the North Division standings and 15th place in the Eastern Conference. In 2022-23, Cleveland is led by first-year head coach Trent Vogelhuber as the Monsters aim to return to the Calder Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2018-19.
CRUNCH PRE-SCOUT: With a record of 41-26-7-2 and a .599 points percentage, the Syracuse Crunch ended the 2012-22 campaign in second place in the North Division standings and fourth place in the Eastern Conference. Despite earning a playoff berth for the fourth time in six seasons, the Crunch were defeated by the Laval Rocket in five games in the 2022 North Division Semi-Finals. In 2022-23, Syracuse is led by seventh-year head coach Benoit Groulx.
REGULAR-SEASON SERIES: Friday marks the first of four games between the Monsters and Crunch this season and the first of two games between the two clubs at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse this year.
MONSTERS GOALTENDERS:
| 30 Pavel Cajan | OVERALL | 0 GP, (0-0-0), 0 SO, 0.00 GAA, .000 S% |
| LAST APP | -- | |
| HEAD-TO-HEAD | -- | |
| AT HOME | -- | |
| 73 Jet Greaves | OVERALL | 0 GP, (0-0-0), 0 SO, 0.00 GAA, .000 S% |
| LAST APP | -- | |
| HEAD-TO-HEAD | -- | |
| AT HOME | -- |
CRUNCH GOALTENDERS:
| 33 Max Lagace | OVERALL | 0 GP, (0-0-0), 0 SO, 0.00 GAA, .000 S% |
| LAST APP. | -- | |
| HEAD-TO-HEAD | -- | |
| ON THE ROAD | -- | |
| 60 Hugo Alnefelt | OVERALL | 0 GP, (0-0-0), 0 SO, 0.00 GAA, .000 S% |
| LAST APP. | -- | |
| HEAD-TO-HEAD | -- | |
| ON THE ROAD | -- |
KEYS TO SUCCESS:
- COACHING CHANGES: Following four seasons as an assistant coach with the club, former Monsters forward Trent Vogelhuber was hired by the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets as Cleveland’s seventh head coach in franchise history on June 8, 2022. Joining Vogelhuber on the bench in 2022-23 will be returning assistant Mark Letestu, back for his second season in the role, and new Monsters Associate Coach Mike Haviland, a former AHL Coach of the Year (Norfolk, 2006-07), two-time Kelly Cup Champion (Atlantic City, 2002-03 and Trenton, 2004-05), and Stanley Cup Champion (Assistant Coach-Chicago Blackhawks, 2009-10), who most recently served seven seasons as head coach at Colorado College (2014-22).
- PREMIER PROSPECTS: Cleveland’s opening night roster for the 2022-23 season features one former Columbus Blue Jackets first-round draft pick in rookie D David Jiricek (2022, 6th overall) and one former Columbus second-round selection in RW Kirill Marchenko (2018, 49th overall).
- LETTERMEN: The Monsters will be led in 2022-23 by newly-minted captain, D Dillon Simpson, serving in that capacity for the second consecutive season. Cleveland’s alternate captains this year will be D Gavin Bayreuther, C Brendan Gaunce and D Billy Sweezey.