Penalty on fans leads to Monsters' 3-2 win against the Griffins

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Just days before Halloween, the Monsters registered a strange overtime win at Van Andel Arena on Friday night, 3-2, against the Grand Rapids Griffins.

The Griffins earned one standings point for forcing the overtime.

The Griffins had mounted a late rally in regulation, coming back from a 2-0 deficit with less than five minutes to go to tie the contest at 2-2. Tim Gettinger scored that tying goal with 26.7 seconds left in regulation. The crowd cheered wildly, but moments later their joy turned to anger. On the night of a 'Chuck a Puck' promotion, some unruly fans made the mistake of continually throwing their foam pucks onto the ice. After the tying goal, they did it again, prompting the referees to call a rare penalty against the home team induced by the fans.

The crowd howled at the call, but the fans had been asked multiple times by public address announcer Eric Zane to stop throwing stuff on the ice.

Regulation ended moments later, but the delay-of-game penalty carried over into overtime.

Once play resumed, the Monsters quickly capitalized. They skated down the ice on the power play, and made a quick shot. Griffins goalie Sebastian Cossa made a sprawling save, but the Monsters' Brendan Gaunce was all alone on the doorstep of the net to tap the rebound home and give the Monsters the victory.

It was a very disappointing way for the Griffins to lose the game, after fighting hard to make the comeback. And it didn't go over well with fans, the vast majority of which did not throw anything onto the ice. They booed loudly as the Monsters celebrated the gift-wrapped goal.

The Griffins - now with two wins and three losses on the young season - had finally gotten on the scoreboard with 3:04 left in the game on a power-play tally by Simon Edvinsson, drawing Grand Rapids to within a goal at 2-1. The Griffins almost scored again with 1:14 left during a goal-mouth scramble. Hirose nearly put the puck in the net, but Monsters goalie Jet Greaves made yet another terrific save.

Even though Cleveland skated away with the victory, the play on the ice was pretty equal throughout much of the game. Indeed, the Griffins outshot the Monsters, 35-26.

It was a fiesty game, and new Griffins captain Josiah Didier muscled the Monsters several times. As the Griffins furiously tried to get on the scoreboard late in the contest, he tossed a rowdy Cleveland player to the ice during a skirmish behind the Monsters' net.

At the 4:16 mark of the final period, Cleveland's Hunter McKown was given a two-minute slashing penalty. Goalie Cossa dashed off the ice to give the Griffins another extra attacker, and - as mentioned - Edvinsson lit the lamp at the 3:04 mark on a powerplay slapshot from inside the blue line, beating Monsters goalie Jet Greaves. Cross Hanas and Taro Hirose got the assists on the goal.

The Griffins struggled at times in the game to generate space on their power-play chances. Both teams were strong in net and on the penalty kill.

No one scored in the first period, but there was plenty of action. The Monsters had 11 shots on goal and the Griffins notched10. Cossa was sharp in net for Grand Rapids, with several quick pad saves. Greaves was good in goal for Cleveland, as well.

Early in the game, the Monsters' Stefan Matteau gave the puck away right out in front of his own goal, but Greaves turned aside a shot by Griffins left wing Elmer Soderblom. Moments later, Tyler Spezia had a 2-on-1 shorthanded opportunity at point-blank range, but Greaves snagged his shot.

The partisan crowd got a charge out of a big shoulder hit by the Griffins Wyatt Newpower later in the period, sending a Monsters player sprawling to the ice. That seemed to set the tone for the rest of the period. A fight broke out a short time later between Newpower and Stefan Matteau. Newpower landed a left-handed blow, while Matteau connected on several punches.

Both players received major penalties for fighting, but it was Cleveland that ended up getting the extra two-minute penalty for slashing, which occurred just before the fight broke out.

The crowd was into it at that point. After a timeout was called, some goodies came floating down on the fans from the rafters via mini-parachutes.

After play resumed, and with 1:54 left in the first period, the Monsters' Yegor Chinakhov was called for a slashing penalty. But the Griffins again failed to convert on a power play.

After that, at 2:25 into the second period, the Griffins gave the puck away in front of their net and Monsters' right wing Carson Meyer banged it in off a goal post, scoring unassisted for Cleveland.

An interference penalty called against Cleveland's Matteau - his third of the game - with 7:13 to go in the second stanza, gave the Griffins another power-play chance. Joel L'Esperance was strong on the puck for the Griffins, but they failed to light the lamp.

Late in the second period, L'Esperance was called for a cross-checking penalty at the 18:16 mark. The second period ended with Cleveland up, 1-0. Neither team capitalized on their power-play opportunities in the second period. Cossa continued to play well in goal for Grand Rapids.

In the final frame, Carson Meyer scored his second goal of the game at the 12:41 mark with a quick backhand shot above Cossa's outstretched glove, to make it 2-0 in favor of the Monsters. Josh Dunne and Eric Robinson had the assists on the goal.

Cossa had been playing well, for the most part, but the Griffins' offense was struggling to create space in the Monsters' zone. Cross Hanas did make a couple slick offensive moves for Grand Rapids down low, but Greaves blocked the shots.

----Game Notes:

Start-of-the-game: Clare McMillan sang a stirring rendition of the National Anthem. WOOD-TV 8's Larry Figurski provided the radio play-by-play on WOOD Radio. Usual play-by-play announcer Bob Kaser is in Boston to call Saturday night's Red Wings' game there. He's been filling in calling the Wings' games this past week while usual Wings' announcer Ken Kal recuperates from a health-related matter.

-Stefan Matteau's father, who has the same name, scored the double-overtime goal in 1994 for the New York Rangers in Game 7 of the NHL Eastern Conference finals against the New Jersey Devils. That sent the Rangers to the Stanley Cup finals, which New York won.

-The Griffins will visit the Rockford Ice Hogs in Illinois on Saturday night.

Additional notes provided by the Griffins:

- For the first time this season, the Griffins outshot their opponent with the tally finishing 35-26.

- Despite the loss, the Griffins have points in 14 of the last 18 games against Cleveland (11-4-2-1).

Box Score

Cleveland 0 1 1 1 - 3

Grand Rapids 0 0 2 0 - 2

1st Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Stevens Gr (interference), 8:34; Matteau Cle (slashing, fighting), 11:07; Newpower Gr (fighting), 11:07; Edvinsson Gr (cross-checking), 11:53; Chinakhov Cle (slashing), 18:06.

2nd Period-1, Cleveland, Meyer 3 2:25. Penalties-Matteau Cle (interference), 12:47; L’Esperance Gr (cross-checking), 18:16.

3rd Period-2, Cleveland, Meyer 4 (Robinson, Dunne), 7:19. 3, Grand Rapids, Edvinsson 2 (Hanas, Hirose), 16:56 (PP). 4, Grand Rapids, Gettinger 2 (L’Esperance, Hirose), 19:33. Penalties-McKown Cle (slashing), 15:41; served by Hanas Gr (bench minor - objects on ice/spectators), 19:33.

OT Period-5, Cleveland, Gaunce 2 (Fix-Wolansky, Blankenburg), 0:46 (PP). Penalties-No Penalties

Shots on Goal-Cleveland 11-9-5-1-26. Grand Rapids 10-10-15-0-35.

Power Play Opportunities-Cleveland 1 / 4; Grand Rapids 1 / 4.

Goalies-Cleveland, Greaves 3-1-0 (35 shots-33 saves). Grand Rapids, Cossa 1-1-1 (26 shots-23 saves).

A-5,897

Three Stars:

1. CLE Gaunce (overtime-winner); 2. CLE Meyer (two goals); 3. GR Gettinger (goal)

Record / Next Game

Grand Rapids: 2-2-1-0 (5 pts.) / Sat., Oct. 28 at Rockford 8 p.m. EDT

Cleveland: 3-2-0-0 (6 pts.) / Sat., Oct. 28 at Chicago 8 p.m. EDT