Lake Erie Newcomers Contribute to Victory in Opener

CLEVELAND , Oh – If as they say first impressions are the most important Lake Erie‘s General Manager David Oliver and Coach Joe Sacco and the revamped Monsters roster are off to a great start.
 
The Lake Erie Monsters opened their 2008-2009 American Hockey League season at Quickens Loan Arena Saturday night with a 4-3 overtime win against their North Division rival Grand Rapids Griffins.
 
Lake Erie coming off their disappointing inaugural 2008 AHL season was looking to start out fresh with 12 new faces on the roster. The Monsters did return a solid goalie tandem in Jason Bacashihua and Tyler Weiman.  
 
Grand Rapids , the NHL Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings AHL affiliate, came to Cleveland coached by former NHL Atlanta Thrashers head coach Curt Fraser.   Fraser became the eighth head coach in Griffins history.
 
The Griffins came out quickly scoring in the 1st minute on a crossing pass by Darren Hayder that Ryan Oulahan redirected by Bacashihua.
 
The Monsters first opportunity to score came on a penalty shot awarded to defenseman Kyle Cuminsky at the 15:30 mark of the opening stanza.   Cuminsky unsuccessfully attempted to go five-hole on Grand Rapids rookie goalie Daniel Larson.   Just four minutes later Grand Rapids Darren Helm was awarded a penalty shot and Bacashihua turned Helms’ wrister away with his left blocker.
 
The Monsters tied the game at 7:03 as Marty Sertich tallied the equalizer of a nifty pass from veteran left wing Chris Durno.   Every Lake Erie goal tonight was tallied by a player making his debut in Cleveland
 
Grand Rapids controlled the majority of the 1st period and their hard work paid off with the final goal of the first stanza by right winger rookie Ville Leino at the 3:12 mark.   Leino from Finland was the last cut from the Detroit Red Wings training camp.
 
Lake Erie and Grand Rapids skated to a scoreless second period.   The Monsters outshot the Griffins 11-7 in the middle period.
 
The Monsters game out with a strong start to the third period with another new veteran winger Jesse Boulerice scoring at 16:46 of the period to knot the game at 2-2. Assisting on Boulerice’s goal was rookie and Colorado Avalanche second round draft pick in the 2007 NHL draft T.J. Galiardi and defenseman Mike Vernace.
 
Forward Justin Abdelkader answered less than 2 minutes later to quickly put Grand Rapids back on top.
 
The Monsters got their 1st power play goal of the campaign with 6:24 remaining from rookie defenseman Nigel Williams. Assisting on Williams’ goal was Per Ledin and Chris Stewart.
 
Commenting on the Monsters resiliency Sacco said, “The intensity in our shifts got better in the second and third period and I told our guys if we had a strong effort, execution will take care of itself.”
 
The Monsters after tying the game at 3 had to kill 2 Grand Rapids back to back power plays in the last 6 minutes of the period.   Bacashihua shined stopping 4 Griffin point blank opportunities during the power plays.  
 
“As the game went on we got a lot better,” Bacashihua said. “Tying it up and then giving up a goal then the boys coming back to bury another one and then the one in overtime was huge momentum for us and for tomorrow too.”
 
The last minute of the third period had the Monsters buzzing in the Grand Rapids zone but Grand Rapids netminder Daniel Larsson withstood the flurry of shots sending the game into overtime.
 
Just 1:18 into overtime newcomer and veteran forward Brian Willsie turned a neutral zone turnover by Grand Rapids into the winning goal.   Willsie, a veteran of 344 NHL games including 53 games last year with the Los Angeles Kings was named Captain of Lake Erie on Friday.
 
“The ice was a pretty choppy especially late in the game and I just wanted to get a shot on net and it was fortunate to go off the defenseman’s stick and went into the net,” Willsie said.
 
Notes:
 
Special teams an area where the Monsters need to improve was impressive killing all 7 Griffin power play opportunities.  
 
T.J. Hensick, Per Ledin, and Chris Stewart were the last 3 cuts from the Colorado roster at the deadline.
 
Craig Billington director of Player Development and Vice President of Hockey Operations for the Avalanche was in attendance for the Monsters opener.
 
Contact the author at glenn.osowski@prohockeynews.com .