Monsters Fall to Phantoms in Shootout Despite Strong Effort, 4-3

The Cleveland Monsters fell to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms 4-3 in a thrilling shootout on Sunday at PPL Center. Despite a valiant effort, Cleveland dropped to 35-26-6-3 on the season while Lehigh Valley improved to 29-33-3-3.

Cleveland got off to a strong start as Riley Bezeau opened the scoring at 10:21 of the first period with assists from Tate Singleton and Hunter McKown. Just under two minutes later, Mikael Pyyhtiä extended the lead on the power play at 18:54, assisted by Will Butcher and Brendan Gaunce. The Monsters carried a 2-0 advantage into the second.

Lehigh Valley responded in the second period with a goal from Jacob Gaucher at 15:24, cutting the deficit to 2-1. The Phantoms carried momentum into the third as Boris Katchouk tied the game at 7:59. Noah Powell gave Lehigh Valley the lead at 11:50, but James Malatesta answered for Cleveland at 16:37 with an assist from Bezeau, sending the game into overtime.

The extra session remained scoreless, forcing a shootout. Lehigh Valley’s Jack Berglund was the game-winner, securing the 4-3 victory for the Phantoms.

Cleveland’s Ivan Fedotov made 38 saves in the loss while Lehigh Valley’s Carson Bjarnason turned aside 24 shots for the win. Fedotov’s effort was strong but not enough to overcome the Phantoms’ late surge.

Riley Bezeau led the Monsters offensively with two assists and a goal. Pyyhtiä added a key power-play goal, while Malatesta’s late tally kept the game alive. On the Phantoms side, Katchouk, Powell, and Berglund provided the crucial goals in the shootout.

The loss puts the Monsters at 35-26-6-3, remaining in third place in the AHL’s North Division. With just a few games remaining in the regular season, every point is vital in the playoff race.

Cleveland will look to rebound quickly when they host the Charlotte Checkers on Tuesday night at 7:05 PM.