AHL: North Division Finals Game 3 Preview l Syracuse Crunch vs. Cleveland Monsters

Games 1 & 2

In a best-of-5 series, the Cleveland Monsters delivered an impressive performance in front of their hometown crowd in the first two games of the AHL North Division Finals as they continued their ‘Countdown to Calder’. In Game 1 last Thursday, the Monsters earned a narrow 1-0 victory over the Syracuse Crunch in a sold-out Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. Justin Pearson’s shorthanded goal, which showed incredible skill, and Jet Greaves’ 28-save shutout, his first career AHL Playoff shutout, were the highlights of an intense battle. Game 2 saw the Monsters dominate with a convincing 4-1 win over the Crunch on Saturday night in Cleveland, OH. Jet Greaves stood out again with an impressive 17 saves from 18 shots, while Jakub Zboril’s goal and strong attacking play led the team to victory. Cleveland controlled most of the play, limiting the Crunch’s time in the offensive zone.

Game 3 (Wednesday, May 22)

The Monsters enter Syracuse with a commanding 2-0 series lead in a best of 5, meaning the Crunch must win three games in a row to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. This is an uphill battle for the Crunch, but not impossible. Cleveland will have to bring their A-game against a desperate Syracuse team playing at home with the crowd behind them. If the Crunch want a chance, they need to increase their shots on goal and defend harder against Cleveland’s high-powered offense. It will be a challenging task for the Monsters as the Syracuse arena will be packed and the home crowd will be raucous, adding to the pressure.

In the Eastern Conference, the Hershey Bears lead the Hartford Wolf Pack 2-0 in the Atlantic Division Finals series. While it seems likely that Hershey will face Cleveland in the Eastern Conference Finals, surprising comebacks have occurred in the past, so anything is possible. Nevertheless, a matchup between Hershey and Cleveland would certainly make for an exciting series.

Players to Watch (Syracuse)

Brandon Halverson (Doalie): 3-4 record, .916 Save%, 2.19 GAA (2024 Calder Cup Playoffs) – Struggled in Game 2, allowing four goals, and will look for a strong comeback performance in Game 3.
Gage Concalves (Forward): 1 goal, 5 assists (2024 Calder Cup Playoffs) – Looking forward to a more attacking performance from him, especially after being held off the scoresheet in the last two games against Cleveland.

Players to Watch (Cleveland)

Jet Greaves (Goalkeeper): 5-1 record, 0.951% save rate, 1.39 GAA (2024 Calder Cup Playoffs) –
1-0 (28 save) shutout win in Game 1 against the Crunch
Justin Pearson (forward): 2 goals, 3 assists – Scored the only shorthanded goal in the 1-0 win in Game 1

Where to listen:

Cleveland (Away Audio): Fox Sports 1350 The Gambler – All bets are on (iheart.com)
Syracuse (Home Audio): ESPN Syracuse (securenetsystems.net)