Monsters Rally From 2-0 Deficit as Fedotov, Williams Secure Shootout Win

Cleveland staged a late comeback and held its nerve in a shootout to defeat Toronto 3-2 on Tuesday night at Rocket Arena, a result that tightened the AHL North Division race and underscored the Monsters’ depth and resilience down the stretch.

Toronto jumped ahead when Jacob Quillan scored at 18:55 of the first period and Luke Haymes extended the lead at 3:18 of the third. The Marlies carried a 2-0 advantage into the mid-third before Cleveland mounted its response. Luca Del Bel Belluz cut the lead with a power-play goal at 7:58 of the third, assisted by Luca Pinelli and Luca Marrellito, and Zach Aston-Reese provided the late equalizer with helpers from Jordan Dumais and Caleb MacDonald to send the game to overtime. Cleveland’s team site and most reports list Aston-Reese’s tying goal at 13:58 of the third; two outlets recorded it at 13:48, a minor discrepancy noted in available summaries.

Neither side could break the tie in a scoreless overtime period, and the shootout decided the contest. Jack Williams scored in the fifth round to clinch the win. “Following a scoreless overtime, Jack Williams grabbed the game-winning goal in the fifth round of the shootout, making the final score 3-2,” the Monsters’ account said. Local reporting also listed Mikael Pyythia and Hunter McKown among Cleveland’s successful shooters in the shootout, a sequence that deserves confirmation on the official game sheet.

Ivan Fedotov posted the victory for Cleveland with 22 saves; Toronto’s Dennis Hildeby finished with 31 saves in a losing effort. The Monsters’ linescore showed Toronto 1-0-1-0-0 and Cleveland 0-0-2-0-1, producing the 3-2 (SO) result. The win moved Cleveland to 23-14-5-1 and positioned the club second in the division, while Toronto is listed at 22-15-4-3.

Beyond the immediate result, the game offered several development and business takeaways. Del Bel Belluz’s power-play finish reinforced why he was named a 2026 AHL All-Star on Jan. 15, and the appearance of recently assigned veteran Zach Aston-Reese highlights how NHL organizations are using the AHL for short-term reinforcements and player conditioning; the Monsters’ roster notes include recent assignments and transactions that shape nightly lineups. Dramatic shootout finishes are also a product the AHL can showcase to capture local fan attention and strengthen in-arena revenue streams as teams head toward playoff positioning.

Some outlets noted momentum implications: “This makes an impressive six straight victories for the Monsters,” one report said. Cleveland heads to Laval for a weekend set starting Feb. 6, while Toronto’s next match is listed for Feb. 7. The result preserves Cleveland’s upward trajectory and keeps several players - from Del Bel Belluz to Williams and Fedotov - in the spotlight as the league pivots toward the second half of the season.