Monsters strike early, hold off Crunch 3-2 in Game 1

Cleveland needed only one period to turn the opener of its North Division semifinal into a statement. The Monsters scored three times in the first frame and held on for a 3-2 win over Syracuse on Friday night at Rocket Arena, grabbing the first game of the best-of-five series and putting the Crunch in an immediate hole.

Justin Pearson opened the scoring after Jon Gillies misplayed the puck behind the cage, with Hudson Fasching setting up the open-net finish. Will Butcher and Corson Ceulemans followed in the period, and Cleveland cashed three of its first six shots before Syracuse could find its footing. For Gillies, it was his first Calder Cup Playoff appearance since 2017, and the opening burst made the margin feel even wider than the final score.

Syracuse did not go quietly. Dylan Duke and Mitchell Chaffee trimmed the lead and kept the Crunch within striking distance, but the first period proved to be the decisive swing. Cleveland’s early pressure gave Zach Sawchenko enough room to manage the game from there, and he finished with 29 saves on 31 shots. He made 16 of those stops in the third period as Syracuse kept pressing late.

Brandon Halverson also kept the game close when he entered in relief, stopping all nine shots he faced over two periods. Even so, the Crunch could not erase the damage done in the opening 20 minutes, especially in a game without a power-play opportunity for either side. Cleveland’s quick strike meant Syracuse spent the night chasing, not dictating.

The result fit the shape of the matchup. The clubs split their four regular-season meetings, with each team winning twice at home, and the home-ice pattern held again in Game 1. It also continued a playoff history that has leaned Cleveland’s way: the Monsters and Crunch are meeting in the postseason for the third time, and Cleveland has won the first two, including a four-game series in the 2019 North Division semifinals and a three-game sweep in the 2024 North Division finals.

Cleveland entered the playoffs as the North Division’s No. 3 seed after earning a bye under the AHL’s format, while Syracuse came in as the No. 2 seed. Game 2 is set for Sunday at 4 p.m. in Cleveland before the series shifts to Syracuse for Games 3 and 4, with Game 5, if needed, on May 9. For the Monsters, the first period did more than win a game. It reset the entire tone of the series.