Monsters Let Early Lead Slip in Overtime Loss to Wolves
CLEVELAND - For 20 minutes, the Cleveland Monsters looked like a team in full control. They jumped out to a three-goal lead, dictated the pace, and had the Chicago Wolves on their heels. But hockey is a 60-minute game-and on Wednesday night, it took 64 minutes and 29 seconds for the Wolves to complete a stunning comeback, handing Cleveland a 6-5 overtime loss at Rocket Arena.
Bradly Nadeau played the hero for Chicago, netting his second goal of the night with just 31 seconds left in the extra frame. It capped a relentless rally by the Wolves and dropped the Monsters to 17-14-5-1 on the season. Cleveland remains in sixth place in the AHL’s North Division, but this one will sting-not just because of the final score, but because of how it all unraveled.
A First Period Blitz
The Monsters came out flying. Corson Ceulemans got the scoring started at 10:12 of the opening period, finishing off a play set up by Max McCue and Hunter McKown. That goal opened the floodgates.
McKown, who had his fingerprints all over the night, added a goal of his own late in the period-redirecting a shot from Dysin Mayo at 18:44 to make it 2-0. Just 38 seconds later, Roman Ahcan cashed in on another strong offensive push, with Will Butcher and McKown collecting assists. In the span of less than nine minutes, Cleveland had built a 3-0 cushion and looked poised to cruise.
Second Period Surge-and Shift
After Josiah Slavin got Chicago on the board early in the second, the Monsters wasted no time restoring control. Justin Pearson buried one at 4:24 off feeds from Hudson Fasching and Ole Julian Bjørgvik-Holm. Then, at 6:57, Caleb MacDonald made it 5-1 with his first professional goal-another play that saw McKown and Pearson involved.
But that’s when the tide started to turn.
Chicago’s Cal Foote struck at 15:13, and Ryan Suzuki followed with a power-play goal at 18:21. Suddenly, what had been a four-goal lead was down to two heading into the third period-and momentum had clearly shifted.
Wolves Take Over Late
Whatever was said in the Wolves’ locker room during the second intermission worked. Nadeau scored just six seconds into the third period, a jarring start that led to Cleveland pulling starting goaltender Ivan Fedotov in favor of Zach Sawchenko.
That move settled things temporarily, but Chicago kept pressing. Skyler Brind’Amour tied the game at 10:21, completing the comeback and sending the game to overtime.
In the extra frame, both teams had their chances, but it was Nadeau again who delivered the dagger-finishing a night that saw the Wolves outscore Cleveland 5-0 over the final 25 minutes of play.
Between the Pipes
It was a rough outing for Cleveland’s netminders. Fedotov made just six saves before getting the hook early in the third. Sawchenko came on in relief and stopped seven shots, but the damage had already been done.
On the other end, Cayden Primeau was solid when it mattered most. He turned away 30 shots and held Cleveland scoreless over the final 33 minutes of game time-giving his team the foundation they needed to mount the comeback.
What’s Next
The Monsters won’t have to wait long for a shot at redemption. These two teams are right back at it Thursday night at Rocket Arena. After a game like this, expect Cleveland to come out with something to prove.
They had the game in their hands-and let it slip. Now it’s about how they respond.