Patrick WilliamsTheAHL.com Features Writer
The end of the strike period Trent Vogelhuber hard last night.
After forcing a Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals, anything seems possible for Vogelhuber's Cleveland Monsters. Then, at the bottom of the goal deep in the third period, James Malatesta got loose in the lower right circle, spun and fired a shot past the Bears netminder Hunter Shepard at 5:52 to regulation. It was the fourth time in the series that the Monsters erased a third-period deficit to force overtime — all at the Giant Center.
Cleveland outscored Hershey, 17-6, in the final frame and created a number of key opportunities that nearly ended the game. Then they killed off a delay-of-game penalty in overtime that looked like another momentum shift. But the Bears kept the Monsters pinned after the power play expired, and 33 seconds later it was all over. Garrett Roe hit the pack past the goalkeeper Jet Greavesending the monster season.
But they never stopped. They matched the AHL's top team, won three elimination games and nearly completed a historic comeback in Game 7. So even the shutout Vogelhuber was left red-eyed and choked to a stop outside Cleveland. dressing room as he tries to find words after a heartbreaking loss.
“They put it on the line for each other,” Vogelhuber said of his players. “That's all you can ask of a team. They are heartbreaking. I just feel sorry for them.”
While the defending Calder Cup champion Bears will get a rematch with the Coachella Valley Firebirds in the Calder Cup final starting Friday, the Monsters face a five-hour bus ride back home to Cleveland and the start of their season.
“It was the last game this team played together,” said the defender Billy Sweezey said. “Hopefully the boys have learned their lessons, and can use this as a stepping stone. There are a lot of guys out there who will do a lot of good things.
“It will always hurt. I will be 50 years old, and it will still hurt.”
Whenever that pain subsides a bit, though, there will be plenty to take away from this journey that began in training camp nearly nine months ago.
Two first-round picks in the 2022 NHL Draft have given Columbus Blue Jackets fans an encouraging look at the club's future. David Jiricekthe sixth overall pick two years ago, he logged heavy minutes, played defensively and finished with 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in 14 playoff contests. Denton Mateychukwho was selected six picks after Jiricek at No. 12, quickly looked like a veteran prospect after Vogelhuber added him to the roster for Game 4 after he finished a Memorial Cup run with Moose Jaw of the Western Hockey League.
Greaves, an AHL All-Star this year, carried his strong season into the Calder Cup Playoffs, posting a 2.17 goals-against average and .926 save percentage in 13 playoff starts and stopping 122 of 130 shots. in the last four games. conference finals. The 23-year-old player has made himself a potential candidate for the Blue Jackets.
In addition, Vogelhuber, his coaching staff and a strong group of veterans led by the captain Brendan Gaunce form a team that has received praise throughout the league for its tireless work and commitment. A veteran officer Don Waddell, who joined the Columbus organization on May 28 as its new president of hockey and general manager, watched yesterday's Game 7 with Blue Jackets fans at a bar near Nationwide Arena. He had to leave impressed by what he saw. Throughout the season, Vogelhuber has stressed the need to build a winning, quality culture in Cleveland that can carry over to the players when they move on to the Blue Jackets, something Waddell will inherit as he settles into his new role.
“Columbus has a bright future with a lot of these guys because they care,” Vogelhuber continued. “They love hockey. They know what it takes to win. It's about doing for each other, and that's what I hope they bring out this year, is that they know they can be successful if they do that, if they do it for the guy that's really close to you. That's how you win. That is the only reason we have reached this point.”
When Vogelhuber met his players after the game, he only had a simple message for them.
“Just that I love them.”
TheAHL.com features writer Patrick Williams has covered the American Hockey League for nearly two decades at outlets including NHL.com, Sportsnet, TSN, Hockey News, SiriusXM NHL Network Radio and SLAM ! Sports, and most recently was the host of The Hockey News On The 'A' podcast. He was the recipient of the AHL's James H. Ellery Memorial Award for the league's top scorer in 2016.
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