Cleveland, OH–Luca Pinelli scored twice and Evan Gardner made 30 saves to lead the Cleveland Monsters to a 5-2 win over the Milwaukee Admirals Friday at Rocket Arena.
Milwaukee’s record dropped to 6-3-0-0 on the season, 2-2-0-0 on the road. Milwaukee has gone winless in its last five games in Cleveland. The teams didn’t play in the ’22-’23 or the ’23-’24 season. Milwaukee’s last win in Cleveland was Dec. 4, 2021.
Cleveland took a 2-0 lead in the first period. Pinelli pushed the puck into the goal for the first marker at 1:28 of the first frame. Then, the Monsters James Malatesta scored on the power play at 19:07 of the opening stanza.
Milwaukee’s Cole O’Hara scored just :33 into the second period to get his team on the board. O’Hara received a between the legs pass from the left boards dished by Joakim Kemell. He let a quick shot go from the left circle and beat Cleveland goalie Evan Gardner high to his glove side. The goal was O’Hara’s team-leading fourth of the season and extended his points streak to four games. Tanner Molendyk also recorded and assist.
The Monsters reclaimed the two-goal edge when Charlie Elick’s shot from the blue line went off a defending stick into the net at 6:43 of the second frame.
Cleveland was the recipient of a fortunate bounce at 3:02 of the third period as the team increased its lead to 4-1. Oiva Keskinen shot the puck along the rim. As Admirals goalie Matt Murray left the crease to play the puck, it took a weird hop off the boards to the front of the open goal. Jack Williams tapped it in for the marker.
Pinelli scored his second of the game with a wrist shot from the right circle during a Monsters power play. That goal came with 6:07 remaining.
Milwaukee’s Aiden Fink dove into the crease to score his second goal of the season at 15:34 of the third to bring about the final. Viggo Gustafsson’s shot from the right circle trickled past Gardner toward the goal line. Fink dove to push it across the line. Daniel Nieminen also recorded an assist on the play.
The Admirals outshot Cleveland 32-23.
Milwaukee and the Monsters play a rematch Saturday afternoon in Cleveland. The Admirals will host Iowa at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena Nov. 7.
