The Cleveland Monsters had the Hershey Bears right where they wanted them on Wednesday night. After James Malatesta tied Game 7 late in the third period, nervousness was felt all over Giant Center. It was yet another overtime game. But this time, whoever scored would punch their ticket to the Calder Cup Finals.
Game 7 marked the fourth overtime game at Giant Center in the series. The Bears won Games 1 and 2 while the Monsters took Game 6.
After being down 3-0 in the series, the Monsters scratched and clawed and did everything possible to earn another opportunity. They did so in Game 4 winning a tight one. They dominated Game 5 to send it back to Hershey. They survived a scare in Game 6 before winning it in overtime. Their “no-quit” mentality served them well in the series.
But then in the flick of a wrist, it was all over for the Monsters. Garrett Roe sent Giant Center into a frenzy. The Bears literally survived the Monsters by the skin of their teeth.
While the Bears will get another opportunity in the Calder Cup Finals against the Coachella Valley Firebirds, the Monsters had their incredible season seemingly end in a flash. The moment went from numerous chances to score the winner to suddenly it was the last game this group as is would play together, all in the blink of an eye.
While the series as a whole will go down as one of the best seven-game series in recent memory, the story of this game from a Monsters’ perspective actually started after the game. At the start of overtime, the feeling was of anticipation and hope. When it was over, the overwhelming feeling from top-to-bottom was pain.
Let’s try to paint the picture postgame to give you a sense of just how painful this loss was for the Monsters.
Painful Ending
The Monsters did everything and then some to send the Bears to the very outer limits of this series. The Bears posted the second-best points percentage in AHL regular season history. They steamrolled their opponents. They weren’t given much competition early in the playoffs, losing just once to Lehigh Valley on their way to the Eastern Conference Finals.
That theme continued through Game 3 against the Monsters. The Bears built a 3-0 lead in the series thanks to a dominating stretch in Game 3 that put the game out of reach. It felt like just a matter of playing out the string before a sweep would be completed.
Don’t tell that to these Cleveland Monsters though. They may have been on the mat, but to them, the series was far from over. They took Game 4. They took Game 5. They took Game 6 in Hershey. All they needed was one more game, one more goal.
The Monsters missed by one shift and one shot. After successfully killing Jake Gaudet’s delay of game penalty in overtime, the Bears used that momentum to convert on the series-winning goal.
Several Monsters players just stood on the ice as the Bears were in a celebratory hug. They knew it was over. They knew how close they were to the Finals. They outplayed the Bears for the most part in Game 7. But it wasn’t quite good enough.
Coach Trent Vogelhuber spent a good amount of time after the game addressing the team before coming out and doing postgame. As he walked out to the media area, it was apparent tears were in his eyes. Whatever he said to the team was extremely emotional.
To say this loss was painful would be a massive understatement. After 76 regular season games and 14 playoff games, the fate of the Monsters was decided on a single shift in overtime. When asked what Vogelhuber said to his team in the room after the game, he simply said “that I loved them.” That’s all he could say before the emotion of the moment overtook him. He had to step away for a few minutes to collect himself.
Who could blame him? The way Game 7 ended was as painful an ending as any team could have. That emotion spilled over to everyone in the organization.
“I care about them. They care about each other,” Vogelhuber said when he returned. “They’ve done everything we ask. So emotion is just because I couldn’t have asked them to do anything else.”
Alternate captain Billy Sweezey spoke about just how special these Monsters were to him. His words sum up what every player felt about how close this team was.
“It was such a special group,” Sweezey said. “A lot of guys are at a loss for words right now. They’re really emotional. I mean, we loved each other and we went through so much. We’re pretty successful. We made a pretty deep run. It was probably the most fun I ever had personally in terms of the guys, on the ice, off the ice. We were so close.”
Although we personally weren’t in the Monsters’ room postgame, Vogelhuber didn’t come out for about 15-20 minutes and Sweezey came out much later. The word in the room was guys were very emotional trying to process what just happened.
The painful reality of the season being over overtook several players. Time was spent together cherishing even their last moments together as a group. Even riding the elevator down with several players, you could see the emotions on their faces. It told the whole story. Everyone was processing the pain in the moment. The pain won’t go away for some time. It may never go away.
“I’ll be 50 and it’s still gonna hurt,” Sweezey said of the pain of this loss.
Pride in Being a Monster
Having their season end like that is a lot to process in the heat of the moment. But once they are able to step back from it, the Monsters will see that they have a lot to be proud of. What they were able to accomplish this season could have a lasting impact down the road in different forms. Wearing that jersey gives everyone on the team a sense of pride.
That was evident when both Vogelhuber and Sweezey spoke about how close knit this group was. They all bought in. They played for each other. No matter who was on the ice, they all shared a common goal. The culture around this team was in a good place.
“I just think they laid it on the line for each other,” Vogelhuber said. “That’s all you can ask for a group is to do what they did, everything we asked.”
Sweezey credits the culture as to why this collection of players were able to be so close.
“We have guys that have played 10 years. We have guys that have played one and that have been successful beforehand. There’s guys in there saying it’s the closest group they ever had, the most fun they ever had, certainly the most fun I ever had in playing with a team. I think every guy truly loved each other and that’s kind of a culture that we set.”
To be in one accord is a rare thing in today’s game. These Monsters were able to do that under Vogelhuber’s guidance and the leadership showing the way. They all took pride in making that the standard.
Beyond that, these Monsters do have a lot to be proud of. They had to overcome several injuries. They had to overcome several callups by the Blue Jackets. Players were constantly coming in and out. But in the end, Jet Greaves set team records while everyone else bought in and contributed in some way.
The Monsters then won two playoff rounds. They then showed just how formidable they were against the best team in the AHL. There were many moments to celebrate. All of which bode well for what could be coming to the Blue Jackets eventually.
Monsters Full of Promise
Once the Monsters can step back from the pain and once they see how much they accomplished, they can see how much promise they have for the future of the Blue Jackets. While not every Monster will wear a Blue Jackets uniform eventually, they still had a hand in being part of the Monsters’ culture. Those that will end up with the Blue Jackets will look back to just how special this season was.
Vogelhuber believes that an important lesson was learned by the Monsters that will bode well for the Blue Jackets in the years to come. Given the state of the current Blue Jackets, it’s an important lesson.
“I just think Columbus has a bright future with a lot of these guys,” Vogelhuber said. “They care. They love hockey but they know what it takes to win. It’s about doing it for each other. I hope that’s what they can take out of this year, that they know they can have success. If they do that, if they really do it for the guy next to you, that’s how you win. That’s the only reason we got to this point.”
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Sweezey believes that this loss can serve as a form of motivation for guys in the future. They will never forget where they were when they lost this Game 7.
“Guys don’t forget what it just felt like in that room throughout the summer and they use it as motivation to either get back here or get further,” Sweezey said. “It’s always gonna hurt. Hopefully guys don’t forget what it feels like right now because it’s one of the worst feelings in the world.”
We can point to several examples. Greaves finished with a 2.17 goals-against average and .926 save percentage. David Jiricek showed his offensive prowess with 11 points in 14 games. Justin Pearson led all Monsters with 12 points while Josh Dunne led them with seven goals. They got contributions from all over the lineup.
Denton Mateychuk saw his first action in Game 4 and didn’t look out of place. Even in crunch-time moments, he was out there as cool as anyone could be.
This playoff run does give a glimpse of what is coming to the Blue Jackets over time. There is plenty of promise on the horizon. Mateychuk and Jiricek assisted on a goal by Trey Fix-Wolansky in Game 7. That pair could become a fixture on the Blue Jackets.
In Conclusion
This Game 7 loss for the Monsters goes well beyond just a game. It signaled the painful end for this special group. It reinforced just how close everyone was on the team. The emotions from everyone could be easily seen. This pain could ultimately last a lifetime to some.
Once everyone can step back from the pain, they will see both how proud they can be of what they accomplished as well as how much promise there is for the future. This group of Monsters will now carry the memory of this season forever no matter where everyone ends up.
Hockey can be both beautiful and agonizing at the same time. The Cleveland Monsters saw firsthand Wednesday night how true that statement was.
For them, this one will hurt for a long time. But if there is a silver lining to all of this, these Monsters showed how important culture is on a team. Guys in the league for 10 years don’t randomly say it was the most fun ever unless it truly was. That aspect of this cannot be overlooked. The Monsters greatest strength all along was the concept of team. They showed it in spades and the benefits will last forever.
The 2023-24 Monsters’ season is now over. They gave their fans an amazing ride. They also gave their fans something they can be proud of. They handled their business the right way and got rewarded for it.
Pain. Pride. Promise. That’s how these Cleveland Monsters will be remembered. They have nothing to be ashamed of whatsoever.