The Monsters show off their depth as fourth-line forward Andrew Agozzino scores at 16:27 of the third period to give Lake Erie a 2-1 victory at The Q.
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Depth figures to be a strength for the Monsters this season. They have four lines that can generate offense.
The depth paid immediate dividends Friday night at The Q. Fourth-line forward Andrew Agozzino scored at 16:27 of the third period to give the Monsters a 2-1 victory over Oklahoma City in the season opener for both clubs.
Lake Erie goalie Sami Aittokallio, a rookie from Finland, was sensational. He made 29 saves, including several jaw-droppers.
Dean Chynoweth earned his first victory as Monsters coach. He replaced David Quinn, who coached the previous three seasons.
"I'm happy for our guys because they worked extremely hard," said Chynoweth, who recently was an assistant with the New York Islanders. "It was a good all-around effort. The bigger the challenge, the more the guys dug in."
Both clubs put on a show for the crowd of 12,011. The highly entertaining game featured end-to-end action, speed and physicality.
The Monsters needed to be sharp. Their opponent is projected by many to be one of the AHL's best.
"I thought we did a good job on the forecheck," Chynoweth said. "We took away their time and space. As the game moved on, we did a good job of chipping pucks."
With the score tied, 1-1, late in the third, Agozzino was kicked out of the faceoff circle in Lake Erie's end.
Teammate Patrick Bordeleau replaced him and lost the draw. The Barons fired a shot from the point that Monsters winger Ben Wilson laid out to block.
Agozzino gathered the puck and created a 2-on-1 with Bordeleau. Agozzino zoomed in from the right and went top-shelf to beat goalie Yann Danis. Bordeleau forced the Barons to be honest and created a relatively clean look for Agozzino.
"I don't know if you can draw that up again," Chynoweth said, "but we'll take it."
The Monsters, thanks in part to Aittokallio, survived center Mark Olver's high-sticking penalty at 18:47.
"Sami was stellar," Chynoweth said. "He's so calm and collected that it gives everybody else that calming feeling."
The Monsters, in the midst of a three-game weekend, face Oklahoma City this afternoon at The Q. Calvin Pickard, Lake Erie's goalie No. 1A, will start.
Inside the first minute of the second period, Oklahoma City appeared poised to take a 1-0 lead. Talented defenseman Justin Schultz cut in from the point to apply pressure, only to be rejected by Aittokallio.
The Monsters broke through at 3:05 of the second. Defenseman Thomas Pock kept the play alive and put the puck on net. Danis failed to locate it, giving winger Bill Thomas time to pounce and score at the side of the net.
At 12:34, Monsters defenseman Tyson Barrie was whistled for interference. At 13:55, teammate David van der Gulik was guilty of delay of game. The Barons capitalized on the 5-on-3, winger Mark Arcobello beating Aittokallio at 14:16.
The first period featured plenty of puck movement. Lake Erie worked around penalties for holding (Olver), hooking (Barry Goers) and hooking (Geoff Walker).
Early in the first, Wilson fought Oklahoma City winger Dane Byers. Wilson landed several quality punches.
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: dmanoloff@plaind.com, 216-999-4664
On Twitter: @dmansworldpd
