Binghamton Devils Sweep Weekend Series Over Cleveland Monsters

Binghamton forward Marian Studenic traveled the length of the ice and his wrister hit jackpot as the BDevils won for the second time in less than 24 hours, 4-3 over the Cleveland Monsters on Sunday. Netminder Cam Johnson stopped 41 shots while Egor Yakovlev and Blake Pietila each added three assists as the Devils took all four available points on the weekend.

The win was Binghamton’s third in a row and fourth out of the last sixth as they leaped past Cleveland in a fifth-place tie with the Belleville Senators in the tightly congested North Division.

Blake Speers put his team in front with his third goal of the season after he took a backhanded pass from Yakovlev near the goal line and slid the puck by goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks on the Devils’ first shot of the afternoon. However, Cleveland responded when Vitaly Abramov scored the first of his two goals on a sharp snapper, short side of Johnson. But before the opening period ended, the Devils regained the lead on a tip-in by Ryan Schmelzer in front off a shot by Pietila along the wall for a powerplay tally with a minute left.

In the second stanza, Binghamton prevailed once again for another PP goal when Brandon Gignac rung one off the far post for his ninth that chased Kivlenieks in favor of Friday’s starter, Jean-Francois Berube. Kivlenieks would finish with three goals on seven shots as the Devils made the most of their scoring opportunities early on.

With 25 seconds left in the period, Cleveland once again made it a one-goal game as Nikita Korostelev scored his first of the season on a wrister that caught Johnson down low, stick side from the circle to close out the middle frame.

Midway through the third the Devils saw their two-goal lead all but disappear for good and it was tied at three apiece. Abramov potted the puck past Johnson off a friendly bounce from the end boards by a shot from Tommy Cross just inside the blueline for a PP goal with just over five minutes remaining.

With time expired in regulation, Binghamton would gladly take the bus ride home on a high note with three out of four possible points earned on the weekend. And it looked to be that way if it wasn’t for the sharpness of Johnson in the extra session in making some big saves, including denying Abramov on a breakaway looking for the hat trick.

But the bonus point went to Binghamton as Studenic skated end-to-end and unloaded a wrister that turned around defenseman Tommy Cross as the puck landed far corner past Berube’s glove for his 12th of the season. Shots ended up 44-24 Cleveland for the second straight night.

Line-Up, Game #52

Forwards: Tangradi - McLeod - Bastian, Gignac - Schmelzer - Studenic, Baddock - Speers - Wolfe, Pietila - Sharangovich - Saracino

Defensemen: Yakovlev - White, Sissons - Ramage, Hammond - Jacobs

In Goal: Cam Johnson, Mackenzie Blackwood

Scratches: Brian Strait, Eddie Lack and John Quenneville

Post Game Notes

• BDevils going with the same line-up as Friday except for Pietila down to the 4th line wing and Wolfe up to the 3rd line. Binghamton has 7 players currently up with NJ.
• Friday’s hero was Eric Tangradi and today’s was Studenic. Both goaltenders were solid in net for the weekend and earned the W’s. Cam bailed out his teammates in the final five minutes as Cleveland turned on the pressure.
• Play got chippy, especially in the second period with roughness and tempers flaring after whistles. Refs did a good job in containing any issues with penalties handed to both sides.
• Like Friday, the notables were John Ramage, Michael McLeod, Tangradi, Nathan Bastian, and Studenic.
• Binghamton Booster Club made the weekend trip and made their voices heard.
• Devils took the season series over the Monsters 3-1.

Three Stars

#1. Marian Studenic (1g), #2. Egor Yakovlev (3a), #3. Vitaly Abramov (2g)

Video Highlights

Upcoming Games

Binghamton back at it next weekend with three games on tap beginning with a pair of home games against the Laval Rocket on Friday and Saturday.