MONSTER MASH

CLEVELAND – Josh Anderson scored two goals while Joonas Korpisalo stopped 37 of 38 shots he faced as the Grand Rapids Griffins fell 5-1 to the Lake Erie Monsters on Saturday at Quicken Loans Arena.

Sonny Milano opened the scoring for Lake Erie (8-3-0-2) 5:05 into the contest. Andrew Bodnarchuk’s wrist shot from the left point was intended for Tom McCollum’s blocker side, but a deflection off the stick of Milano sent the puck past the glove of the sliding netminder.

The Monsters added to their lead with 8:11 left in the first. On a 2-on-1, T.J. Tynan sent a backhanded pass to Anderson, who blasted a one-timer from the right circle over the glove of McCollum.

Lake Erie took a 3-0 lead into the first intermission. Nathan Paetsch was the victim of aggressive forechecking by Alex Broadhurst and lost the puck behind his own net. Broadhurst then sent a pass towards Ryan Craig in the slot, with Craig’s shot going over McCollum’s right arm with 1:52 remaining.

The Monsters added two insurance goals in the second period, with the first coming from Anderson the 6:14 mark. After Tynan’s initial effort from the right circle forced a stick save from McCollum, Anderson scored his second goal of the night off a rebound past McCollum’s blocker to give the Monsters a 4-0 advantage.

Lake Erie added its fifth with one second left on the clock. On a 2-on-1, Brandon Zaar decided to take matters into his own hands. Using Broadhurst as a decoy, Zaar fired a wrist shot from the right circle just under the crossbar.

Colin Campbell put the Griffins (2-8-0-1) on the scoresheet 3:08 into the final frame. Andy Miele’s pass from the left corner was intended for Dan Cleary but ricocheted onto the stick of Campbell, who fired a wrist shot from the bottom of the left circle just inside Korpisalo’s right post.

The Griffins outshot Lake Erie 38-30, including a lopsided 31-15 margin over the final 40 minutes. Grand Rapids went 0-for-4 on the power play, while Lake Erie failed to score on two opportunities, making the Griffins’ penalty kill was a perfect 4-for-4 in the weekend series.

The Griffins return to Van Andel Arena on Wednesday to host the Rockford IceHogs. Game time is 7 p.m.

Three Stars: 1. LE Anderson (two goals) 2. LE Craig (goal, assist) 3. LE Korpisalo (W, 37 saves)

Notes: Tonight was McCollum’s 15^th career regular season start against the Lake Erie Monsters. The Griffins goalie is 9-3-3 overall in the series, and 5-3-2 at Quicken Loans Arena…Lake Erie was without its leading scorer and hero from Friday's shootout victory. Kerby Rychel (4-7-11) was recalled by the Columbus Blue Jackets before Saturday's game on an emergency basis.

CLEVELAND – Josh Anderson scored two goals while Joonas Korpisalo stopped 37 of 38 shots he faced as the Grand Rapids Griffins fell 5-1 to the Lake Erie Monsters on Saturday at Quicken Loans Arena.

Sonny Milano opened the scoring for Lake Erie (8-3-0-2) 5:05 into the contest. Andrew Bodnarchuk’s wrist shot from the left point was intended for Tom McCollum’s blocker side, but a deflection off the stick of Milano sent the puck past the glove of the sliding netminder.

The Monsters added to their lead with 8:11 left in the first. On a 2-on-1, T.J. Tynan sent a backhanded pass to Anderson, who blasted a one-timer from the right circle over the glove of McCollum.

Lake Erie took a 3-0 lead into the first intermission. Nathan Paetsch was the victim of aggressive forechecking by Alex Broadhurst and lost the puck behind his own net. Broadhurst then sent a pass towards Ryan Craig in the slot, with Craig’s shot going over McCollum’s right arm with 1:52 remaining.

The Monsters added two insurance goals in the second period, with the first coming from Anderson the 6:14 mark. After Tynan’s initial effort from the right circle forced a stick save from McCollum, Anderson scored his second goal of the night off a rebound past McCollum’s blocker to give the Monsters a 4-0 advantage.

Lake Erie added its fifth with one second left on the clock. On a 2-on-1, Brandon Zaar decided to take matters into his own hands. Using Broadhurst as a decoy, Zaar fired a wrist shot from the right circle just under the crossbar.

Colin Campbell put the Griffins (2-8-0-1) on the scoresheet 3:08 into the final frame. Andy Miele’s pass from the left corner was intended for Dan Cleary but ricocheted onto the stick of Campbell, who fired a wrist shot from the bottom of the left circle just inside Korpisalo’s right post.

The Griffins outshot Lake Erie 38-30, including a lopsided 31-15 margin over the final 40 minutes. Grand Rapids went 0-for-4 on the power play, while Lake Erie failed to score on two opportunities, making the Griffins’ penalty kill was a perfect 4-for-4 in the weekend series.

The Griffins return to Van Andel Arena on Wednesday to host the Rockford IceHogs. Game time is 7 p.m.

Three Stars: 1. LE Anderson (two goals) 2. LE Craig (goal, assist) 3. LE Korpisalo (W, 37 saves)

Notes: Tonight was McCollum’s 15^th career regular season start against the Lake Erie Monsters. The Griffins goalie is 9-3-3 overall in the series, and 5-3-2 at Quicken Loans Arena…Lake Erie was without its leading scorer and hero from Friday's shootout victory. Kerby Rychel (4-7-11) was recalled by the Columbus Blue Jackets before Saturday's game on an emergency basis.