Cleveland Monsters Open Season With Overtime Win Over Grand Rapids
After dropping two preseason games to the Griffins, Cleveland split opening weekend with its in-state rival, finishing the weekend with a dramatic overtime victory at Rocket Arena.
The Cleveland Monsters opened their 2026–27 American Hockey League season with a competitive weekend against the Grand Rapids Griffins, earning a 5–4 overtime victory on Sunday after falling 5–2 in Friday’s opener. The results followed two preseason meetings between the clubs in Toledo, where Grand Rapids claimed both games.
The preseason series began September 26, when Cleveland took an early lead on a goal from Boston Buckberger. Grand Rapids responded with two second-period goals from Sheldon Dries, including a shorthanded tally, before Kienan Draper added insurance in the third period for a 3–1 Griffins victory.
The following afternoon, the Monsters faced another challenge as Grand Rapids pulled away for a 5–2 win. Luca Pinelli and Dante Sheriff scored for Cleveland, but the Griffins received goals from five different players to complete the preseason sweep.
When the teams met again for opening night at Rocket Arena on October 2, Grand Rapids continued its offensive success. William Lagesson and Sheldon Dries gave the visitors an early two-goal lead, but Guillaume Richard responded for Cleveland late in the first period. Luke Tuch scored in the second to bring the Monsters within one after Sutter Muzzatti had restored the Griffins’ two-goal advantage. Grand Rapids added two more goals in the third to secure a 5–2 win.
Cleveland responded with a much different result on Sunday, October 4, delivering a late comeback that ended in an overtime thriller.
Boston Buckberger opened the scoring on the power play in the first period, and the Monsters broke the game open in the second. Charlie Elick, Luke Tuch and Josh Eernisse each scored to give Cleveland a 4–1 advantage heading into the third.
Grand Rapids refused to go away. Jesse Kiiskinen scored twice in the final period, and Sheldon Dries tied the game with eight seconds remaining after the Griffins pulled their goaltender for an extra attacker.
The comeback set the stage for overtime, where Tate Singleton delivered for Cleveland. With just 13 seconds remaining in the extra frame, Singleton finished a two-on-one opportunity to secure the 5–4 victory and give the Monsters their first win of the regular season.
The opening weekend offered Cleveland an early opportunity to test itself against a familiar opponent while building momentum under new head coach Nick Bootland. After the preseason sweep and Friday’s opening-night loss, Sunday’s response demonstrated the team’s ability to maintain its composure and find a way back into a game.
The Monsters finished opening weekend with a 1–1 record, setting the stage for the remainder of the 2026–27 campaign as they looked to build on Sunday’s comeback and establish consistency early in the season.