Finding themselves down 3-1 after the first period, the Lake Erie Monsters (9-9-1-1) battled from behind to a 5-4 road victory over the Hershey Bears (9-5-3-2) Saturday evening. Rookie Brad Malone scored the gamewinner with 21 seconds left in the game, finishing the night with a goal and an assist. Hugh Jessiman scored for the fourth straight game for the Monsters, who have now won three straight and five of their last six.

Hershey scored twice in the game's first 13 minutes to please the Giant Center crowd. Graham Mink's power play goal was the game's first tally before five minutes could go by, and Boyd Kane scored from the top of the goal crease to give Hershey a 2-0 lead at the 13:00 mark.

Luke Walker collected the rebound from a David Liffiton shot at 16:03 of the first period and patiently fired it over an outstretched Dany Sabourin to cut Hershey's lead to a single goal. The goal was Walker's third of the season and was also assisted by Malone.

Before the period could end, Patrick McNeill scored on a shot from the center of the Monsters blue line to give Hershey a 3-1 lead after one period.

Evan Brophey helped the Monsters chip away at the Bears lead with the second period's only goal. Tyson Barrie's slapshot from the point missed wide, but the bouncing puck was centered by Ryan Stoa for Brophey, who wristed a forehand shot into the back of the goal for his seventh of the season at the 16:13 mark.

The Monsters carried the play in the third period, beginning when Jessiman scored on a long wrist shot from the top of the right circle at the 5:56 mark. Stoa assisted on Jessiman's seventh goal of the season; a goal that tied the game at 3-3.

At the 9:33 mark, Barrie sent a pass across the top of the goal crease, and Justin Mercier's attempt bounced off the goal post. Mercier gathered his own rebound, and sent a puck upstairs to give the Monsters a 4-3 lead. The power play goal was Mercier's fourth, and was also assisted by Greg Mauldin.

Mink tied the game at 4-4 for the Bears with 53 seconds left to play, but after a battle for a loose puck, Malone put the Monsters ahead for good with 21 seconds left. Malone's diving effort was assisted by Stoa and Walker, and was his fourth tally of the season.

Trevor Cann made his first start in net for the Monsters since November 3rd, and stopped 29 of 33 in improving to 4-7-1 on the season. Sabourin took the loss for Hershey stopping 27 of 32 shots.

The Monsters return home to take on the Houston Aeros Wednesday night at 7:00 PM. All the action can be heard live on ESPN 850 WKNR. Following Wednesday's game, the Monsters will play six straight games on the road.

NOTES: The Monsters are 5-0-0-0 when Evan Brophey scores a goal... Brad Malone has five points (2G, 3A) in his last two games... The 76 combined penalty minutes in the game was a season-high for a Monsters game... Entering this game, Cedrick Desjardins had started six consecutive games in net for the Monsters and eight of the team's previous nine games…Ryan Stoa finished the night with three assists, a Monsters season high.

Hear from head coach David Quinn after the game:

And Doug Plagens takes us On the Road in Hershey (presented by South East Harley-Davidson):