Tyler Weiman picked up right where he left off the last time he faced Syracuse.  Weiman recorded his sixth shutout of the season  - and second straight against Syracuse - on Friday in a 3-0 win over the Crunch. 

The last time Weiman was in net against Syracuse, he led the Monsters to a 4-0 blanking over the Crunch in New York on December 20th. Friday was Lake Erie's sixth shutout of the year, and with his six shutouts, Weiman now ranks first in the AHL.

Friday in Syracuse was Lake Erie's first time back on the ice since last Saturday, January 24th, when they lost in Philadelphia.

Both teams looked a little rusty, at least on the offensive end, to start the game.  The Monsters put six shots on goal in the first period, compared to eight from the Crunch.  None of the combined 14 shots found the back of the net, and the first period came and went with a scoreless tie.

The puck remained on the Crunch's end throughout the second period, as Lake Erie outshot Syracuse, 11-3.  The three SOGs allowed in the period ties for a season best for the Monsters.  Matt Hendricks converted one of those Monsters shots, scoring at the 6:25 point of the middle frame.  He was assisted by Per Ledin.

That would be the only score for nearly the rest of the game.  Neither team would muster a goal the rest of the second period, and it looked as if they wouldn't through the third as well.

Just like the first period, the Crunch outshot the Monsters in the third, 8-6.  However, heading into the final minute of the period, the Monsters were still up 1-0.  So Syracuse pulled goalie Dan LaCosta in favor of a sixth attacker.  The plan backfired for the Crunch, as the Monsters actually proceeded to score on the empty net not just once, but twice, in the final 52 seconds.

Bryan Marshall netted his third goal in the last four games at 19:08, assisted by Chris Mueller.

Ledin scored immediately thereafter at the 19:24 mark.  The final goal of the game was helped by Codey Burki, resulting in the 3-0 final.

Weiman finished the night with 19 saves, while LaCosta had 20 saves on the 21 shots he faced.

The Monsters return home on Saturday to host the Hamilton Bulldogs.