The Lake Erie Monsters had a 2-1 lead over Manitoba until the final minute of Sunday’s game, when the Moose tied the contest and then ultimately claimed a 3-2 overtime victory in Game 2 of the North Division Semi-Finals in front of 8,822 at Quicken Loans Arena.

The highly-physical best-of-seven series, which is now tied at one game apiece, will move to Manitoba for the next three contests.

The Moose took a 1-0 lead at 10:38 of the opening period, as Aaron Volpatti scored off an assist from Garth Murray.

With just 26 seconds remaining in the frame, the Monsters used a power play to tie the game at 1-1. Shawn Belle took a slap shot from the point and David van der Gulik buried the rebound from the right side of the net to tie the game. Belle’s assist mark his second helper in as many Playoff games, while Ben Walter also assisted to mark his second point (1G, 1A) in his last two outings.

After 20 minutes, the Monsters carried an 11-9 lead in shots.

Neither team scored in the middle frame, as both sides recorded 11 shots.

At 11:28 of the third period, Julien Brouillette snapped the 1-1 deadlock when he took a pass from van der Gulik and netted a slap shot from the left point. Greg Mauldin also recorded an assist.

The Monsters held onto their 2-1 lead until the final minute of regulation, when Marco Rosa, who totaled four points (2G, 2A) in Game 1, tied matters at the 19:10 mark. From the top of the left circle, Rosa took a wrist shot that made its way through net-front traffic and Lake Erie goaltender John Grahame. Rosa’s goal was assisted by Mark Flood and Sergei Shirokov.

The two teams then headed to a 20-minute sudden-death overtime session, and at the 8:03 mark, Volpatti’s shot deflected off of Rick Rypien’s skate and into the net to give Manitoba a 3-2 victory.

The Moose recorded eight shots in overtime, while the Monsters posted three.

Grahame recorded 40 saves between regulation and overtime, while former Monster Tyler Weiman went 34-for-36 in the game.

The Monsters and Moose will faceoff for Game 3 at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday night in Manitoba.

Three Stars: 1. MTB Rypien (GW goal); 2. MTB Rosa (1 goal); 3. MTB Weiman (34 saves)
 

David van der Gulik Postgame Interview