After recording back-to-back shutout victories for the first time in franchise history, the Monsters and goalie Tyler Weiman head north to face off against the Hamilton Bulldogs for their first of three games in as many days on Friday.

Weiman’s record-setting play began on Sunday, when the Monsters goaltender shutout the Philadelphia Phantoms, making 31 saves on the way to a 3-0 win. The native of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, came back three days later on Wednesday, blanking the Quad City Flames by the same 3-0 final. Weiman is now tied with Grand Rapids goalie Daniel Larsson for first place among all AHL goalies with five shutouts.

Traveling to Hamilton on Friday, the Monsters face a familiar North Division foe in the Bulldogs. This season, Lake Erie is 1-3 against Hamilton, with their lone win against the team coming on November 9th at Quicken Loans Arena. In that game, Chris Stewart, now with the Avalanche, recorded Lake Erie’s lone hat trick of the season. All-Star defenseman Kyle Cumiskey, who is also currently with Colorado, recorded a season-high three assists. The 6-4 final also accounted for the most combined goals scored in a Monsters game so far this season.

The Monsters return to The Q on Saturday to host Manitoba in the first of four games against the Moose this season. The Moose will prove to be a formidable foe, as the team currently sits in second place in the Western Conference. The Moose also boast a strong defense and All-Star goalie Cory Schneider. Schneider, who leads the league with a 1.38 GAA and a 0.947 save percentage, has been elected to start between the pipes at the 2009 AHL All-Star Classic for PlanetUSA.

Lake Erie wraps up the weekend in Houston on Sunday, as they play the Aeros for the third time this season. So far, the Monsters are 1-1 against Houston with each team winning on the road . Lake Erie tied a season high on December 30th with six goals en route to defeating Houston, 6-2. In the win, the Monsters stormed back in the third period to score five goals, an AHL season high. The 20-minute outburst also matched a franchise high, as the Monsters have scored five goals in a period on just three occasions.

After this weekend, the Monsters play three games before the All-Star break. The 2009 AHL All-Star Game, presented by Charter Communications, is slated for Monday, January 26th in Worcester, Massachusetts.  Lake Erie will be represented by blueliner Kyle Cumiskey.