A Quicken Loans Arena crowd of 17,109 - the third largest crowd in Monsters franchise history and largest of the season in the AHL (indoors) - saw the Monsters (18-21-2-1) come up short by a 3-1 score in a hard-fought game against the top team in the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Barons (27-11-2-3), on Saturday night. The game capped off the Monsters third stretch of three-games-in-three-nights so far this season.

Following a scoreless opening frame, the Barons’ Phillippe Cornet scored on a deke in the second period to beat the Lake Erie’s Trevor Cann and give Oklahoma City a 1-0 lead. Cornet received a pass in front of the Monsters goal following a defensive zone turnover at the 11:10 mark of the second period, assisted by Ryan Keller.

Four minutes later, Monsters rookie forward Brad Malone scored the lone Lake Erie goal of the game to tie the score at 1-1. Malone tipped in a Hugh Jessiman pass on the power play for his fifth of the season, and Tyson Barrie also assisted on the goal at 14:12, his team-leading 21st helper of the year. The score would remain 1-1 into the third period

Monsters defenseman David Liffiton was called for boarding and issued a five-minute major at 7:58 of the third period, putting the Barons on the man advantage.

Only 26 seconds later, Cornet capitalized once again to give Oklahoma City a 2-1 lead. The puck took a Barons bounce at the side of the goal and was batted into the net. Entering the game, the Barons were in a one-for-38 slump on the power play.

Keller extended the lead to 3-1 with an emptynet goal with eight seconds remaining.

Cann stopped 23 of 25 shots in the loss; he is 9-16-0. David LeNeveu stopped 21 of 22 Monsters shots in the victory for Oklahoma City; he is 10-5-2 with the win.

The Monsters play at home three times in the next week: Tuesday at 7:00 PM against Hamilton, followed by Thursday at 7:00 PM against Toronto and Saturday at 7:30 PM against Hamilton.

NOTES: The Barons are 2-0-0-0 against the Monsters this season, with both games having been played at Quicken Loans Arena… All-time, the Monsters are 2-5-1-0 against the Barons… Cornet has three goals in two games against the Monsters this season, and has 20 on the season for the Barons… Malone’s power play goal comes after two consecutive games in which the power play was unable to score for Lake Erie.