Peoria struck first at the 11:23 mark of the first period when right wing Mike Glumac tipped a Cam Keith pass to the left side of the cage. Also credited with an assist was defenseman Tyson Strachan.

The Rivermen did not wait much longer to put another marker on the board, as center Trent Whitfield scored his 15th of the season at 12:48 of the opening set. Alex Brooks and Martin Kariya were each given the helpers.

The second period was a stalemate in which neither team posted a point. In the middle stanza, Monsters goaltender Jason Bacashihua saw 13 shots, all of which he stopped.

Lake Erie turned up the intensity in the third as the deficit still remained at two goals. The Monsters launched 16 shots at Peoria netminder Marek Schwarz in the period, five more than they did in the first two periods combined.

To cut the deficit for the Monsters, defenseman Mitch Love received a pass in the slot from J.D. Corbin at the 15:13 mark of the third period. Love’s second marker of the season put the Monsters within one goal with less than five minutes remaining in the game. T.J. Hensick was also credited with an assist on the play.

Moments later, Bachashihua made back-to-back saves, first on a breakaway that would have given the Rivermen a 3-1 lead, and then a quick snap shot that forced him to jump out of his stance to block.

The Monsters, however, would get no closer, as the game finished with the Rivermen on top, 2-1.  Saturday's contest is the 31st for Lake Erie decided by one goal.

Bacashihua made 30 saves on the 32 shots he faced on the evening. This marks the ninth time this season that Bacashihua has made 30 or more saves in a game. His counterpart Schwarz turned away 26 of 27 shots faced.

The Monsters now travel to Grand Rapids to cap off the three-game roadie, as they face the division rival Griffins at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday.