Slow start dooms Monsters in 3-1 loss to Griffins

Monsters coach Trent Vogelhuber calls timeout early, but it's too late to stop the damage

Published on Mar. 8, 2026

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The Cleveland Monsters were unable to overcome a slow start in a 3-1 loss to the Grand Rapids Griffins on Pucks and Paws day at Rocket Arena. The Griffins jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period, and the Monsters were unable to mount a comeback despite Roman Ahchan's goal in the second period. Monsters coach Trent Vogelhuber called a timeout early in the game, but said the damage was already done by that point.

Why it matters

The loss drops the Monsters to third place in the AHL North division, while the Griffins continue to dominate with the second-best record in AHL history at this point in the season. The Monsters had shown they could compete with the Griffins the previous night, making this loss particularly disappointing.

The details

The Griffins took a 2-0 lead in the first period, with Gabriel Seger scoring on a breakaway. The Monsters were unable to generate much offense in the opening frame, prompting Vogelhuber to call a timeout. Ahchan scored in the second period to cut the deficit to 2-1, but Carter Mazur's goal in the third period sealed the win for the Griffins.

  • The Monsters coach called his only timeout of the game with more than eight minutes left in the first period.
  • Gabriel Seger scored the Griffins' second goal at 11:48 of the first period.
  • Roman Ahchan scored for the Monsters 3:02 into the second period.
  • Carter Mazur scored the Griffins' third goal 8:48 into the third period.

The players

Trent Vogelhuber

The head coach of the Cleveland Monsters.

Gabriel Seger

A left wing for the Grand Rapids Griffins who scored the team's second goal.

Ivan Fedotov

The goaltender for the Cleveland Monsters.

Carter Mazur

A player for the Grand Rapids Griffins who scored the team's third goal.

Roman Ahchan

A player for the Cleveland Monsters who scored their lone goal.

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What they’re saying

“There was no engagement, no stopping and starting, not a fun 12 minutes to watch. I wanted it to end.”

— Trent Vogelhuber, Monsters coach (morningjournal.com)

“The damage was done at that point, 2-0, but if we kept playing like that it was going to get out of hand.”

— Trent Vogelhuber, Monsters coach (morningjournal.com)

“We won yesterday because we did all the little things and the things that are hard to do. Us thinking because we won that we were just going to show up and win — there's a reason why we won, and we weren't doing any of those things.”

— Trent Vogelhuber, Monsters coach (morningjournal.com)

What’s next

The Monsters' next six games are on the road, with two at Hartford, one at Toronto, one at Belleville, and two at Syracuse.

The takeaway

The Monsters' loss highlights the importance of maintaining focus and intensity against top teams like the Griffins, even after a previous win. The team will need to regroup and rediscover the formula that led to their victory the previous night if they hope to climb back up the standings.