LAKE ERIE 3, TEXAS 2
Lake Erie scored once in each period and held on for a 3-2 win over visiting Texas at Quicken Loans Arena on Monday night.
With their third straight victory, the Monsters (27-22-3-5) jumped over idle Hamilton and Abbotsford and into second place in the North Division race, one point ahead of the Bulldogs and Heat.
David Van der Gulik, Luke Walker, and Ryan Stoa netted goals for the Monsters. Stoa’s team-leading 16th marker of the season, which came on the power play at 15:59 of the third period, turned out to be the game-winner. Joel Chouinard and Justin Mercier earned assists on the play.
Lake Erie goaltender Jason Bacashihua finished with 32 saves in net and stopped 10 of 11 shots during a third period in which Texas held an 11-5 shots advantage.
Bacashihua, who is now 11-13-3 on the campaign, helped the Monsters move to an impressive 11-3-0-1 in their last 15 games overall.
Defenseman Dan Spang potted a second-period goal for the Stars, and with his club trailing 3-1 late, Dave Bonk netted his first career AHL goal at 19:50 of the third period to account for the final margin.
Texas, which saw a mini two-game winning streak come to an end, will get another crack at the Monsters on Wednesday night as its eight-game road trip continues.
