Monsters prevail in Outdoor Classic

CLEVELAND, OhioMarcus Bjork scored his second goal of the game with 31 seconds gone in overtime as Cleveland rallied for a 3-2 win over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the Cleveland Monsters Outdoor Classic, the 11th outdoor game in American Hockey League history.

After the original start was delayed by ice conditions caused by increased sunshine at FirstEnergy Stadium, home of the Cleveland Browns, the game got underway just before sundown and was played under clear skies with temperatures in the upper 30’s Fahrenheit.

Bjork also scored the equalizer early in the third period, after Justin Richards got Cleveland on the board in the final minute of the second. Monsters captain Dillon Simpson tied a record by playing in his third career AHL outdoor game.

Peter DiLiberatore and Raivis Ansons scored for the Penguins.

Official attendance was 22,875, the third-largest in league history. Several thousand fans were still in attendance following the five-hour delay to the start.

AHL OUTDOOR GAME HISTORY
Date Site Result
Feb. 20, 2010 New York State Fairgrounds
Syracuse, N.Y.
Syracuse Crunch 2, Binghamton Senators 1
Feb. 19, 2011 Rentschler Field
East Hartford, Conn.
Providence Bruins 5, Connecticut Whale 4 (SO)
Jan. 6, 2012 Citizens Bank Park
Philadelphia, Pa.
Adirondack Phantoms 4, Hershey Bears 3 (OT)
Jan. 21, 2012 Ivor Wynne Stadium
Hamilton, Ont.
Toronto Marlies 7, Hamilton Bulldogs 2
Jan. 20, 2013 Hersheypark Stadium
Hershey, Pa.
W-B/Scranton Penguins 2, Hershey Bears 1 (OT)
Dec. 13, 2013 Frontier Field
Rochester, N.Y.
Rochester Americans 5, Lake Erie Monsters 4 (SO)
Dec. 30, 2013 Comerica Park
Detroit, Mich.
Toronto Marlies 4, Grand Rapids Griffins 3 (SO)
Dec. 19, 2015 Raley Field
West Sacramento, Calif.
Stockton Heat 3, Bakersfield Condors 2
Jan. 7, 2017 Memorial Stadium
Bakersfield, Calif.
Bakersfield Condors 3, Ontario Reign 2 (OT)
Jan. 20, 2018 Hersheypark Stadium
Hershey, Pa.
Lehigh Valley Phantoms 5, Hershey Bears 2
Mar. 4, 2023 FirstEnergy Stadium
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland Monsters 3, W-B/Scranton Penguins 2 (OT)