Monsters pick up first win of the season

As the 75th season of the American Hockey league began Friday night the Lake Erie Monsters looked to pounce on the Syracuse Crunch.

The Crunch however, came out with their speed skates as they crashed the net and was able to score two goals in the first.

But the Monsters did not give up, there was a furry of opportunities in the second which saw two Monsters goals to tie the game up going into the third.

The third period was much like the other two but added a new element of physical play. There were a couple of fights in the third and by the end the back and forth play ended with a game winning goal by Matt Ford with just under three minutes left in the game.

The Monsters looked great and gave fans a lot to cheer about, according to the Monsters Web site this is the third time in four years the team started the season out a home. They played aggressively and looked great.

Second year Mercier started the scoring for the Monsters with his first goal of the season in the second period. The Monsters did a great job getting the puck on net, recording 35 shots on Crunch goaltender Timo Pielmeier.

The Monsters look to continue battling as they play the Crunch again tonight as they start a seven game road trip.

If the first game is anything like what we will see all season long the fans will have a lot to cheer about.