The Syracuse Crunch scored first on Saturday, but the Cleveland Monsters responded with four unanswered to grab a 4-1 victory and take a 2-0 series lead in the North Division finals.
Syracuse jumped out to a 1-0 lead at 8:07 of the first period on Devante Stephens’ power-play goal, but Cleveland scored twice in four minutes to close the period and added two more in the third, including an empty-netter to seal the victory.
Crunch goaltender Brandon Halverson stopped 24 of the 27 shots he faced, while Jet Greaves made 17 saves for the Monsters.
Anthony Volpe delivers grand slam, career-high five RBI in return as Yankees sweep Rockies Syracuse went 1-for-4 on the man advantage and Cleveland finished 1-for-3.
Game 3 of the best-of-five series is set for Wednesday, May 22, at the Upstate Medical University Arena, with puck drop set for 7:05 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.