The Lake Erie Monsters opened their first of three road games this past weekend on Friday night against the Grand Rapids Griffins. The Monsters defeated the Griffins 5-4 after a back-and-forth contest between the two teams.

Lake Erie jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first period on goals by Markus Lauridsen and Michael Schumacher. However, Griffins forwards Chris Bruton and Teemu Pulkkinen both scored before the end of the period to tie the game at 2-2.

Forward Kenny Ryan scored the only goal in the middle frame, giving the Monsters a 3-2 lead heading into the final period of play. However, Grand Rapids defenseman Alexey Marchenko tied the game once again with an unassisted goal at 6:06 into the third period.

Lake Erie's Andrew Agozzino (Credit: John Saraya/Lake Erie Monsters).

Lake Erie quickly rebounded as forward Andrew Agozzino scored his first goal of the season to give the Monsters back the lead, and right wing Dennis Everberg scored the eventual game-winner at 14:03 of the third period to seal the game. Griffins defenseman Nathan Paetsch also scored late in the contest, but it wasn’t enough to complete a comeback.

Defenseman Stefan Elliott tallied three assists in the victory, earning first star of the game honors. Forwards Colin Smith and Michael Sgarbossa finished with two assists each.

Monsters goalie Sami Aittokallio won his first start of the season, finishing with 25 saves on 29 shots.

On Saturday, Lake Erie traveled to Milwaukee, Wis., where it was able to pick up a point in a 2-1 shootout loss to the undefeated Milwaukee Admirals.

Goalie Calvin Pickard returned to the net for the Monsters after his stint with the Avalanche and made 33 saves on 34 shots. Forward Paul Carey scored the only goal of the game for the Monsters, with assists coming from forwards Colin Smith and Everberg.

Lake Erie finished its three-in-three weekend on Sunday with a 5-2 loss to the Rockford IceHogs.

After falling behind 2-0 early in the game, defenseman Maxim Noreau and Agozzino both scored second-period goals to tie the game, 2-2. However, Rockford would go on to score three third-period goals, including an empty-net tally with less than a minute remaining in the game to secure the victory for the IceHogs.

Pickard (1-2-1) finished with 26 saves on 30 shots.

Lake Erie finished its three-in-three weekend with a 1-1-1 record, earning three of a possible six points on the road trip.

The Monsters will be back at Quicken Loans Arena this weekend to take on the defending Calder Cup champion Texas Stars in back-to-back games before traveling to Rockford at the beginning of next week.

Upcoming Games

Oct. 31 vs. Texas

Nov. 1 vs. Texas

Nov. 4 at Rockford

ECHL

Mitchell Heard (Fort Wayne Komets): The Fort Wayne Komets remain undefeated (5-0-0) after picking up three wins in three games this past weekend. On Friday, they defeated the Kalamazoo Wings 3-2 in overtime before earning a 6-2 victory the following night against the Missouri Mavericks. Heard finished with one goal, two shots and a plus-2 rating on Saturday night. The Komets concluded their successful weekend on Sunday when they shutout the Indy Fuel 4-0. Heard scored one goal and finished with five shots and a plus-2 rating in the victory.

OHL

Chris Bigras (Owen Sound Attack): The Owen Sound Attack began its first of three games this past week with a 6-1 victory on Wednesday against the Barrie Colts. Bigras finished the game with two goals and a plus-1 rating. Owen Sound traveled to Kitchener on Friday where it defeated the Rangers 4-3 in a shootout. Bigras tallied one assist in the victory. The Attack closed out the weekend on Saturday with another shootout victory, this time defeating the Guelph Storm 3-2. Bigras finished the weekend with three points in three games, as the Attack continued its four-game win streak. Bigras now has 12 points in 14 games this season and was also recently selected as one of 32 players to compete in the 2014 Subway Super Series. This annual event is a six-game exhibition between all stars representing the three leagues in the Canadian Hockey League and a select team of Russian junior players. Bigras will compete in both games for the Ontario Hockey League, which take place Nov. 13 in Peterborough and Nov. 17 in Kingston.

Nick Magyar (Kitchener Rangers): The Kitchener Rangers hosted the Guelph Storm last Tuesday, earning a 4-1 victory. Magyar finished the game with one goal. On Friday, the Rangers hosted the Owen Sound Attack but ultimately fell 4-3 in a shootout. On Saturday, the team traveled to Plymouth, Mich., to take on the Whalers. The Rangers earned a 5-3 victory with Magyar finishing with a plus-2 rating. Kitchener finished the weekend with a home game against Ottawa on Sunday and defeated the 67’s 6-2. Magyar picked up one assist in the win.

Spencer Martin (Mississauga Steelheads): Mississauga lost 5-0 to the Plymouth Whalers on Friday night, with Martin getting a rare night off. The Steelheads traveled to Windsor the following night, falling 5-4 in overtime in a close game against the Spitfires. Martin returned to the net for the Steelheads, making 37 saves on 42 shots. On Sunday, the team was able to finish the weekend on a positive note as it defeated the Saginaw Spirit 4-2. Martin made his second consecutive start in net, finishing with 34 saves on 36 shots in the victory. Martin was recently named one of two goaltenders to compete in the 2014 Subway Super Series. Martin will compete in both games for the Ontario Hockey League, which take place Nov. 13 in Peterborough and Nov. 17 in Kingston.

Kyle Wood (North Bay Battalion): The North Bay Battalion hosted the Oshawa Generals on Thursday at North Bay Memorial Gardens, losing a close game by a score of 2-1. The Battalion played again the following night against the Niagara IceDogs and was able to come away with a 6-2 victory. North Bay finished its long weekend with a 4-3 win against the Barrie Colts on Saturday. Defenseman Kyle Wood was held scoreless in all three games but finished the weekend with a plus-2 rating. Wood was also selected as one of 32 players to compete in the 2014 Subway Super Series. He will play in the second game for the Ontario Hockey League, which takes place on Nov. 17 in Kingston.

Conner Bleackley of the Red Deer Rebels (Credit: Dave Brunner Photography via NHL).

WHL

Conner Bleackley (Red Deer Rebels): The Red Deer Rebels played two home games this past weekend at Enmax Centrium in Red Deer, Alberta. The Rebels hosted Prince George on Friday, earning a 6-3 win against the Cougars. Bleackley had three assists and a plus-2 rating in the victory, earning him third star of the game honors. Red Deer would win again the following night as it defeated the Moose Jaw Warriors 5-1. Bleackley tallied one goal, two assists and had a plus-2 rating in the win. After finishing the weekend with six points in two games, Bleackley was named the Western Hockey League Player of the Week on Monday.

Mason Geertsen (Vancouver Giants): The Vancouver Giants traveled to Kamloops on Wednesday, losing 7-2 to the Blazers. The Giants played back-to-back games in Victoria on Friday and Saturday night, ultimately losing both games by one goal. Geertsen picked up an assist in the team’s 2-1 loss on Friday before adding a goal and an assist on Saturday as the Royals defeated the Giants 3-2.

QMJHL

Julien Nantel (Rouyn-Noranda Huskies): The Huskies dropped their first of two road games this past week, losing 2-1 to the Shawinigan Cataractes on Wednesday. Nantel tallied the only goal for the Huskies in the losing effort. On Friday, Rouyn-Noranda suffered a 4-2 loss to Rimouski Oceanic. Nantel picked up another goal in the loss, giving him 11 points in 12 games played this season.

Alexis Pepin (Gatineau Olympiques): Gatineau lost three consecutive high-scoring games this past week. The Olympiques lost 6-4 to Rimouski last Tuesday and then dropped a 9-6 decision on Friday in a home game against the Halifax Mooseheads. On Saturday, the Shawinigan Cataractes defeated the Olympiques 4-3 in a shootout. The team ended the weekend with a victory, as it defeated Sherbrooke 6-4 on Sunday. Despite losing three of the last four games, Pepin finished the weekend with two goals and two assists. He now has six points (three goals, three assists) in six games since returning from an injury.

NCAA

Will Butcher (University of Denver): The University of Denver hockey team traveled to Duluth Minn., over the weekend to take on the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs in back-to-back games. The Pioneers defeated the Bulldogs 3-1 on Friday night before suffering a 6-1 loss on Saturday. Butcher finished the weekend with one assist in each game.

Ben Storm (St. Cloud State University): St. Cloud State traveled to Schenectady, N.Y., this past weekend to take on defending national champion Union College in back-to-back games. The team lost 5-1 on Friday night with Storm scoring the lone goal for the Huskies. It was the sophomore's first tally of his collegiate career. St. Cloud State was able to bounce back the following night, earning a 3-2 victory against the Dutchmen.

Finland

Maximilian Pajpach (Tappara U20, Ligga Jr. A): Tappara U20 defeated Jokerit 3-2 on Thursday before dropping a 5-4 decision in a close game against Ilves on Saturday night. Goalie Maximilian Pajpach has yet to appear in a game for Tappara this season.

Sweden

Anton Lindholm (Skelleftea AIK, SHL): Skelleftea is set to take on JYP Jyvaskyla in its Champions Hockey Leauge first-round playoff series on Nov. 4 and 11. In SHL action, Skelleftea went 2-1 last week. Lindholm's club defeated Brynas 3-1 on Tuesday but lost 4-1 to HV71 on Thursday. Skelleftea closed the weekend with a 2-1 win over Leksand IF on Saturday. Lindholm has one assist in 10 SHL games this season.

Wilhelm Westlund (Djurgarden, SHL/Vita Hasten, Allsvenskan): On Wednesday, Vita Hasten suffered a 3-1 loss against IF Bjorkloven before bouncing back and defeating Sodertalje SK 2-1 on Saturday night. Westlund has two assists in 11 games played for Vita Hasten this season while on loan from Djurgarden.

Austria

Luke Walker (Graz 99ers, Eishockey Liga): The Graz 99ers defeated EC VSV 3-2 in a shootout on Thursday before falling 1-0 to HCB Suditrol on Sunday night. Walker has seven points (four goals, three assists) in 11 games for the Grazz 99ers this season. He currently ranks fifth on the team in scoring.

KHL

Jonas Holos (Lokomotiv Yaroslavl): Lokomotiv suffered two consecutive shootout losses last week, dropping a 5-4 decision against Amur last Tuesday and losing 2-1 against Admiral on Thursday. On Monday, Lokomotiv earned its own shootout victory by defeating SKA 3-2. Holos has five points (two goals, three assists) in 20 games with Lokomotiv this season.

Denis Parshin (Avangard Omsk): Avangard beat Jokerit 2-1 last Tuesday with Parshin scoring the game-winning goal in the victory. On Thursday, Dinamo Riga defeated Avangard 3-2 in a shootout. Parshin added a goal in regulation and the shootout in the losing effort. On Monday, Avangard shutout Traktor 3-0. Parshin finished the game with two shots and a plus-1 rating. He has five points (two goals, three assists) in his last five games and leads the team in overall scoring with 26 points (11 goals, 15 assists) in 22 games this season.