Monsters win sixth straight by beating Charlotte, 3-2

The Monsters and Checkers went into their game March 28 in a virtual tie for fourth place in the AHL Central Division, so it was only appropriate that 60 minutes wasn’t enough to determine the winner.

Zac Dalpe, playing in his 11th game with the Monsters, ended the drama at 2:21 of overtime in Quicken Loans Arena with a laser from the slot just under the crossbar and just over the glove of Charlotte goalie Tom McCollum for a 3-2 victory for the home team.

What a homestand it has been for the Monsters. What a five weeks it has been for Dalpe.

The Monsters have won six straight at The Q since being blanked, 4-0, by Texas on March 17 to surge from sixth to fourth in the division. The Monsters are 3327-3-4. The top four teams in the division make the playoffs.

The game-winning goal by Dalpe was his second in the winning streak — not bad considering he didn’t join the Monsters until he was claimed by the Columbus Blue Jackets from the Minnesota Wild on Feb. 27.

Dalpe scored the only goal in regulation for the Monsters in a game against the Chicago Wolves on March 22. He followed that with the clinching goal in a shootout in the same game for a 2-1 Monsters win. He has three goals and three assists in a Monsters uniform.

One more thing: Dalpe and his wife also became parents of little Brooks Dalpe, now 3 weeks old, during the winning streak.

“I think I’m settling in,” Dalpe said. “Personally, with the delivery of the baby, things were a little hectic. Now I’m finally getting some sleep.

“I don’t think that was our best game, but finding ways to win is a positive,” said Dalpe, who played with Charlotte for three years. “A couple plays we drew up didn’t work, so we decided to roam. Sometimes that works and it paid off for us.”

All three goals were scored on the power play. Defenseman Dean Kukan assisted on each one.

The game did not resemble the weekend sweep of Iowa. The Wild fired 52 shots at Monsters goalie Anton Forsberg on March 24 and 37 at him on March 26.

Charlotte had only 23 shots on goal. It was a tightchecking, scrappy game. The Monsters proved they can play both styles and win.

“We persevered,” Coach John Madden said. “This game had a playoff feel to it. Our power play was working. We’ve been able to keep our lines together. They have good chemistry.”

The Monsters and Checkers play again at 7 p.m. March 30 at The Q. It will be the final game of the eight-game homestand before hitting the road for five straight games.