Monsters squeak past Wolves, 3-2

Coach John Madden doesn’t always scowl in the moments after a Monsters hockey game.

It just seems like that look is as permanent as the battle scars etched on his face from 13 seasons in the NHL.

The Monsters held on to beat the Chicago Wolves, 3-2, on Chuck-a-Bear Night on Dec. 8 at The Q to end a five-game losing streak.

Celebrate? Madden wasn’t in the mood, though the crowd of 11,516 walked out of the arena smiling.

“I think we were a little above average, maybe,” Madden said. “We gave up way too many shots. I thought (goalie Mattiss Kivlenieks) played great. We needed a game like that with this losing streak we’ve been on.

“I’m extremely happy for him. But if we’re going to win tomorrow, we have to be a lot better than we were tonight.”

The Monsters (8-8-2-2) play the Wolves again at 1 p.m. Dec. 9 at Quicken Loans Arena. Brad Thiessen will likely be in goal for the rematch.

The Monsters showed early hustle in their first game since being shut out, 4-0, in Manitoba on Dec. 2.

Scoring goals was a problem during the losing streak — they scored two goals twice, one goal twice and were shut out once — and the game with the Wolves started the same way, but Carter Camper scored the first goal of the game on a shot from the right circle just under the crossbar at 4:58 of the second period. That was the cue for fans to toss stuffed animals onto the ice in the event that has become an annual tradition at a Monsters game in early December.

“I’m not gonna lie — that was pretty cool,” said Camper, a Rocky River native. “To be able to score the first goal of the ‘Teddy Bear Toss’ and like you said, ‘Youth Hockey Night,’ it’s great being home. I’m not gonna lie: That was pretty special.”

The Wolves tied the score, 1-1, on a blast from the point by Wolves defenseman Griffin Reinhart at 7:21 of the second.

Reinhart later scored his second goal with only 39 seconds remaining, making for some anxious moments before the final horn sounded.

In the end, Kivlenieks stopped 36 of 38 shots against the top farm club of the Las Vegas Knights.

“The first period, I had quite a few shots,” the goalie from Latvia said. “I got into the game really quick and ever since then, it just went good.”

The Monsters scored twice in between the Reinhart goals. Alex Broadhurst cleaned up a rebound for a 2-1 lead at 8:24 of the second.

Paul Bittner scored his fourth of the season at 10:40 of the third.

The shot hit the ceiling of the net and bounced out so quickly the referee waved it off, thinking it wasn’t a goal.

Play continued for more than a minute before stoppage allowed him the opportunity to review it. The crowd erupted in cheers when he pointed to center ice, signifying it was a good goal.