Hudson Fasching scored at 10:05 of overtime to lift the Cleveland Monsters to a 4-3 road victory over the Syracuse Crunch in Game 3 of their best-of-five North Division semifinal series on Friday, May 1. The win gives Cleveland a 2-1 lead after the first two games were split. Game 4 is set for Sunday afternoon in Syracuse.
After splitting the first two games of their North Division semifinal series—with Cleveland taking Game 1 3-2 and Syracuse evening it in Game 2 4-1—the Monsters reclaimed the lead in thrilling fashion. Hudson Fasching netted the game-winner at 10:05 of overtime in Game 3 on Friday, May 1, taking a long pass from Jack Williams, missing his initial shot but wrapping the rebound behind the net past Syracuse goaltender Brandon Halverson. It marked Fasching's first postseason goal in his 10-year professional career, coming immediately after he stepped onto the ice. Guillaume Richard scored twice for Cleveland, with Riley Bezeau adding one goal. Luca Del Bel Belluz and Dysin Mayo each had two assists, while goaltender Zach Sawchenko made 31 saves to improve to 2-0 in the playoffs. Spencer Kersten, Nick Abruzzese and Ethan Gauthier scored for Syracuse, with Halverson stopping 28 shots in the loss. Game 4 is scheduled for Sunday, May 3, at 3:00 p.m. ET in Syracuse, with a potential Game 5 on May 9 if necessary.
