CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cleveland Monsters will make their 2025-26 Rocket Arena debut on Friday night when they host the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. Eastern.

Here is what you need to know about the Monsters, who are the American Hockey League affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Strong start on the road

Cleveland opened the season with back-to-back wins in Utica, including a 1-0 shutout on Friday night and a 3-2 overtime victory on Saturday. James Malatesta scored the lone goal in the opener, and goaltender Ivan Fedotov stopped all 21 shots for a shutout in his AHL debut.

In Game 2, the Monsters rallied for an OT win to sweep the Comets and start 2-0. Mikael Pyyhtiä netted the OT winner just 23 seconds into the extra period, and Brendan Gaunce and Riley Bezeau each

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