'Lifeless' Monsters fall to Laval on Teddy Bear Toss day
Dec. 18—Fans set a Quicken Loans Arena/Rocket MortgageFieldHouse record Dec. 18 by pitching 12,476 stuffed animals onto the ice after the Monsters scored their first goal of the game with 2:16 left in the first period on Teddy Bear Toss day.
Fortunately, all the furry creatures go to charities to provide needy children gifts at the holiday season, because otherwise the 8,910 patrons might want them back and the price they paid for tickets in the bargain.
"Lifeless would be the word I would use to describe our game tonight," Monsters coach Brent Vogelhuber said bluntly when asked how his team played in the 4-1 loss to the Laval Rocket. "There's not a whole lot to go into when you have just a lackadaisical mindset.
"We looked exhausted. We came off a long week and played one game, just like them, so we shouldn't be, so I don't know why that is. But it was pretty disappointing."
The "Teddy Bear Toss" after @monstershockey scored in the first period was the only highlight of the day at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Sunday. The Monsters lost, 4-1 to Laval. pic.twitter.com/4i9h0QsuK2
— Jeff Schudel (@jsproinsider) December 18, 2022
The Monsters (12-9-1-2) are fourth in the seven-team AHL North. The Rocket (10-14-3-1) are last in the same division.
The Monsters looked like a completely different team on Dec. 17 when they scored four goals in the third period to beat the Rocket, 7-4. It has been that way much of the season — play well one game and without effort the next. Sometimes it has been the other way around.
Laval scored first in the Dec. 18 game when Joel Teasdale, standing near the glove side of Monsters goalie Pavel Cajan, redirected a shot from the point take by Rocket defenseman Nicolas Beaudin at 15:35 of the first period.
Joona Luoto tied it for the Monsters with his seventh goal of the season on a shot low between the circles about two minutes later. The foghorn sounded, the Teddy Bear deluge began, and that was it. No more highlights for the Monsters.
Laval scored two more goals in the second period and increased the lead to 4-1 5:40 into the third period on a power play by Beaudin.
The Monsters were sloppy around their defensive net and did not test Laval goalie Joseph Vrbetic. The Rocket outshot the Monsters, 39-27.
"I can't get them out of (being lackadaisical),' Vogelhuber said. "They have to do it. You can come in and yell and try to find a way to rattle them to get them going, but they're pro hockey players. It's their job to be ready to go.
"It's a learning process and we're going to go through it, but, eventually, men have to take ownership and be ready to play."
The Monsters get back at it Dec. 20 and 22 in games against the Utica Comets at the FieldHouse. Both games start at 7 p.m.
