Cleveland Monsters withstand Belleville rally, earning 6-5 win in high-scoring Rocket Arena matchup

A back-and-forth AHL game featured 11 goals, a fast Cleveland start and a late Belleville push.

The Cleveland Monsters defeated the Belleville Senators 6-5 on Friday, January 30, 2026, at Rocket Arena, closing out a wide-open night in which Cleveland built multi-goal cushions twice and had to protect the lead through a tense third period.

The result moved Cleveland to 21-14-5-1 on the season, with the club sitting fifth in the American Hockey League’s North Division at the time of the game. Belleville, which entered the night at 19-19-7-0, left Cleveland with a one-goal loss despite cutting into the lead multiple times after trailing early.

Three goals in a 1:35 span put Cleveland in control early

The Monsters opened the scoring at 2:54 of the first period when defenseman Corson Ceulemans finished a play created by Zach Aston-Reese and Hunter McKown. Belleville tied it at 11:52 on a goal by Jorian Donovan, but the equalizer did not last long.

Cleveland responded 22 seconds later as Jack Williams restored the lead at 12:14, and then extended it again at 13:49 when Caleb MacDonald scored to make it 3-1 by the first intermission. The early surge gave the Monsters a margin that would shape the rest of the night as both teams traded goals in every period.

Second period scoring kept the pace high

Belleville narrowed the gap at 4:27 of the second period on a goal by Arthur Kaliyev. Cleveland answered at 7:28 with Justin Pearson’s goal, and at 8:29 Owen Sillinger added another to push the lead to 5-2. Belleville entered the third still within reach after Oskar Pettersson scored at 16:57, cutting the deficit to 5-3.

Third period: Belleville closes in, Gaunce provides the difference

The Senators made it a one-goal game early in the third when Olle Lycksell scored at 1:02. Cleveland regained breathing room at 9:59 when Brendan Gaunce scored, assisted by Luca Pinelli and Sillinger, restoring a two-goal advantage at 6-4. Belleville answered again at 13:11 on Tyler Boucher’s goal, but the Monsters held on over the final minutes to secure the 6-5 decision.

• Final score by period: Cleveland led 3-1 after one, 5-3 after two, and won 6-5.

• Goaltending: Ivan Fedotov earned the win with 23 saves for Cleveland; Leevi Meriläinen made 29 saves for Belleville.

The clubs were scheduled to meet again in Cleveland the following night, Saturday, January 31, 2026, at Rocket Arena.