Two nights after a legal question arose at the United States/Canada border, Grahame made 30 saves in a victory at The Q.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Professional athletes are trained to block out potential distractions. Monsters goalie John Grahame did a superb job of narrowing the focus Saturday.
Two nights after a legal question arose at the United States/Canada border, Grahame made 30 saves in a 3-0 victory over the Hamilton Bulldogs at The Q.
Hamilton entered as the leader in the Western Conference North Division; Lake Erie was tied for last. The clubs switched roles in front of an enthusiastic crowd of 4,305.
The Monsters were outstanding on special teams, led by the kings of the penalty kill, Mike Carman and Justin Mercier. Carman received a chip-pass from Mercier that led to a breakaway and shorthanded goal early in the second period.
Of Carman's seven goals this season, five are shorthanded.
Lake Erie killed four penalties in the second and scored twice to pull ahead, 3-0. It finished 7-for-7 on the penalty kill.
The Monsters (15-15-3-4) have won two of three. They avenged a 3-2 loss to the Bulldogs on Thursday night at Copps Coliseum.
Grahame was involved in the legal matter during that bus ride home. According to multiple reports, Customs and Border Patrol officers arrested Grahame at the Peace Bridge near Niagara Falls. A brief in buffalonews.com stated that a records check determined Grahame was "the target of felony warrant issued in Las Vegas in connection with charges that he wrote a bad check."
Multiple reports stated that Grahame was turned over to Buffalo police pending extradition to Nevada. As it turned out, Grahame spent a brief time in a holding facility before returning to Cleveland on Friday.
Grahame was unavailable for comment Friday but spoke exclusively with The Plain Dealer after Saturday's game.
"Honestly, it was just a very minor, private, personal business matter," he said. "It was something I had no idea about, and I was made aware [of it] by the border people.
"There was no arrest. The only reason I had to go to the holding center was because you couldn't wait that long at the border."
Grahame insisted he has no legal issues in Las Vegas.
"Never had any," he said. "It was a small misunderstanding -- a miscommunication, really."
Grahame, 35, joined the Monsters late last season after signing with the Colorado Avalanche organization in March. Grahame opened this season with the Monsters, was promoted to Colorado in late October and returned to Lake Erie in mid-November.
Grahame has played in more than 200 NHL games since debuting with the Boston Bruins in 1999-2000.
Monsters coach David Quinn opted to start Grahame on Saturday in part because Jason Bacashihua, Lake Erie's goalie No. 1 or 1A, is battling an illness.
The Monsters took a 1-0 lead on Ryan Stoa's power-play redirect midway through the first period. Patrick Rissmiller had the primary assist.
The magic of Mercier and Carman built a two-goal cushion. Carman controlled the puck along the left boards, darted across and beat goalie Robert Mayer with a slick move.
Matthew Ford accounted for the final margin when he scored from the right circle late in the second. Julian Talbot made an unselfish play to set up Ford.
The Monsters are 7-1-1-1 at home since Nov. 17.
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