Monsters open North Division semifinals vs. Crunch Friday in Cleveland

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - The Cleveland Monsters will open the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs at home Friday, hosting the Syracuse Crunch in Game 1 of the best-of-five North Division semifinal at 7 p.m. at Rocket Arena.

Game 2 is scheduled for Sunday at 4 p.m. in Cleveland before the series shifts to Syracuse for Game 3 on Friday, May 1 at 7 p.m. at Upstate Medical University Arena. If necessary, Game 4 would be Sunday, May 3 at 3 p.m., and Game 5 would be Saturday, May 9 at 5 p.m., both in Syracuse.

Cleveland enters as the North Division’s third seed and earned a bye through the first round. Syracuse is the No. 2 seed and the top affiliate of the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning. It’s the second playoff meeting between the clubs; the Monsters swept the Crunch in three games in 2024 on the way to the Eastern Conference finals.