After completing a two-game series against the Manitoba Moose in Winnipeg on Monday and Tuesday, the Monsters will make a brief stop at Quicken Loans Arena on Friday night to host the Syracuse Crunch before embarking on a nine-game road trip that will span over fifteen days and include stops in six states and one province. Lake Erie will begin the road trip this weekend as they travel to Grand Rapids to play the Griffins on Saturday before heading northeast to Hamilton to battle the Bulldogs on Sunday.

After the 7:30 p.m. tilt Friday against the Crunch, Lake Erie will not be home again until Wednesday, February 25th, when the Crunch return to The Q for the fourth and final time this season. So far this season, the Monsters are 3-1 against Syracuse. Goaltender Tyler Weiman has recorded two of his league-leading six shutouts against the Crunch, as he made 28 saves in a 4-0 victory on December 20th and turned away 19 shots in a 3-0 win on January 30th. The next game slated between Syracuse and Lake Erie is February 25th at The Q. Last year, the Monsters were 3-3-2-0 against the Crunch.

So far this season, the Monsters are 1-2-0-1 against the Griffins. Lake Erie kicked the season off against Grand Rapids at home on October 11th with a 4-3 overtime victory. The game Saturday is the third of four appearances Lake Erie will make at Van Andel Arena this year and the game marks the fifth of the eight-game series between the teams this season. Last year, the Monsters were 4-6 against the Griffins.

Sunday’s matchup at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton will mark the seventh game of the season between the Monsters and Bulldogs. To date, Lake Erie is 1-5 against the Bulldogs with Lake Erie’s lone win against the Bulldogs coming November 9th at The Q. The game, a 6-4 win, set a season-high for the most goals the Monsters have scored this year in a single contest. The eighth and final meeting between the clubs is set for March 1st when the Bulldogs visit The Q.