Just as the Monsters roster saw some turnover in the offseason, Lake Erie’s TV broadcasting team also encountered change with the ushering in of the 2009-10 season. Joining Ben Holden – the second broadcaster in Monsters franchise history who began calling Monsters games on October 3rd – will be Sean Ritchlin, who is coming on as a color analyst for select Monsters games.  The new broadcast team will make its debut on Saturday when the Monsters home opener airs live on MY43 WUAB, the first televised game of the season.

A native of Rochester, New York, Ritchlin comes to Cleveland after spending the past five years as a color analyst in college hockey. The first two years of his broadcasting career, Ritchlin predominately focused on the CCHA with Comcast. But for the past three years, Ritchlin’s experience has grown exponentially, as he’s worked with household names such as John Buccigross and Barry Melrose covering the NCAA while appearing on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN Classic.

Prior to embarking on his career in broadcasting, Ritchlin won two national championships (1996, 1998), three CCHA championships and made three Frozen Four appearances while playing at the University of Michigan from 1995-99. After his days in Ann Arbor, Ritchlin went on to play professionally in the AHL, ECHL, IHL, ACHL, UHL and WCHL from 1999-2003.

Joining the new voices of Holden and Ritchlin will be two mainstays of the Monsters TV Team – Jason Hillman and Kenny Roda. Both have been analysts with Lake Erie since the team’s inception into the AHL in 2007-08.

Hillman, who also serves as the General Counsel for the Cleveland Cavaliers, has been in the broadcast business for the past 12 years working as a play-by-play announcer, talk show anchor and sideline reporter. Hillman has worked with the Detroit Pistons, Red Wings, Shock and Tigers, as well as the University of Michigan and Michigan State University football broadcasts.

Roda, who has been on the Cleveland sports scene since 1992, has worked as an analyst with the Monsters since 2007 and also works for Lake Erie’s flagship radio station – ESPN 850 WKNR – entertaining listeners with his show, “In the Zone with Kenny Roda,” on live from 6-9 p.m. Roda was also voted Cleveland's Best Sports Talker in Scene Magazine's 2006 Best of Cleveland issue.