If Toronto’s sweep of the Rochester Americans was a stunning result, that’s nothing compared to what the Marlies‘ second-round opponents achieved: The Cleveland Monsters eliminated the Syracuse Crunch, who had put up over 100 points during the regular season and led the league with 264 goals, in four games.
This came after the Monsters scrambled their way into the playoffs courtesy of a final day victory against Toronto to give them 84 points (37-29-10) — two more than Belleville Senators, who chased them all the way to the finish line. Cleveland was a middle of the pack team in goals for and against and relied heavily on balanced scoring, with just two players accumulating 50+ points (injuries and recalls played their part).