Okabe, Del Bel Belluz Help Cleveland Clinch 2024 Playoff Spot
Photo Credit: Grand Rapids Griffins/Mark Newman
CLEVELAND- The Cleveland Monsters punched their ticket to the 2024 Calder Cup Playoffs with a 6-4 win over the Laval Rocket on Thursday night. They were able to skate away with the win due to two young players who have bought into Cleveland’s “Next Man Up” mentality, Zachary Okabe and Luca Del Bel Belluz.
After falling to Denver in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) Frozen Faceoff, St. Cloud State University forward Zachary Okabe decided to leap into the pros, signing an Amateur Tryout with the Cleveland Monsters. Almost immediately, Okabe made an impact in Cleveland with his strong puck control and ability to attack the net at a moment’s notice.
The pinnacle of Okabe’s performance came when he scored his first two professional goals to help the Monsters clinch a playoff spot. Each goal highlighted Okabe’s tremendous ability to settle a puck while putting himself in position to create meaningful shots on goal. Also, Okabe’s smooth movements allowed him to change the direction of plays with enough speed to catch Laval off guard.
Despite their best attempts, Laval struggled to shut down Okabe.
Del Bel Belluz shined in the second period, scoring a goal and two assists in the span of 13 minutes. He now has six multi-point games this season. Two of which were three-point contests.
Since the beginning of March, Del Bel Belluz has stepped into a bigger role featuring more ice time at even strength and on the power play. As each prolific scorer was called to Columbus, Del Bel Belluz began to fill the void by scoring goals and moving plays along to the point where his teammates could get on the scoreboard. The proof is in the seven points (3g, 4a) he has scored in the past six games.
At a time when Cleveland could wave the white flag, the young guys on the team decided to step up and push the Monsters over the playoff line.
The question is, will they get the chance to continue to prove their worth once everyone comes back from Columbus?
