by Mike Ries, Staff Writer, AHL Report

BRAMPTON, ON. — The Brampton Beast Played a trio of games on the weekend, including a Friday the 13th trip to Kalamazoo. The Beast avenged the overtime loss the previous week by defeating the Kalamazoo Wings 5-4 again, in overtime.

The Beast then welcomed the Toledo Walleye for a pair of games at home. On Saturday, the Beast dropped a 6-0 decision to the Walleye being shutout for only the second time this season.

On Sunday, the Beast and the Walleye engaged in a typical high-scoring affair, despite having two of the top goaltending prospects in pro hockey, Zach Fucale of the Beast and Jake Paterson of the Walleye. The Beast scored two goals in 18 seconds and opened a 3-0 lead before the Walleye stormed back with four straight goals to take the lead. The Beast went on to draw even in the third period, but the Walleye prevailed and won 6-4.

Brampton has continued to struggle at home, compiling a 5-4-1-0 in their last 10 games at the Powerade Centre. On the flipside, they have continued to be strong on the road with a 7-3-0-0 record over the last 10 games. One area of concern for the Beast this season has been their penalty kill. That said, they have killed off 10 of the 11 penalties they have taken over the last three games.

The Beast are currently tied for fourth overall in the Western Conference of the ECHL with a 20-12-2-2 record, and are nine points from the top spot in their conference. Despite their struggles over the past few games, the Beast remain firmly in the playoff hunt.

The Beast welcomed back veteran defenceman, Jordan Henry, from a recent professional tryout (PTO) with the Rochester Americans. He appeared in one game with the Americans, facing the Toronto Marlies.

Brampton also saw Reggie Traccitto returned to the Beast by the St. John’s IceCaps. The IceCaps then sent rugged forward, Connor Crisp, to the Beast. The big forward has been a dominating force when he has suited up for Brampton.

Forward David Pacan signed a PTO with the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL, and his points will be missed by the Beast while he is up with the AHL club. The Beast are still without Scott Jacklin, Justin Baker and Dalton Thrower, who are currently on injured reserve. Additionally, Luke Pither and Tim Billingsley are currently inactive with the Beast and look to get back into game action.

On Tuesday, Beast leading scorer David Vallorani was named to the roster of the 2017 ECHL All-Star Classic. Vallorani has recorded 18 goals and 26 assists in 37 games, ranking seventh in ECHL scoring. Vallorani will replace John McCarron of the Florida Everblades who is currently signed to a PTO with the St. John’s IceCaps.

Zach Fucale has appeared in four of the last five games for the Beast since returning from winning the Spengler Cup. Fucale has struggled along with the Beast as a team as they head into the second half of the season. He has allowed 16 goals over that span for a 4.00 goals against average.

The Beast will enjoy some time off as the ECHL breaks for their annual All-Star Game. Brampton will then return to action for a pair of weekend home games against Fort Wayne and Kalamazoo before heading out on the road for a pair of games.