Fresno claimed the Pacific Division berth at the USPHL Premier Nationals Championship tournament with a quick start leading to a nice win against the Thunderbirds.
The Monsters scored three unanswered first-period goals, the third one, from Leon Biller (‘02/Valencia, Calif.) with 7:15 to go in the period ended up being the game-winner. Both teams scored once in the middle period and the Monsters wrapped it up with a 3-1 margin through the final 20.
Gage Brown (‘02/San Jose, Calif.) fired two goals for the Monsters while Knute Loe (‘00/Cochrane, Alta.) stopped all but two of the 35 shots he faced in goal.
The Monsters advance to the Premier Championship tournament which begins on Thursday, in Chesapeake, Va. They will play in Pool ‘D’ along with the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes, the Midwest West No. 1 seed, and Great Lakes Division No. 2 seed.