If you can’t beat ‘em on the scoreboard, drop the gloves and beat ‘em up with your bare knuckles. Utica left wing Adam Beckman broke a 2-2 tie on his fifth goal of the season with 6:36 left in the third period Dec. 18 to carry the last-place Comets past the North Division-leading Monsters, 3-2, at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. “That team has gotten healthy as of late,” Monsters coach Trent Vogelhuber said. “They’re much better than their record. They have good players and they defend well. But I still liked our game outside of the first 12 minutes of the second period where I thought we tried to do too much with the puck at the blue lines and then you’re chasing odd-man rushes. Three breakaways (by Utica) in one period is not acceptable. Until we get out of our own way in that area of the game, we’re going to be fighting it.” The Monsters are 16-7-1-2. The Comets are 6-13-1-2. The 6,878 fans inside the FieldHouse didn’t have a lot to cheer about except for three fights that broke out. The Monsters’ Cameron Butler was the clear winner over Utica’s Nathan Legare in the first period. Butler acknowledged the cheers of the fans by slapping the outside of the glass as he entered the penalty box. Two fights broke out with 3:09 to play after the Comets took the lead. Utica’s Daniil Misyul slammed a Monsters player into the boards. Monsters center Joseph LaBate tore into Misyul. Both players were penalized five minutes for fighting. LaBate got two additional minutes for roughing. While Labate and Misyul were going at it, Cleveland’s Max McCue and Utica’s Brian Halonen dropped the gloves and started swinging. McCue ripped off Halonen’s helmet and pounded him on the side of the head. “I love guys standing up for each other,” Vogelhuber said. “If I was being picky, I might have held off on the last one with us down a goal, but it’s not selfish play. He’s sticking up for teammates. I like the sentiment of protecting each other.” The Monsters’ Hunter McKown scored the only goal of the first period when he skated behind the Utica net and wrapped the puck around the left post. Utica took a 2-1 lead in the second period before Rocco Grimaldi knocked the puck out of the air into the net to tie the game. Monsters goalie Zach Sawchenko had no chance on what proved to be the game-winner. Hardman was alone outside the left post with a wide-open net in front of him. Shane Bowers alertly passed the puck from below the right circle and Hardman buried it. Sawchenko was hugging the right post to make sure Bowers didn’t shoot on that side of the net. The Monsters and Comets meet again at 7 p.m. Dec. 19 at the FieldHouse.