(Rochester, March 7)... Veteran forwards Jeff Taffe and Mike York each scored a goal and an assist to help the Rochester Americans to a 3-2 win over the Portland Pirates this evening at HSBC Arena in Buffalo, NY. The win was Rochester’s fourth straight win and sixth in its last seven games as it improved to 37-26-2-0 and reclaimed sole possession of second place in the American Hockey League’s North Division.

First-year forward Victor Oreskovich also scored as Amerks goaltender Tyler Plante made 28 saves for his second consecutive win and seventh of the campaign.

Forwards Travis Turnbull and Cody McCormick potted goals for the Pirates while Jhonas Enroth turned away 33 saves in the losing effort.

The Pirates got on the board first midway through the opening frame when Turnbull knocked home a rebound at 8:13 for his sixth goal of the season. Plante, coming off a 40-save shutout in Toronto Saturday evening, made the initial save from the high right point, but failed to control the rebound. The puck managed to slip through the netminder’s pads and drop to the crease where Turnbull picked it up and put it in the back the net for a 1-0 Portland lead. Former Amerks Mike Kostka and Marc-Andre Gragnani tabbed the assists on the play.

After Enroth came up with a big save to deny Rochester’s Evgeny Dadonov 45 seconds in to the middle stanza, the Amerks converted on a rebound goal of their own just over a minute later to make it a 1-1 game. Oreskovich picked up the loose puck in the right slot after a shot from the point and beat Enroth inside the near post for his fourth of the season at 1:51. David Brine and Clay Wilson earned the assists on the goal.

The Amerks nearly took a 2-1 lead, but failed to capitalize on a five-on-three opportunity moments before surrendering a short-handed breakaway to Portland’s Kyle Rank as his penalty expired. Rank, however, missed high and the score remained tied at one apiece.

Rochester extended its lead to 2-1 at 14:22 off a textbook two-on-one fast-break, resulting in York finding the back of the net for his third tally in as many nights. York fed a cross-ice pass to Taffe from the right wing and Taffe returned the pass back to York who had an open right side of the net for his 10th of the season. The Amerks would take the 2-1 lead heading into the final frame after outshooting the Pirates 16-9 during the second period.

The Pirates tied things up thanks to McCormick’s 12th of the season on the power-play at 4:49, but Taffe and York hooked up again in the final minutes of regulation for the eventual game-winner.

York hit a breaking Taffe along the left wing side and beamed a slap shot from just inside the blueline off the crossbar and into the net for his 23rd of the season with just 65 seconds left in the period.

Rochester returns home on Friday, March 12th as it hosts the Albany River Rats at The Blue Cross Arena. The 7:05 p.m. contest will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK and FM 107.3, Rochester’s Sports Talk. The game will also be televised live on Time Warner Cable SportsNet Channel 26.