AMERKS CLOSE OUT WEEKEND WITH OVERTIME LOSS TO CRUNCH
Mar 13, 2022The Rochester Americans (28-23-4-2) closed out their busiest week of the season Sunday night at Upstate Medical University Arena with a 4-3 overtime loss against the Syracuse Crunch (25-21-6-2).
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | SO | FINAL |
| Rochester | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -- | 3 |
| Syracuse | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | -- | 4 |
Despite the overtime defeat, the Amerks, who appeared in their fourth game in five days, have recorded at least one point in six of the first 11 meetings with the Crunch this season, going 4-5-2-0 over that span. In the last five years in Syracuse, Rochester shows a 15-9-3-0 mark.
Forwards Linus Weissbach (1+1) and Brett Murray (0+2), along with defenseman Oskari Laaksonen (1+1), all recorded a multi-point efforts while JJ Peterka collected his 14th goal of the season. Arttu Ruotsalainen added an assist to complete the scoring.
Goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (9-11-2) made 40 saves, which included 25 in the opening two periods, for the second time in three days against Syracuse but suffered an overtime loss. In three of his previous four appearances against the Crunch, the Finnish netminder has stopped 40 or more shots while showing a 1-2-1 mark.
WATCH: GAME HIGHLIGHTS
Charles Hudon registered a pair of assists to lead the Crunch while former Amerk Ryan Jones, Gage Goncalves, Cole Koepke and Darren Raddysh all scored. Goaltender Max Lagace (9-7-1) appeared in his third game in the last three days, making 22 saves to earn the win.
With the game tied at three in the first minute of overtime, Alex Barré-Boulet was denied while on a two-on-one rush with Raddysh. After regathering the puck at the right corner, Barré-Boulet centered it for Raddysh and he sent it to the back of the net to give the Crunch, who scored three third-period goals to erase a 2-0 deficit, to a 4-3 come-from-behind win.
After failing to capitalize on the first power-play of the opening period, Rochester drew its second penalty of the frame and used the extra skater to its advantage to take a 1-0 lead at the 8:51 mark.
On the second man-advantage of the stanza, Weissbach sent a shot wide of the cage from the left face-off dot and the puck caromed around the boards to the right point. Laaksonen’s first attempt went wide of the net before Murray provided another opportunity as he retrieved the puck and gave it back to the blueliner. Laaksonen drifted towards the center of the point before snapping a shot for his first point in 10 games from Murray and Weissbach.
The power-play goal gives the Amerks at least one tally on the man-advantage in 18 of their last 22 games against Syracuse, going 30-for-110 (30.0%).
Before the end of the first period, Rochester doubled its lead as Weissbach wired his 12th of campaign from atop the slot with 1:04 left on the clock.
Prior to the tally, Peterka pressured a Crunch skater into his own zone and forced the defender into a turnover just inside the blueline. Coming into the offensive zone, Ruotsalainen intercepted the pass and centered for Weissbach, the assist giving him his 32nd point (12+20) since Jan. 2, a span of 32 games.
JJ PETERKA 👀🎯 pic.twitter.com/5qchc7tofh
— Rochester Americans (@AmerksHockey) March 13, 2022
Following a scoreless second period where Syracuse outshot Rochester 15-5, the Crunch got on the board in the first 15 seconds as Jones ripped a shot past his former teammate Luukkonen to make it a 2-1 game.
Seven minutes later after the Crunch successfully killed off Goncalves’s hooking penalty, Hudon provided a breakaway pass as Goncalves stepped out of the penalty box.
As Goncalves reached the top of the crease all alone, he tucked a shot under the crossbar and over the glove-hand of Luukkonen to make it a 2-2 score with 12:36 remaining in regulation.
The Crunch continued their goal-run just 3:04 after Goncalves’s 11th of the season to take a 3-2 lead when Koepke blasted a one-time feed from Hudon while on the power-play.
Rochester answered on the ensuing shift, however, as Peterka evened the score just 38 seconds later when he picked the upper corner from a shot from just below the left face-off dot from Murray and Laaksonen.
With the primary helper, Murray, who saw his career-long six-game point streak halted in Saturday’s 3-2 win in Utica, has posted 11 points (3+8) over his last eight games dating back to Feb. 27.
Laaksonen earned his first two points in 10 games while Peterka scored his first marker since Feb. 15, a span of 13 contests.
In the overtime period, Rochester had the first shot, but Syracuse ended the matchup 59 seconds into the extra frame as Raddysh scored his fifth of the season.
The Amerks return to home for a three-game homestand beginning with a two-game set against the Cleveland Monsters on Friday, March 18 at The Blue Cross Arena. The North Division matchup gets underway at 7:05 p.m. and will be carried live on The Sports Leader 95.7 FM/950 AM The Fan Rochester as well as AHLTV.
|
SYRACUSE |
GAMECENTER |
ROCHESTER |
|
Jones (4), Goncalves (11), Koepke (16), Raddysh (5 – OT GWG) |
GOAL-SCORERS |
Laaksonen (5), Weissbach (12), Peterka (14) |
|
Lagace – 22/25 (W) |
GOALTENDERS |
Luukkonen – 40/44 (OTL) |
|
1-4 |
POWER-PLAY |
1-3 |
|
2-3 |
PENALTY KILL |
4-4 |
|
44 |
SHOTS ON GOAL |
25 |