AMERKS COMEBACK FALLS JUST SHORT IN REMATCH WITH SENATORS
Mar 5, 2022The Rochester Americans (26-20-3-2) scored four times in the third period, but ultimately could not complete the comeback as they came up short in a 6-5 loss to the Belleville Senators (25-21-1-0) in the second straight meeting between the two teams Saturday at CAA Arena.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | SO | FINAL |
| Rochester | 0 | 1 | 4 | -- | -- | 5 |
| Belleville | 3 | 1 | 2 | -- | -- | 6 |
Rochester, which entered the contest with at least one point in seven of its last 12 games, and Belleville split the two-game series with each team taking one win. With tonight’s loss, the Amerks fall to 7-2-3-0 in their 12 matchups against the Senators north of the border and have scored two or more goals in 21 of the previous 24 get-togethers, which includes 14 games where they have produced four or more tallies overall.
Rookie forward Jack Quinn, who returned from a 17-game injury absence on Friday, registered his 12th multi-point night of the season and fifth with at least three points as he logged his 19th goal of the campaign to go with a pair of assists. Brett Murray, Peter Tischke, Nick Boka and Ethan Prow all scored in the defeat.
Jimmy Schuldt, Linus Weissbach, Nick Pastujov, JJ Peterka, Arttu Ruotsalainen and Ryan Scarfo all tacked on an assist.
WATCH: GAME HIGHLIGHTS
Netminder Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (9-10-1), who made his fifth appearance in the last six games and seven of the previous nine, made 26 saves in his 20th game of the season. The Finnish netminder also earned his second assist of the season as he earned the lone helper on Quinn’s third-period power-play marker.
Michael Del Zotto (1+2), Jake Lucchini, Matthew Wedman, Mark Kastelic all scored for the Senators while Logan Shaw and Cole Reinhardt each added a shorthanded tally in the win. Goaltender Kevin Mandolese (8-5-0) appeared in his 16th contest of the season and stopped 23 of the 28 shots he faced. The netminder improved to 7-1-0 over his last nine appearances dating back to Nov. 27.
Early in the final period of regulation, Belleville scored its fifth goal of the night to seize a 5-1 lead as Kastelic finished off a cross-crease feed from Agozzino and Del Zotto at the 3:42 mark.
TISCHKE OPENS THE SCORING FOR ROCHESTER
Rochester, however, refused to go away quietly as they responded with three straight tallies, including a pair of power-play markers just 31 seconds apart, to pull within one as there was still 8:32 left to play.
After starting the three-goal run with his 19th goal of the season, which is second in the league amongst all rookies, Quinn and Peterka set-up Murray in front of the net for his 14th at the 8:21 mark of the stanza.
With his goal, Murray, who had a career-high four-point outing last Sunday in Toronto, pushed his point streak to four games (2+5). Dating back to the beginning of February, the Bolton, Ontario, native shows 15 points (8+7) in 16 games over that stretch.
QUINN'S SCORES HIS 19TH OF THE SEASON
By earning his fourth assist in the last four games, Peterka has helped carried the load for the Amerks offense as he has produced seven goals and 13 assists for 20 points in the last 20 games. More impressively, the rookie forward has logged 26 points (9+17) in 24 appearances to start the New Year.
Three minutes after Murray’s power-play goal, Boka slipped in his second goal of the season as he banged in pass from Pastujov and Schuldt at the 11:28 mark.
After exhausting their timeout, the Senators responded and restored their two-goal cushion as Del Zotto blasted a knuckling puck from the left point just over four minutes later.
MURRAY SCORES ON THE POWER-PLAY
The Amerks, who faced a 6-4 deficit with just over four minutes left in regulation, looked for some late magic, and after pulling Luukkonen, Prow scored his ninth of the season as he was in the center of the offensive zone.
Unfortunately for Rochester, that was as close as they could get as Belleville held on for the 6-5 victory even after Luukkonen was pulled yet again for the extra skater in the final minute of the contest.
Despite the Amerks drawing the first two power-plays of the contest, the Senators opened the scoring as they produced a pair of shorthanded markers nearly three minutes apart to take a 2-0 lead.
BOKA SCORES HIS SECOND OF THE SEASON
Belleville closed out the first period with its third goal of the frame as Lucchini tucked in a loose rebound.
Rochester eventually trimmed the deficit 5:32 into the second stanza as Tischke snuck in a shot from the left corner from Scarfo and Weissbach, but Belleville countered back as Wedman redirected the puck into the net three minutes later.
The score remained 4-1 until 3:42 of the third period, and despite Rochester scoring four of the game’s next six goals, Belleville hung on for the 6-5 win.
PROW BRINGS THE AMERKS TO WITHIN ONE
With a pair of power-play markers tonight, Rochester has scored at least one power-play goal in 27 of their first 53 games this season and have registered multiple power-play tallies in 11 overall.
The Amerks return home to open a grueling stretch of four games in five nights on Wednesday, March 9 when they welcome the Laval Rocket back to Rochester for a North Division showdown at The Blue Cross Arena. Game time slated for a 7:05 p.m. start and will be carried live on The Sports Leader 95.7 FM/950 AM The Fan Rochester as well as AHLTV.
|
BELLEVILLE |
GAMECENTER |
ROCHESTER |
|
Shaw (6), Reinhardt (9), Lucchini (15), Wedman (9), Kastelic (9), Del Zotto (10 – GWG) |
GOAL-SCORERS |
Tischke (2), Quinn (19), Murray (14), Boka (2), Prow (9) |
|
Mandolese – 23/28 (W) |
GOALTENDERS |
Luukkonen – 26/32 (L) |
|
1-4 |
POWER-PLAY |
2-6 |
|
4-6 |
PENALTY KILL |
3-4 |
|
32 |
SHOTS ON GOAL |
28 |