AMERKS DROP PRESEASON OPENER TO COMETS IN SHOOTOUT
Oct 8, 2021The Rochester Americans scored late to force overtime but were unable to come away the win as the Utica Comets prevailed in the shootout for a 4-3 victory in the preseason-opener between the intrastate rivals Friday at the Adirondack Bank Center.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | SO | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROC | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| UTI | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
Rochester scored twice in the middle frame on the strength of goals from Jack Quinn (1+0) and Dominic Franco (1+0), while Ethan Prow (1+0) provided the game-tying marker in the closing minutes of regulation. Rookie forward Linus Weissbach (0+2) ended the night with a pair of helpers, while forwards Brett Murray (0+1), Matej Pekar (0+1), Brent Gates, Jr. (0+1) and defenseman Josh Teves (0+1) all added assists on the night.
Goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen got his first nod in the crease for the Amerks since Apr. 10 of the 2020-21 campaign and suffered the loss, stopping 32 of the 35 shots he faced.
Utica forward Fabian Zetterlund (1+1) was the lone Comet to put up a multi-point effort, notching the eventual game-winner and adding a secondary assist. Forward Joe Gambardella (1+0) got Utica on the board in the first period after converting on a penalty shot opportunity at the 8:23 mark, while forward Graeme Clarke (1+0) scored on the power-play to round out the scoring for the Comets.
Utica’s rookie netminder Nico Daws made his first pro start, getting the win in his 16-save outing and stopping two of the three shots he faced in the shootout period.
The Comets grabbed a 1-0 lead midway through the first period after Gambardella beat Luukkonen on the stick-side on a penalty shot.
The first intermission seemed to fuel the fire in Rochester, which answered just 1:18 into the middle frame on a power-play goal by Quinn, who was reassigned to the Amerks earlier in the week from the Buffalo Sabres.
Franco then gave the Amerks their first lead of the night at the 9:36 mark, giving Rochester a 2-1 advantage.
Utica, however, netted a power-play goal of its own from Clarke and the teams were knotted at 2-2 after 40 minutes.
As the third period ensued, the Comets once again took the lead at the 4:10 mark thanks to a shorthanded, unassisted tally from Zetterlund for his second point of the contest.
With time ticking down on the first preseason matchup of the season, Prow delivered the game-tying goal with less than five minutes remaining and Rochester kept Utica at bay for the final moments of regulation to send the game to overtime.
Neither side could generate any chances in the extra session, so a shootout was needed to determine a winner.
Quinn and Prow were both unsuccessful in their chances, while Weissbach was the lone Amerk that would convert. Zetterlund missed the first shot for Utica, before forward Nolan Foote and Clarke pushed their final two shots past Luukkonen to seal the 4-3 win for Utica.
Rochester wraps up its 2021 preseason schedule against the Syracuse Crunch at The Blue Cross Arena on Sunday, Oct. 10. Puck drop is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. The matchup will be the first contest that fans will be in attendance for an Amerks game since Mar. 11, 2020.
The Amerks are set to open their 66th American Hockey League season – and 40th as the primary affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres – on Sunday, Oct. 17 at 3:00 p.m. against the Utica Comets at the Adirondack Bank Center.
|
UTICA |
|
ROCHESTER |
|
J. Gambardella (PS), G. Clarke, F. Zetterlund |
GOAL-SCORERS |
J. Quinn, D. Franco, E. Prow |
|
N. Daws – 16/19 (W) |
GOALTENDERS |
U. Luukkonen – 32/35 (SOL) |
|
1-2 |
POWER-PLAY |
1-1 |
|
0-1 |
PENALTY KILL |
1-2 |
|
36 |
SHOTS ON GOAL |
19 |