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AMERKS OPEN ROAD SWING WITH SHOOTOUT LOSS IN PROVIDENCE

Feb 11, 2022

The Rochester Americans (23-15-2-2) carried a 2-1 lead into the final minutes of regulation, but the Providence Bruins (19-12-3-3) scored with 1:38 remaining to force overtime before prevailing in the shootout to hand the Amerks a 3-2 loss Friday at Dunkin’ Donuts Center.

SCORING SUMMARY
TEAM 1 2 3 OT SO FINAL
Rochester 1 0 1 0 0 2
Providence 1 0 1 0 1 3

 

                                                                                GAME SUMMARY  PHOTO GALLERY

 

The contest, which served as the first of a season-long five-game road-swing, was also the second and final meeting of the season between Rochester and Providence. Rochester, which has earned at least one point in 19 of its last 30 games dating back to Nov. 19, finished the season-series 1-0-0-1 against the Bruins. Dating back to the start of the 2007-08 season, there have been 10 one-goal games over the previous 16 contests between Providence and Rochester, including five of the last six.

 

Rookie forwards JJ Peterka (0+2) and Brandon Biro (0+2) each recorded their second straight two-point performance. Brett Murray scored his career-high 10th goal of the season while notching his fifth point (4+1) over his last five games before defenseman Ethan Prow added his second goal in as many games and sixth of the campaign in the third period. It was also Murray’s 100th AHL game.

 

Biro, who has notched 28 points (7+21) over his last 24 games dating back to Nov. 27, has logged two points in four of his last five games to move into sixth in scoring among all AHL rookies. Peterka, meanwhile, is second amongst the league’s first-year skaters with 38 points on the season, including 18 points (7+11) in 13 games to begin the 2022 calendar year.

 

Goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (6-6-1) made his first AHL appearance since Nov. 26 after spending nearly two months with the Buffalo Sabres. The Finnish netminder made 24 saves in the contest, including one in the shootout, but suffered his first defeat of the season in a game decided beyond regulation.

 

Justin Brazeau opened the scoring in the first period with his sixth goal of the season before netting the eventual shootout-clinching marker for Providence, who entered the matchup winners of four of its last five on home ice. Chris Wagner tied the contest late in the third period to force overtime before Jesper Froden sealed the 3-2 shootout victory in the third round of the skills competition, extending the Bruins’ home winning streak to 4-0-0-0 over Rochester.

 

Netminder Troy Grosenick made his 15th appearance of the slate and improved to 9-3-1 as he stopped 26 shots he faced, which also included a pair in the shootout.

 

Facing a 2-1 deficit with under two minutes to play in regulation, Providence pulled Grosenick for an extra-attacker. With the puck in-between the face-off dots inside the Amerks zone, two Rochester players inadvertently collided, resulting in Wagner spotting the loose puck. The Bruins forward was able to get a timely shot off over a diving Rochester defender and found the upper corner to even the game at 2-2 with 1:38 to play.

 

In the overtime period, the Amerks had three shots on goal and Providence had two, but neither team could capitalize on a brief power-play and the shootout was required.

 

The Bruins elected to shoot first in the skills competition and Brazeau backhanded a shot past the right arm of Luukkonen before Froden sealed the win two shooters later.

 

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Rochester’s Peterka and Arrtu Ruotsalainen both were denied by Grosenick before Froden capped off the contest.

 

Early in the first period, Joona Koppanen scooped up a puck in the left corner of Luukkonen before sending a pass up the wall to Victor Berglund. As the defenseman fired a shot towards the net, it was redirected by Brazeau in the high slot to open the scoring 2:09 into the game.

 

Later in the frame, Rochester drew a cross-checking penalty and capitalized just one second following the expiration of the man-advantage to knot the score at one with under 15 minutes left to play.

 

On the power-play, the Amerks were not able to generate much for the first minute, but in the second half of the infraction, they were finally able set up in the offensive zone. Oskari Laakkonen connected on a pass to Peterka at the right point before the German rookie feathered a pass through the Bruins defenders to Biro at the opposite corner. Immediately after gathering the puck, Biro sent a back-door feed for Murray, who was parked along the goal-line.

 

The score remained the same until the 7:23 mark of the third period when Prow gave Rochester its only lead of the night as he scored his sixth of the season from Peterka and Biro.

 

Prow jumpstarted the play as he carried the puck out of the defensive zone and slid a pass to Linus Weissbach atop the far blueline. The rookie handed the puck to Biro, who sprinted down the half wall before centering a pass for Peterka. As he drew the Bruins goaltender out of the crease, he tapped a pass back to Prow for the go-ahead goal with 12:37 remaining in the third period.

 

With eight points in his last eight games, including the game-winning goal Wednesday against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Prow remains on pace to capture his third straight 30-point season in the AHL. The veteran defenseman has totaled 107 points (33+74) over his last 154 AHL contests dating back to the 2018-19 campaign.

 

Providence then evened the score in the final minutes of the contest to force the overtime before Brazeau and Froden both scored to claim the 3-2 shootout win.

 

The Amerks continue their trek through the Atlantic Division portion of their season-long five-game road-swing on Saturday, Feb. 12 when they visit the Hartford Wolf Pack for a 7:00 p.m. contest at XL Center. All the action will be carried live on The Sports Leader 95.7FM/950 AM The Fan Rochester as well as AHLTV.

 

PROVIDENCE

GAMECENTER

ROCHESTER

J. Brazeau (6), C. Wagner (8)

GOAL-SCORERS
  1. Murray (10), E. Prow (6)

T. Grosenick – 24/26 (W)

GOALTENDERS

U. Luukkonen – 23/25 (SOL)

0-6

POWER-PLAY

0-4

4-4

PENALTY KILL

6-6

26

SHOTS ON GOAL

26
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