AMERKS RALLY IN THIRD FOR WILD COMEBACK WIN IN UTICA
Three-goal third period propels Amerks to 4-3 shootout win over Comets
Mar 31, 2023Trailing 3-0 entering the third period, the Rochester Americans (32-25-5-3) reeled off three straight unanswered goals over the final 17 minutes of regulation, including the game-tying tally with 1:34 remaining, before Linus Weissbach sealed the win in the shootout for the second straight week to cap a wild 4-3 come-from-behind win over the Utica Comets (31-24-6-4) Friday at the Adirondack Bank Center.
With the win, the Amerks, who have earned a point in six straight (4-0-1-1) and 14 of their last 19 games (9-5-3-2 over that span), move into a three-way tie with Utica and Syracuse, winners of a 6-5 shootout decision tonight over Belleville, for second place in the AHL’s North Division standings ahead of Saturday’s rematch with the Comets at Blue Cross Arena.
Along with Mason Jobst (1+1), who began the comeback in the third period with his career-best 14th goal of the season, Brett Murray (0+2) notched his fourth multi-point effort in his last eight games for the Amerks. Michael Mersch tallied his 16th marker of the campaign before Isak Rosen added his 12th to complete the scoring in regulation. Ethan Prow, Lukas Rousek and Lawrence Pilut all logged an assist.
For the second straight week, Weissbach was the lone Rochester skater to score in the shootout while Jobst and Peter Tischke were both denied.
Goaltender Michael Houser improved his record to 8-7-2 as he turned aside 33 shots in regulation before stopping all three Comets shooters in the shootout. The veteran netminder has stopped seven straight Utica skaters in the skills competition dating back to his shutout win last week.
Graeme Clark and Filip Engaras both scored in the first period before Samuel Laberge pushed Utica’s lead to 3-0 in the second period. Goaltender Akira Schmid (10-6-4), back from a recent NHL stint with the New Jersey Devils, made 27 saves in regulation, and despite stopping two of three in the shootout, was dealt the overtime loss.
The Amerks, who’ve had five of their last eight games decided by a shootout, trailed 3-0 at the start of the final period, however, after three unanswered goals, the club forced overtime.
On Rochester’s first goal, the Comets dumped the puck behind the net. Houser stepped outside his crease to keep the puck moving and swept it to Prow. The veteran blueliner began a breakout pass to Murray along the wall and Murray fed it to Pilut near the center-ice logo. As Pilut carried the puck across the blueline, he fed Jobst in-front of Schmid at the 2:54 mark for his 14th of the season.
Shortly after cutting into the deficit, Murray grabbed a Jobst face-off win and nearly connected to make it a one-goal game, but the puck missed the far post and caromed around the boards to the top of the right point.
Sprinting to keep the puck inside the blueline, Prow extended his stick and then quickly fired a shot towards the net. While Schmid made the initial save, the rebound laid in front of the netminder for Mersch to hammer home to bring Rochester within one.
The Amerks, who finished the third period with a 16-8 shot-advantage, earned their first power-play four minutes after Mersch’s 16 goal of the season. Rochester had several looks on the tripping infraction, but Schmid stood tall as the score remained 3-2 in favor of the Comets.
As the contest reached its final two minutes of play, Houser was summoned to the bench for an extra attacker as Rochester trailed by a goal.
As he was given the puck by Rousek, Jobst patiently waited until the rest of the Amerks were on the ice before handing a pass to Rosen in the neutral zone. The rookie Swedish forward stepped across the blueline and took a stride towards the center of the ice before ripping a shot past the netminder, knotting the score at three with 1:34 remaining.
During the overtime period, both teams played into a stalemate as they combined for just one shot and the contest required a shootout.
Rochester elected to shoot first in the skills competition, and after being the lone skater to score in last Saturday's contest, Weissbach was first.
The second-year skater carried the puck towards the Utica net from the center of the zone, and as he reached the hashmarks, he quickly snapped a shot past the blocker to open the scoring.
Houser then stopped Clarke and Nolan Stevens before making the final save on Reilly Walsh to preserve the Amerks 4-3 victory.
Midway through the first period, Stevens carried the puck from the left of Schmid the length of the ice before leaving it for Joe Gambardella near the far blueline. Gambardella tucked a pass to the center of the offensive zone for Clarke, who roofed a shot over Houser’s glove to open the scoring 10:40 into the frame.
Less than four minutes later, the Comets doubled their lead on an extended shift inside Rochester’s zone as Xavier Parent scooped up the puck in the corner. The rookie dished a cross-crease pass to Tyler Wotherspoon atop the left point. As bodies were screening the Amerks net, Wotherspoon fired a shot for Engaras to redirect inside the post for his fifth of the slate.
Along with a 2-0 lead, Utica carried an 11-5 shot-advantage into the first intermission.
Laberge scored 14:41 into the second period before Rochester countered back with three unanswered in the third to force the game beyond regulation. Weissbach provided the lone goal in the shootout while Jobst, Tischke, Clarke, Stevens and Walsh were all denied.
The Amerks continue their push to the playoffs on Saturday, April 1 when they open the final month of the regular season with a rematch against the Comets. Game time from The Blue Cross Arena is slated for a 5:05 p.m. start and will be carried live on The Sports Leader 95.7 FM/950 AM The Fan Rochester as well as AHLTV.
Storyline Stripes:
Including tonight, the Amerks show a 6-19-1-0 record this season when trailing after the second period ... Their six wins are the most in the AHL’s North Division and fifth overall in the AHL in that regard ... Tonight was Rochester’s second time in the last five games where the team erased a three-goal deficit before winning in the shootout ... The Amerks have not allowed a power-play goal in each of their last seven games (15-for-15) and eight of their last nine games (22-for-23) ... Brett Murray’s two-assist night gives him 15 points (5+10) in 15 games during the month of March.
Goal Scorers
ROC: G. Clarke (22), F. Engaras (5), S. Laberge (8)
UTC: M. Jobst (14), M. Mersch (16), I. Rosen (12)
Goaltenders
ROC: M. Houser – 30/33 (W)
UTC: A. Schmid – 27/30 (OTL)
Shots
ROC: 31
UTC: 33
Special Teams
ROC: PP (0/1) | PK (0/0)
UTC: PP (0/0) | PK (1/1)
Three Stars
1. ROC - M. Jobst
2. ROC - I. Rosen
3. UTC - S. Laberge