AMERKS RALLY IN THIRD TO TAKE DOWN COMETS IN GAME 5
May 20, 2022The Rochester Americans (5-2) erased a one-goal deficit going into the third before storming back with three straight unanswered goals to defeat the Utica Comets (2-3) by a 4-2 score in the winner-take-all Game 5 of their second-round series Thursday night at the Adirondack Bank Center.
With the 3-2 series win, the Amerks will now take on the Laval Rocket in the North Division Final with Game 1 of the best-of-five series set for Sunday, May 22 at 7:00 p.m. at Place Bell.
The victory marks Rochester’s first second-round series win since the 2004 postseason when they swept the Hamilton Bulldogs in four games. Additionally, the club improved to 6-3 all-time on the road in series-deciding games, with the last win prior to tonight coming by way of a 4-3 victory in Game 7 at Syracuse back in 2004.
WATCH: GAME HIGHLIGHTS
Casey Fitzgerald (1+1) and Lukas Rousek (0+2) each turned in a multi-point effort with two points apiece while Arttu Ruotsalainen, Sean Malone and Mark Jankowski each scored in the in the win. Ruotsalainen extended his extended his point streak to seven straight games to begin the postseason as he scored his league-leading eighth goal. Mark Alt, Jimmy Schuldt and Peyton Krebs all notched an assist.
Goaltender Aaron Dell (4+2) started his seventh straight contest and made 19 saves. The veteran netminder stopped 12 shots over the final 40 minutes of regulation.
WATCH: AARON DELL POST-GAME
Utica got on the board thanks to Fabian Zetterlund and Alexander Holtz as the duo each scored while netminder Nico Daws (2+2) made 24 saves in the defeat.
Entering the third period trailing 2-1, the Amerks evened the score 31 seconds into their second power-play of the contest.
Before the goal by Ruotsalainen, Rousek made a centering fed for Fitzgerald atop the point. Fitzgerald and Krebs exchanged passes before setting up Ruotsalainen with just over 17 minutes left in the frame.
WATCH: CASEY FITZGERALD POST-GAME
Just over three minutes later, Schuldt lobbed a pass out of Rochester’s end of the ice into the neutral zone for Rousek. As the rookie forward reached the puck, he pushed it inside the Comets blueline for Malone. The Buffalo native retrieved the puck and wired it through the legs of a Utica skater and over the right leg of Daws to give the Amerks a 3-2 lead at the 6:45 mark.
Facing a one-goal deficit and facing elimination, Daws was pulled for the extra skater inside the final two minutes, however, as Jankowski dug the puck out of the corner, he cleared it the length of the ice and into the vacant net.
WATCH: SETH APPERT POST-GAME
The unassisted tally with 1:01 left in regulation served as the final goal of the night as Rochester preserved the 4-2 win.
Near the middle of a scoreless first period, the teams were feeling each other out as the shots were tied 6-6. However, in a span of 2:11, the clubs combined for three goals.
WATCH: BRETT MURRAY POST-GAME
Rochester opened the scoring as Fitzgerald received a Rousek pass before snapping a shot from the high slot through a screened Daws at the 9:10 mark. The marker was Fitzgerald’s second of the playoffs and Rousek’s third point (1+2) in his last three games.
The Comets countered back with pair of tallies to take a 2-1 lead into the first intermission break as Zetterlund and Holtz each scored their second and first goals of the postseason, respectively, just 49 seconds apart.
WATCH: SEAN MALONE POST-GAME
Zetterlund drifted to the top of the blueline after a Utica face-off win to Dell’s right and flung a shot overtop the netminder’s right shoulder before Holtz wired a shot from outside the top of the circles with 8:39 left in the frame.
The score remained 2-1 in favor of the Comets before Rochester stormed back with three third-period goals in the final 20 minutes of regulation to complete the comeback and win the series 3-2.
|
UTICA |
GAMECENTER |
ROCHESTER |
|
Zetterlund (2), Holtz (1) |
GOAL-SCORERS |
Fitzgerald (2), Ruotsalainen (8), Malone (2), Jankowski (4) |
|
Daws – 24/27 (L) |
GOALTENDERS |
Dell – 19/22 (W) |
|
0-0 |
POWER-PLAY |
1-2 |
|
1-2 |
PENALTY KILL |
0-0 |
|
21 |
SHOTS ON GOAL |
28 |