HOUSER POSTS SHUTOUT IN 1-0 SHOOTOUT WIN OVER COMETS
Houser combined for 25 saves to record his first shutout as an Amerk
Mar 25, 2023A thrilling goaltending duel between Michael Houser and Nico Daws that resulted in shutouts for both netminders went all the way to the shootout, where Houser remained perfect in backstopping the Rochester Americans (30-25-4-3) to a 1-0 win over the intrastate rival Utica Comets (31-23-6-2) Saturday at the Adirondack Bank Center.
With the win, the Amerks have earned a point in 11 of their last 16 games, going 7-5-2-2 over that span. The shootout was Rochester’s fourth in the last five games and third straight this week ahead of Sunday’s weekend finale to close out the four-game week.
Second year-forward Linus Weissbach was the only Amerk to beat the Utica netminder in the shootout while Mason Jobst, Jiri Kulich, and Jeremy Davies were all denied. Davies and Lawrence Pilut both finished the contest with a game-high six shots.
Houser (7-7-2) evened his record as he stopped all 25 shots he faced, which included all four Comet shooters in the shootout. The shutout marked his first as an Amerk and first in the American Hockey League in nearly eight years to the day since March 27, 2015, when he made 26 saves as a member of the San Antonio Rampage.
Alexander Holtz led all Comets with four shots while Reilly Walsh and Tyler Wotherspoon each registered three. Goaltender Nico Daws (14-12-3), who appeared in his first game since March 1, made 35 saves while also stopping three of the four Rochester skaters he faced in the shootout to earn his first shutout of the campaign.
Following a scoreless 60 minutes of regulation that saw Rochester outshoot Utica 34-18, the overtime period was required to determine a winner.
In the extra frame, the stalemate continued as neither team was able to generate much offensively as the Comets had a slime 3-2 advantage in shots.
After the sudden-death overtime, the game remained scoreless.
Rochester elected to shoot first in the shootout for the second time in as many nights. Much like the entire contest, Houser and Daws went save for save to start the skills competition before Weissbach converted the only goal of the game after slipping a backhanded shot between the pads of the Utica netminder.
Houser sealed the win as he denied Nolan Stevens in the fourth round to give Rochester a 1-0 win.
The Amerks continue their push to the playoffs on Sunday, March 26 when they close out their three-game weekend against the Cleveland Monsters at The Blue Cross Arena. Game time is slated for a 3:05 p.m. start and will be carried live on The Sports Leader 95.7 FM/950 AM The Fan Rochester as well as AHLTV. The North Division matchup will also be televised live locally on CW Rochester.
Storyline Stripes:
With tonight’s win, the Amerks reached the 30-win mark for the seventh consecutive season dating back to the 2015-16 campaign (excluding the abbreviated 2020-21 season) ... Tonight was the third straight game the Amerks went to a shootout, marking the first time since November 2017 the team appeared in three consecutive games which ended in a shootout … Rochester has blanked an opponent twice in its last six games contests.
Goal Scorers
ROC: None
UTC: None
Goaltenders
ROC: M. Houser – 21/21 (W)
UTC: N. Daws – 35/35 (SOL)
Shots
ROC: 36
UTC: 21
Special Teams
ROC: PP (0/2) | PK (2/2)
UTC: PP (0/2) | PK (2/2)
Three Stars
1. UTC - N. Daws
2. ROC - M. Houser
3. ROC - L. Weissbach