PETERKA LIFTS AMERKS TO OVERTIME WIN IN BRIDGEPORT
Feb 15, 2022The Rochester Americans (24-15-3-2) went beyond regulation for the third straight game of their season-long five-game road swing, this time earning both points after JJ Peterka’s second goal of the night with 1:59 remaining in the extra session capped a 3-2 win over the Bridgeport Islanders (17-20-5-4) Tuesday at Webster Bank Arena.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | SO | FINAL |
| Rochester | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -- | 3 |
| Bridgeport | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | -- | 2 |
With the overtime victory, Rochester’s third straight game decided beyond regulation following a shootout loss to Providence and an overtime loss to Hartford, the Amerks have earned points in 22 of their last 32 games dating back to Nov. 19. Additionally, dating back to the 2017-18 season, the club shows a 7-1-1-0 mark in its last nine meetings with Bridgeport, which includes five straight wins over that span.
Along with Peterka’s first career two-goal effort, which made him the first Amerk this season and just the second AHL rookie to reach the 40-point mark, Brandon Biro (1+1) and Linus Weissbach (0+2) both produced multi-point performances. Brett Murray and defensemen Ethan Prow and Mitch Eliot all recorded an assist in the overtime win.
Biro, who has notched 30 points (7+23) over his last 25 games dating back to Nov. 27, has logged two points in five of his last six games to move into fifth in scoring among all AHL rookies. Weissbach, meanwhile, has nine of his 13 assists on the season since the turn of the calendar year.
Goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (7-6-1) stopped 32 of the 34 shots he faced, which included a breakaway opportunity in both the first and third periods. In six of his 14 appearances this season, he has allowed two or few goals-against while averaging nearly 26 saves per game.
PETERKA WINS IT IN OVERTIME
Forwards Andy Andreoff and Paul Thompson scored their ninth and fifth goals of the campaign, respectively, while netminder Ken Appleby (0-3-3) saw his winless skid reach six games. Appleby made 27 saves, including a game-high 12 in the third period, but was dealt the overtime defeat.
The Amerks carried a 2-1 lead into the final period, however, Bridgeport evened the score just 10 seconds into the frame as Thompson steered in a back-door feed from Jeff Kubiak and Richard Panik.
For the remaining 19:50, the Amerks and Islanders combined for 20 shots, but both Appleby and Luukkonen stood tall to keep the scored knotted at two and force overtime.
The two clubs patiently waited for a scoring chance in the first half of the extra period, and after getting possession of the puck inside the Bridgeport zone, Rochester seized the moment.
Biro, Prow and Peterka cycled the puck in the offensive zone and forced the Islanders to keep up. Peterka then snuck behind a Bridgeport defender off the right half wall while talking a pass from Prow and made a dash to the goa. Using Biro as a decoy, Peterka snapped a quick shot through the legs of Appleby to give the Amerks a 3-2 win.
BIRO SCORES ON THE POWER-PLAY
With the two-goal night, Peterka, who is now second in rookie scoring with 40 points (13+27), has registered seven multi-point performances since the start of 2022 and 12 on the season overall. Additionally, he has 21 points (9+12) since Dec. 19.
In the opening stanza, after successfully killing its first of three first-period penalties, Rochester opened the scoring thanks in part to Peterka’s nifty move around an Islanders’ defender at the blueline seven minutes into the contest.
As he was exiting the defensive zone, Weissbach tapped a pass forward to Peterka near the center-ice logo. The German rookie sprinted through the neutral zone and deked his away behind a Bridgeport skater and tucked a shot overtop the blocker of Appleby to give Rochester a 1-0 advantage at the 6:52 mark.
Following the intermission break, Bridgeport got on the board 1:50 into the frame when Andreoff was credited with his ninth of the season.
With the teams beginning the period four-on-four after carryover roughing penalties, Robin Salo and an Amerk were tied up along the boards before Salo pushed the puck ahead for Simon Holmstrom. As the Swede skated down the right wall and towards the left side of Luukkonen, he threw the puck in the direction of Andreoff and it glanced off a Rochester skater and off the jersey of Andreoff before trickling between the legs of the Amerk netminder.
PETERKA SCORES A HIGHLIGHT REEL GOAL
Nearly 11 minutes after the Islanders tied the score at one, Rochester capitalized on a five-on-three power-play opportunity with just over seven minutes left in the stanza.
The Amerks used five forwards of Biro, Weissbach, Arttu Ruotsalainen, Peterka and Murray in the second-half of the two man-advantage. As Murray helped carry the puck around the net and atop the left circle, he handed it to Weissbach. The Swede skated to the opposite point and slid a pass for Biro at right dot. Before tucking back around the net, the Penn State product threw the puck out in front of the crease that pinballed into the cage to restore the Amerks 2-1 lead at 12:52.
Bridgeport countered back yet again in the third period before Peterka sealed the win in overtime.
Rochester’s road swing continues on Friday, Feb. 18 as the Amerks open their first three-in-three weekend of the season with a North Division showdown against the first-place Utica Comets at the Adirondack Bank Center. Game time between the intrastate rivals is slated for a 7:00 p.m. stat and will be carried live on The Sports Leader 95.7FM/950 AM The Fan Rochester as well as AHLTV.
|
BRIDGEPORT |
GAMECENTER |
ROCHESTER |
P. Thompson (5) |
GOAL-SCORERS |
J. Peterka (12, 13 – OT GWG), B. Biro (8) |
|
GOALTENDERS |
|
|
0-4 |
POWER-PLAY |
1-3 |
|
2-3 |
PENALTY KILL |
4-4 |
|
34 |
SHOTS ON GOAL |
30 |