By CRAIG POTTER
C.J. Smith collects 4 points as Alex Nylander and Evan Rodrigues make their first start of the season.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Rochester Americans rookie forward C.J. Smith recorded his first 4-point game as a professional with 2 goals and 2 assists in leading the team to a 4-2 victory over the Hartford Wolf Pack on Friday night before 5,431 fans at the Blue Cross Arena on Military Appreciation Night.
Smith opened the scoring 7 minutes into the action off assists from second-year pro Colin Blackwell and rookie Arvin Atwal, who was making his AHL debut.
About 2.5 minutes later Brendan Guhle blasted a shot from the left point on a power play that beat Hartford goalie Alexander Georgiev for a 2-0 advantage.
“We were able to jump out to an early lead,” said Smith. “I do not think we played as hard as we had hoped and we’re looking to regroup tomorrow.”
The Wolf Pack cut the margin in half with a power play goal early in the second stanza.
Smith got that one back with a power play tally of his own about 10 minutes later. Stuart Percy and Alex Nylander, who was playing in his first game of the season following a lower body injury in the Prospects Tournament.
Hartford pulled Georgiev late in the third, but Smith led Hudson Fasching for an empty net goal to secure the win.
The game also saw Nylander make his first start of the year, along with Evan Rodrigues, who has been sidelined since sustaining an injury while playing with the Sabres.
“I think it was a big addition for Nylander and Evan Rodrigues both to return to the lineup with our team playing as well as we have for the last few weeks,” said Amerks head coach Chris Taylor. “Our team has played well as of late, but we are building on each day and only getting better and better.”
“It felt great to finally by back on the ice,” Nylander said.
Rodrigues added, “I felt good out there. I felt like I had my legs. Obviously you had the nerves going into it, first game in a long time but after the first shift I settled in and thought I played well.”
Atwal also made his presence known in his first game as an Amerk. Late in the third period, former Amerk Dan Catenacci charged Nylander along the far boards.
“I still didn’t know what to do when I saw him coming,” Nylander said. “I took the hit and I’m happy that nothing happened. I’m okay.”
Atwal immediately jumped in and battled Catenacci.
“I love that, guys coming in sticking up for teammates,” Taylor said of Atwal. “It’s what it’s all about. We’re a family in there. He came in there and did a great job for us. No hesitation, that’s what I like about it.”
Atwal received an instigating penalty, fighting penalty, and a 10-minute misconduct for instigating a fight in the final 5 minutes of the game. He totaled 17 minutes in penalties to take over the fourth spot on the squad for most penalty minute.
*NOTES – For those in attendance tonight, the numbers on the Amerks camouflage jerseys were supposed to have been red, not blue, which is why they were hard to read from a distance… It was the Amerks annual Military Appreciation Night as the jerseys were actioned off with the proceeds going to the Veterans Outreach Center…The Buffalo Sabres have assigned forwards Evan Rodrigues and Nick Baptiste to the Rochester Americans. Rodrigues has been out with an injury sustained while with Buffalo…Rochester Americans General Manager Randy Sexton announced on Friday that the team signed defensemen Arvin Atwal and Eric Knodel to Professional Tryouts. In a corresponding move, the Amerks have re-assigned defenseman Brycen Martin and forward Vaclav Karabacek to the Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL). Martin and Karabacek each made their season debuts in Rochester’s 3-0 shutout win over Binghamton on Wednesday.
A native of Delta, British Columbia, the 21-year-old Atwal appeared in 11 games with the Cyclones to begin the 2017-18 season, notching four points (1+3). Last season during his rookie campaign with Cincinnati, the 6-foot-0, 200-pound blueliner posted 21 points (3+18) in 39 games. Prior to turning pro, Atwal played five seasons with the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Vancouver Giants, recording 108 points (25+83) in 225 career WHL games. He set career-highs in goals (11), assists (39) and points (50) during his final season with the Hurricanes.
Knodel, 27, has appeared in 11 games to begin the season with Cincinnati, recording 12 points (5+7), which leads all Cyclones blueliners and is tied for second in the ECHL amongst defensemen. Last season, Knodel led all Cincinnati defensemen with a career-high eight goals and 28 points in 58 games while earning a selection to the 2017 CCM/ECHL All-Star Classic. A native of West Chester, PA., the five-year pro makes his third stop in the AHL after posting 10 assists in 33 games between the Toronto Marlies and San Diego Gulls from 2013 to 2016. He’s also amassed 81 points (25+56) over 163 career ECHL appearances between Cincinnati, Utah, and Orlando. Prior to turning pro, the 6-foot-6, 225-pound blueliner spent four seasons at the University of New Hampshire (H-East). In 116 games for the Wildcats, he accounted for 20 goals and 41 assists for 61 total points, including a career-high 28 (7+21) points during his senior year when he served as team captain. Knodel originally was drafted by the Toronto Maples Leafs in the fifth-round (128th overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.
Links
Rochester Americans – amerks.com
Videos
Military Appreciation Night ceremony — https://youtu.be/WDCGiQNEC2Y
C.J. Smith power play goal – https://youtu.be/dNW_V5ILiuc