Rochester battles back from a 2-0 deficit but loses in OT to the Cleveland Monsters.
By CRAIG POTTER / C&C Worldwide Sports Director
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — It’s getting to be a broken record for the Rochester Americans the past 3 games, outshoot your opponent but lose 2 of the 3 contests in overtime.
“Right now I’m frustrated,” said Amerks winger Taylor Leier, who scored his eighth goal. “This is a week when we should have had six points.”
“It was not the result in the end that we wanted,” said assistant captain and veteran defenseman Andrew MacWilliam. “If I said I was not frustrated I’d being lying, but that’s what being a professional is all about. We just need to learn from it and come back on Monday ready to get back to work.”
The Amerks latest shortcoming was Saturday night before 7,003 fans at the Blue Cross Arena as the Cleveland Monsters scored on their first 2 shots of the game, then wound up winning on the only shot in overtime for a 3-2 victory.
Sam Vigneault netted the game-winner 1:35 into the extra session for the Monsters.
“He would have liked to have that one back,” Amerks head coach Chris Taylor said of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen after allowing the overtime-winning goal. “Just like our shooters would like to have some of those back, then we would even be talking about it.”
The Monsters capitalized on a couple of Rochester defensive mistakes to grab a 2-0 lead in the first period against rookie goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
However, the Amerks kept plugging away with shots on Cleveland goalie Joonas Korpisalo, who was on a rehab assignment from the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Taylor Leier got the Amerks on the scoreboard as he took a pass from Rasmus Asplund, then roared down the right wing and closed to put the puck through the 5-hole for the goal.
Rochester held a 16-3 shot advantage but trailed 2-1 at the end of the period.
Brett Murray evened the count in the second stanza as Lawrence Pilut picked up his 100th pro assist on the play. Will Borgen also received an assist on the goal.
“I liked how we were able to get back into the game after trailing,” said Taylor. “We are frustrated with the result, but the positive is we got back into the game. We could have let the game get away from us, but we didn’t. We got close to 35 shots on net and made a game out of it.”
“We showed mental toughness and did not give up,” Leier added. “When you’re down, guys need to step up and make plays. You also have to put the puck in the net. It starts inside your own zone, from your own blueline then continues further up the ice.”
The Amerks had numerous opportunities in their 34 shots as they hit the post 3 times and miss several open nets.
“It’s the five seconds before the play happens,” Leier said. “It’s being sync with your linemates. It’s puck management. It’s plays at the blue line. If we want to win now and win in the playoffs, we have to start making a lot more of those plays.”
Korpisalo finished with 32 saves as he came up with several key stops.
*NOTES — By way of last night’s 3-2 overtime win, the Amerks reached the 30-win mark for the fourth consecutive season and third straight under head coach Chris Taylor. Taylor became the first Amerks head coach since Randy Cunneyworth, the all-time winningest coach in franchise history, to lead his team to 30 or more wins in each of his first three seasons behind the bench…Rochester’s homestand continues on Wednesday, Feb. 26 when they host the Utica Comets at the Blue Cross Arena at 7:05 pm…Jacob Bryson is tied for sixth among all first-year players with a plus-10 rating. Bryson, who scored his first pro goal on Wednesday and had the game-winner Friday night, also is tied for eighth among all rookie blueliners with 21 points (2+19) in 53 games…Amerks assistant coach Toby Petersen was behind the bench when Cleveland won the Calder Cup in 2016…Rochester holds a record of 29-7-4-4 over Cleveland since the start of the 2011-12 campaign and has earned a point in all 7 games so far this season.