Rochester plays host to the Toronto Marlies and St.John’s IceCaps before traveling to Springfield.
By Erica Whyte
Despite kicking off their four-game homestand with a 3-0 loss to St. John’s at the Blue Cross Arena on Friday, the Rochester Americans bounced back to close out the weekend with a 4-3 overtime win against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Saturday. The Amerks overcame three separate one-goal deficits before Taylor Fedun’s overtime tally earned the Amerks a win while also helping the team end its three-game slide.
Newcomer Mat Bodie netted a pair of goals for his first two goals in an Amerks uniform. Fedun notched his fifth marker of the season to go along with two helpers for his fifth multi-point effort of the campaign. Kyle Bonis scored his seventh of the slate while Rochester netminder Linus Ullmark stopped 13 of the 16 shots he faced in what was his 15th start in the last 17 tilts. He improved his record on to 21-21-2.
Rochester outshot Bridgeport 44-16, including 18-6 in the second period, besting the 40 they accumulated back on Dec. 30 against Lehigh Valley.
With the Amerks trailing 3-2 with less than six minutes left in regulation, the home club drew a pair of penalties for a five-on-three man advantage for 1:39. Unlike the night before, Rochester capitalized on the opportunity when Bodie blasted his second of the night from Cal O’Reilly, who was appearing in his 700th pro game, and Fedun to force overtime.
Bodie’s first two-point weekend in Rochester tacked him to the ongoing list of new acquisitions making an impact. In his first four games donning the Amerks shield, Derek Grant has tallied three points and Patrick Mullen has notched 7 points in his first 12 appearances. Bodie has scored twice through his first two games since being acquired at the NHL trade deadline last Wednesday, successfully reaching the 10-goal mark for the time in his career. His 32 points (10+22) overall currently lead all Amerks defensemen and rank 12th among AHL blueliners.
While new Amerks are making waves on the homefront, seasoned Amerks are making a splash in the big club. Forward Evan Rodrigues was hailed as “one of the Sabres’ best players this weekend” by Sabres general manager Tim Murray. The 23-year-old Boston University product is playing center for Buffalo, a position that before this season, he hadn’t played in almost a decade.
The Amerks will continue their homestand with North Division showdown on Wednesday night against the Toronto Marlies and a Friday night rematch with the St. John’s Ice Caps before closing out the weekend Sunday in Springfield against the Thunderbirds. All three games will be carried live on The Sports Leader 95.7 FM/950 AM ESPN Rochester.