Rochester comes back twice to force OT in the 3-2 victory over the Comets.
By CRAIG POTTER / C&C Worldwide Sports Director
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The newest Rochester American, Taylor Leier, netted the game-winning goal in the 7th round of the shootout to propel the Amerks to a 3-2 victory over the Utica Comets on Friday night before 6,189 fans at the Blue Cross Arena.
“It was pretty awesome,” said Leier. “I didn’t try to think too much as it obviously was an important shot, but I was happy I was the one to take it.”
The Amerks were playing their first game without the services of All-Star defenseman Zach Redmond, who also is the team’s leading point-getter with 39, and No. 1 goalie Scott Wedgewood. Both players are out with injuries that lists them as week-to-week.
Rochester called up goalie Jonas Johansson from the Cincinnati Cyclones. He got the start and played well in turning aside 35 shots for the win.
“It was an exciting game to be behind the bench,” said Amerks coach Chris Taylor. “The game had everything you could want; big hits, a fight, big saves, goals, overtime, and a shootout. You couldn’t ask for anything better.”
After a scoreless first period, in which the Amerks were outshot 16-11, Rochester turned the table on the Comets and fired 20 shots on goalie Ivan Kulbakov while yielding just 9 shots on Johansson. However, the Comets capitalized on an opportunity for a 1-0 lead.
The Amerks tied the game in the third period when Danny O’Regan fired a shot from the left circle off a feed from defenseman Brandon Hickey.
The Comets regained the lead less than 2 minutes later as Reid Boucher scored on a screen shot for his second goal of the contest.
Taylor pulled Johansson for the extra attacker as it paid off when defenseman Matt Tennyson fired a shot in from the left point.
The teams played through a scoreless overtime period, so the game went to the shootout. Trailing 2-1, C.J. Smith scored on Rochester’s third shot to even the count. Neither team was able to score until the 7th round when newcomer Leier found the back of the net. Johansson made the save on Carter Bancks for the win.
“It wasn’t a team we wanted to give up a point, but we found a way to win,” said Smith. “We were down late but battled back and it was a good win.”
“We were just trading chances at first, but we stuck with it and just kept getting pucks deep and on net,” O’Regan added. “Utica’s goaltender played well, as they have lately, but we are happy to get the two points.”
Hickey, a rookie out of Boston University who was acquired by the Sabres in the Hudson Fasching trade last June, made an excellent slide block on a 2-on-1 pass to prevent a Comet scoring chance.
“Coming in as a defenseman is always tough,” said Taylor. “He keeps learning and his willingness to work hard in practice. When he’s not playing, the biggest thing for me is what are the other guys doing and how can he learn from not playing.”
Hickey’s assist was a heads up play.
“On that goal, not too many guys would move up the puck that quick(ly),” Taylor said. “Some would take it back, slow it down but he moved it up quick(ly) and Danny made a nice play.
“I really liked his defensive style tonight. His penalty killing was very good for us tonight. Our penalty killing (4-for-4) was really good. They’ve got a potent power play so I thought he did a great job.”
*NOTES — Defenseman Brendan Guhle has been chosen to replace injured defenseman Zach Redmond as the Amerks representative in the AHL All-Star Classic Jan. 27-28, in Springfield, MA. In his second full season with the Amerks, Guhle currently ranks second amongst all active team defensemen with 19 points (4+15) in 37 games for Rochester. In 99 career AHL Games with the Amerks, the 6-foot-2, 196-pound blueliner has recorded 51 points on 14 goals and 37 assists. The Sherwood Park, Alberta, native has amassed 5 assists in 23 NHL appearances with the Buffalo Sabres, including 2 this season…Rookie defenseman Lawrence Pilut, who also was selected for the Classic, is on recall to the Buffalo Sabres and will not participate in the event…The Amerks, who have gone 15-for-48 on the man-advantage over their last 11 games, own the AHL’s fifth-ranked power-play percentage with a 22.2% success rate coming into tonight…Rochester has collected at least one point in 11 of the last 13 games against Utica dating back to the start of the 2017-18 campaign, going 6-2-2-3 over that span. Nine of the last 13 games between the two teams have been decided by one goal. In the previous 3 get-togethers with the Comets this season, the Amerks have gone 7-for-17 while on the man-advantage, which included 4-for-5 in the first meeting back on Oct. 17…Rochester increased its lead to 4 points over Utica in the North Division as the Amerks also have 4 games in hand on the Comets.
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Rochester Americans defenseman Matt Tennyson (5) scores with the goalie pulled to tie the game 2-2 against the Utica Comets on Friday night (1/25/19) before 6,189 fans at the Blue Cross Arena. The Amerks won 3-2 in a shootout.
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Rochester Americans forward Taylor Leier (16) scores in winning goal in the 7th round of the shootout for a 3-2 win against the Utica Comets on Friday night (1/25/19) before 6,189 fans at the Blue Cross Arena.
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Rochester Americans goalie Jonas Johansson makes the save in the 7th round of the shootout for a 3-2 win against the Utica Comets on Friday night (1/25/19) before 6,189 fans at the Blue Cross Arena.
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