Special team play lifts Rochester past the Laval Rocket, 3-2.
By CRAIG POTTER
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Scott Wedgewood kept the Rochester Americans in the game against the Laval Rochet Saturday night before 3,696 fans at the Blue Cross Arena before the hosts rallied for 3 goals in the third for a 3-2 victory.
The Rocket peppered Wedgewood with 15 shots in the first period, but Wedgewood turned aside all the shots.
“We easily could have been down 3 or 4 goals,” said Amerks coach Chris Taylor.
“He’s been good right from the start. I don’t look at his numbers from those first two games (10 goals against on 71 shots), no one should, because we didn’t give him any help.
“He was there again tonight to bail us out.”
Laval grabbed a 1-0 lead in the second stanza with a power play tally.
However, the Amerks netted 3 goals in just under 6 minutes midway through the third period. Defenseman Zach Redmond tied the game 1-1 off a nice pass play from Taylor Fedun and Eric Cornel.
“I’ve played on some good teams but this might be the best,” said Redmond, an 8-year veteran. “I don’t want to jinx it but we’re headed in the right direction.”
C.J. Smith put the Amerks in front to stay with excellent hustle while killing a penalty. The puck came to Laval goalie Charlie Lindgren, who attempted to clear the puck behind the net. However, Smith caught up to it and came around front to put it home into the vacated goal.
The goal came after the Amerks killed off their second 5-on-3 on infraction of the night.
“C.J.’s got a real knack for scoring big time goals,” said Taylor. “He reads the play well and I thought he played really well tonight.”
The Amerks were whistled for 12 penalties in the contest.
“We took too many penalties. We talked last night about improving our penalty kill and blocking shots is a way to improve it and help win hockey games,” Taylor said.
However, the penalty killing squads did their job.
“A lot of battle,” Wedgewood said of the team’s effort. “I don’t think that’s what we wanted to do for the first two periods, obviously a lot of penalties taken, but guys stepped up their game.
“We’ve got a lot of guys eating pucks. Even on the 5-on-4, (Justin) Bailey took one in the head and got right back up.”
Over the past 2 nights, the Rochester penalty killers went 15-for-17.
“The penalty killing’s starting to get back to where it was last year (84.1 percent),” said team captain Kevin Porter.
Former Rocket Yannick Veilleux, playing in just his 4th game for the Amerks, scored what proved to be the game-winner as he put home a rebound off Lindgren’s kick save for a 3-1 Rochester lead.
“It felt pretty good,” Veilleux said with a grin. “I haven’t had any of those kind of bounces in a while, but it was a relief to get that one. I was in the right spot at the right time.”
The Rocket drew to within one with a power play with just under 3 minutes remaining in regulation.
Wedgewood finished with 37 saves as he improved his record to 5-2-0-1.
*NOTES — The oldest rivalry in the American Hockey League will be renewed on Friday, Nov. 2 in Rochester as the Amerks welcome the Hershey Bears back to the BCA for the only time this season…Rochester (7-2-1-0) leads the North Division with 15 points and holds a 2-point margin over the Cleveland Monsters…Kyle Criscuolo sustained a lower body injury blocking a shot Friday night, and he sat out Saturday as well.
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Rochester Americans goalie Scott Wedgewood makes the save on a 5-on-3 by the Laval Rocket Saturday night at the Blue Cross Arena before 3,696 fans. The Amerks won the game 3-2.
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