Utica notches a 3-2 shootout victory over Rochester on a disputed goal.
By CRAIG POTTER / C&C Worldwide Sports Director
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Rochester Americans continue to struggle getting goals as they once again outshot the opposition only to lose the third of four straight overtime games.
The Amerks were victimized by the Utica Comets, 3-2, in a shootout on Wednesday night before 3,137 fans at the Blue Cross Arena.
Rochester forced overtime by scoring in the final minute of play, but neither team could score in the 5-minute sudden death period. The Amerks dominated in shots with 36 as the Comets managed 21 shots on Rochester netminder Andrew Hammond.
“We played pretty well,” said Amerks captain Kevin Porter. “We just needed one of those lucky bounces and we got one to send the game into overtime. We did not give up, and while we would have liked to get two points, we were still able to get that one.”
The controversy arose on the only goal of the shootout. Sven Beartschi was Utica’s fifth shooter. He came in, got Hammond down and out as he skated to his left, stick-handled the puck and lifted it over the sprawled Hammond for the game-winner.
“In my interpretation, you can’t bring the puck back. You’ve got to bring the puck forward at all times,” said Amerks coach Chris Taylor. “Just at the end, he (Beartschi) stopped it from going forward and brought it back a little bit and then put it in so it should be no goal.”
The Amerks argued the call with the officials, but the referees allowed the goal to stand.
Rochester (30-17-4-5) dominated the opening period but it took the 15th shot to even the count 1-1 in the last minute of the stanza.
The Comets (30-20-3-2) had taken a 1-0 lead when Hammond was penalized for delay of game. Utica scored on the ensuing power play, but Hammond complete the statistical oddity when he assisted on the tying goal. He passed the puck to CJ Smith, who skated into the offensive zone and found Casey Mittelstadt open at the bottom of the left circle. Mittelstadt’s shot beat Utica goalie Michael DiPietro on the short side as the teams skated off 1-1 at intermission.
Utica regained the advantage about 5 minutes into the second period when Sven Beartschi’s shot trickled through Hammond and across the goal line for the 2-1 lead.
The Amerks kept applying pressure and it finally paid off in the final minute of the third period with Hammond on the bench for the extra attacker. Scott Wilson found the back of the net from the bottom of the right circle as Smith picked up his second assist of the contest.
“It was a good sign being able to score in the last 30 seconds,” Smith said. “It was a way to show some grit. It was a bounce in our direction and now we just have to keep finishing games and earning points.”
Neither team could score in the 5-minute overtime period, and no one scored through the first 4 rounds of the shootout. Lawrence Pilut was Rochester’s fifth shooter but he could not beat DiPietro.
“I thought we had a really solid game,” said Taylor. “I really liked our start as we generated a lot of chances. In the second period, I thought it was better than our last game as we continued to execute and stick to our game plan. In the third, we fought back for a goal to send the game into overtime.
“I really liked our game but we just could not find a way to put the puck behind their goaltender.”
*NOTES — Rochester’s home stand concludes on Friday, Feb. 28 when they host the North Division rival Laval Rocket at the Blue Cross Arena at 7:05 pm…Casey Nelson is tied for ninth among all blueliners with a team-best plus-19 on-ice rating through 44 games this season…Jacob Bryson is sixth among all first-year defensemen with a plus-11 on-ice rating. Bryson, who scored his first pro goal on Wednesday and had the overtime game-winner Saturday night, is also tied for ninth among all rookie blueliners with 21 points (2+19) in 55 games while his 19 assists are eighth-most…Rochester has collected at least one point in 18 of the last 24 games against Utica dating back to the start of the 2017-18 campaign, going 13-6-2-3 over that span…Former Amerk Justin Bailey remains at a close second behind teammate Reid Boucher with a career-high 26 goals in 46 games for the Comets. Bailey, who recently returned from a two-game stint with Vancouver, has five points in his last three games, including four goals. He’s been one of Utica’s most dominant goal-scorers since the turn of the New Year, scoring 14 goals in his last 12 games. The Buffalo native also scored three hat tricks in a four-game span in that stretch, including in back-to-back games against Hartford. He’s now reached the 20-goal mark three times in his pro career having previously reached the mark in consecutive seasons with Rochester in 2015-16 and 2016-17…The game was the 500th professional game that Zach Redmond played in.