The Rochester netminder makes 42 saves in the 3-1 win over the Monsters.
By CRAIG POTTER
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A save on a breakaway then smothering the rebound turned out to be key elements as Rochester Americans goalie Scott Wedgewood made 42 saves on 43 shots in posting a 3-1 victory over the Cleveland Monsters on Friday night before 4,035 fans at the Blue Cross Arena.
“I was a little nervous at the beginning as it has almost been two weeks since my last game,” said Wedgewood,” who was reassigned to the Amerks earlier in the week from the parent Buffalo Sabres. “After the first five minutes or so, I started feeling better and better while getting more comfortable as the game went on.”
Wedgewood’s crucial saves came midway through the third period with the Amerks holding a 1-0 lead on Alex Nylander’s second-period goal. Justin Bailey and C.J. Smith assisted on the play.
“He made a few really, really good saves and kept it a one-goal game,” Bailey said. “He played an amazing game.
“We knew coming into the game, Cleveland is a good team with a lot of veterans, who know how to play with the lead, so for us getting the lead was a big key tonight.”
Amerks coach Chris Taylor didn’t really like what his forward lines were doing in the first period so he made changes to start the second. He put Smith with Nylander and Bailey.
“It was kind of weird being thrown together and then the first shift we had together we scored,” Smith said.
The Amerks gave Wedgewood a little more breathing room when defenseman Brandon Hickey blasted a shot from inside the blue line past Monster goalie Jean-Francois Berube. Bailey picked up his second assist of the night on the play.
Victor Olofsson stole the puck and fed Danny O’Regan who scored into the empty net for a 3-0 advantage. The Monsters had pulled Berube for the extra attacker.
However, the Rochester defenseman Jack Dougherty sent the puck outside the rink on an attempted clearing pass and was whistled for a delay of game penalty. Cleveland converted on the power play to avoid being shutout.
The Monsters outshot the Amerks in the first period, 14-6.
“We had a lot of good opportunities, especially in the first period,” said Taylor. “Wedgewood came up big as did our penalty kill unit. It was a good team win.”
The two teams go at it again Saturday night in the Ohio city.
The Monsters broke up the shutout bid with a power play goal by Adam Clendening with 1:11 to play in regulation.
Forward Dalton Smith led the Amerks in hits, particularly in the third period.
“He was really good,” Taylor said.
*NOTES — Rochester (17-7-2-0, 36 pts) maintained its 4-point lead over the Syracuse Crunch (15-6-2-0, 32 pts) in the North Division. Cleveland is in 4th place with 29 points…The Amerks have won 6 of their last 8 games while earning 36 of a possible 48 points in the last 24 games…Rochester sent goalie Jonas Johansson back to the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL…Buffalo Sabres defenseman Matt Hunwick play his second game for the Amerks on his conditioning assignment. Amerks coach Chris Taylor did not know after the game if Hunwick would be accompanying the team to Cleveland or not…Amerks assistant coach Toby Petersen spent the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons behind the bench with the Monsters. He helped the team earn its first Calder Cup in 2016…That goal-less drought Andrew MacWilliam thought he ended back on Nov. 5? It turns out he didn’t. Danny O’Regan tipped the MacWilliam point shot and, thus, the veteran defenseman has now gone 141 games without scoring.