2/26/21
Rochester Americans (4-1-0-0) @ Utica Comets (3-1-0-1)
The Amerks have won 4 in a row and have the #1 PP in the AHL
The Comets have the 27th worst of the 28 AHL teams on the penalty kill.
Forwards:
(81)McKenzie/(19)Focht/(17)N. Stevens
(47)Baertschi/(13)Lind/(9) Jasek
(21)Gadjovich/(16)J. Stevens/(10)Lockwood
(18)Arseneau/(26)Kaspick/(14)McGing
D-Pairs:
(3)Rathbone/(22)Woo
(4)Teves/(52)Eliot
(2)Tucker/(28)Reinke
Goal - (32)Gillies
Scratches:
(23)Jackson
(24) Wesley
(31)Fitzpatrick
Period 1
The Comets came out strong. Heavy forecheck and good pressure for the first 4 minutes.
Then Rathbone established possession inside the offensive blueline and sent a pass to Lockwood on the RW 1/2 boards. He skated the puck out to the blueline and sent a pass 2/3 of the way across the blueline. He wound up and fired a slapper on net. The save was made, but John Stevens scooped up the rebound and deposited it in the open left side of the cage.
1-0 Comets
The Comets continued the pressure from the ensuing faceoff. The Lind line applied pressure and the Focht line kept up the heat. Woo and Rathbone are noticeably playing well together. The Amerks finally catch a break with a TV TO after a whistle. When play resumes the roles shifted as trhe Amerksa mounted sustained pressure and the Comets couldn't get the puck out. The Lind lion was completely befuddled and Jasek took a slashing penalty.
The Comets would now have to face the AHL's best PP unit. They broke up plays all over the ice and actually applied a little offensive pressure of their own. They killed it and when they got even they immediately got called for too m any men and had to go right back at it. They did it again, but needed a couple big stops from Gillies to kill it off. The big contributors were Nolan Stevens, Curtis McKenzie, Tanner Kaspick, Nolan Stevens, Will Lockwood up front and Jett Woo, Tanner Tucker, Josh Teves, Mitch Eliot, and Mitch Reinke on the back end. Over the next 8 minutes after the TV TO Amerks outshot the Comets 8-0.
During the remaining time left in the first Lockwood, Woo, and Rathbone set up a couple good scoring chances from the points with both Woo and Rathboine getting good hard shots on net.
END of PERIOD 1
SOG:
Amerks - 12
Comets - 10
Amerks 0/2 on the PP.
PERIOD 2
The period is barely 2 minutes old when Teves gets 2 for hooking after losing an end boards battle and hooking the Amerk breaking away from him towards the net front.
It took the vaunted PP 6 seconds to put goal #1 on the board.
1-1
McKenzie leads a big shift right after the goal along with Focht and N. Stevens.
O-h-h-h-h! A big hit by WOO Inside the offensive blue line.
Amerks called for too m any men.
Comets to the PP. Amerks too many men.
PP1
McKenzie - net front
Baertschi/Lind/Nolan Stevens
Reinke
PP2
Gadjovich
McGing/Jasek/Focht
Not much going on this one.
A minute after the last PP fizzled the Amerks get 2 for tripping.
Lind loses the draw and it's all the way down.
Several efforts to gain thew zone fail. Lind makes poor passes and fails to skate it in on most efforts.
Another PP chance goes down the drain.
Arseneau drives right down the center and put it off Luke's shoulder ,but crashing the net pumps the rebound back on net.
Vinnie modeling a behavior that produces scoring chances.
Guess somebody took note. Lockwood digs hard along the corner boards and feeds the puck to Kaspick in the circle who slides the puck over to John Stevens charging down the slot and he wrists it without stopping it and.........
S--------C--------O--------R-----------E--------S !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2-1 Comets
3 minutes later Tucker commits a terrible turnover in the neutral zone. Amerk captain Fogarty snipes from just below the dot and it's 2-2.
Late in the period we see another failed weak rush by Lind and then once the puck is regained in the Comes end he makes jhis 1st good rush of the night, feeds Baertschi in the right circle, who is stopped on a pretty good shot. Sven looks to be zeroing on a goal. It will not be too soon if he gets it figured out.
Tucker gets in too deep and knee trips an Amerk jumping out of the zone. 2 for tripping.
(Side note here. John Stevens leaves the rink through the end boards gate. Injured? That's the usual reason.)
On the PK Jasek and Kaspick get out shorthanded and Kaspick is stopped after taking a tape to tape pass.
Soo after Nolan Stevens and McKenzie are up the ice on a 2 on 1. Stevens gets off a shot attempt that is partially blocked and goes wide.
Period ends with 19 seconds carrying over to start the 3rd.
END PERIOD 2
2-2
SOG:
Amerks - 7
Comets - 14
2 period total: 24-19 Utica
PERIOD 3
The second the first whistle blows, John Stevens goes back to the locker room. His attempt to see if he could go was a failure. This would mean tomorrow the Cometw would suit up every single forward they have left - 12.
Cull starts mixing up every line and also repairs the D.
Woo is with Eliot. THe Comets are hemmed in and Eliot intentionally ices the puck. The 5 on the ice are gassed. Finally a hand pass by the Amerks and the Comets change.
Tucker with Rienke.
Rathbone comes out with Teves.
Gadjovich gets 2 for holding in the offensive zone at 17:22. Lockwood steals it in the Amerks slot and is stopped on the right edge and the rebound is backhanded on net by Kaspick from the other side
Tucker is lost without his regular partner of the past 5 games, Santini. With him Tucker was progressing very well and they looked to be a solid pairing. No Santini and Tucker has been an error machine.
McKenzie another big shift and the penalty is killed.
This is the best game McKenzie has played for the Comets.
1st line comes on to revitalize the Comets pressure after the kill and they can't get out of their own end. Anas is dearly missed and Jasek has been playing without a RW for many seconds of every shift.
Finally Lind gets out of the zone, skates up ice, kicks it over to Gadjovich on a line change and he steps right into it at the top of the right circle and...................
S__________C_________O________R________E___________S
3-2 Utica at 5:34
Jasek gets the puck in the crease and misses the net while getting knocked to the ice.
TV TO 13:04 to go in the 3rd.
Comets are in the Amerks zone. Teves gets it at the point and moves down to the top of the circle, turns his body towards the net and rips one into the far top corner!
GOAL UTICA!!!!!!!!!!!!
4-2 at 7:15
2 goals in less than 2 minutes
Forget even thinking about any type of fixed lines. It's 3 different guys every time. It reminds me of pickup hockey when guys change one at a time based upon fatigue.
Comets with more pressure led by Lockwood.
Every guy comes onto the ice and works his ass off while Lind is coasts around like a slug when he doesn't have the puck.
HOLY CRAP! Arseneau picks off a pass in the slot that was mistipped by an Amerk right to him while he was headed back towards the Comets end. He whirls around and wrists it home. He's been hammering Amerks all night long with clean hits every shift. This goal is a well deserved reward.
5-2 Utica
I haven't checked the Amerks complete lineup, but the Sabres have been stalled by a big COVID outbreak and I'm sure that may have cost the Amerks some bodies much like injuries to St. Louis has left the Comets cupboards bare. I will say this though, the team they put on the ice tonight was much bigger than the Comets. However the Amerks had 17 forwards to draw form while the Comets had 13. Murray is a 6'4" 216 pound forward and he has been a real handful for the Comets D as have 6'5" Franco, 6'3" Fogarty, and 6'2" Mersch and Smith. Their reach and strides require a little extra when defending against them.
Rahbone takes a run down the boards, behind the net, into the far corner and loses the puck. I haven't seen a Utica D-man do that since Rafferty. The kid is confident. He doesn't have a shy bone in his body. I wish the Comets were playing a normal schedule so we could see him play against the best every Eastern team had on their rosters instead of the watered down AHL teams on the ice this year, the Comets right in there with the rest of them.
Oh man, Vinnie just keeps finishing his checks. 6:05 to go. Murray and Gadjovich are yapping and pushing at one another while getting to their benches on a line change. A "Why I oughta" moment , but both ended up on their benches. Right after they got off, Fogarty is called for tripping. The Comets were terrible on their previous attempts.
Stevens passed the puck to Rathbone and hit Baertdschi in stride inside the left dot for a beautiful shot and........>>
G_______O______A________L!!!!!!!!!!!!
6-2 Comets
On the very next shift Rathbone carries the puck down the outside to to the outside of the left circle and centered it to Gadjovich coming across the middle and he backhanded it home>>> G--O--A--L!
7-2 Comets
Arseneau is back on the ice and the Amerks are targeting him. He is meeting their efforts to hit him with equal resistance and winning. He goes to the end boards and rams a guy who doesn't have the puck, but that guy had been a perpetrator of the targeting. The whistle goes. He comes off the boards and starts out towards the circle and he is jumped by 2 Amerks. A lot of wrestling and lots of bodies in the pile. Everyone gets separated and no punches were ever thrown. Somehow Vinnie gets a double minor and the Amerks escape scott free. I can see an interference call on the hit on the end boards and even a roughing for the group ground sprawl, but for the Amerks to get away without a reciprocal roughing for 2 guys jumping him was ridiculous. Whatever.
The Comets kill the 2:58 left in the period and the Amerk PP comes up empty again. 1/7 on the night.
END of GAME
Final score:
Utica 7 - Rochester 2
SOG:
Amerks - 12 7 7 - 26
Comets - 10 14 15 - 39
PP:
Amerks - 1/7
Comets - 1/3
3 Stars:
1st - Jonah Gadjovich (Utica Comets) 2G/1A
2nd - John Stevens (Utica Comets) 2G
3rd - Jack Rathbone (Utica Comets) 3A
John Stevens (2) from Gadjovich (1) and Rathbone (1)
John Stevens (3) from Kaspick (1) and Lockwood (2)
Gadjovich (5) from Baertschi (4) and Lind (1)
Teves (1) from Nolan Stevens (3) and Curtis McKenzie (1)
Arseneau (1) Unassisted
Baertschi (1) from Rathbone (2) and Nolan Stevens (4)
Gadjovich (6) from Rathbone (3)