Watching the video even though Willsie had his head down I suspect Morrisonn was suspended because he didn’t keep his arm tucked into his body and in the end he did hit him in the head, something that is against the rules.

The Amerks have had extra defensemen for most of the season but heading into the game on Thursday they’ll only have five (as of writing this).  Alex Biega, Dennis Persson, Drew Schiestel, Nick Crawford and Corey Fienhage.  The other defensemen, TJ Brennan and Joe Finley are on recall to the Buffalo Sabres.  Unless one of those guys is sent down the team will need to go hunting for someone in the ECHL to fill in the gap.

What’d you think?

Shaone Morrisonn Suspended 3 Games for this Hit is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!. For discussion visit the forums at LetsGoAmerks.com/Forums.

This past week Bob Howard interviewed three former Amerks and all are great interviews.  He talked to Jimmy Bonneau and the topic of fighting (even brings up the many battles with the Amerks against Mirasty).  Click here for many Bonneau fights as an Amerk.  He also talks to Derek Whitmore about the team and the season so far in Rochester as well as Colby Robak who played for the Amerks last season.

Season 8 Episode 14:  (Download Link and More Info)

A much anticipated interview with Worcester Sharks enforcerJimmy Bonneau was Bob’s first guest for this episode. Bob and Jimmy discuss fighting in hockey; Jimmy’s introduction into the fighting aspect of hockey and Bob gets into the mind of a hockey player who knows what his role truly is. This is a must listen to segment of the Power Play Post Show and hear Jimmy’s thoughts on the Worcester Shark‘s tough team and streak of 21 straight games with a fighting major.

Also on episode 14 is Jeff Zatkoff (Manchester Monarchs goalie) and former Amerk defenseman Colby Robak now playing for the San Antonio Rampage.

Season 8 Episode 13:  (Download Link and More Info)

Bob’s third guest for this edition of the Power Play Post Show was Rochester American’s Derek Whitmore. Returning to the show, Derek talked about playing in front of his home town; about growing up in Rochester/Greece NY and about the difference between last years team in Portland to this years team.

On episode13 Bob Howard also talks to Alex Henry (Hamilton Bulldogs), Tim McManus (Adirondack Phantoms beat-writer for the Glens Falls Post Star) and Alex Ackerman (Chairman Hows Glorious Army – Syracuse Crunch blog).

Download, stream, listen, enjoy!!

You can download every previous episode and bookmark the site here: http://www.pppshow.net and you can follow Bob Howard on Twitter @PPPShow.

Whitmore and Bonneau Interviews on the Power Play Post Show is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!. For discussion visit the forums at LetsGoAmerks.com/Forums.

This team has needed the goalie to steal wins and the win against Hamilton could be considered one of those games.  Right now that goal is David Leggio and he’ll have more starts on the horizon.

Back to the win over Hamilton.. the Amerks are now 9-0-1-0 when leading after two periods of play.  When this team can find a way to build a lead they’ve done an outstanding job of holding on to it.

Mark Voakes put the Amerks on the board first with his fifth goal of the season at 19:27 of the first period.  Shawn Szydlowski had control of the puck along the boards and sent a pass to Nick Crawford on the other side of the ice who was able to quickly put the puck onto the stick of Voakes who beat the Bulldogs goaltender Robert Mayer.

Marcus Foligno scored 17 seconds into the second period for his 11th goal of the season with a tip in past Mayer.  Foligno brought the puck across the blue line with Alex Henry trailing behind him but he was able to backhand a pass to Phil Varone who then put the puck right back at the tip of the stick for Foligno who was able to deflect the pass into the net.

The only goal of the game for the Hamilton Bulldogs was scored by Phil DeSimone who was standing all by himself on the far side of the crease to redirect a pass from Garrett Stafford into the net.  Alex Biega was trying to fend off the rush of Stafford and as TJ Brennan tried to step up to help it left DeSimone wide open.

With just three minutes left in the game there was some pushing and shoving in the corner on the Bulldogs end of the ice due to Jonathan Parker being called for a boarding penalty.  As David Leggio watched Robert Mayer skate into the mess he slowly strolled out closer and closer to the blue line keeping a close eye on the situation.  Referee Chris Ciamaga quickly ordered Mayer back to his crease at which point Leggio also skated back but not before he shook his stick in the “I’m watching you” kind of way.

The boarding call by Parker was likely the right call by the referee but not the right call by Parker with the score so close and such little time left on the board.  The team was able to kill off the penalty and then Marcus Foligno scored an empty netter to secure the win.

There’s no quitting for this team and they stand behind one another through the great calls and even bad calls and bad decisions.  It’s a hard working team that knows they’ll have to stay disciplined and fight their way to every point possible in the standings.  There’s obviously still some questions and concerns but it’s a team everyone can root for and in return they’ll give us everything they have.

A few other thoughts/notes…

** Jonathan Parker probably came as close as he has to scoring a goal since October in the second period when one of his shots went off the right goal post. He did get an assist on the empty net goal by Foligno, his first point since October 16th.

** Hamilton Bulldogs tough guy Zack FitzGerald appeared to be running his mouth for a lot of the game trying to challenge Maxime Legault and Riley Boychuk at various times but neither of them were willing.  This is where Joe Finley would’ve come in handy to either put the guy in his place or make him think twice about even going down that path.

** Joe Finley had been called up on Saturday to the Buffalo Sabres to fill in for an injured Brayden McNabb.

** Zack Kassian seemed to be somewhere else this weekend.  Maybe it was too many questions from the media at practice on Thursday about his time in Buffalo or something else but he just didn’t seem like the same Kassian who played with fire against Binghamton and Hershey a week prior.  He wasn’t very physical, made poor decisions with his passes and even on one instance put little effort into a shot after Paul Szczechura passed the puck to him.

** The Amerks had their first back to back games of 6,000+ fans in a very long long time.  There may be numbers out there saying it’s happened but when it comes to people in the seats it’s been a while.  The game on Friday game had 6,456 and on Saturday they had 6,305.  Way to go Rochester, especially during the first real sign of winter.  There’s a lot of great reasons to see the team play and the word seems to be spreading.

** Igor Gongalsky missed his second straight game after a knee on knee collision with Jacob MicFlikier of the Hershey Bears.

** Corey Fienhage has only played in eight games this season but has worked his way into the lineup on Saturday and played a respectable game.

** A mid season report card is on the way within the next 48 hours.

Leggio Leads the Amerks to the Second Half of the Season with a Win is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!. For discussion visit the forums at LetsGoAmerks.com/Forums.

Rochester is on a four game winning streak having just defeated the Oklahoma City Barons in a shootout and overtime.  They handed the Lake Erie Monsters a 4-1 loss last Wednesday and almost two weeks ago defeated the Houston Aeros on the road.  The winning streak has the Amerks within one point of first place in the North Division and thanks to a Toronto Marlies loss on Thursday they have a chance to move up.  They’re a young team finding ways to win through injuries, call ups and overall simply working as a team.

Hamilton on the other hand has won six of their last 10 games and picked up points in eight of those games.  On Monday the Toronto Marlies were winning 3-0 at the end of the first period but by the time the game was over the Bulldogs had scored six goals and won 6-3.  The Bulldogs are looking to move into the top eight teams in the conference and will have the confidence based on previous meetings between the two teams.  They appear to be a team that started out slow (except beating the Amerks) and is starting to crawl their way back.

Another team effort will be required for a victory (stating the obvious).

Whoever starts in net whether it’s David Leggio or Drew MacIntyre will need to be at the top of their game.  Each goalie has won two games of this current four game streak and who starts on Friday night is unknown.  The occasional weak goal has been the downfall of both goalies which is evident in the fact that 10 out of the teams 18 combined losses have been decided by one goal.

The “All-Twitter” line of Marcus Foligno (@marcusfoligno), Phil Varone (@pvarone22) and Jacob Lagace (@jlagace83) will need to continue their performance from Wednesday.  Lagace had two goals, Foligno had two assists and Varone also had two assists.  Lagace had 10 goals in 58 games with the Pirates last season and is already at nine goals in 29 games.  Varone and Foligno are rookies and while expectations are higher on Foligno the young players have all started producing more than expected.

Random stats: Marcus Foligno is tied for first amongst rookies with three game winning goals this season.. TJ Brennan has a point in eight out of the last nine games played.. Phil Varone has had a point in seven of his last nine games.. Jonathan Parker has not had a point since October 16th but scored one of the shootout goals on Wednesday.. Derek Whitmore has said his goals seem to come in bunches so he’s due, his four goal game was back on November 26th and he’s only scored three goals this month..

Shaone Morrisonn (lower body) and Evan Rankin (likely a concussion due to this hit) are expected to miss the game due to injuries as well as Michael Ryan (no one knows) and Matt MacKenzie (leg).  Paul Szczechura sat out the game on Wednesday after being ‘banged up’ from blocking a shot and is ‘hoping’ to play.  For updates on injuries you can always check out http://www.letsgoamerks.com/injuries.  The Sabres appear to finally finding health so the call ups have slowed and there’s rumblings in Buffalo that the inconsistency of Zack Kassian could see him sent back.  Colin Stuart is still a few weeks away from returning and he’s one player that could really be used.

There’s already over 7,000 tickets sold for the game tonight which will make it one of the largest crowds of the season.  The upper atrium will have $2 beers from 6:30 – 7:30 and the Civic Center Garage will have parking for $5.  Out of all of the seats remaining there’s under 400 seats remaining in the center sections (upper and lower bowl) so if you don’t have tickets yet fill out his form to get best available tickets for $10.  If you have questions or special needs please contact the Rochester Americans ticket office at 1-855-GO-AMERKS (the team did not sponsor me in any way for this sales pitch).

For updates throughout the day and even during the game follow me on Twitter @LetsGoAmerks or bookmark Twitter.com/LetsGoAmerks or follow the scroll box on the right side of this web site.  If you’d like to join in discussing the Amerks head over to the forums featured here  to join some die hards.

See you at the game!

Gameday Notes: Amerks vs Bulldogs; Big Crowd Expected is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!. For discussion visit the forums at LetsGoAmerks.com/Forums.

Albany was the last stop of the weekend for the Amerks and they didn’t put anything on the scoreboard until there was less than five minutes left in regulation.  Marcus Foligno scored at 15:16 of the third period and then Drew Schiestel scored his first of the season with only a minute and 12 seconds left on the clock.  At that point they were only down 3-2 until Albany scored an empty net goal with seven seconds left in the game.

A difference maker in the game was that Albany was able to score their first goal of the game on the power play.  The Amerks had five power play chances and failed on each and every one of them.  One of them they didn’t even manage to get a shot on net.  It doesn’t help that the team travelled by bus and probably didn’t get into Albany until around 4am and then had to play at 4pm .

When Albany went up 3-0 at 6:22 of the 3rd period I had written on Twitter that the game was over but give the Amerks credit for continuing to battle away and not give up.  They found a couple of ways to put the puck in the net but it was too little too late.  The first Albany goal looked like a great low shot that went five hole on MacIntyre.  The second he appeared screened and the third was just a defensive zone break down with Albany going to the net and beating him.

Here’s the video highlights courtesy of the Albany Devils:

** Joe Finley had been sent down by the Buffalo Sabres and he arrived by flight on time but his equipment did not so he was not able to play.  Don Stevens had said on the broadcast that the Amerks let the Sabres know they would be down a player due to Matt MacKenzie getting injured Saturday so they put Finley on a plane.  It’s possible that Finley goes right back to the Sabres.

The Amerks had to play fatigued and were short on players putting an extra burden on those getting a lot of ice time.  It’s not acceptable that they list all three games this weekend but it’s easy to see why they did at least on Sunday.

They only had 17 skaters on Saturday and 16 on Sunday.  It’s hard to believe the Buffalo Sabres allowed them to play so shorthanded knowing what the schedule was like but it’s something that American Hockey League teams are used to.  This time around it’s different though, money shouldn’t be an issue.  The only other explanation is that they somehow couldn’t find any warm bodies in a 400 mile radius this weekend.  We’ll find out this week I’m sure from Amerks coach Ron Rolston.

** Read about the 3-2 loss on Saturday night to the Bulldogs here.

** Read about the 4-2 loss to the Houston Aeros here.

** How does that scheduling with travel make any sense?  This weekend they played at home Friday and drove almost three hours to Hamilton and then drove over six hours to Albany to play at 4pm.  Next weekend they play at home against Albany on Friday and then drive over four hours to Adirondack and then back this way another six plus hours to play Hamilton at 3pm on Sunday.  Someone buy these boys a couple of cases of red bulls, they’ll need it.

It could be a long month with three in three sets the next two weekends, the second set is a trip to Texas followed by a trip to Oklahoma City later in the month.  The standings are getting close and the team could either sink quickly in the standings or find a way to rise up.  The offense is still struggling creating chances that aren’t skate down, shoot and go back the other way.  The power play continues to struggle as well as evident by the five chances on Sunday with zero goals.

The team will likely have a day off to rest on Monday and get back to the rink on Tuesday in preparation for another long weekend against Albany, Adirondack and then Hamilton again.

Sunday afternoon box score:

Rochester Americans 2 at Albany Devils 4 – Status: Final
Sunday, December 4, 2011 – Times Union Center

Rochester 0 0 2 – 2
Albany 1 0 3 – 4

1st Period-1, Albany, Taormina 4 (Anderson, Gelinas), 17:21 (PP). Penalties-Sislo Alb (hooking), 7:19; Zajac Alb (tripping), 13:08; Boychuk Rch (holding the stick), 15:42.

2nd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Perkovich Alb (tripping), 2:28; Schiestel Rch (cross-checking), 7:15; Voakes Rch (tripping), 13:04; Legault Rch (major – boarding), 15:32; Mills Alb (roughing), 15:32.

3rd Period-2, Albany, Sova 1 (Anderson, Sislo), 1:45. 3, Albany, Veilleux 3 (Mills, Harrold), 6:22. 4, Rochester, Foligno 8 (Biega, Morrisonn), 15:16. 5, Rochester, Schiestel 1 (Stuart, Lagace), 18:48. 6, Albany, Anderson 5 (Taormina, Veilleux), 19:53 (EN). Penalties-Harrold Alb (tripping), 4:07; Zajac Alb (slashing), 10:14.

Shots on Goal-Rochester 8-11-8-27. Albany 10-19-8-37.
Power Play Opportunities-Rochester 0 / 5; Albany 1 / 4.
Goalies-Rochester, MacIntyre 3-6-1 (36 shots-33 saves). Albany, Kinkaid 7-4-0 (27 shots-25 saves).
A-2,424
Referees-Darcy Burchell (42), Chris Brown (86).
Linesmen-Robert St. Lawrence (10), Jim Harper (59).

Amerks Lost in Albany and Lose All Three Weekend Games is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!. For discussion visit the forums at LetsGoAmerks.com/Forums.

The Amerks got on the scoreboard first thanks to a great pass from Mark Voakes to Alex Biega from the bottom of one face off circle across ice to the top of the other face off circle where Biega was able to put a shot on Bulldogs goalie Nathan Lawson.  The rebound went to the side of the in a spot that Derek Whitmore was occupying and he put in the rebound.

The Bulldogs tied the game 1-1 at 18:46 of the first period courtesy of a turnover by Corey Fienhage.  Fienhage had the puck behind the Amerks net and was trying to clear the puck around the boards to Mark Voakes but Gabriel Dumont of the Bulldogs was right on him to intercept the pass.  Dumont passed the puck to the front of the net where it went off of Drew Schiestels stick and onto the stick of Mike Blunden who sniped the puck glove side top shelf past Drew MacIntyre.  As the puck was intercepted Drew Schiestel and Evan Rankin were rushing to get into position but the bounce of the puck didn’t go there way.

Mark Mitera put the Bulldogs up 2-1 with only three seconds left in the first period.  Brian Willsie took a slap shot from the top of the face off circle and as the play was focused to the right of MacIntyre the rebound went in an odd direction to the left where Mark Mitera skated in untouched to bury the rebound. MacIntyre had little chance as he sprawled across the crease on his knees.

Amerks Captain Colin Stuart tied the game 2-2 at 15:17 of the second period courtesy of Evan Rankin and Mark Voakes.  Voakes had brought the puck across the blue line and gave a short back handed pass to Evan Rankin who was skating into the zone with Colin Stuart.  The puck was in tight on Rankin but he still pulled off a pass over to Stuart who stopped the pass with his skates, put the puck on his stick and then beat Bulldogs goaltender Nathan Lawson.

The game winning goal was due to another bad turnover behind the Amerks net, this time by Drew Schiestel.  Schiestel had the puck picked off of his stick again the Amerks by Joonas Nattinen who then wrapped the puck around the front of the net and beat MacIntyre through the five hole.  MacIntyre had just made a save and the puck went behind the net.  MacIntyre should’ve been a little more prepared in the net not knowing who had possession of the puck but Schiestel also should’ve stayed along the boards but instead was trying to break out near the net which gave Nattinen the easy pick.

One of those “what if” games but obviously two bad mistakes were costly.  If those turnovers wouldn’t have happened could the Amerks have held on to a 2-1 lead and won?  Could they have scored more goals?  We’ll never know.  In the end they lost again to one of the worst teams in the league in terms of the standings.  The Bulldogs only have seven wins this season, four of those are against the Amerks.  These are the types of games that can come back to haunt a team late in the season.

The Amerks are barely holding on to 7th place in the Western Conference with 23 points.  There’s three other teams within one point of them and a fourth team within two points.  No, the playoffs aren’t determined in early December but it shows how quickly they can drop in the standings.  The players missing that have been called up to the Buffalo Sabres are definitely causing an issue, especially on defense.  They are without three of their top defensemen which is the biggest issue.  Not having Joe Finley, Brayden McNabb and TJ Brennan who is out with an “illness” are sorely missed.

The Amerks are off to Albany for a 4pm game against the Devils to finish of their first of three sets of three in three game weekends, all of which include a decent amount of travel.  The bad news is that it’s reported that Paul Gaustad missed the third period of the Buffalo Sabres game due to an upper body injury which could mean another player called up from the Amerks.

Boxscore:

Rochester Americans 2 at Hamilton Bulldogs 3 – Status: Final
Saturday, December 3, 2011 – Copps Coliseum

Rochester 1 1 0 – 2
Hamilton 2 0 1 – 3

1st Period-1, Rochester, Whitmore 11 (Biega, Voakes), 4:47. 2, Hamilton, Blunden 2 (Dumont), 18:46. 3, Hamilton, Mitera 1 (DeSimone, Willsie), 19:57. Penalties-Mitera Ham (interference), 2:42; Dumont Ham (goaltender interference), 15:29.

2nd Period-4, Rochester, Stuart 8 (Rankin, Voakes), 15:17. Penalties-Fast Ham (slashing), 1:49; Willsie Ham (roughing), 2:44; Foligno Rch (fighting), 10:09; Schultz Ham (fighting), 10:09; Szczechura Rch (hooking), 10:44.

3rd Period-5, Hamilton, Nattinen 2   9:16. Penalties-Varone Rch (unsportsmanlike conduct), 14:05.

Shots on Goal-Rochester 6-14-5-25. Hamilton 7-13-8-28.
Power Play Opportunities-Rochester 0 / 4; Hamilton 0 / 2.
Goalies-Rochester, MacIntyre 3-5-1 (28 shots-25 saves). Hamilton, Lawson 6-7-1 (25 shots-23 saves).
A-4,166
Referees-Marcus Vinnerborg (45).
Linesmen-Kevin Hastings (61), Jesse Wilmot (19).

Turnovers a Factor in Amerks 3-2 Loss to the Bulldogs is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!. For discussion visit the forums at LetsGoAmerks.com/Forums.

The video highlights recorded off of the scoreboard speak for themselves.  Whitmore hustled for the chance to score every goal jumping over a goalie, falling to the ice, hunting for a rebound and out skating defenders.  He had scored his first two goals during the first minute and 53 seconds of the game to give the Amerks an early 2-0 lead.

The Bulldogs battled back and tied the game 3-3 (notice the angry door slam by Colin Stuart) but Whitmore eventually scored the game winner and fifth goal for insurance.  With all of the recent players called up to the Buffalo Sabres this was a great display by Whitmore who’s still trying to get the chance to play in his first regular season NHL game.

From Hockey O-Zone:

“It means a lot, it’s a special night,” said Whitmore, who grew up inGreece. “This is the team I idolized as a kid.

“My first hat trick, in an Amerk sweater, in this building — it’s very special.”

On three of the goals, he was celebrating in the corner in front of his family. “I think my dad threw a hat,” he said, referring to his hat-trick goal.

(ignore the spelling mistake in the video on Masse’s name for the Bulldogs)
Enjoy and share!

Video of Whitmore’s Four Goal Game in Amerks 5-3 Win is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!. For discussion visit the forums at LetsGoAmerks.com/Forums.

It was a short fight with Fitzgerald getting a nice shot in on Finley.  As each game passes Finley is working closer and closer to deserving an NHL contract if there’s more injuries with the Buffalo Sabres defense.

Zack Fitzgerald was also involved in this fight below during the 2009/2010 season when he played for the Albany River Rats and squared off against Steve MacIntyre in an Amerks uniform.

As always, enjoy and share!

Joe Finley vs Zack Fitzgerald Fight Video is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!. For discussion visit the forums at LetsGoAmerks.com/Forums.

The Amerks lit up the scoreboard with a 7-2 win the last time these two teams played in the middle of October.  The Griffins scored eight goals last night against the Hamilton Bulldogs so they’ll be ready to shoot some pucks.

Whether or not it’ll be David Leggio or Drew MacIntyre in net for the Amerks is an unknown at this time, we’ll likely find out when the team skates out for warmups.  The rotation has Leggio in net but MacIntyre had a great game last night, maybe it’s the weekend the rotation ends.

Travis Turnbull is an unknown after he left the game after a hit by Tim Conboy (see it here) late in the second period on Friday.

Corey Tropp will be back in the lineup after a four game call up to the Buffalo Sabres.  Tropp scored his first NHL goal (read about that here) and made a great first impression.

The key to an Amerks win is to do everything they did on Friday night.  Play defensive hockey.  Create opportunities on the power play and score on the power play.  And of course solid goaltending.  A more physical game would probably be enjoyed by the fans but it’s not necessary to win.

Also, the wives and girlfriends of Amerks players will sell “Love for Lokomotiv” bracelets at the game for $10.  Read more about them below:

The Rochester Americans announced today that the players’ wives and girlfriends will be selling “Love for Lokomotiv” bracelets during two upcoming Amerks home games, beginning Saturday, Nov. 12 when the team hosts the Grand Rapids Griffins at The Blue Cross Arena at 7:35 p.m.

On September 7, 2011, a tragic plane crash took the lives of 44 people, including staff, coaches and players of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl Professional Hockey Team of Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League. In a united effort to show support for grieving families, hockey wives and girlfriends from around the world have participated in the Love for Lokomotiv program by selling remembrance bracelets. The proceeds will go to the Foundation that has been set up in honor of the lost team.

Love for Lokomotiv Remembrance Bracelets will be sold for $10 on the main concourse of The Blue Cross Arena during the Amerks home games on Saturday, Nov. 12 and Wednesday, Nov. 16 or while supplies last.

The puck drops at 7:35, be there!

A Few Hours Away From Amerks vs Griffins is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!. For discussion visit the forums at LetsGoAmerks.com/Forums.

It’s great to hear the team come back from being down two goals to tie the game up.  They didn’t quit playing, they continued to battle for the puck and found ways to beat Bulldogs goaltender Nathan Lawson.  The two goals were scored by two players considered leaders of the team, Colin Stuart and Derek Whitmore.

David Leggio made 25 saves out of 27 shots faced in regulation time.

You can read the Amerks postgame report below, I didn’t get the chance to watch or listen to the game so I can’t offer anything else on it.

There’s a couple ways to look at things from here after only nine games.

The Amerks have earned points in six of their last seven games.  They’re keeping the games close.  They may not be as talented as their opponents but they’re not getting blown away.  It’s a hard working team that will find ways to win as the season goes on and likely a team that once known better can gain a lot of fan support.

On the other side, after gaining some looks with a three game winning streak they have not won any of the previous four games.  The only three games they’ve won this season were part of that streak.  A mediocre team doesn’t win championships.  A mediocre team doesn’t offer any depth to an NHL team as the season goes on and injuries happen.

Either way, there’s still another 67 games to be played this season before the post season begins.

AMERKS DROP FOURTH STRAIGHT IN 3-2 OT LOSS TO ‘DOGS

(Rochester, NY)… Despite scoring two third period goals to rally from a 2-0 deficit, the Rochester Americans’ bid for a comeback was cut short after Louis Leblanc’s overtime winner 2:28 into the extra frame lifted the Hamilton Bulldogs to a 3-2 win tonight at Copps Coliseum. The loss was the third straight to the Bulldogs this season and extends Rochester’s current winless streak to four games.

Colin Stuart and Derek Whitmore each provided single tallies for the Amerks, who have now collected points in six of their last seven games. David Leggio made 26 saves in the losing effort for Rochester.

Hamilton netminder Nathan Lawson turned away 35 of 37 shots in his sixth straight starts between the pipes for the Bulldogs.

Leblanc capped off a three-point night with his first goal of the season in overtime after setting up Hamilton’s first two regulation tallies to give the Bulldogs a 2-0 advantage through the first 45 minutes of play.

Andreas Engqvist also had his hand in every goal for Hamilton, starting with the Bulldogs’ first goal of the night as he deflected newly acquired Garrett Stafford’s point shot past Leggio on the power-play just 4:18 into the opening frame. Leblanc also picked up an assist on Engqvist’s first of the season.

Andrew Conboy provided a two-goal cushion for Hamilton 3:46 into the second stanza as he sent a high-rising wrister over the shoulder of Leggio off a 2-on-1 fast break for his first of the season. The goal came just moments after Rochester’s Phil Varone rang his shot off the post to be denied a scoring chance and cut the Bulldogs lead in half.

After failing to find the net through the first two periods, team captain Colin Stuart gave the Amerks some life early in the final frame with his third goal of the season to make it a 2-1 game. Entering the Bulldogs zone, Amerks forward Marcus Foligno absorbed a hit at the Hamilton blueline, but in doing so, found a trailing Stuart who corralled the loose puck and put it past Lawson. Foligno would record the only assist on the goal at 5:05.

Whitmore knotted the game at two apiece just over three minutes later with a diving effort to swat in T.J. Brennan’s rebound for his team-leading fourth goal of the season at 8:49.

The game would remain in a 2-2 deadlock until Leblanc’s game-winner midway through the extra frame deprived the Amerks of completing their comeback.

The Amerks visit the southern tier on Saturday, October 29 as they take on the defending Calder Cup Champion Binghamton Senators in the first of eight gatherings this season between the intrastate rivals. Game time is slated for 7:05 p.m. at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena. Fans can tune in for the live broadcast on 107.3 FM and 1280 AM, Rochester’s Sports Talk.

——-

Rochester Americans 2 at Hamilton Bulldogs 3 (OT) – Status: Final OT
Thursday, October 27, 2011 – Copps Coliseum

Rochester 0 0 2 0 – 2
Hamilton 1 1 0 1 – 3

1st Period-1, Hamilton, Engqvist 1 (Stafford, Leblanc), 4:18 (PP). Penalties-Brennan Rch (holding the stick), 3:03; Stafford Ham (holding), 13:41.

2nd Period-2, Hamilton, Conboy 1 (Leblanc, Engqvist), 3:46. Penalties-Crawford Rch (holding), 4:29; Boychuk Rch (unsportsmanlike conduct), 18:17; Schultz Ham (unsportsmanlike conduct), 18:17.

3rd Period-3, Rochester, Stuart 3 (Foligno), 5:05. 4, Rochester, Whitmore 4 (Brennan), 8:49. Penalties-No Penalties

OT Period-5, Hamilton, Leblanc 1 (Engqvist, Callahan), 2:28. Penalties-No Penalties

Shots on Goal-Rochester 9-12-15-1-37. Hamilton 8-10-9-2-29.
Power Play Opportunities-Rochester 0 / 1; Hamilton 1 / 2.
Goalies-Rochester, Leggio 2-3-0 (29 shots-26 saves). Hamilton, Lawson 4-2-0 (37 shots-35 saves).
A-2,114
Referees-Graham Skilliter (48).
Linesmen-Jesse Wilmot (19), Kevin Hastings (61).

Amerks Erased Two Goal Deficit but Lost in Overtime is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!. For discussion visit the forums at LetsGoAmerks.com/Forums.