Amerks Fall in Overtime in Regular Season Home Finale
April 12, 2019 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release
(Rochester, NY) ... After forcing overtime by tying Friday's regular-season home finale at 3-3, the Rochester Americans (45-22-5-2) earned a point for the seventh straight game against the Binghamton Devils (28-40-6-0), but Binghamton stole the extra point as they left The Blue Cross Arena with a 4-3 overtime win.
Despite the loss in the extra frame with 15 seconds remaining, Rochester closed out its season series with the Devils with a 7-2-1-0 record, and dating back to the start of the 2017-18 season, the club has recorded at least one point in 16 of the last 20 meetings while showing a 12-4-3-1 record during that span. Additionally, Rochester remains two points behind the Syracuse Crunch for the AHL's North Division lead ahead of tomorrow night's matchup between the two teams.
Rookie forward Rasmus Asplund, who was named the club's Rookie of the Year and Most Improved Player prior to the game, and first-year defenseman Will Borgen each tallied a pair of points (1+1) for Rochester. In his first game back with the Amerks since returning from a six-game stint with the Buffalo Sabres, Victor Olofsson scored his 28th goal of the season to complete the scoring. Goaltender Adam Wilcox (13-8-5) stopped 23 of the 27 shots he faced but was dealt the overtime loss. Over his last six appearances, Wilcox shows a 3-0-2 record.
With his first two-point game in the AHL since Jan. 12, 2013, defenseman Eric Gryba led the Devils with a pair of assists while Brett Seney, Brandon Baddock and Eric Tangradi all scored in regulation before Nathan Bastian finished the game in the overtime period. Netminder Cam Johnson (11-15-2) made 35 saves to earn his second straight win.
As the game was tied at 3-3 late in the extra frame, it appeared as Rochester and Binghamton were going to their first shootout in the head-to-head series in 11 meetings. Despite making the initial save on Gryba, Bastian slid the rebound past the glove of Wilcox to stun the Amerks with 15 seconds to spare in overtime.
The game was scoreless until Rochester opened the scoring with a pair of goals 2:09 apart to take a 2-0 lead into the intermission.
Following Borgen's third of the season, which was the result of a rather fortuitous bounce off the end boards at 16:15 from Kurt Gosselin and Asplund, Borgen fed Kyle Criscuolo with a pass to the right of the center-ice logo. Criscuolo took few strides before firing the puck to Olofsson, who sprinted behind the Binghamton defensive pair. The Swedish forward, who returned from his first stint with Buffalo Sabres earlier this week, faked a forehand shot before slipping the puck over the glove with 1:36 left in the opening frame.
Facing a two-goal deficit to begin the second stanza, Binghamton countered back with three straight tallies in the middle period, including two in 19 seconds to take a 3-2 lead into the intermission break.
"I thought we had a good start," explained team captain Kevin Porter. "We had a bad second period as we allowed three quick goals. While we were able to get a goal back, we just couldn't finish off the game."
"We had a 2-0 lead and we allowed those three goals," Asplund said. "We have to close these types of games out. We have to work on somethings moving forward to make sure we don't let other teams back into the game."
Rochester started the final period of regulation on a carryover power-play, and seconds after the infraction, Asplund picked the left corner of Johnson to knot the score at 3-3 just 1:55 into the frame.
"It was a nice pass from 'Leierzy' (Taylor Leier)," described Asplund when talking about his 10th goal of the season. "We talked about the play during the week and it was nice to get a goal. I was just trying to put the puck on net."
Although the Amerks tied the game during the third period, Binghamton, which benefitted from a late Rochester tripping infraction, scored with 14 seconds left in the bonus session to steal a 4-3 victory.
"It was a game that we sort of let go," said Amerks head coach Chris Taylor. "The first goal, I think 'Coxy' (Adam Wilcox) would have liked back and the second they got behind our D, but it was a game that we had to fight back. We just didn't have enough."
The Amerks play their final two games of the 2018-19 regular season on the road, beginning on Saturday, April 13 with a return trip back to Syracuse to close out their season series against the Crunch at the War Memorial Arena. Game time is slated for a 7:00 p.m. start and will be carried live on The Sports Leader AM 950/95.7 FM ESPN Rochester as well as AHLTV.
Goal Scorers
ROC: Borgen (3), Olofsson (28), Asplund (10)
BNG: Baddock (3), Seney (3), Tangradi (10), Bastian (18 - OT GWG)
Goaltenders
ROC: Wilcox - 23/27 (OTL)
BNG: Johnson - 35/38 (W)
Shots
ROC: 27
BNG: 38
Special Teams
ROC: PP (0/4) | PK (3/5)
BNG: PP (2/5) | PK (4/4)
Three Stars
1. Nathan Bastian ()
2. Rasmus Asplund ()
3. Brett Seney ()
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