![Rochester Americans](https://www.oursportscentral.com/graphics/teams/resized/ahl_rochester_americans19-200.png)
Amerks Fall in Rematch with Marlies
March 16, 2024 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release
(Toronto, ON) - The Rochester Americans (29-22-6-2) fought their way back from a 2-0 deficit, but four third-period goals by the Toronto Marlies (26-20-9-2) proved to be the difference in a 7-3 loss Saturday afternoon at Scotiabank Arena.
The defeat snaps the Amerks' three-game win streak against the Marlies this season, as well as overall, despite the team earning points in 17 of its last 25 games dating back to Jan. 17. Rochester, which owns a 3-1-0-0 record through the first four games this season against the Marlies, split the home-and-home series after claiming last night's matchup at The Blue Cross Arena.
Forwards Brandon Biro (1+1) and Viktor Neuchev (1+1) both recorded two points for the Amerks while Mason Jobst also found the back of the net for the second straight game. Ethan Prow, who appeared in his 400th AHL game today, Ryan Johnson, and Michael Mersch each tallied an assist.
Goaltender Dustin Tokarski (7-9-3) made his 20th appearance of the season and second start since Feb. 23. The veteran netminder, who is tied for 15th in AHL history with 419 games played, stopped 21 of the 26 shots he faced but took the defeat.
Kieffer Bellows (2+2), Logan Shaw (1+2), Nick Abruzzese (1+2), and Matteo Pietroniro (0+2) combined for four goals and eight assists as they each tallied a muti-point game for the Marlies. Joseph Blandisi, Dylan Gambrell and Mikko Kokkonen rounded out the scoring by registering one goal each.
Goaltender Dennis Cavallin (2-2-2) stopped 30 of the 33 shots he faced to even his record on the season.
Entering the third period deadlocked at 3-3, Toronto, which entered with the third-best offense in the league, claimed its third lead of the contest just 63 seconds into the frame.
The play began as Shaw stepped in-front of pass deep inside the Amerks zone. After gaining possession of the puck, Shaw gave it to Bellows to slip inside the left leg of Tokarski for his first of the contest.
Rochester tried to find the equalizer for the third time but was unable to as the Marlies doubled their lead at the 13:58 mark on Bellow's second of the night.
Facing a 5-3 deficit inside the final five minutes of regulation, the Amerks pulled Tokarski twice as they were trying to spark some late-game heroics, however, the Marlies scored both times to conclude the scoring.
Following a scoreless opening period, the two clubs combined for six goals, 18 penalty minutes and 30 shots.
While the Marlies struck twice in the opening 5:17 to build a 2-0 lead on Abruzzese and Gambrell's goals, the Amerks countered back to even the game at the 15:33 mark.
On Rochester's first tally, Biro helped dig the puck out of the left corner of the offensive zone before leaving it for Neuchev at the wall. The rookie forward waited for Johnson to get to the near point, where the defenseman snapped a shot for Biro to redirect behind the netminder.
Exactly seven minutes later, former Marlie Graham Slaggert and Neuchev forced a turnover to the left of the Toronto net. Biro retrieved the puck in the trapezoid before he centered it for Neuchev to hammer home for his 10th of the campaign.
To close out the frame, the teams traded goals 21 seconds apart as both Shaw and Jobst netted their 24th and 18th goals of the season for their respective teams.
After the intermission break, Toronto scored four straight unanswered goals, two of which were empty-net tallies, to conclude the 7-3 score.
The Amerks return to the Flower City as they begin a three-game homestand on Wednesday, March 20 against the Hartford Wolf Pack at 7:05 p.m. All the action from The Blue Cross Arena will be carried on The Sports Leader 95.7 FM/950 AM The Fan Rochester as well as AHLTV.
Stars and Stripes:
Mason Jobst extended his point streak to five games (2+5) with his second-period goal from Michael Mersch, who appeared in his 600th pro game in Friday's game, and Ethan Prow ... Jobst has recorded 27 points (11+16) over his last 27 games while Mersch reached the 30-point mark for the third straight season and eighth time in his 10-year career ... Brandon Biro registered his 12th multi-point of the season while Viktor Neuchev has totaled 19 points on eight goals and 11 assists over his previous 23 games.
Goal Scorers
ROC: B. Biro (14), V. Neuchev (10), M. Jobst (18)
TOR: N. Abruzzese (12), D. Gambrell (11), L. Shaw (24), K. Bellows (24, 25), J. Blandisi (21), M. Kokkonen (4)
Goaltenders
ROC: D. Tokarski - 21/26 (L)
TOR: L. Cavallin - 30/33 (W)
Shots
ROC: 33
TOR: 28
Special Teams
ROC: PP (0/4) | PK (1/2)
TOR: PP (1/2) | PK (0/4)
Three Stars:
1. TOR - K. Bellows
2. TOR - N. Abruzzese
3. TOR - M. Pietronirop
• Discuss this story on the American Hockey League message board...
American Hockey League Stories from March 16, 2024
- Four Unanswered Goals by Griffins Send Iowa to 5-2 Defeat - Iowa Wild
- Record Perofrmances for Brooks and Lycksell - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Wolves Drop 6-2 Decision to Moose - Chicago Wolves
- Pilon's Three Points Push B-Sens Past Islanders To Begin Homestand - Belleville Senators
- Bears Break Out For A 4-1 Win Over Crunch - Hershey Bears
- Senators Double-up on Islanders - Bridgeport Islanders
- P-Bruins Fall to Phantoms - Providence Bruins
- Brett Berard Scores 23rd Goal of the Season, But Pack Fall 4-2 to Comets - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Crunch Fall to Bears, 4-1 - Syracuse Crunch
- Captain Schmelzer Lifts Comets over Wolf Pack, 4-2 - Utica Comets
- Wilmer Skoog's Three Points Lead to Comeback Win against Springfield - Charlotte Checkers
- Coghlan's 3-Point Effort Not Enough in Charlotte - Springfield Thunderbirds
- Amerks Fall in Rematch with Marlies - Rochester Americans
- Morning Skate Report: March 16, 2024 - Henderson Silver Knights
- Wolf Pack Sign Goaltender Hugo Ollas to Ato - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Colorado Avalanche Reassigns Olofsson to Eagles - Colorado Eagles
- Reign's Hodgson Suspended for Three Games - AHL
- Game Day: CGY at COL - Calgary Wranglers
- Game #58: Tucson Roadrunners vs. Texas Stars - Tucson Roadrunners
- Wolf Pack Welcome Comets to Town on 'Hartford Hockey Heritage Night' - Hartford Wolf Pack
- IceHogs Return Home to Start Weekend vs. Barracuda - Rockford IceHogs
- Game Preview: Iowa Wild at Grand Rapids Griffins - Iowa Wild
- Bridgeport Islanders Make Only Stop in Belleville at 7 p.m. - Bridgeport Islanders
- Game Preview: Condors v Reign, 7 p.m. - Bakersfield Condors
- Wolf Pack Recall Forward Blade Jenkins from Loan to Worcester Railers - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Game Preview: Bears vs. Crunch, 7 p.m. - Hershey Bears
- Tampa Bay Lightning Recall Defenseman Emil Lilleberg from Syracuse Crunch - Syracuse Crunch
- Wranglers Beat Eagles in Shootout - Calgary Wranglers
- Gulls Take Down Admirals, 5-3 - San Diego Gulls
- Firebirds Extend Point Streak To 10 With Shootout Win Over Reign - Coachella Valley Firebirds
- Reign Downed in Shootout - Ontario Reign
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
Other Recent Rochester Americans Stories
- Amerks Announce 2024-25 Regular Season Schedule
- Amerks to Open 2024-25 Season at Home against Belleville on Friday, October 11
- Cheveldayoff Signs One-Year AHL Contract
- Tischke Returns to Amerks on One-Year AHL Contract
- Amerks Front Office Wins Several Team Achievement Awards for Business Excellence During 2023-24 Season
![Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew](https://www.oursportscentral.com/graphics/sc_400w_tag.png)
![OurSports Central](https://www.oursportscentral.com/assets/img/footer-logo-latest.png)