AHL Rochester Americans

Strong First Period Helps Amerks Top Monsters

March 24, 2010 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release


(Rochester, NY)... The Rochester Americans scored two early first period goals and added another late in the third period en route a 3-1 win over the Lake Erie Monsters tonight at Quicken Loans Arena. The win, which snapped Rochester's three-game losing streak, was its first on the road against the Monsters this season as the Amerks improved to 39-30-2-0 and reclaimed sole possession of second place in the American Hockey League's North Division.

First-year forward Evgeny Dadonov (1+1) and veteran defenseman Clay Wilson (0+2) each tallied two-point nights as goaltender Tyler Plante turned away 24 saves to collect third star honors. The Amerks also finished one-for-three on the power-play, while the Monsters were held scoreless on eight man-up opportunities.

Brian Fahey potted Lake Erie's lone goal while Tyler Weiman logged 18 saves in the losing effort.

The Amerks took an early 1-0 as Dadonov beat Weiman just 34 seconds into the contest for his 15th goal of the season. Wilson was credited with the lone assist, his first of the night, to extend his season-long point streak to seven games.

Rochester quickly extended its lead to 2-0 just over two minutes later as defenseman Jordan Henry found the back of the net for his 12th goal of the campaign at 2:38 of the opening frame. Dadonov registered his second point of the game with an assist on the play, in addition to Luke Beaverson recording his first point of the season with an assist on the eventual game-winning goal.

After a scoreless middle stanza, Fahey's goal at 1:40 of the third period finally put the Monsters on the board, cutting Rochester's lead in half and denying Plante's bid for his third shutout of the season. The lone Lake Erie goal would be the only offensive spark for the hometown Monsters, who have now dropped seven of their last eight.

Mike York's power-play goal at 17:34 of the third period gave Rochester a 3-1 cushion, and ultimately the win, after Lake Erie's Wes O'Neill was sent off for tripping. Wilson notched his team-leading 24th assist on the man advantage (44th overall) and moved within one point of the league's top scoring blueliner. Jeff Taffe also assisted on York's 11th of marker of the season.

Rochester returns home on Friday, March 26th to host the Binghamton Senators at Blue Cross Arena. The 7:05 p.m. contest will be the second matchup in as many weeks and the final get-together this season between the interstate rivals. Fans can tune into the live broadcasts on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK and FM 107.3, Rochester's Sports Talk. The game will also be televised on Time Warner Cable SportsNet Channel 26. The Amerks are 6-3-0-0 this season against the B-Sens, which includes an unblemished 4-0-0-0 mark at home, and have outscored their opponent 34-28 through the previous nine encounters. The Amerks, however, are 28-30-5 all-time against the Baby Sens.

Friday's game falls on the next installment of the Amerks Dollar Dogs ‘N' Drafts promotion. Friday night, and now during every Friday night home game for the rest of the season, fans can take part in the "Dollar Dogs ‘N' Drafts" promotion and purchase Zweigle's Hot Dogs and Draft Beers for just $1 each! Also, the first 2,500 fans will take home an Amerks puck, courtesy of the Principal Financial Group.

Check out the Rochester Americans Statistics



American Hockey League Stories from March 24, 2010


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.

OurSports Central