ROCHESTER, NY – The Rochester Americans beat the Worcester Sharks tonight by the score of 6-4 at The Blue Cross Arena, despite being outshot throughout the game. With the win, the Amerks swept the Sharks in the 2010-11 season series, extending their winning streak to three games, while also snapping Worcester’s five-game winning streak of its own. The Amerks advance to a 24-26-3-2 record, while the Sharks fall to 25-19-2-6 in the losing effort. Powering the Amerks offense were Bill Thomas (1+1) and Michal Repik (1+1), who each tallied a goal and an assist tonight. Clay Wilson (0+3) had an eventful night of his own, earning three helpers and finishing with a plus-three on-ice rating. Wilson has now earned seven assists in the past three games. Rochester netminder Tyler Plante posted 34 saves between the pipes in the win. T.J. Trevelyan led the Sharks with three points (2+1), including a pair of goals. Jonathan Cheechoo (1+1) and Sean Sullivan (1+1) also each contributed a goal and an assist for Worcester. Sharks goaltender Daren Machesney surrendered six goals on 24 shots in the loss. The Sharks gained the scoreboard advantage first in the opening frame, thanks to Trevelyan’s 11th tally of the year. After Brandon Mashinter dished him the puck, Trevelyan backhanded it past Plante to put Worcester up by one at 7:04. With less than five minutes remaining in the first, Rochester’s P.J. Fenton evened the score at one. After Worcester turned the puck over at its own blueline, Clay Wilson gained possession and slid it up to Fenton. Then Fenton, a former Shark, grabbed it and popped it past Machesney, earning just his third goal this season to extend his point streak to three games. Worcester capitalized on the man-advantage and went up by one goal just 6:45 into the second period. Matt Irwin took the shot from the point, the puck was redirected through traffic and ultimately found the stick of Sean Sullivan. Plante had no chance as it found the back of the net with ease.
The Amerks responded and tied the game at the 9:57 mark as Thomas left the puck for Michal Repik, who after wrapping around the net, beat Machesney with the back hand. Wilson earned his second point of the contest adding the secondary assist. Midway through the second stanza, Trevelyan was credited with his second of the night as Fenton inadvertently put the puck in his own net as he attempted to slide the puck to Plante to cover the puck. Doing so, and without Plante aware, the puck gingerly went through Plante’s five-hole. The Amerks got their own redemption 10 seconds later when Kevin Henderson turned the puck over in the neutral zone to Thomas that led to a two-on-one with Cullen. Opting to shoot, Thomas found the back of the net low glove-side for his second tally in as many games. With less than four minutes remaining in the second period, the Amerks went back on top with a goal by Jordan Knackstedt. Knackstedt led the two-on-one with former Providence Bruin teammate Jeff LoVecchio. He denied his teammate the pass, took the shot, and scored through the five-hole. After several missed opportunities from both sides to open the final period, the Sharks struck with six minutes remaining to knot the score at 4-4 as Jonathon Cheechoo scored on a backhand through the five-hole of Plante. Jamie McGinn and Justin Braun contributed the assists on the play. The Amerks retaliated about 30 seconds later with a goal from Chris Taylor, his eighth of the season. The top-shelf snipe that rendered Machesney helpless put Rochester up 5-4. Wilson got his third assist of the game and Repik picked up the other helper. With four minutes remaining in the game, Hugh Jessiman scored his first goal as an Amerk to give Rochester some much needed breathing room. Kostka set him up with the pass and got the assist on the goal to make the score 6-4. Despite being outshot 38-24 in the contest, Rochester made the most of their opportunities when it counted. Plante made some key saves in the final period, allowing the Amerks to win in a high-scoring back-and-forth game and score their most goals at home this season. The oldest rivalry in the American Hockey League will be renewed on Friday, February 18th as the back-to-back defending Calder Cup champion Hershey Bears make their second and final stop this season in the Flower City. The 7:35 p.m. matchup will be the fourth this season and 442nd meeting in league history between the AHL’s cornerstone franchises. Comment@prohockeynews.com
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