Amerks Hold On In Hamilton

Mike Kostka (1+2), Patrick Rissmiller (1+2), and Michael Duco (1+1) powered the Amerks’ offense this afternoon, each having multiple-point games. Bill Thomas (0+2) also earned two points with a pair of assists, while Hugh Jessiman (1+0), Triston Grant (1+0), and Evan Oberg (1+0) also netted one goal apiece in the matchup. Rochester netminder Marc Cheverie earned his first AHL victory with the win, posting 38 saves on 43 shots.

The Bulldogs were headed by Aaron Palushaj (2+1) and Andrew Conboy (1+2), who each had three-point games. J.T. Wyman (1+0) and Ian Schultz (1+0) also earned tallies, while David Urquart (0+2) posted two assists. Hamilton goaltenders David MacIntyre and Robert Mayer put a joint stop to 23 shots between the pipes in the losing effort.

Hamilton snatched the scoreboard advantage first just 11 seconds into the opening frame with a tally by Conboy. With help from Gabriel Dumont (0+1) and Dany Masse (0+1), Conboy was able to put one past Cheverie, giving him his 11th this season.

The Amerks evened the score at one not even a minute later, when Jessiman scored his sixth goal of the year just 39 seconds into the game. Mark Cullen (0+1) and Tim Kennedy (0+1) picked up the assists on the play.

After netting two goals and earning a pair of assists in his past two games, Kostka continued his point streak this afternoon with Rochester’s second goal of the contest at 12:58. The tally is his 13th of the season, and Rissmiller and Chris Taylor (0+1) helped out.

Kostka extended his point streak to six when he and PJ Fenton (0+1) assisted on Grant’s sixth goal of the season to give the Amerks a 3-1 lead on the power-play. Grant put one past MacIntyre with nearly five minutes remaining in the first period.

The Amerks were able to net one more goal before the first 20 minutes of play came to a close. Oberg beat MacIntyre with three seconds remaining, with help from Thomas and Kenndal McArdle (0+1).

Palushaj netted two for the Bulldogs within the first six minutes of play in the second stanza to put his club back within one, the latter on the man advantage. The tallies were his 16th and 17th of the year, which rank him second on the team. Conboy picked up an additional two points this afternoon, assisting both goals. Urquhart also earned a helper on Palushaj’s first tally at 2:40.

Rochester’s Duco put one past Mayer, who replaced MacIntyre at the start of the second, just past the midway point of the period at 10:50. The goal is Duco’s team-leading 18th of the season. Kostka earned yet another assist, giving him his third point of the game, and Rissmiller also picked up an additional point helping out.

Rissmiller didn’t stop there. At 15:35, he scored his 14th of the year to give the Amerks the three-goal advantage, closing out the second period with a score of 6-3. Duco and Thomas earned their second points of the afternoon picking up the assists.

The Bulldogs pulled out all the stops in the third period, grabbing an additional two tallies to put them within one. First, Cheverie made the error of turning the puck over to Palushaj, who then slid it to Wyman. Wyman then caught Cheverie out of position and hammered it into the wide open net at 14:41. The goal is Wyman’s 15th of the season, and with the assist Palushaj grabbed his third point of the game.

Schultz gave Hamilton the one-goal deficit with less than five minutes remaining in the contest. After an initial shot from outside the blueline, Cheverie got a piece of the puck before it ever-so-slowly dribbled over the goal line. Jimmy Bonneau (0+1) and Urquhart helped.

The Amerks were able to hold on in the remaining minutes, despite a late penalty to Cullen for delay of game. Rissmiller was credited with the game-winner, and the final decision was 6-5 in favor of Rochester. With the win, Cheverie earned his first AHL victory.

The Bulldogs venture to the Flower City on Wednesday, March 16th for a second North Division showdown with the Amerks in four days. Faceoff is 7:05pm.