Saturday, December 22, 2012

12/21 Recap: Amerks battle back for shootout victory

Cody Hodgson scored his first shootout goal of the year Friday to cap the comeback as Rochester earned a 6-5  victory over Binghamton.

Evan Rankin and Luke Adam scored 28 seconds apart to give the Amerks a 2-1 lead after the opening frame. For Adam, the goal was his fifth in his last six games. The third-year man has points in seven straight.

The teams would continue trading goals over the next 40 minutes. Kevin Porter lit the lamp to give the Amerks a 3-2 lead midway through the second period, but Binghamton would eventually gain a 5-3 advantage in the third. Rochester again would use quick strikes to even the score, as T.J. Brennan went high for his 11th of the year before Kevin Sundher scarfed up a rebound 49 seconds later for his first professional goal.

A momentum changer came early in the third when David Leggio dove back into the crease to rob Stephane Da Costa of a sure goal with a highlight reel stop. Leggio finished the night with 34 saves.

After a scoreless overtime and shootout misses by Brian Flynn, Phil Varone, and Mark Mancari, the Amerks would get three straight goals from Brennan, Marcus Foligno, and Hodgson to earn the extra point.

The two clubs will next travel to Binghamton for a Saturday rematch.

--

In USHL action, Judd Peterson recorded two shots on goal as Cedar Rapids was blanked by Fargo 3-0. The RoughRiders will visit Sioux Falls Saturday for their final game before the Christmas break.