Friday, April 4, 2014

4/4 Recap: Makarov superb in Amerks win

In Friday action, Andrey Makarov was superb with 37 saves to earn the number one star as Rochester held on for a 4-3 victory over Binghamton. Kevin Porter buried the game winner in the third period, while Nick Crawford, Dan Catenacci, and Phil Varone all picked up markers in the opening two frames. The Amerks gain another two points to give them 74, one behind Charlotte for the final Western Conference playoff spot with seven games to go.

Crawford opened scoring at 10:45 when he took a perfectly placed pass by Mark Pysyk and one-timed it past Andrew Hammond from the right circle. Phil Varone drew a secondary assist on the play to give him a new career high with 53 points.



The Amerks would connect again a little over a minute later when Mikhail Grigorenko flipped a saucer pass through the neutral zone to a streaking Catenacci, who used his speed to get a clean shot off and beat Hammond for a 2-0 lead. The marker gives Catenacci three goals in his last two games on the heels of a 18-game dry spell. For Grigorenko, that's two helpers in two games since being assigned to the Amerks.



In the second period, Phil Varone circled from the corner and wristed a shot underneath the crossbar for his 15th goal of the year and second point  of the game. Nick Crawford also earned his second point of the night with an assist thanks to his keep at the blue line.



Makarov got the start for the fifth straight game, stopping 14 of 17 shots through the first two frames, including a crazy one that saw him snare a shot while playing without a stick or blocker. The rookie netminder would continue his mastery in the third period, stopping all 23 shots sent his way to earn his second consecutive victory.



In the OHL, Nikita Zadorov (-1, 2 PIM) was unable to get on the score sheet as London made it a game with four unanswered goals but came up short with a 6-4 loss to Guelph in Game 1 of their Western Conference Semifinal. Zadorov logged major minutes in this one, with his workload greatly increasing in the third period. Brady Austin was diagnosed with mononucleosis during the week, and is likely out for the foreseeable future.

In the QMJHL, William Carrier missed his fourth straight game as Drummondville kicked off their second round series with a 4-3 overtime win at Val-d'Or. Carrier's status remains day-to-day heading into Saturday's Game 2.

In the WHL, Logan Nelson finished with a minus-one rating as Victoria Royals was blown out by Portland 8-2 in Game 1 of their Western Conference Semifinal. The two clubs continue the series Saturday in Portland.

In USHL action, Connor Hurley bagged a pair of assists as Green Bay earned a 4-2 win over Indiana. The Notre Dame commit is currently riding a five-game point streak that has seen him collect a goal and seven assists. The Gamblers need a win in tomorrow's regular season finale over Muskegon as the two clubs play a do-or-die game for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot.

Cal Petersen made 15 saves as Waterloo clinched at least a share of the Anderson Cup as regular season champions with a 5-1 win over Cedar Rapids. Judd Peterson picked up an assist on the Roughriders tally to give him points in two straight games.