With Johan Larsson in the penalty box for holding, Armia gathered a Leduc zone clear and finished with a forehand just 2:58 in. The second-year Finn now has four goals on the year, including marks in two straight and three of his last four.
A fight broke out with 2:01 remaining in the first period when 24-year-old rookie Jordan Samuels-Thomas wrestled with Mike Angelidis after the Crunch forward was whistled for a cross-checking penalty.
Leduc connected for his first of the year on the power play at 19:02 to put the Amerks ahead 2-0 at the first intermission. Mark Pysyk earned the primary assist. Mikhail Grigorenko was also credited with a helper to give him points in two straight games and a total of seven (4+3) on the year.
The second period would come and go with the teams trading power play opportunities but no goals were scored.
Varone extended the Amerks lead to 3-0 with a fluky goal at 7:42 of the third period. He took a Luke Adam feed and went to the net with a defenseman on him when the puck deflected into the air and over the glove of Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Makarov (1st star) was simply superb in his second consecutive start for the Amerks while earning the second assist on Armia's goal. The second-year pro improves to 3-0 with a 1.44 GAA and sparkling .959 save%. Armia (GWG) and Leduc (1+1) rounded out the game's three stars.
Rochester (6-2-0-0) is back in action tomorrow at North Division rival Toronto.
NCAA
In NCAA action, Max Willman scored his first goal as a collegian as Brown downed Army 4-2. The freshman winger came down the left side and tucked one in at the side of the net just 5:06 into play to give Brown the early 1-0 lead. The Bears are back in action Friday when they host St. Lawrence.
Hudson Fasching scored his fourth goal of the year as No. 1 Minnesota suffered their first loss of the season 4-1 to No. 7 St. Cloud State. The sophomore winger came down the right side and sent a wrist shot just inside the post at 4:18 of the third period for his fifth point in as many games. Judd Peterson posted two shots on goal for the Huskies. Minnesota senior forward Christian Isackson will continue looking for his first point of the year on Saturday when the teams complete the home-and-home set at Mariucci Arena.
In Hockey East, Cal Petersen made 34 saves to record his third consecutive victory as Notre Dame edged No. 14 Vermont 3-2. Fighting Irish sophomore Connor Hurley saw his three-game point streak snapped, finishing with three shots on goal while centering the team's second line and seeing time on the top power play unit. Notre Dame goes for the sweep on Saturday.
Defensemen Anthony Florentino (SOG) and Mark Adams (-1) were unable to produce as No. 8 Providence came up short in a 4-1 loss to No. 6 Boston University. Jack Eichel ('15) picked up a short-handed goal, an assist and eight shots for the Terriers. The 18-year-old centerman now has four goals and eight points through his first four NCAA contests. The two clubs play it back tomorrow at BU.
J.T. Compher (-1) moved back to the center position after a few games at right wing, recording one shot on goal as No. 13 Michigan was upset at Michigan Tech 4-1. Dylan Larkin (DET) scored the lone Wolverines goal. Compher has yet to score goal this season, posting three assists and a minus-four rating through his first six games. Michigan will look to earn the weekend split on Saturday.
CHL
Nick Baptiste scored his third goal of the year on the power play as Sudbury continued their slide with a 4-1 loss to Sarnia. The Wolves have now lost 13 straight games after earning the victory in their season opener. Hayden Hodgson, who recently attended Detroit Red Wings training camp as an undrafted free agent, scored twice for the Sting. The Wolves will look to end the miserable run Saturday at Niagara.
In the WHL, defenseman Brycen Martin finished with an even rating as Swift Current blanked Calgary 3-0. Martin will continue the hunt for his first goal of the year on Saturday when the Broncos visit Regina.
Sam Reinhart did not dress as Kootenay lost to Red Deer 7-3. The ICE captain is expected to make his season debut Saturday versus Lethbridge. With just three wins in 16 tries, Kootenay currently sits in last place in the league standings.
USHL
Christopher Brown (+1) picked up an assist to snap his two-game funk as Green Bay bested Bloomington 4-1. The Gamblers host Cedar Rapids on Saturday.
ECHL
Justin Kea notched an assist as Elmira skated to a 3-2 overtime victory over Brampton. The checking centerman has a goal and two helpers in six games with the Jackals. The teams will meet again Saturday in Elmira.
