12/26 Recap: Amerks victorious after break

Phil Varone (1+2) and Mikhail Grigorenko (0+3) each logged three-point nights Friday as Rochester downed Lake Erie 4-1. The three-point game was the first of Grigorenko's professional career.

Andrey Makarov was excellent for the Amerks, stopping 32 of 33 shots to earn his eighth win of the year and the game's second star.

Varone scored the game's first goal when he cashed a nifty feed from Joel Armia at 6:35 of the opening period.

Four minutes later, Chad Ruhwedel unloaded for his seventh goal of the year to put the Amerks ahead 2-0. All seven of Ruhwedel's goals have come on the power play.

After the Monsters halved the deficit before the second intermission, Brayden Irwin would restore the two-goal advantage when he connected on a five-on-three power play to make it a 3-1 game.

Joel Armia would get his second point of the night with an empty-net goal to close out the victory. The marker, Armia's eighth of the year, eclipses the seven he posted in all of 2013-14 as an AHL rookie.

The Amerks remain at home for a Saturday matchup with Toronto.


***

In the SHL, Gustav Possler picked up one assist as MODO was edged by the Vaxjo Lakers 4-3. The helper gives Possler 15 points (8+7) in 29 games. MODO goaltender Linus Ullmark served as backup for the second straight game. It will be a battle of the bottom on Sunday when 12th place MODO hosts 11th place Leksands IF.

In the ECHL, Colin Jacobs (-1) and Justin Kea (-2) were unable to produce as Elmira were defeated by Reading 5-2. Jacobs has gone without a point in his last 11 games. Kea has been blanked in his last dozen. The teams will play it back on Saturday.