10/26 Recap: Kea keys Spirit to victory

Justin Kea notched a pair of goals Friday including a hard-working short-handed game winner as Saginaw edged Oshawa 3-2. Kea's first-ever two-goal effort in 141 OHL games earned him the game's number three star. The Spirit wrap up their three-game road trip Saturday in Peterborough.


Mikhail Grigorenko scored his 11th goal of the year and added an assist as Quebec dominated Shawinigan 7-0. The Russian pivot sits with 26 points in 14 games heading into Sunday's meeting with Gatineau (which Grigorenko could sit for if Patrick Roy decides to subject his leading scorer to a rotation of European players). Grigorenko's teammate Adam Erne ('13) paced the Remparts with four goals and an assist.


Jake McCabe recorded two assists as Wisconsin blanked Minnesota-Duluth 2-0. McCabe rifled a shot that made it through to traffic to create the first Badger goal. Sophomore forward Brad Navin was unable to get a shot on net in the victory. Wisconsin will go for their first sweep of the season Saturday when the clubs conclude the WCHA set.

 Elsewhere, Joel Armia posted two shots in 14:19 of work as Assat skated past HIFK 4-1. Armia has seven goals and 11 points though 16-games, but hasn't connected for points in consecutive games since the opening week of SM-Liiga play. Assat takes on KalPa on Saturday.

Dan Catenacci saw his six-game point streak come to an end as Owen Sound suffered a 3-2 shootout loss to Kitchener. Catenacci went backhand/forehand in his shootout attempt but was unable to score. On Saturday, the Attack will look to get back on track when they host Sudbury.

Judd Peterson was +1 as Cedar Rapids got past Indiana 5-1 in USHL action. On Saturday, the RoughRiders will tangle with undefeated Dubuque.

Logan Nelson (-1) was held off the scoresheet as Victoria was handed a 4-1 loss at Vancouver. The Royals head to Kamloops Saturday to play their second of seven straight road games.

Mark Adams punched a shot on goal as Providence scored a pair of third period goals to earn a 3-2 win over Maine. The Friars and Black Bears will conclude the Hockey East set Saturday at 7:05.



Christian Isackson contributed three shots on goal as Minnesota played to a 2-2 tie with the U.S. Under-18 team. The Gophers will next host Canisius College for a non-conference tilt on Sunday.

In the AHL, Rochester stormed back with a pair of late goals to force extra time but fell short in a 5-4 overtime loss at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Trailing 4-2 with just over a minute to play, David Leggio went to the bench to give the Amerks the extra attacker. Kevin Porter took advantage with 1:08 left before Mark Mancari put a shot just under the crossbar 43 seconds later to complete the unlikely comeback. However, a Paul Thompson goal off a partial breakaway would end the game in the Penguins' favor with just 14-seconds to play.

Luke Adam and Evan Rankin scored the other Rochester goals. T.J. Brennan and Alex Biega added pairs of assists for the Amerks, who head north to Glens Falls on Saturday to take on the Adirondack Phantoms.

10/12 Recap: Amerks open with win

Corey Tropp scored a pair of goals and Mark Mancari scored the only mark in the shootout as Rochester opened the 2012-13 season Friday with a 6-5 win over Syracuse.

Tropp lit the lamp in the game's opening minute when he tapped in a two-on-one feed from Cody Hodgson. Later in the period,  Tropp batted down a Luke Adam shot in front of the net and beat Dustin Tokarski to give the Amerks a 2-1 lead. Marcus Foligno scored shortly after Tropp's second goal to give the Amerks a 3-1 advantage at the first intermission.

Mark Pysyk notched his first professional goal in the second period before the Crunch went on to score four unanswered the take a 5-4 lead midway through the final frame. Mark Mancari rounded out the Rochester scoring to make it 5-5 with under four minutes to play in regulation to force the OT.

David Leggio made 29 saves and another five in the shootout to earn the win. Tropp suffered a lower body injury and is unlikely to play when the Amerks continue their opening weekend Saturday in Toronto.

In the QMJHL, Mikhail Grigorenko continued his superb start to the 2012-13 season by scoring two goals and an assist to extend his point streak to nine games as Quebec defeated Gatineau 4-1. The talented Russian currently ranks second in QMJHL scoring with eight goals and 20 points through the Remparts' first nine games. The Remparts are off until Wednesday's tilt with Saint John.


 In Finland, Joel Armia scored his sixth goal of the year as Assat doubled Tappara 4-2. The 6-foot-3 sniper got the Aces on the board when he cut to the net and directed a Michael Ryan pass past the Tappara netminder. The two clubs will play it back on Saturday.



Linus Ullmark made 30 saves as MODO J20 downed Leksands 6-2. Ullmark was making his return to SuperElit action after a three-week loan to Mora IK of HockeyAllsvenskan. MODO and Leksands will play a rematch on Saturday.

In the WHL, Colin Jacobs picked up an assist as Prince George downed Lethbridge 3-2. The helper extends Jacobs' season-starting point streak to a career-best eight games (7+7). The Cougars continue their road trip Saturday in Medicine Hat.

Logan Nelson saw his five-game point streak come to an end as Victoria lost to Kelowna 4-1. The Royals and Rockets will again face off Saturday in Victoria.

Andrey Makarov made 24 saves as Saskatoon lost to Kootenay 4-3. The Blades have lost five straight games to occupy last place in the East Division.

In OHL action, Brady Austin was +1 as Belleville pitched a 2-0 shutout of Brampton. The Bulls, who have secured five wins through the season's first eight games, return to the ice Saturday versus Oshawa.

Justin Kea logged a +1 as Saginaw smoked Sudbury 6-1. The Spirit moves on to face Brampton on Sunday.

Alex Lepkowski (-1) did not point as Barrie got past Oshawa 4-3 in a shootout. Barrie will host Sudbury on Saturday.

Christian Isackson scored his first goal of the year as Minnesota downed Michigan State 5-1. Skating with Florida prospects Nick Bjugstad and Kyle Rau, Isackson buried a wrist shot from the slot for the first regular season goal of his collegiate career. The Gophers and Spartans will conclude their opening weekend set on Saturday.


Brad Navin (2 SOG) and Jake McCabe (4 SOG) each went without a point as Wisconsin lost to Northern Michigan 2-1. McCabe was paired with Frankie Simonelli on the Badgers blueline after sitting out last weekend's tune-up win over the U.S. Under-18. Navin formed a line with Keegan Meuer and Brendan Woods. The Badgers will look for the weekend split on Saturday.

Mark Adams finished +1 as Providence opened the season with an 8-2 throttling of Sacred Heart. The Friars finish their weekend Saturday with a visit to Boston University.

Judd Peterson was +1 with three shots on goal as Cedar Rapids dropped a 3-2 overtime decision to Muskegon. The RoughRiders take on Green Bay on Saturday.

Adam's mark puts Amerks in position

With his confidence plummeting to perhaps the lowest point of his pro career in recent weeks, and his club desperate for a victory, Luke Adam scored a very big goal Saturday to break a tie and give the Rochester Americans a 2-1 regulation win over the Lake Erie Monsters in their final game of the AHL regular season.


Adam's mark at 4:14 of the third period, his fourth of the year and second in his last three games, would hold up as Amerks' MVP David Leggio made 16 of his 35 saves in the final frame. Paul Szczechura scored the first Rochester goal, while rookies Brayden McNabb and Marcus Foligno (three-game point streak) chipped in with assists.

The victory gives Rochester 86 points, good for 5th place in the AHL Western Conference entering the final day of the season. While not officially in, their playoff hopes are looking pretty good per the explanation provided by Kevin Oklobzija of the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle.

The Rundown:
Adam: G, +1, 6 SOG
McNabb: A, +2
Foligno: A, +1
Crawford: +2
Tropp: +1, 3 SOG
Brennan: 3 SOG
Varone: SOG
Biega: even

Amerks streak ends at three

In Friday AHL play, goals by Brayden McNabb and Luke Adam got Rochester out to a 2-0 lead, but Grand Rapids struck three times in the third to overcome the Amerks, 4-3. The loss snaps a three-game winning streak for the Sabres farmhands.

McNabb gave Rochester a 1-0 lead when he jumped into the slot to beat Ty Conklin for his fourth of the year at 14:54 of the first.

At 1:51 of the second, Rochester gained the two-goal lead when Adam scarfed up a rebound for his first goal in an Amerks sweater.

After the Griffins cashed three straight tallies, T.J. Brennan added his 12th of the year on the power play to tie the game with under seven minutes to play.

Francis Pare answered for Grand Rapids three minutes later to cap the scoring.

David Leggio finished with 28 saves in defeat, while Phil Varone picked up a pair of assists for his seventh multi-point game of the year.

The Rundown:
McNabb: G, -1, 2 SOG
Adam: G, +1, 6 SOG
Brennan: PPG, 4 SOG
Foligno: 5 PIM
Szydlowski: 2 SOG
Crawford: -2
Persson: -1

The Amerks will be in Toronto on Saturday to begin a back-to-back set with the first place Marlies.

***

In the ECHL, Corey Fienhage scored in part of a four-goal third period as Gwinneett as poured it on last to earn an 8-6 win over Trenton. Matt MacKenzie (7 SOG) and Riley Boychuk picked up assists in the win, while Jonathan Parker logged a -3 rating.

Leggio shines as Amerks win 2nd straight

In Friday AHL play, Derek Whitmore and Dennis Persson scored while David Leggio sparkled with 27 saves as Rochester posted a 2-0 shutout victory over Adirondack. The Amerks (25-21-6-3) have won two straight, and now sit in 9th place in the Western Conference standings with 59 points.

Whitmore's game winner at 11:00 of the first was his team-leading 23rd goal of the year. Third-year man Persson cashed on a power play in the early second period to give him goals in two straight games for the second time in his career.

Luke Adam assisted on both Rochester goals for his second multi-point game in an Amerks sweater. The reigning AHL rookie of the year has collected five assists in six games since being re-assigned.

The game's #1 star, Leggio posted his second shutout of the year and fifth of his AHL career to improve to 17-15-3-1.

The Rundown:
Persson: G, +1, 5 SOG
Adam: 2A, +1, 2 PIM
Foligno: SOG, 2 PIM
Brennan: 2 SOG
McNabb: 2 PIM
Lagace: SOG
Crawford: 2 SOG

The Amerks welcome Lake Erie to the BCA on Saturday.

***

On Wednesday, Corey Tropp potted a pair of goals and an assist to lead Rochester to a 5-2 win over Hershey. Persson added a goal and an assist for the Amerks, while Marcus Foligno notched his 14th of the season.



The Rundown:
Tropp: 2G, A, +2
Foligno: G, +1
Crawford: 2A
Adam: A, -1
McNabb: +2
Brennan: 3 SOG
Lagace: -1

Foligno, Leggio stifle Dogs

In Saturday AHL action, Marcus Foligno recorded his first two-goal game as a pro to help the Rochester Americans to a 3-1 win over the Hamilton Bulldogs. Williamsville native David Leggio was excellent for a second straight night, finishing with 35 saves to earn the game's #1 star. The Amerks had previously lost six of seven games to their North Division rival.

Foligno, who scored the game winner just 17-seconds into the middle frame and added an empty-netter in the final minute, now has 12 goals through his first 36 games. Given his projection as a checker, that number rates well compared to some other recent AHL graduates through their first 36 games: Nathan Gerbe (21), Luke Adam (17), Tyler Ennis (11).

Leggio impressed with several big stops in the third as the Amerks were forced to kill a Jonathan Parker boarding penalty with three minutes to play.

Corey Tropp did not dress for a second straight night, while Drew Schiestel was made a healthy scratch (EDIT - there seems to be conjecture over the Schiestel scratch; will wait for statements regarding lingering knee soreness).

The Rundown:
Foligno: 2G, +1, 3 SOG
Parker: A, +2
Lagace: A
Crawford: A, +1
Szydlowski: A, +1
Biega: +1
Brennan: 2 SOG
Fienhage: 2 PIM
Persson: even
Boychuk: 1 SOG
Kassian: -1, 3 SOG

The Amerks (17-13-5-3, 42 points, 2nd in North Division) will now prepare for a Thursday/Friday series with Olkahoma City.