Amerks allow season-high seven goals in loss to Comets
- amoor231
- 16 hours ago
- 4 min read
By: Alexander Moore
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Facing off for the third consecutive time, the Rochester Americans fell to the Utica Comets by a score of 7-4 on Sunday. It was the first time all season that the Amerks allowed seven or more goals.
Both teams played a physical game that started in Rochester’s favor as the Amerks took a 3-2 lead at the start of the second period. However, that lead quickly left their grip as Utica went on to score back-to-back-to-back goals in the second period to take a 5-3 lead heading into the final frame.
“When we watch the game back, it probably wasn’t a 7-4 hockey game,” Amerks head coach Michael Leone said. “We had a lot of looks, a lot of chances, it was just one of those games. I didn’t think we stopped playing. I think Rats [Scott Ratzlaff] would want some of those goals back, but it’s not on him, he’s a 20-year-old kid.”
Ratzlaff, the Buffalo Sabres fifth round pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, who has split time between the ECHL and the AHL this season, was playing in just his sixth career AHL game. The Canada native made 34 saves on the night, but allowed seven goals.
Inside Blue Cross Arena, Amerks fans chanted for usual starter Devon Levi, who started the night before, to be put into the game.
“People chanted Levi’s name, like he’s [Ratzlaff] a 20 year-old kid, man, a 20-year-old kid,” Leone said. “It just frustrates me. He’s a kid.”
The Amerks’ Mason Geertson received a two-minute cross-checking penalty about seven minutes into the first period, giving Utica a power play. With 30 seconds left on the man-advantage, Comets’ forward Shane Lachance took advantage of the opportunity to put Utica up by one, tipping Calen Addison’s wrist shot into the back of the net.
Trevor Kuntar helped Rochester respond by tying the game at one with nine-and-a-half minutes left in the period via a tip-in of his own, scoring his 13th goal of the year, assisted by Zac Jones and Gavin Bayreuther.
Video credit: @AmerksHockey on X.
The Amerks kept their momentum going as three minutes later, Riley Fiddler-Schultz deflected a wrist shot from Nikita Novikov, to put Rochester ahead by one.
Video credit: @AmerksHockey on X.
Marc McLaughlin flipped the momentum back to the Comets side, scoring his first career AHL goal with four-and-a-half minutes remaining in the frame, firing a wrist shot from just inside the blue line past the blocker of Ratzlaff to tie the game at two.
McLaughlin was playing in his first AHL game of the season, as he was placed on waivers a few days ago by the New Jersey Devils.
Ratzlaff was getting shoved around by the Comets in the start of the second period, as multiple scrums broke loose in front of the Americans’ net.
The Amerks were the first to score in the second period, as with 12 minutes left, on the power play, Riley Fiddler-Schultz scored his second goal of the afternoon, sending the puck off both posts and into the back of the net. Zac Jones and Trevor Kuntar were credited with assists.
Video credit: @AmerksHockey on X.
Utica responded by scoring three unanswered goals in the second half of the second period, scored by Brian Halonen, Angus Crookshank and Ethan Edwards, putting the Comets up 5-3 going into the final period.
“Those three that went in back-to-back-to-back (late in the second period), those are tough,” Leone said. “I still felt we were in a good spot in the third period and then in the first shift we give up a breakaway (that led to a goal).”
Forty-eight seconds into the third period, Crookshank scored his second goal of the game for Utica, giving Brian Halonen his second assist of the night and sixth of the season.
Ethan Edwards was the second player for the Comets to record two goals this evening, putting Utica up 7-3, and giving him his eighth of the year.
In the last minute of the game, Fiddler-Schultz notched his first career professional hat trick, picking up his 15th goal of the year. Jones added his second assist of the game and 44th point of the season, increasing his career-high and AHL defenseman-leading total.
After winning the first two games of this regular season mini-series against the Comets the Amerks couldn’t complete the sweep.
Rochester will look to bounce back against the Charlotte Checkers at home on Wednesday, Feb. 18. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:08 p.m.