Jakub Krbecek stopped all 27 shots he faced and three powerplay goals were scored to propel the Rebels to a 6 – 0 over the visiting Rochester Jr. Americans to complete the weekend sweep between the teams.
It was the Rebels seventh win out of their last eight game, and it was their eighth straight game that they recorded a point. Coupled with Northeast’s loss to Johnstown, the Rebels now find themselves four points out of the last spot for the playoff with three games in hand on the Generals.
Six different players lit the lamp: Klaus Jogi, Paddy Fortune, Jared Coccimiglio, Brayton Frick, Ryan Vaites and Billy Sheridan. Ryan Bunting had three assists. It was Krbecek’s first shutout of the season.
Jogi scored the Rebels first powerplay goal to open the scoring. Rochester’s Jordin Palmer was called for cross checking with 5:30 remaining in the first period. With forty seconds left in the man advantage Jogi tallied his ninth goal of the season. Bunting started the play in the far side corner of the Rochester zone and sent the puck back to Charles Panchisin at the point. As Panchisin walked the line, he passed the biscuit to Sheridan in the slot who immediately made a backhanded pass to Jogi at the faceoff dot, and Jogi took a one-timer that beat Jr. American’s goalie Florian Wade.
The Rebels doubled their lead with 3:33 left in the middle stanza. Playing with the man advantage, Otto Polakovs had the puck in the Rochester near side corner and skated up along the boards. As he reached the point, he sent a pass to Fortune in the circle. Fortune skated back and around the circle and took a wrist shot from the high slot that found its way through traffic and past Wade for Fortune’s eighth goal of the season.
Two minutes later Coccimiglio made it 3 – 0. Coccimiglio picked up the loose puck in his own slot and skated along the near side boards through center ice and into the offensive zone. As he gained the line, he cut towards the middle and took a wrist shot from the slot that beat Wade for Coccimiglio’s third goal against Rochester this season. He led the Rebels in goals scored the Jr. Americans.
Frick made it 4 – 0 just 2:34 into the third period. It was his third total point (2 goals and 1 assist) against his old team this season.
Vaites scored a 4 on 4 goal at 10:49 of the period to make it 5 – 0, and Sheridan scored a powerplay goal with 4:03 left in the game to close out the scoring to make it 6 – 0.
Wade stopped 26 of 32 shots. Click HERE for the complete box score.
Unless they meet in the playoffs, the teams finished the season splitting the eight-game series with each winning four games, although the Rebels outscored the Jr. Americans 26 to 24. Bunting led all Rebels scorers against Rochester with six total points (1 goal and 5 assists).
The Rebels will travel to the Piney Orchard Arena next weekend for a two-game series against the first play Maryland Black Bears.
