Trailing 3 – 0 entering the third, Caesar Björk and Ryan Bunting scored to bring the visiting Rebels within one but it wasn’t enough as they fell to the Jr. Americans 3 – 2 in game one of this two-game series.
It was Björk’s team high 12th goal of the season.
Rochester’s Keanan Dewberry opened the scoring at 8:29 of the first period. After the Americans’ Ryan Shaw won the draw deep inside the Rebels zone, the puck went to Nicholas Reif who was to the left of Shaw. Reif sent the biscuit back to Dewberry at the top of the slot, and Dewberry took a one-timer that found its way through a screen and past Rebels netminder Owen Crudale for Dewberry’s fifth goal of the season.
The Americans second goal of the game came a minute and ten seconds later but needed to be reviewed to confirm it. After Rochester brought the puck into the Rebels zone, the Americans’ Alex Zakrzewski tried to redirect a backdoor into the net but it missed and went to the end wall. As the puck bounced off the boards and to Rochester’s Jaden Dyke in the slot, the net was dislodged off its moorings but Dyke took a shot during that time and the biscuit went into the back of the net. The officials called it continuation so the goal stood to make it a 2 – 0 game.
Calle Karlsson gave the Americans a 3 – 0 at 6:34 into the middle stanza. As Karlsson brought the puck into the offensive zone, he took a shot from just inside the far side faceoff circle that went over the net and bounced off the glass and gloved down by Adam Gionta. Gionta skated behind and around the Rebels net. As Gionta skated towards the bottom of the far side faceoff circle, he made a pass out front to Karlsson who deposited the biscuit into the back of the net for his team high fourth goal against Philadelphia this season.
What appeared to be a blow out didn’t come to fruition as the Rebels mounted a comeback. After Rochester’s Gabriel Cull and the Rebels Drew Belleson each received a 10 and 5, the Rebels gained the man advantage when Cull was assessed an instigation penalty at 6:29 of the third period. Fifty-four seconds later Björk put the Rebels on the board. Charles Panchisin started the play at the top of the blueline and skated towards the far side boards. As Panchisin went the outskirt of the faceoff circle, he looked back to the point and feed Luke Janviriya the biscuit. Janviriya immediately redirected the puck to Björk who was at the bottom of the near side circle and Björk took a backdoor one-timer that beat Rochester netminder Florian Wade short side to make it a 3 – 1 game. It was the Rebels seventeenth powerplay goal of the season.
Bunting brought the Rebels within one with 4:43 remaining in the game. As Bunting brought the puck into the offensive zone along the near side boards, he stopped at the faceoff circle and made a centering pass to Linas Dedinas at the top of the slot. Dedians took a shot that missed the net and went off the end wall and directly to Ryan Vaites who immediately sent the puck through the goalmouth to Bunting who put the biscuit into the back of the net for his ninth goal of the season.
The Rebels kept applying pressure the remaining of the game but Wade had to made several keys saves to keep the visitors for tying the game.
Crudale stopped 37 of 40 shots while Wade turned aside 30 of 32. Click HERE for the complete box score.
