The Rochester Jr. Americans scored two goals less than a minute part and with less than two minutes remaining in the game to break open a very tight and hard-fought contest to defeat the visiting Rebels 5 – 2 and complete a weekend sweep between the teams.
Hudson Weber-Stewart and Caesar Björk scored for the Rebels. It was Philadelphia’s fourth straight loss and seven out of the last eight games.
Rochester’s Jaden Dyke scored a powerplay goal with 4:51 remaining in the opening period to give the Americans a 1 – 0 lead. With time winding down on the man advantage, Rochester’s Adam Gionta took a snapshot from the far side faceoff circle that was saved by Owen Crudale but the rebound came right out to Dyke who stuffed the puck past a fallen Crudale for Dyke’s eleventh goal of the year.
Weber-Stewart evened the score at one just 4:17 into the middle stanza. Bryce Strand picked up the loose puck at the top of his own far side faceoff circle and skated through center ice and into the offensive zone. As Strand gained the line, he cut towards the net and took a point-blank-shot that was saved by Rochester’s goaltender Danick Leroux but the rebound came right out to Weber-Stewart on the doorstep and Weber-Stewart put it past Leroux and into the back of the net for his second goal of the season.
The Americans regained the lead for good when Ryan Shaw scored midway through the second. Rochester’s JC Humphreys picked up the loose puck behind the Rebels net and passed it to Owen King at the bottom of the far side circle. King made a backdoor pass through the goalmouth and Shaw took a one-timer that just beat a diving Crudale to make it a 2 – 1 game.
King made it 3 -1 with 3:43 remaining in the period. With play in the Rebels zone, Shaw dipsy doodled the puck around the near side faceoff circle and passed the biscuit to King at the bottom of the circle. King took a sharp angle shot that beat Crudale high, long side for King’s twelfth of the season.
Björk cut the Rebels deficit in half with 1:31 left in the middle stanza. After Brock Jones won the draw deep inside the Rochester zone, the puck went into the near side corner where Charles Panchisin and Rochester’s Jordin Palmer fought for the puck which eventually went to the Americans’ Calle Karlsson. Karlsson tried to pass it to a teammate but Björk intercepted the puck at the faceoff dot and took a wrist shot that beat Leroux for Björk’s second goal of the weekend.
With a fast and furious third period and the Rebels pressuring to tie the game, Humphreys intercept a Rebels outlet pass at center ice. As he gained the line, Humphreys took a wrist shot that handcuffed Crudale and the puck rolled towards the net. While rolling towards the goal line, Björk went to stop the puck but it went off Björk’s stick and into the net to make it a 4 – 2 game.
Rochester’s Gabriel Cull lit the lamp forty-eight seconds later to close out the scoring to make it a 5 – 2 contest. Crudale stopped 34 of 39 shots while Leroux turned aside 34 of 36. Click HERE for the complete box score.
The Rebels will be home next weekend a two-game series against the Johnstown Tomahawks.