ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Philadelphia Rebels saw their weekend road trip come to a close with a 2–1 loss to the Rochester Jr. Americans on Saturday night at Rochester Ice Center.
After a scoreless opening period, Rochester broke through early in the second period on the power play. Ryan Shaw capitalized with a quick strike to put the Jr. Americans ahead 1–0, snapping the deadlock after Philadelphia successfully weathered an early storm. Rochester held a 12–3 shots advantage in the first period and continued to control possession early in the middle frame.
The Rebels answered back midway through the second period. Jordan Brothers provided the lone offense for Philadelphia, putting home a loose puck in tight to tie the game at 1–1. The goal marked Brothers’ second of the weekend and continued his productive stretch against Rochester.
Momentum swung back to the home side later in the period. Owen King restored Rochester’s lead with a short-handed goal that made it 2–1, which would stand as the eventual game-winner. Despite multiple power-play opportunities down the stretch, Philadelphia was unable to find the equalizer, finishing the night 0-for-5 on the man advantage.
The third period featured a determined push from the Rebels, who outshot Rochester 10–5 in the final frame and applied consistent pressure in the offensive zone. Goaltender Florian Wade stood tall for the Jr. Americans, turning aside several quality chances to preserve the lead.
Philadelphia goaltender Ilja Nikitins delivered another strong performance in defeat, stopping 24 of 26 shots. At the other end, Wade finished with 19 saves on 20 shots to earn the win. Rochester finished the game 1-for-3 on the power play, while Philadelphia’s penalty kill remained sharp overall despite the decisive goal.
The loss dropped the Rebels to 16-18-2-6 on the season, while Rochester improved to 27-12-0-0 and completed the weekend series with a split. Philadelphia will look to regroup as the playoff race in the East Division continues to tighten.