The visiting Rochester Jr. Americans scored three, first period goals en route to a 6 – 1 win over the Rebels to split the weekend series. It was the sixth and final meeting between the team this year in which the Jr. Americans won five of the contests.
Brock Jones scored a shorthanded goal with a minute and half remaining in the game to spoil Rochester’s shutout bid and make it a 6 – 1 contest. It was Jones’ sixth goal of the season. Jones was playing in his 150 game as a Rebel, second most in franchise history.
Calle Karlsson scored his first of two goals of the game with 8:28 remaining in the opening period to put the Jr. Americans on the board. It was a powerplay goal, and first of three in the game. With the Rebels called for a bench minor, Karlsson picked up the loose puck at the far side corner and sent the biscuit back to Jordin Palmer at the point. Palmer sent a pass to Adam Gionta on his right and Gionta immediately made a cross-ice pass to Karlsson who stepped up at took a wrist shot that went off the far side post and past Rebels netminder Owen Crudale to make it a 1 – 0 game.
Jones was called for checking-from-behind with 6:44 in the period to put Rochester back on the man advantage. A minute later Gionta doubled the Jr. Americans lead. With the Jr. Americans looking to set up the play in the offensive zone, Karlsson picked up the loose puck at the far side half wall and sent the biscuit back to Palmer at the top of the point. Palmer immediately sent a pass to Gionta in the middle of the slot and Gionta took a wrist shot that went off the post and past Crudale for Gionta’s first goal of the game.
Karlsson scored his second goal of the game with 2:49 remaining in the period to make it 3 – 0 Rochester. Playing four-on-four hockey, the Jr. Americans’ Jaden Dyke skated down the far side boards from his own end, through center ice and into the offensive zone. As Dyke reached the faceoff dot, Dyke made a centering pass out front to Karlsson who took a wrist shot from the slot that beat Crudale for Karlsson’s sixth goal against the Rebels this season.
Gionta, Keanan Dewberry and Dyke added second period goals to give Rochester a 6 – 0 lead, and then Jones closed out the scoring to make it 6 – 1.
Rebels netminders combined to stop 34 of 40 shots while Jr. Americans netminder Danick Leroux turned aside 23 of 24. Click HERE for the complete box score.
The Rebels will be on the road the next two weekends. They will travel to Johnstown for a two-game series against the Tomahawks on February 14 and 15 and then travel to Canton, MA for a pair of games against the Northeast Generals on February 21 and 22. With seventeen games remaining in the season, the Rebels only have six home games left where they’ll return to Hollydell at the end of February to face the Elmira Aviators for the first time at the Dell.
