ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Philadelphia Rebels built a four-goal lead in the opening period and held off a furious late push to defeat the Rochester Jr. Americans 4-3 on Friday night at Rochester Ice Center.
Philadelphia struck first when Jordan Brothers opened the scoring early in the first period, finishing off a quick offensive push to give the Rebels a 1-0 lead. The goal set the tone for a dominant opening frame by the visitors, who capitalized on their early chances.
The Rebels doubled the lead on the power play as defenseman Joe Stauber blasted a shot past Rochester goaltender Jensen Carlstrom to make it 2-0. Stauber’s goal marked his second in as many games and the fourth consecutive contest that the power play has found the back of the net.
Jake Schultz added to the surge later in the period, converting from close range to push the lead to three, with Brothers picking up the assist on the play. Brothers finished the night with a goal and an assist. Dylan Moran capped the first-period outburst moments later, ripping a snipe from the slot that beat Carlstrom cleanly and sent Philadelphia into the intermission with a 4-0 advantage.
Rochester responded in the second period, taking control of the play and cutting into the deficit. Ryan Show put the Jr. Americans on the board before Logan Keup followed with another tally to make it 4-2. Rochester outshot Philadelphia 16-3 in the middle frame and generated sustained pressure in the offensive zone.
The Jr. Americans continued to push in the third period and pulled within one when Owen King scored, trimming the margin to 4-3. Rochester fired 12 shots in the final period alone, but Nikitins stood tall, making several key stops down the stretch to preserve the lead.
Nikitins finished with 31 saves on 34 shots while Carlstrom stopped 13 shots in the loss.
The win improved the Rebels to 16-17-2-6 on the season and snapped Rochester’s four-game winning streak. The Jr. Americans dropped to 26-12-0-0. The two teams conclude the weekend series Saturday night in Rochester.