BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
ROCHESTER, NY – Arttuu Ruotsalainen picked up a goal and an assist as the Rochester Americans downed the Hartford Wolf Pack 5-2 on Friday night at the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, NY.
The Pack, who play in Utica tomorrow, have dropped into third place behind the Hershey Bears. The Bears have a winning percentage of .593 compared to the Pack’s .577 ahead. However, the Pack remains ahead of the fourth-place Providence Bruins.
The Wolf Pack power play was powerless. They went 0-7 couldn’t score after Rochester was assessed a late double minor and on the subsequent five-on-three.
DOUBLE MINOR
The double minor was Lukas Cragg, who clipped Austin Rueschoff coming in the Rochester end of the ice. Five-on-three after, Ruotsalainen was sent to the box for an extra-curricular scuffle with Anthony Bitetto.
Pack Head Coach Kris Knoblauch was creative. He pulled starting netminder Tyler Wall to favor an extra attacker and gave his team a six-on-three advantage.
Rochester goaltender, Aaron Dell, stopped a blast from the point by Bitetto and bids by Lauri Pajuniemi, Anthony Greco. However, Ty Ronning missed the net.
PACK INCH CLOSER
The Pack pulled within two goals as Greco’s short pass from the left wing to Ronning, who was coming in alone on the right-wing side. He went to his backhand and flipped his eighth of the season into the net at 4:18 of the third period.
The second period started unkind to the Pack.
Rochester benefitted from a generous rebound on an early power play. Anthony Bitetto, in his first game in three weeks, coughed up the puck just past the Pack blue line. The biscuit went right to Jack Quinn, who went to the backhand. Wall denied his shot, but the rebound was left out in front, and Ruotsalainen buried it for just his second goal of the year at 2:15. The goal gave Rochester a 4-1 lead.
FIRST GOAL
The Americans scored a goofy first goal.
Anthony Greco had a turnover in the Pack end of the ice forced by former Springfield Falcon Ethan Prow. Just back from his recall to the Buffalo Sabres and playing his third hockey game in four days, Ryan MacInnis chipped at the puck. It popped up in the air and amazingly fluttered over the shoulder of the 6’4 Pack netminder and into the back of the net at 3:36.
The Wolf Pack answered back at 5:31 as Tanner Fritz was behind the Americans net. He found Aaron Luchuk at the top of the left-wing circle. He whistled his first goal as the newest member of the Wolf Pack going went to the far side of the cage, just inside the left post. Luchuk’s goal came on his first shot in his first game.
Rochester retook the lead as Jack Quinn pounced on a rebound right point shot by Ruotsalainen. A wide-open Quinn, just back after spending the last three weeks battling mono, was right there to bury his 12th at 11:46.
The Americans Linus Weissbach found a loose biscuit off a rebound that Wall couldn’t control, put it into the back of the net for his sixth season, and established a two-goal lead at 3-1 at 16:55 if the first.
LINES
Fritz-Ronning-Pajuniemi
Khordorenko-Liam Percararo-Aaron Luchuk
O’Leary-Whalen-Rueschoff
Greco- DiGiacinto-
Richards-Whalen
Guittari-Bitetto
Schneider-Robertson
Taylor-Skinner
Tyler Wall
Adam Huska
SCRATCHES
Zach Berzolla
Brandon Fortunato
James Sanchez
François Brassard
NOTES
Pecararo wore #81
Luchuk #10
Ruotsalainen had six points in two games against Hartford.
Steve Fogarty, the ex-captain of the Wolf Pack, was called up to the Boston Bruins on Friday.
Goalie Tuukka Rask signed a Professional Try-Out (PTO) contract during his post-hip surgery rehab. He would play against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, but both games were postponed this weekend. His next opportunity comes Friday against Hartford.
P.C. Labrie scored a goal and fought just 2:57 into the game with ex-Pack Dylan McIlrath in the game between the Syracuse Crunch and Hershey Bears.
The Wolf Pack signed ex-Springfield Thunderbird (F) Liam Pecararo of the Greenville Swamp Rabbits (ECHL). He registered 24 points in 19 games. This is his second AHL loan of the season. He spent four games with the Charlotte Checkers earlier this season.
After two games with the Belleville Senators, former C.T. Whale Michael Del Zotto was called up to the Ottawa Senators taxi squad and was sent right back.
Craig Martin (Quinnipiac University) signs a PTO with Charlotte. He was with the Pack’s ECHL affiliate, the Jacksonville Icemen (ECHL).
Ex-Pack/Bridgeport Sound Tiger goalie Jean-Francois (J.F.) Berube goes from the Cleveland Monsters to the Columbus Blue Jackets (NHL) taxi squad.
Ex-Pack Darren Raddysh is returned to Syracuse (AHL) by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Matt Foley (Yale) gets his third AHL recall and his fourth city this season. This recall is to the Tucson Roadrunners (AHL).
Nick Hutchison (Avon Old Farms) goes from the Wheeling Nailers (ECHL) to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Alexander Nylander, the son of former Hartford Whaler Michael Nylander, was traded from the Chicago Blackhawks (NHL) to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Sam Lafferty, a one-time Deerfield Academy (MAPREP) product.
Ex-Pack Peter Holland leaves Djurgårdens IF (Sweden-SHL) and signs for the second half of the year with the Iserlohn Roosters (Germany-DEL). Coming to Djurgårdens IF (Sweden-SHL) from the Abbotsford Canucks is Cam Schilling. He becomes the sixth AHL’er to go to Europe mid-season thus far.
