Rochester, NY – The Comets faced the Amerks for the third straight game on Sunday afternoon and bounced back with a 7-4 victory.
The first period featured a fast and evenly matched pace from both teams out of the gate. The Comets were again awarded the first power play of the contest when Rochester forward Mason Geertsen was called for cross-checking at 6:57. In the latter half of the power play, Calen Addison sent a shot towards the net that was deflected by Shane Lachance and past Amerks’ goaltender Scott Ratzlaff to give the Comets a 1-0 lead at 8:27 on his ninth goal of the year. Matyas Melovsky picked up the secondary assist. The Amerks responded a couple minutes later when Zac Jones’ shot was stopped by Nico Daws, but Trevor Kuntar jammed home the rebound to tie the game at 10:42 for his 13th of the year. After an icing was called against the Comets, the Amerks won an offensive zone draw and Nikita Novikov’s shot from the blue line was tipped home by Riley Fiddler-Schultz to put the Amerks up 2-1 at 13:35 on his 13th goal of the season. The Comets would tie the game shortly thereafter, however, when Topias Vilen fired a shot from the point that was deflected by Marc McLaughlin and into the net at 15:30. For McLaughlin, it was his first of the year in his season debut, while Jonathan Gruden picked up the secondary assist.
The teams entered the second stanza knotted up at two, and it was the Amerks who regained the lead when they headed to the power play after Xavier Parent was called for roughing. Rochester defenseman Zac Jones held a puck in at the blue line, walked to the right circle and snapped a shot that was deflected past Nico Daws by Riley Fiddler-Schultz for his second of the game to make it 3-2 at 8:07. There was no quit in the Comets, however, who would strike back a couple minutes later when Brian Halonen fired a laser past Scott Ratzlaff from the high slot off the crossbar and in to tie the game at three at 10:27 on his team-leading 15th of the year with Dmitry Osipov and Topias Vilen picking up the assists. Angus Crookshank would put the Comets up by one when he received a pass from Brian Halonen, walked into the left circle, and beat Ratzlaff glove side to give the Comets their second lead of the game. It was Crookshank’s 12th of the year which came at 13:11 from Halonen and Addison. The Comets would pad the lead a couple minutes later when Ethan Edwards ripped a shot from along the goal line which banked off Scott Ratzlaff and in to make it 5-3 at 15:56 on his seventh of the season. Jonathan Gruden and Marc McLaughlin picked up the helpers.
The Comets couldn’t have asked for a better start to the third when Angus Crookshank entered the offensive zone with speed, protected the puck as he cut to the net and beat Scott Ratzlaff blocker side to make it 6-3 just 48 seconds into the final frame on his second of the game and 13th of the year. Brian Halonen and Kyle Criscuolo picked up the assists. Later in the period, on the heels of a successful penalty kill, the Comets transitioned up ice as Marc McLaughlin fed Ethan Edwards in the high slot who fired a laser past Ratzlaff to make it 7-3 at 8:40 on his second of the game and eighth of the year. Jonathan Gruden picked up the secondary assist for his third of the game. The Amerks got one back late in the third when Riley Fiddler-Schultz snuck one inside the near post past Daws from a sharp angle to complete the hat trick at the 19:40 mark, but the game was in the books and the Comets earned a big two points in a 7-4 victory.
It was a season high for the Comets in terms of goals in a single game. Marc McLaughlin shined in his season debut with a goal and two assists. Brian Halonen and Jonathan Gruden also finished with three-point nights while Nico Daws made 32 saves in net.
The Comets outshot the Amerks 41-36, while going 1-for-3 on the power play and 1-for-2 on the penalty kill.