The Calder Cup Playoffs are supposed to be a time featuring the best-of-the-best that the American Hockey League has to offer.
After an opening night 6-2 loss to the Syracuse Crunch, Rochester is looking to hit the reset button incredibly quick.
The first period featured a handful of back-and-forth action, which had Syracuse and Rochester exchanging goals.
Zach Redmond and Kyle Criscuolo netted the only goals of the evening for the Amerks.
Gabriel Dumont and former Sabres defenseman Jamie McBain were the first period goal scorers for the Crunch.
From there, Syracuse put the clamps on Rochester, outscoring the Amerks 4-0.
Dominik Masin grabbed the Crunch’s goal in the second, which broke the 2-2 tie.
In the third period, Brendan Bradley netted the Crunch’s fourth goal and then Gabriel Dumont put a bow on the game with a hat trick. Dumont’s second and third goals pushed the final score to 6-2.
Just not a good night down on the farm.
Luckily for the Amerks, the turn around is immediate. The Amerks and Crunch face off again this evening at the Onondaga County War Memorial in Syracuse, NY.
Final: Syracuse 6, Rochester 2
Shots on Goal: Syracuse 34 | Rochester 30
Amerks Goal Scorers: Zach Redmond (1), Kyle Criscuolo (1)
Crunch Goal Scorers: Gabriel Dumont (1, 2, 3), Jamie McBain (1), Dominik Masin (1), Brendan Bradley (1)
Three Stars of the Game:
1. Gabriel Dumont: 3 goals, 1 assist
2. Eddie Pasquale: 28 saves
3. Jamie McBain: 1 goal, 2 assists
Quote from the game: “I thought the first two periods we played a great game,” Amerks captain Kevin Porter told Amerks.com. “They were able to get a couple of goals during the third, but we had a few chances earlier in the game and we weren’t able to finish the plays. I think the score doesn’t indicate how close of a game it really was. We have to regroup and be better tomorrow.”