ROCHESTER, NY – The Toronto Marlies scored three times in the first six minutes of the contest and never looked back on their way to an 8-2 win over the Rochester Americans Friday night at The Blue Cross Arena. The loss extends Rochester’s winless streak to four games as the Amerks fall to 2-4-0-0 on the season.
Cal O’Reilly and Tim Schaller each scored their first goals of the season while Nathan Lieuwen and Andrey Makarov combined to make 34 saves in the loss for Rochester.
Eight different goal-scorers found the back of the net and a total of 16 players recorded at least one point in the win for the Marlies, who have now claimed each of the last eight meetings with the Amerks dating back to last season. Richard Clune (1+1), Nikita Soshnikov (1+1), Justin Holl (1+1) and Connor Brown (0+2) all finished with two points and Antoine Bibeau made 21 saves as Toronto improved to 4-1-0-0 this season.
Toronto led 3-0 after the first 6:35 of the opening period and the Amerks were never able to recover despite a first-period tally from their captain.
Clune opened the scoring for the Marlies with his first of the season thanks to a fortuitous bounce off the end boards that wound up in the back of the net just 3:02 in. A shot from former Amerk T.J. Brennan missed wide of the cage, but the rebound caromed off the boards and plopped out just beyond the near post, where Clune was waiting to tap it in for a 1-0 lead.
The Marlies doubled their lead just 55 seconds later off a quick release from Kapanen, whose wrist shot from the right circle zipped over Lieuwen’s shoulder on its way to the upper corner.
Holl quickly made it a 3-0 game in favor of the visitors at 6:35 with his first of the season. After exchanging passes with Viktor Loov at the Toronto blueline, Holl eventually elected to shoot and was rewarded for it, picking the same corner as Kapanen from virtually the same spot.
O’Reilly temporarily halted the surging Marlies midway through the first period on his first goal as an Amerk after cleaning up a Chad Ruhwedel rebound, but Toronto would answer again with Andrew Campbell driving a shot past a screened Lieuwen to restore the Marlies three-goal lead.
Schaller brought the score to 4-2 less than four minutes later when he deflected a Matt Donovan point shot past Bibeau, but it’s as close as the Amerks would come.
Toronto blew the game wide open with a four unanswered goals, beginning with Nylander ringing a shot off the post and in. Matt Frattin and Soshnikov followed up with goals 56 seconds apart and Ryan Rupert rounded out the scoring for the Marlies when he converted a Brendan Leipsic pass to put the finishing touches on an 8-2 win.
Game report courtesy of Amerks
