ROCHESTER, NY – Cal O’Reilly scored just 2:31 into the contest and Tim Schaller found the back of the net for the second straight game, but the Rochester Americans could not complete their bid for a fourth straight win after a 5-2 loss to the Binghamton Senators Friday at The Blue Cross Arena. The loss drops the Amerks to 21-20-2-1 on the season with one more game to go before heading into the annual AHL All-Star break.
Phil Varone, Dan Catenacci, Colby Robak and Matt Donovan all chipped in an assist while Nathan Lieuwen and Linus Ullmark combined for 23 saves in the loss.
Cole Schneider and Max McCormick each finished with a goal and an assist while Mike Kostka, Guillaume Lepine and Kyle Flanagan rounded out the scoring for Binghamton. Chris Driedger turned aside 32 of 34 shots he faced as the B-Sens snapped their four-game slide. 
As has been the case all season long between the two teams, the Amerks and Senators wasted little time in getting things going offensively as they traded power-play goals early in the first period to set the tone for a back and forth affair.
Rochester struck first 2:31 into the contest after O’Reilly took a cross-ice pass from Varone and boomed a slap-shot from the top of the right circle that snuck inside the near post. The assist gives Varone five points in his last two games and ties him with Amerks Hall of Famer Rick Pagnutti for 20th on the franchise’s all-time list with his 149th career assist.
The Senators stormed back 3:43 later with a power-play goal of their own as Kostka delivered the equalizer off the draw just six seconds into the man-advantage to even the score at 1-1. Binghamton added one more before the close of the opening frame when Lepine circled around the Rochester net with speed and beat Lieuwen on the wrap-around to send the visitors into the break up 2-1.
The second period featured much of the same as the one before it with the North Division rivals again exchanging goals, but it was the B-Sens scoring 2:36 in to take a 3-1 lead over the Amerks. Tobias Lindberg made a centering feed from the right wing corner to Schneider, whose quick one-timer saw its way through Lieuwen and in, capping a three-goal run for Binghamton. Schneider’s 14th goal of the season would also spell the end of Lieuwen, who entered the game with a perfect 3-0-0 record and 1.00 goals-against average over his previous three starts against the Senators.
Schaller brought the Amerks to within a goal minutes later, banking a loose puck off the right pad of Driedger from a difficult angle to make it a 3-2 game. After Cantenacci’s initial offering missed wide of the net, Schaller swooped in to play the rebound off the end boards and found an opening for his seventh of the season and his second in as many games.
It would be as close as Rochester would come, though, as the Senators tacked on two more in the opening and closing minutes of the third period to come away with the win. Flanagan restored Binghamton’s two-goal cushion just 30 seconds into the final frame after weaving his way around the Rochester defense before eventually drawing Ullmark out of his crease.
The Amerks pulled Ullmark in the waning minutes for a late push, but McCormick iced the game into an empty net with 14 seconds to spare to give Binghamton the 5-2 win.
With Amerks game report
