BINGHAMTON, NY – The Binghamton Devils surrendered a two-goal lead in the third period and eventually lost in overtime to the visiting Rochester Americans, 4-3, in front of 3,998 at Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena on Saturday night.
Rochester scored quick again against the Devils to take a 1-0 lead just 1:52 into the game. Zach Redmond saw a loose puck in front of the net and slid down rom the right point position and played a backhander by the glove of goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood. Redmond’s goal was assisted by Sahir Gill and Evan Rodrigues.
The Devils answered back while shorthanded later in the first frame. Bracken Kearns forced a turnover at the blue line and began a two-on-one rush through the neutral zone with Blake Speers. Kearns fed Speers at the hash marks and the wrister beat goaltender Adam Wilcox to tie the game at one 11:36 into the first. Kearns picked up the only assist and the game was tied after 20 minutes of action with the Amerks holding the shot lead, 10-5.
Yaroslav Dyblenko scored his first American Hockey League goal on the power play in the second period to put the Devils in front, 2-1. From just inside the blue line, Dyblenko let a shot go that went off of the goaltender Wilcox, up over his shoulder, and just over the goal line for the one-goal lead. John Quenneville and Austin Cangelosi picked up the assists at 10:56 of the second period.
Speers helped the Devils strike again on the penalty kill to take a 3-1 lead over the Americans. Kevin Rooney lost the puck and Speers took over, only to return the puck back to Rooney for a wide open net and two-goal lead. The goal was Rooney’s third of the year and Speers’ second point of the evening. The Devils held a 3-1 lead heading into the third period despite being outshot by the Americans, 20-13.
In the third period, Rochester scored two straight to tie the game and eventually forced overtime. Brendan Guhle fired in a power-play goal after chaos in front of Blackwood’s net. Blackwood denied several chances and the puck rolled out to Guhle to spun and scored his fifth of the year at 11:41 of the third frame to pull back within a goal.
C.J. Smith tied the game for the Americans with just 4:15 to go in the game. Smith moved into the offensive zone and went through the defense snapping a shot over the right shoulder of Blackwood for his sixth of the year and forced overtime, tied 3-3.
In the extra time, Casey Nelson took a trailing pass on an odd-man rush and beat Blackwood for his second of the year and Rochester came away with two points with a 4-3 overtime victory over Binghamton. Blackwood stopped 28 of 32 in the loss and Wilcox denied 16 of 19 for the victory.
