AMERKS FALL TO WOLF PACK, DROP FOURTH STRAIGHT

Rosen scores lone goal, Houser finishes with 29 saves in 4-1 loss to Hartford

Jan 21, 2023

After falling into a 3-0 hole, the Rochester Americans (19-14-2-1) were unable to generate any offensive firepower in a 4-1 loss to the Hartford Wolf Pack (14-14-3-6) Saturday night at XL Center.

                                                                              GAME SUMMARY    PHOTO GALLERY

Despite the loss, Rochester has earned wins in six of the last 10 contests against Hartford dating back to the 2017-18 campaign while also recording at least one point in 11 of the previous 14 exchanges, going 8-3-1-2 over that span. Tonight was the Amerks’ first regulation in Hartford since Mar. 18, 2018.

Rookie forward Isak Rosen scored his fourth goal of the season late in the third period from Michael Mersch and Lawrence Pilut. The power-play goal was Rosen’s first tally since Nov. 19. Mersch earned his 13^th point (6+7) over his last 11 games, while Pilut was credited with his fifth assist over his last six outings.

Goaltender Michael Houser (3-5-0) made his 10^th appearance of the campaign and first since Dec. 9. He made 29 saves but suffered his fourth straight defeat.

Turner Elson and Lauri Pajuniemi scored their eighth and ninth goals of the season, respectively, while on the power-play for Hartford. Cristiano DiGiacinto added his third of the slate before Zach Giuttari capped of the contest with his first late in the contest.

Netminder Dyland Garand (6-7-3) carried a shutout into the final minutes of the third period but earned the win as he stopped 23 of the 24 shots he faced. Over his last six outings, Garand, the New York Rangers’ fourth-round selection (103^rd overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft, has a 4-1-0 mark.

After registering the game’s first seven shots of a fast-moving first period, Hartford then drew the contest’s initial power-play with 8:21 left in the opening frame.

Just 22 seconds into the infraction, Blake Hillman handed a pass to his fellow defenseman at the right point. As Matthew Robinson was stationed inside the blueline, he snapped a shot towards Houser. After initially being denied on the rebound, Elson flipped the puck over the left leg of the Amerks’ netminder to make it a 1-0 score.

Prior to the completion of the first frame, Rochester was called for…