The Utica Comets turned two Rochester power plays into goals of their own Wednesday, using back-to-back shorthanded tallies to seize control of a 5-3 victory over the Rochester Americans at Blue Cross Arena.
Ryan Schmelzer and Marc McLaughlin scored shorthanded 3:29 apart during Utica's three-goal second period, turning a 2-0 lead into a 4-0 advantage. Rochester scored three times over the final 20:18, but Gabe Klassen’s empty-net goal protected Utica’s advantage.
The loss dropped Rochester to 3-3-0-1 and ended its unbeaten start at home. Utica improved to 4-1-0-0, with four wins in its first five games, and remained unbeaten on the road. The Comets also earned their second victory over Rochester this season after winning 2-1 on Oct. 10.
Rochester’s power plays turn into Utica goals
Ben Steeves
opened the scoring at 7:38 of the first period, converting a feed from Stefan Noesen for his second goal of the season.
Xavier Parent doubled the lead 1:56 into the second, redirecting a setup from Klassen. Schmelzer then made it 3-0 with an unassisted shorthanded goal at 12:42.
McLaughlin added another shorthanded goal at 16:11. Utica goaltender David Rittich earned the assist after sending McLaughlin in alone, and McLaughlin finished the breakaway for his third goal of the season.
Rochester went 0-for-5 with the man advantage, while Utica finished 0-for-4. Neither team scored on the power play, but Utica's two shorthanded goals gave the Comets a decisive special-teams advantage.
Caleb Jones finally put Rochester on the board at 19:42 of the second period, scoring his first goal of the season and his first AHL goal since April 11, 2025.
Amerk rally comes too late against Utica
Rochester generated several third-period chances but couldn't cut into the deficit before Klassen scored into an empty net at 16:56, giving the Comets a 5-1 lead.
Aidan McDonough answered 25 seconds later, scoring his third goal of the season off an assist from Jake Richard. Riley Fiddler-Schultz added his second goal with 25 seconds remaining, with Kuntar and Zac Funk assisting.
Kuntar’s two assists gave him his second multi-point game of the season. Schmelzer and Klassen each had a goal and an assist for Utica.
Rochester outshot Utica 26-20, including 10-5 in the third period. Rittich stopped 23 shots and improved to 3-0-0. Matt Villalta stopped 15 of the 19 shots he faced before Rochester used an extra attacker.
Comets take early control of season series
Wednesday’s game was the second of 10 scheduled meetings between the North Division rivals. Utica has won both, following its 2-1 home victory over Rochester on Oct. 10. Rochester and Utica are scheduled to meet five times in each city during the 72-game American Hockey League season.
The result was Rochester’s fourth consecutive loss to Utica dating to the 2025-26 season. It also marked Rochester’s first four-game winless stretch in the series since 2020-21.
The Americans next visit the Syracuse Crunch at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23. The Comets are scheduled to play at the Providence Bruins at 7:05 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24.
Information gathered from theahl.com.
This story was created with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Amerks rally too late after Utica's shorthanded barrage
