AMERKS RALLY LATE TO DOWN HERSHEY 3-2

February 20, 2009

BEARS FALL IN ROCHESTER By: John Walton The BEARS had a victory snatched away in the third period Friday by a hungry Rochester team 3-2 at Blue Cross Arena. Graham Mink opened the scoring Friday night, scooping a shot past Amerks goaltender Mike Brodeur at the 3:51 mark from Keith Aucoin and Sami Lepisto. With HERSHEY leading 1-0 midway through the period, Stefan Meyer would redirect a Jason Garrison center point shot for his 13th goal of the season at 9:56. The BEARS would put nine shots on goal in the first, while the Amerks landed six. Neither team was able to put a goal on the scoreboard, although the BEARS did enjoy a 12-7 shot advantage in the middle frame. Chris Bourque seemingly put HERSHEY in a good position to win the game 1:53 into the third period on the power play, but the Amerks would rally late. Michael Duco would deflect a puck off Machesney at 16:21 to tie the game, and Meyer would score his second of the game just 49 seconds later. The loss was HERSHEY’S 17th of the season in regulation Notes: The game was the 434th meeting between the two teams, the most head-to-heads in the regular season in American Hockey League history. With single games completed in Binghamton, Syracuse and Rochester in the month of February, the BEARS will head to the southern tier for a pair of games against the Senators next Wednesday and Friday. HERSHEY will host the Philadelphia Phantoms Saturday night at GIANT Center, the only home game of the week for the Chocolate and White. Face-off is at 7:00 p.m., with tickets available at the GIANT Center box office, or by calling (717) 534-3911. Patrick McNeill, Darren Reid, Quintin Laing, Grant McNeill, Greg Amadio, Patrick Wellar, Simeon Varlamov and Kip Brennan were all scratches Friday night. Bob Woods said on his pregame radio show that Grant McNeill could return to the lineup as soon as Saturday against the Phantoms. HERSHEY defeated Rochester 8-3 back on October 26 at GIANT Center. Bears Radio Network Three Stars of the Game 1. Stefan Meyer (Two goals, including the game-winner) 2. Keith Aucoin (Two assists) 3. Michael Duco (Tied the game late for Rochester)