T-Birds Earn Point in Rochester

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - The Springfield Thunderbirds (39-23-6-3) hung tough with the offensively-potent Rochester Americans (36-27-6-3), but fell in a shootout by a final score of 3-2 at Blue Cross Arena on Tuesday night.

Joel Hofer had a busy first period from one of the AHL's most potent offenses, but he managed to stop 13 shots that came his way. The only one that beat him was a rebound chance for Rochester captain Michael Mersch, who located the puck off an initial shot by former T-Bird Ethan Prow and swinging it around Hofer's leg at 9:53 to give the Americans the 1-0 lead.

At the other end, young goalie prospect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen turned away all nine Springfield shots in the opening frame, and the Amerks' penalty kill stiffened against the lone Thunderbird power play of the first. Springfield also killed one penalty in the first 20 minutes.

Hofer's strong first period gave his team the belief to get back in the contest soon after the middle stanza began. Just 3:12 into the period, moments after Luukkonen made a marvelous sliding save on Will Bitten, the puck came back to the left point. Former American Griffin Luce wristed a shot through the slot, where Nathan Todd redirected it back through Luukkonen's body to tie the score, 1-1. James Neal picked up the secondary helper, ending a six-game point drought.

Four minutes later, two more members of Springfield's top line combined to end their point droughts to give the T-Birds a lead. Sam Anas stole a puck from the Rochester defense and spun a feed rink-wide from the right-wing wall. Arriving into the play, Matthew Peca cranked a slap shot from the left circle that beat Luukkonen on the short side, making it a 2-1 game in Springfield's favor at 7:12. 

Hofer's night would not get any easier, but his play once again shined in a second period that saw 13 more shots come his way without any Rochester tallies hitting the board.

The final period was a tight-checking affair, but Sean Malone was able to get the Americans back to a 2-2 tie when he redirected a Prow shot over Hofer's shoulder at 10:53 to deadlock the game, eventually leading to overtime.

Springfield had a golden chance to win it after Bitten drew a slashing penalty, giving the T-Birds a 4-on-3 power play, but Luukkonen and the Rochester penalty kill kept the game going. 

The shootout began with some controversy as Jack Quinn beat Hofer in the first attempt, even though it appeared that Quinn had stopped and made a backwards deke on his way to the net. The goal stood as called, however. Anas and Neal each scored in the first three rounds to push the shootout to a fourth round, but Arttu Ruotsalainen would beat Hofer to the backhand, and Todd was unable to equalize.

Springfield moves on to its final 3-in-3 of the season beginning Friday in Bridgeport against the Islanders. The T-Birds then conclude their home slate with a 6:05 p.m. start Saturday against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and a 2:05 p.m. start Sunday against the Providence Bruins.

Thunderbirds' playoff ticket information will be made available in the coming days. Follow @ThunderbirdsAHL on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more details to come, call (413) 739-GOAL (4625) or visit www.SpringfieldThunderbirds.com.