Grizzlies Pour in 20 Goals, Sweep Peoria at Home
Twenty goals. Two wins. Four points in the standings.
It was a statement weekend at the Rochester Recreation Center.
The Rochester Grizzlies swept the Peoria Mustangs with an 8-1 victory Friday night before turning in their most dominant performance of the season Saturday, rolling to a 12-0 shutout.
By the time the weekend was over, Rochester had outscored Peoria 20-1, fired 89 shots on goal and moved to 9-3-4 on the season with 22 points, pulling within one point of second-place Wisconsin in the NA3HL Central Division.
And while the offense filled the scoresheet, the weekend featured plenty more than goals.
Friday: One Goal Against, Then All Grizzlies
Peoria opened the scoring midway through Friday’s first period, but the lead did not survive the opening frame.
James Esposito answered for Rochester at 7:02 remaining in the period, with Rocco Corl and James Korpi picking up the assists.
Esposito struck again with just 31 seconds remaining, this time finishing a play from Jesse Varner and Corl to give the Grizzlies a 2-1 lead heading into the first intermission.
From there, Rochester took over.
Dominic Arndt opened the second-period scoring, followed by a power-play goal from Jake Kusch.
Jace Jordan made it 5-1 later in the period, with Taevon Welle and Tai Kontrec earning the assists.
Then came a memorable one for one of Rochester’s newest additions.
Jay Reese scored with 45 seconds remaining in the second period, finishing a feed from Varner for his first goal as a Rochester Grizzly.
The Crookston, Minnesota native had joined Rochester after beginning the season with the Gillette Wild, and Friday’s goal was only the beginning of what became a breakout weekend.
Chayton Sarles and Benjamin O’Leary added third-period goals to close out the 8-1 victory.
Rochester finished with 39 shots on goal and held Peoria to just 21.
Lang Locks Things Down
The score tells the story of Rochester’s offense, but Friday was also a strong night between the pipes for Jared Lang.
After Peoria’s first-period goal, Lang did not allow another.
He stopped 20 of 21 shots, including all 12 he faced over the final two periods, helping Rochester pull away while the offense went to work.
The Grizzlies’ defensive effort was especially noticeable during the second period, when Peoria managed just four shots on goal while Rochester scored four times at the other end.
Saturday: Everybody Gets Involved
Saturday was even more emphatic.
Rochester scored three times in the first period, five in the second and four more in the third in a 12-0 victory.
Benjamin O’Leary started the scoring at 16:12 of the first period, assisted by Arndt.
Reese followed, with Camryn Koch and Miles Kennelly setting up his second goal of the weekend.
Captain Konnor Goclan made it 3-0 before the first intermission, with assists from Jordan and Connor Williams.
The second period turned into an avalanche.
Arndt scored just over two minutes into the period, followed by Goclan’s second of the night.
Sawyer Zaruba joined the scoring with a goal at 4:30 remaining, then Jordan and Esposito scored just 75 seconds apart to push the lead to 8-0.
And Rochester still was not finished.
Reese opened the third-period scoring for his second goal of the game and third of the weekend.
Koch followed just 24 seconds later.
Conrad Edlund added a power-play goal before Rocco Corl finished the scoring with just six seconds remaining.
Ten different Rochester skaters scored Saturday, and the Grizzlies generated 50 shots on goal.
Across the entire weekend, 12 different Rochester players found the back of the net.
A Weekend of Firsts
The sweep also produced several notable individual moments.
Reese’s Friday goal was his first as a Grizzly. He followed it with two more Saturday, giving him three goals during his first full home weekend with Rochester.
His Saturday performance was also his first multi-goal game in a Grizzlies sweater.
At the other end of the ice, Cameron Patrick delivered a milestone of his own.
Patrick stopped all 25 Peoria shots Saturday to earn the first shutout of his NA3HL career.
The second-year Rochester goaltender was perfect through all three periods, turning aside 10 shots in the first, 10 in the second and five in the third.
It was exactly the kind of complete performance Rochester needed behind an offense that seemingly could not stop scoring.
Depth on Display
Perhaps the most encouraging part of the weekend was how broadly the production was spread.
Rochester’s 20 goals came from Esposito, Arndt, Kusch, Jordan, Reese, Sarles, O’Leary, Goclan, Zaruba, Koch, Edlund and Corl.
Defensemen contributed offensively. New additions made an impact. Veterans produced. Both goaltenders delivered strong performances.
Saturday alone saw all but two Rochester skaters record at least one point.
That kind of depth can make a team difficult to defend, particularly as Rochester enters the heart of the Central Division schedule.
Closing the Gap
The four-point weekend improved Rochester to 9-3-4 and 22 points on the season.
The Grizzlies remain third in the Central Division but now sit just one point behind the Wisconsin Woodsmen for second place.
West Bend remains atop the division, but Rochester’s sweep kept the Grizzlies firmly in the race as the schedule moves deeper into November.
Next Up: Heroes Night
Rochester now turns its attention to the Fox Cities Forge.
The Grizzlies travel to Wisconsin Friday before returning home Saturday, November 14 for Heroes Night presented by KAAL / ABC 6.
Saturday’s puck drop is scheduled for 6:00 PM at the Rochester Recreation Center.
Veterans, active military members and first responders receive one complimentary ticket with ID as the Grizzlies recognize those who serve our country and our communities.
Rochester will also wear special Heroes Night jerseys, with the game-worn jerseys available through the team’s DASH auction.
After scoring 20 goals and allowing just one over two games, the Grizzlies will look to carry that momentum into another important Central Division weekend.