By KEVIN OKLOBZIJA
So here’s a question. Can a leading candidate for Rochester Americans’ Rob Zabelny Award as the unsung hero disqualify himself by becoming too “sung?”
Colin Blackwell is sure trying to do just that.
After five months of being most noticed for his passion, his willingness to hit, his desire to win and his relentless work ethic, the second-year centerman is suddenly the Amerks’ most potent scorer.
He was front-and-center again in Saturday night’s 6-5 victory over the Toronto Marlies, when the Amerks gave up a lead, rallied late to tie the score, then won in overtime on a goal by Sahir Gill.
Gill’s goal at 1:45 provided a satisfying triumph for the Amerks, who lost 5-1 on home ice to Belleville on Friday and who were 0-3 against the Marlies at Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial.
“It’s getting near the playoffs — we don’t like each other,” Amerks coach Chris Taylor said of the rivalry. “And that’s good. It means we want to win.”
Said Blackwell: “This was a definite statement game for us.”
Blackwell was a big reason the Amerks opened a 4-2 lead on Saturday, setting up Gill’s first-minute goal and then scoring one of three second-period goals for Rochester. He’s also the reason they were able to tie the score with 69 seconds remaining.
Blackwell won a faceoff to the left of goalie Calvin Pickard, drawing it back to Danny O’Regan. His slap shot was stopped by Pickard but Hudson Fasching shoveled in the rebound for his second goal of the game and a 5-5 tie.
“There’s a reason I didn’t call time out (right before the goal),” Taylor said. “They iced it and I had the guys out there I wanted.”
Indeed, how could he not want Blackwell on the ice when a goal is needed. In the past seven games, he has produced 9 goals, 6 assists and 15 points. In his past 12 games, he has 10-11-21.
This from a guy who had 6-17-23 in his first 46 games. So in 12 games he has nearly matched his production for the first five months, and he has doubled his point production from all of last season with the San Jose Barracuda (4 goals, 7 assists, 11 points in 57 games). It’s also more points than he produced in his entire senior season at Harvard (6-13-19 in 28 games).
Just what’s going on?
“I have no idea,” Blackwell said. “I’m kind of getting to the right areas and I think the coaches have been putting a lot of confidence in me.”
He was a major component in the victory, but he certainly wasn’t a one-man show as the Amerks improved to 35-21-11-6. They also denied the Marlies (51-19-1-2) a 30th road victory. Their 29 wins away from Ricoh Coliseum, all achieved in regulation, are an AHL record.
Speaking of records, Saturday was the Amerks 29th OT game of the season, tying the AHL mark with three games remaining.
“You saw a contribution from everybody,” said Gill, whose two goals give him a team-best 18.
He especially praised the work by the grinding line of Dalton Smith, Adam Krause and Judd Peterson.
In reality, the Amerks would have won in regulation had goalie Jonas Johansson been sharper. Up from ECHL Cincinnati because Linus Ullmark is with the parent Buffalo Sabres, this was just his seventh AHL of the season, and 14th of his career.
Of the Marlies first four shots of the third period, three went in, and a 4-2 Amerks lead became a 5-4 deficit in 8:15.
But when it mattered most, Johansson came up big. Chris Mueller was alone in the deep slot for a one-timer 30 seconds into overtime but Johansson shifted across the crease and blocked the shot.
“Everybody makes mistakes in hockey games,” Taylor said. “What he did: he stopped the last puck.”
The Amerks are now in third place, ahead of Utica by two points. If they stay in third, they’ll play the Syracuse Crunch in the best-of-five first round. If they fall to fourth, they’ll get the Marlies.
“As I’ve been saying, it doesn’t matter who we play,” Blackwell said, “it’s what’s in this locker room.”
NOTE: The start was pushed back one hour due to an electrical meltdown in the rink lighting system. There was a chance the game would need to be moved to Bill Gray’s Regional IcePlex, but workers were able to restore power to the lights.
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