Dunne’s 4-point night keeps Amerks alive, sets up Game 5 showdown

By KEVIN OKLOBZIJA

The contributions by Josh Dunne usually aren’t measured by the scoresheet, which is why the Rochester Americans centerman was named winner of the Rob Zabelny Unsung Hero Award this season.

But a whole lot of people were singing his praises on Friday night, when he did his usual determined work in the faceoff circle, on the boards, as a penalty killer and in the defensive zone – but also played the role of scoring hero.

Dunne scored two goals and set up goals by Tyson Kozak and Isak Rosen in the first 30 minutes as the Amerks fought off elimination with a 5-1 thumping of the Laval Rocket.

“I get emotional talking about him,” Amerks coach Michael Leone said. “He means everything to our team. You win with guys like that.”

The resounding victory – in front of 10,243 fans at Place Bell – tied the best-of-five Calder Cup North Division finals 2-2 and sets up a winner-moves-on showdown at 4:30 p.m. Sunday in suburban Montreal.

“Backs up against the wall kind of shows your character,” said goalie Devon Levi, who stopped 20 shots and was very much in charge from the outset. “I feel like there’s two ways you can go; it can be something that stresses you out or something that motivates you as a challenge.

“Understanding that this could be our last game, the boys really played for each other and there’s some peace to that. Go out, have some fun with the boys and see what happens. Everyone trusted each other and we got the job done.”

While Dunne powered the offense, Levi bounced back in a big way. After allowing 12 goals in the first three games of the series, the second-year goalie made every necessary save on Friday.

“If you ask Dev, he probably wasn’t at his best (on Wednesday),” Leone said. “(But) a game where the season’s on the line, he was great. He locked it down.”

Levi’s biggest stop may have been on a Luke Tuch breakaway at 15:03 of the second period. A goal would have sliced the Amerks lead to 4-2 and revived a disenchanted crowd.

“The boys played so well today, that was my moment to repay them and hold it together for them, let them keep doing what they were doing,” Levi said.

Dunne opened the scoring 8:51 into the first period, then assisted on Kozak’s first playoff goal 6:15 later as the Amerks vaulted to a 2-0 lead.

He made a goal-mouth feed on a power play that gave Rosen a tap-in goal just 43 seconds into the second period before booming a 50-foot slap shot past goalie Jacob Fowler at 9:22 for a 4-1 lead.

“This is the best time of year,” Dunne said. “These games are so competitive and I enjoy that so much.”

It was the first four-point game of Dunne’s four-year career, regular season or playoffs, and brought a premature end to Fowler’s night.

Fowler joined the Rocket on April 4 following his standout season at Boston College. He went 2-1 in three regular-season starts, allowing seven goals, and was unbeaten in three games against Cleveland in the North Division semifinals, allowing just three goals.

But he wasn’t good at all in a 5-3 loss to the Amerks in Game 2 of this series (four goals against) as Laval coach Pascal Vincent opted to rotate goalies. That’s even though Cayden Primeau won Game 1 and was an astounding 21-2-2 with a 1.96 goals-against average and .927 save percentage during the regular season.

Primeau was stellar in Wednesday’s 4-1 victory in Game 3, making 32 saves but Vincent nonetheless opted to start Fowler on Friday and the rookie made just 10 saves.

Dunne was the first to beat him, converting on a power play 8:51 into the first period. Lukas Rousek him up, sauntering deep into the left circle before passing to the middle of the slot, where Dunne was free to one-time a shot past Fowler.

Kozak by redirecting a Dunne shot from a sharp angle to the left of the net.

A pair of penalties of arrogance by the Rocket gave the Amerks a two-man advantage as the second period was ending, and they converted 43 seconds into the second period.

Rosen slam-dunked Dunne’s centering pass and the lead was 3-0. Laval attempted to rally when Joshua Roy scored on a rebound at 7:45

But Dunne ended any comeback thoughts when he boomed a Kale Clague pass past Fowler 1:37 later.

Much of the third period was an exercise in failed intimidation by Laval, sandwiched around a short-handed goal by Konsta Helenius that inflated the score with 6:01 remaining.

While there was certainly plenty of pawing and punching the scrums, there were no actually fights, which is why referees Stephen Hiff and Morgan MacPhee assessed 13 10-minute misconducts, eight to Laval and five to Rochester, in the final five minutes.

“Honestly, you saw it going back to Syracuse (a first-round, three-game sweep), big, heavy, and we stood in there,” Leone said. “It’s a hard skill. Sticking up for teammates, being in scrums and not getting pushed around.

“When you do that, you take away a team’s will; ‘Man, they’re skilled but they don’t back down.’ There’s a fearlessness and relentlessness that we play with.”