A mere 18 hours after starting their current six-game, nine-day road trip with a 3-1 loss in Hamilton on Friday night, the Lake Erie Monsters bounced back on Saturday afternoon to defeat the Americans in Rochester by the same 3-1 score. Rookie goaltender Billy Sauer was superb in net, giving up only one goal on the 33 Americans shots he faced and racking up his third straight win. Marty Sertich led the Monsters offense with a goal and assist, while Ray Macias added two assists. Phil Dupuis and T.J. Hensick also scored for Lake Erie in the win, which brings the team to 17-19-0-4 at the midway point of the 2009-10 season.

Rochester's offense doubled up Lake Erie's production, outshooting the Monsters 33-17 in the game. The Americans put up 14 shots in the first period compared to only four from the Monsters, yet each team scored just once apiece in the opening 20 minutes.

Dupuis started the scoring, putting the visiting Monsters on the scoreboard with a goal 4:27 into the first. Tom Fritsche recorded the sole assist, giving Lake Erie the early 1-0 lead.

Less than seven minutes later Evgeny Dadonov knotted the score with his unassisted goal at the 11:01 mark. Sauer kept the Americans off the scoresheet the remainder of the first period, as the intermission came with the score still tied at 1-1.

The Americans once again dominated Lake Erie in the second period, firing off 13 shots on goal, while the Monsters posted five. The stellar play of Sauer once again kept the Americans from finding the back of the net. The second period came and went with neither team scoring, sending the game into the third period all tied up at one goal apiece.

Lake Erie and Rochester kept pace with each other through the final frame, as the Monsters produced eight shots and held the Americans to only six.

It would take until the halfway point of the third period before the score would finally change. Sertich got a shot past Americans netminder Tyler Plante to put the Monsters ahead, 2-1. Macias and Wes O'Neill assisted. O'Neill has posted a point in three of the last four games for Lake Erie (1G, 3A).

Any chance of a Rochester comeback would be dashed by Hensick's empty-net goal at 18:39, assisted by Macias and Sertich, giving the Monsters the 3-1 victory. It was the fourth multi-point game of the year for Sertich and second for Macias.

Sauer ended the game with 32 saves on 33 shots. Across the ice, Plante had 14 saves on 16 shots for Rochester.

Lake Erie continues its road swing by heading back to Hamilton for two games this week, followed by a pair of games in Abbotsford next weekend. The Monsters will return home on January 22nd to host the Texas Stars.