Troy, MI — In its final home game of the regular season, Troy United earned a 6–3 victory Wednesday night over Top-20 ranked Rochester United, continuing an impressive late-season run. An early Rochester turnover led to a shorthanded goal by alternate captain Kaiser Ascencio (Athens High School) to open the scoring. Shortly after, Tyler Jewell (Troy High School) knocked in a feed from captain Joey Clark (THS) to extend the lead. Senior Alex Lowry (AHS) capitalized on a quick breakaway to push the advantage to 3–0. A too-many-men-on-the-ice penalty gave Rochester a power-play opportunity, and they converted to make it 3–1 at the end of the first period. The second period saw both teams trade penalties. During four-on-four play, senior Breiden Blaeske (AHS) broke free for a breakaway goal to make it 4–1. Troy continued its offensive pressure as Ascencio netted his second goal of the game on the power play. Rochester remained in penalty trouble, leading to another power-play goal—this time from Clark—to stretch the lead to 6–1. Rochester rotated through all three of its goaltenders during the game, and a late second-period push trimmed the score to 6–2 heading into the final frame. Rochester struck early in the third period to make it 6–3 and build momentum. Back-to-back Troy penalties resulted in extended shorthanded time, but strong defensive play led by senior Lucas Giorio (THS) and steady goaltending from sophomore Noah Dumas (AHS) preserved the 6–3 win. Troy United travels Saturday night, February 14, for a 7:00 PM matchup against Birmingham United to close out the regular season. Story by: Jason Clark Photo credit: Shannon Blaeske