AMERKS FALL TO ROCKET IN BATTLE FOR FIRST PLACE
Rochester drops weekend finale in 5-2 setback to Laval
Feb 16, 2025Playing their third game in as many days, the Rochester Americans (30-14-3-1) rallied back from a 2-0 deficit only to see the Laval Rocket (31-12-2-1) pull away with three straight unanswered goals over the second half of the contest to close out the weekend on the wrong side of a 5-2 loss Sunday afternoon at The Blue Cross Arena.
GAME SUMMARY PHOTO GALLERY POST-GAME REPORT
Despite the loss, Rochester’s second straight on home ice, the Amerks have posted a 14-5-1-0 record at The Blue Cross Arena against Laval dating back to the 2017-18 season.
Defenseman Jack Rathbone scored his second goal in as many games and fifth of the campaign in the first period while forward Mason Jobst added his 11th in the middle stanza. Ethan Prow, Ryan Johnson, Josh Dunne, and Anton Wahlberg capped off the scoring, each recording an assist.
Goaltender Devon Levi (16-6-2) drew his second start of the weekend and made his 24th appearance with Rochester. The Quebec native, who entered Sunday with a 2-0-0 mark in his two previous appearances against the Rocket, suffered his second regulation home loss since Dec. 18. Michael Houser (4-4-1) stopped 11 of the 12 shots he faced in 24 minutes of relief.
FIRST PERIOD
Less than two minutes into the contest, Sean Farrell stepped in front a clearing attempt by an Amerk inside Rochester’s end of the ice. Farrell skated down the left wing before centering a pass between the face-off dots for Alex Barré-Boulet to one time between Levi’s legs for his 11th of the campaign.
Moments after the goal, Rochester drew its first power-play of the contest, however, Tyler Wotherspoon provided a pass from the corner inside his own zone to Zack Hayes. The latter gave a quick feed to Florian Xhekaj, who darted up the ice with the puck. Prior to reaching the Amerks net, Xhekaj crossed paths with Rafaël Harvey-Pinard then doubled the Laval lead just 3:12 into the game.
The Amerks cut the deficit in half at the halfway point of the stanza as Isak Rosén carried the puck across the Laval blueline before he dropped a pass to Dunne. With his back turned, Dunne tucked the puck to Johnson as he went down the left wing before the former first-round pick threaded a backdoor feed for Rathbone to wire inside the back post for his second goal in as many games and fifth of the campaign.
SECOND PERIOD
After Jobst won a face-off to the right of the Laval net less than three minutes into the second period, Prow initially fired a shot from the near point. Before the puck made its way to goaltender Connor Hughes, Wahlberg reached his stick out to redirect for Jobst to get the final touch as it handcuffed the unsuspecting netminder and evened the score at 2-2 at the 17:49 mark.
Laval reclaimed its lead and then doubled it within a three-minute span thanks to back-to-back goals from Owen Beck, who first banged in a rebound before tucking a shot inside the left post of Levi to make it a 4-2 score going into the final frame.
THIRD PERIOD
Holding a two-goal lead to start the third period, the Rocket concluded the scoring as Farrell blasted a one-timer from Barré-Boulet to ultimately seal the 5-2 win.
UP NEXT
The Amerks continue their five-game homestand as they welcome the Cleveland Monsters back to The Blue Cross Arena for a North Division showdown on Wednesday, Feb. 19. The 7:05 p.m. matchup will be carried live on The Sports Leader 95.7 FM/950 AM The Fan Rochester as well as AHLTV on FloHockey.
Goal Scorers
LAV: A. Barré-Boulet (11), F. Xhekaj (12), O. Beck (12 – GWG, 13), S. Farrell (10)
ROC: J. Rathbone (5), M. Jobst (11)
Goaltenders
LAV: C. Hughes – 34/36 (W)
ROC: D. Levi – 7/11 (L) | M. Houser – 11/12 (ND)
Shots
LAV: 23
ROC: 36
Special Teams
LAV: PP (0/2) | PK (3/3)
ROC: PP (0/3) | PK (2/2)
Three Stars:
1. LAV - O. Beck
2. LAV - A. Barré-Boulet
3. LAV - S. Farrell