AMERKS CRUISE TO BLOWOUT WIN OVER MONSTERS
Six different goal-scorers lead Rochester to decisive 6-1 win over Cleveland
Oct 23, 2024The Rochester Americans (2-3-0-0) erupted for a season-high six goals and 49 shots as they cruised to a 6-1 win over the defending North Division champion Cleveland Monsters (2-3-0-0) Wednesday at The Blue Cross Arena.
GAME SUMMARY PHOTO GALLERY POST-GAME REPORT
Including tonight’s contest, the Amerks have scored the first goal in each of their first five games this season and seven of eight dating back to the end of the 2023-24 campaign. The club has also jumped out to three straight multi-goal leads.
Defensemen Zach Metsa (1+1) and Nikita Novikov (0+2) each recorded two points to help Rochester to its first home win of the campaign and second overall. Isak Rosén, Graham Slaggert, Mason Jobst, Tyson Kozak, and Noah Östlund all scored one goal apiece. Lukas Rousek, Olivier Nadeau, who made his season debut, Kale Clague, Viktor Neuchev, Brett Murray, Konsta Helenius and Anton Wahlberg each added an assist. Jack Rathbone registered a season-best seven shots on goal.
Goaltender Michael Houser (2-1-0) took a shutout into the final 20 minutes of regulation and made 25 saves in his third appearance of the campaign while also earning the win.
Chris Wilkie spoiled Houser’s bid for a shutout as he scored his first goal of the season from Luca Del Bel Belluz and Trey Fix-Wolansky.
Jet Greaves (0-2-0) and Zach Sawchenko (1-1-0) split the goaltending duties as they combined to make 43 saves. Greaves drew the nod in the crease but was relieved by Sawchenko midway through second period after allowing four goals.
FIRST PERIOD
The Amerks nearly opened the scoring 90 seconds into the contest as Wahlberg banked a pass off the boards to spring his team on an odd-man rush. Gathering Wahlberg’s feed from in-front of the penalty boxes, Östlund sped ahead with Rathbone flanked to his left. The rookie forward patiently waited as he reached the top of the right circle before leaving it for his blueliner, but Greaves made a sprawling save as he slid to his right.
Rochester wasted little time as moments later they pressed again despite being shorthanded. As the team was on the penalty kill, Slaggert intercepted a pass just inside the Amerks blueline and sprinted ahead all alone on Greaves. The forward, who scored a breakaway goal with the Buffalo Sabres during the preseason finale against Detroit, beat the Cleveland netminder with a quick shot to the right corner for his first of the season at the 3:26 mark.
Rochester doubled its lead with less than five minutes to play in the opening frame when Jobst corralled a loose puck behind the Cleveland net and converted on wrap-around after flipping his own rebound.
SECOND PERIOD
Carrying a 2-0 lead into the middle frame along with an 18-7 shot-advantage, Rochester quickly increased its lead as Kozak and Rosén tallied a goal seven seconds apart from each other.
Kozak’s tally, his second in as many games and third of the season overall, came as he crashed for a rebound off a Wahlberg shot in the slot at the 5:14 mark. Clague had the drop pass to Wahlberg to earn the secondary helper.
Immediately after the goal, Rosén scooped up a loose puck in front of the Amerks bench and outraced a Monsters defenseman before firing a shot over Greaves’ right arm. Metsa provided the forward with a bank pass instantly after Helenius won the draw at center ice.
Three minutes after making it a 4-0 score, Rochester, which finished the second stanza with a season-high 22 shots, continued to pressure the visitors. The work in the offensive zone paid off as Nadeau wrapped the puck to the left point for Novikov. The Russian blueliner drifted to the middle of the zone before handing it to Metsa, who then rifled in his first goal of season from in-between the dots with 11 minutes to play in the frame.
THIRD PERIOD
Cleveland managed to spoil Houser’s bid for his first shutout since March 25, 2023 as Wilkie scored off the rush from Del Bel Belluz just 80 seconds into the final period. Dating back to last season, Houser has allowed one or few goals in six of his last seven appearances while going 3-1-1 over that span.
The Amerks responded to the blemish as Östlund netted his first regular-season AHL goal from Rousek and Novikov at the 8:40 mark. Novikov, who provided a net-front screen, began the play by carrying the puck out of his own zone.
UP NEXT
The Amerks go for the two-game sweep on Saturday, Oct. 26 as the home-and-home series shifts to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland for a 7:00 p.m. rematch. All the action will be carried live on The Sports Leader 95.7 FM/950 AM The Fan Rochester as well as AHLTV on FloHockey.
STARS AND STRIPES
With Slaggert’s shorthanded goal, it marked the second straight home game and fifth in the last six dating back to last season the Amerks scored while on the penalty kill … 15 of Rochester’s 18 skaters had at least one point while all but two registered at least one shot on goal … Zach Metsa and Nikita Novikov lead all Amerks blueliners with four points while Viktor Neuchev leads the club with five.
Goal Scorers
CLE: C. Wilkie (1)
ROC: G. Slaggert (1), M. Jobst (1), T. Kozak (3), I. Rosén (2), Z. Metsa (1), N. Östlund (1)
Goaltenders
CLE: J. Greaves – 27/31 (L) | Z. Sawchenko – 16/18 (ND)
ROC: M. Houser – 25/26 (W)
Shots
CLE: 26
ROC: 49
Special Teams
CLE: PP (0/5) | PK (3/3)
ROC: PP (0/3) | PK (5/5)
Three Stars:
1. ROC - T. Kozak
2. ROC - Z. Metsa
3. ROC - M. Houser