AMERKS RALLY FOR 4-3 SHOOTOUT WIN OVER BRUINS
Rosén scores late, Rathbone nets game-winner as Amerks snap winless skid
Mar 14, 2025The Rochester Americans rallied back from two different deficits to force overtime, eventually completing the rally in shootout fashion by way of a 4-3 win over the Providence Bruins in front of 8,296 fans Friday night at Blue Cross Arena.
GAME SUMMARY PHOTO GALLERY POST-GAME REPORT
The win snaps a season-long five-game winless skid for the Amerks, who improve to 35-17-3-3 on the season. Rochester remains within three points of Laval for first place in the North Division with 76 points. The loss for Providence puts them at 32-19-4-3 on the season. With 71 points, the team is third in the Atlantic Division.
Erik Brännström scored his third goal in two games as an Amerk, while Mason Jobst and Isak Rosén each scored game-tying third-period goals to help the Amerks get back in the win column.
After making 23 stops in regulation, Devon Levi was especially stellar in overtime, denying several Grade-A, point-blank chances before stonewalling all three Providence shooters in the shootout to pick up his 20th win of the season.
FIRST PERIOD
Jeffrey Viel got the game started early for Providence, scoring to make it 1-0 under four minutes into the contest. The veteran enforcer found the puck to the side of the goal just off to the left of Levi’s goal post, chipping it through the blue paint, off the post, then off the back of Levi’s leg for it to spill into the goal for the early Bruins’ lead.
Viel doubled his efforts, scoring his 10th goal of the season off a rebound from a shot directly off the face-off. Tyler Pitlick beamed a puck off Levi inside the left-wing circle. The rebound went to Viel, skating to his backhand and dragging the puck past a sliding Levi for an open net, making it 2-0 Bruins 10:52 into the first.
SECOND PERIOD
The Amerks were all systems go from the start of puck drop in the second period, genereating five shots through the first three minutes of the period. With pressure ensuing, Lukas Rousek forced the hands of Bruins’ defenseman Chris Ortiz to reach the free hand around him, causing a penalty to put the Amerks up a man.
While on the man advantage, a series of chances were turned away from Bussi until Brännström broke through, blasting a shot from the left side atop the attacking zone that hammered that met the netting behind Bussi, getting Rochester on the board to cut the deficit in half, making it a 2-1 game.
Despite not solving Bussi again in the second, the Amerks posted 21 shots on goal in the period: their second highest shot total of a period in a game this season.
THIRD PERIOD
Jobst found the equalizer just 70 seconds into the third. The captain chased a shot steered onto Bussi at the point from Jack Rathbone. The shot was settled by the Bruins’ goaltender, but he was unable to freeze the puck as Bussi sprung out his net attempting to cover the volcanized rubber. At which point, Jobst clipped the puck over the back of a falling Bussi as it trickled into the goal, evening the contest at 2-2.
Penalty peril hit the Amerks in the back half of the frame when two penalties called 39 seconds apart put the Amerks on a five-on-three kill. While down two skaters, Oliver Wahlstrom found the top corner of the net, putting Providence back ahead, 3-2, with just over six minutes left.
Rochester found its answer again, responding in a big way with Levi pulled and under three minutes to play. While cycling the puck, Brännström pivoted from the blue line to the left side of the attacking zone. From there, the veteran spun the puck to his fellow Swede in Rosén, who slammed a one-timer past Bussi with 2:17 to play to force overtime.
OVERTIME
Rochester fell into trouble with a penalty called early in overtime, giving the Bruins a four-on-three advantage. Both Wahlstrom and Georgii Merkulov had shots from the slot that were snared by the glove of Levi, keeping the Amerks alive. Noah Östlund came close in the dying seconds to scoring, but was turned away by Bussi to extend the game into a shootout.
SHOOTOUT
After a scoreless opening round, Rathbone carved his way in with speed, shooting ankle-high, low and to the glove side to solve Bussi in the second round, giving the Amerks a 1-0 shootout lead.
Merkulov followed and was denied by Levi, then in the third round, Tyler Pitlick was the last chance for Providence, but was stopped by trying to go five-hole on Levi that the All-Star goaltender telegraphed, ending the game and completing the Rochester rally with a 4-3 win.
STARS AND STRIPES
The win ends Rochester’s season long five-game winless skid … Östlund has 21 points (10+11) over his last 22 games … Levi becomes the fifth goaltender this season to reach 20 wins … Jobst has eight points (5+3) over his last 11 games.
UP NEXT
Rochester will remain idle until a week from now when they start the first of two consecutive weekends where the team will play a three-game weekend. The action starts Friday, March 21 when the Amerks wrap up a three-game homestand and season series with the Charlotte Checkers. The game will be carried live on The Sports Leader 95.7 FM/950 AM The Fan Rochester, beginning at 7:00 p.m. Wednesday night, as well as AHLTV on FloHockey.
Goal Scorers
PRO: J. Viel (9, 10)
ROC: E. Brännström (6), M. Jobst (15) I. Rosén (27), J. Rathbone (SO GWG)
Goaltenders
PRO: B. Bussi – 40/43 (SOL)
ROC: D. Levi – 26/29 (W)
Shots
PRO: 29
ROC: 44
Special Teams
PRO: PP (1/5) | PK (4/5)
ROC: PP (1/5) | PK (4/5)
Three Stars:
1. ROC – D. Levi
2. PRO – J. Viel
3. ROC – M. Jobst