AMERKS UNABLE TO HOLD LEAD IN 4-3 LOSS TO ROCKET
Jobst records two points, Levi makes 28 saves as Rochester drops first of two in Laval
Mar 7, 2025The Rochester Americans (34-15-3-3) carried a one-goal lead into the third period of Friday’s contest at Place Bell, but could not endure a four-goal run by the Laval Rocket (36-15-2-1), who emerged with a 4-3 win in the first of back-to-back meetings between the AHL’s top two teams.
Despite the loss, Rochester has picked up at least one point in 18 of its last 25 road games in Laval, going 16-7-2-0 over that span. The Amerks, who have logged at least one point in 13 of their last 16 games overall dating back to Jan. 25, will look to reclaim the top spot in the AHL’s standings with a rematch on Saturday against Laval.
Captain Mason Jobst scored his 14th goal of the season before also logging an assist for a multi-point game for Rochester while Tyson Kozak and Noah Östlund each found the back of the net. Östlund’s tally marked his fourth in as many games while Kozak added his eighth, which is a career-best.
Lukas Rousek, Zachary Metsa, Brett Murray, Anton Wahlberg, and Konsta Helenius all chipped in an assist in the defeat.
Goaltender Devon Levi (19-7-3) made 28 saves, which included 25 in the first 40 minutes of play, but suffered his first career loss in his home province. The Quebec native entered the weekend boasting a perfect 3-0-0 mark through his first three appearances in Place Bell.
FIRST PERIOD
In the opening period, the Amerks, who were outshot 11-4, were called for three separate penalties, however, were able to withstand the Rocket man-advantage to keep the game scoreless after the first 20 minutes.
SECOND PERIOD
The Amerks were able to successfully kill off 64 seconds of carryover penalty time before cracking the score early into the middle stanza.
While Brendan Warren was pinched along the right wall, Wahlberg dug out the puck along the boards. The rookie winger dished a pass atop the point for Metsa. As Metsa patiently waited inside the blueline, he flung a shot towards the net, where Kozak, who stepped out of the penalty box, redirected into the back of the cage for a 1-0 Rochester lead.
Later in the stanza, Rochester drew a pair of infractions before capitalizing on the second man-advantage to double its lead.
Metsa gloved down the puck to keep it from exiting the offensive zone before trading a series passes with Rousek, who was stationed outside the right face-off dot. The Czech native eventually fired a pass through the zone to Helenius, who quickly bumped it into the circles for Jobst to blast home at the 11:59 mark.
Laval cut into the lead shortly after Jobst’s 14th goal of the season as Alex Barré-Boulet finished off a drop pass from Sean Farrell and Laurent Dauphin with just under six minutes to play for his first of two on the night.
THIRD PERIOD
Trailing by a goal to start the final period, Laval held Rochester to just one shot through the first 14 minutes while scoring three times in a span of 2:25 to take a 4-2 lead.
After seeing its lead dissolve, the Amerks, who were without the services of their head coach Michael Leone (illness), leading point-getter Isak Rosén, and alternate captain Josh Dunne, both of whom were recalled to the Sabres prior to the contest, utilized their time out and pulled Levi.
With the extra skater, Kale Clague kept the puck inside the offensive as the clock was nearing the final 90 seconds of regulation and handed it to Rousek. The latter tucked a pass to Jack Rathbone at the far side of the ice, but rather than trying for a shot, the defenseman centered it into the face-off circles for Jobst. As Rochester’s captain gained the attention of the Laval skaters, he slid the puck to his right for Murray, who one-tapped it for Östlund to finish off the goal.
Still facing a 4-3 deficit with 1:23 left in the contest, Levi was pulled for the extra attacker yet again. The Amerks nearly tied the game in the dying seconds to force overtime for the third straight game and fourth in the last five contests, however, the attempt was turned aside by Connor Hughes and the final horn sounded.
UP NEXT
The Amerks will look for redemption following a quick turnaround as they close out the weekend with a rematch against the Rocket on Saturday, March 8 at Place Bell. The 3:00 p.m. matinee will be carried live on The Sports Leader 95.7 FM/950 AM The Fan Rochester as well as AHLTV on FloHockey.
Goal Scorers
ROC: T. Kozak (8), M. Jobst (14), N. Östlund (11)
LAV: A. Barré-Boulet (15, 16), L. Condotta (3), J. Roy (19)
Goaltenders
ROC: D. Levi – 28/32 (L)
LAV: C. Hughes – 22/25 (W)
Shots
ROC: 25
LAV: 32
Special Teams
ROC: PP (1/2) | PK (4/4)
LAV: PP (0/4) | PK (1/2)
Three Stars:
1. LAV - T. Wotherspoon
2. LAV - A. Barré-Boulet
3. LAV - J. Roy