GAME PREVIEW: AMERKS AIM TO EXTEND WIN STREAK IN WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON
Amerks look for seventh straight win after historic victory
Nov 9, 2024
By Andrew Mossbrooks | @Mossbrooks48
The Rochester Americans (7-3-0-0) return to road play, visiting the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (7-3-0-0) Saturday evening at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.
Rochester will be playing on the road for the fifth time in its last six contests, meeting the Penguins for the first of two games this season and their lone meeting in the Keystone State.
LAST TIME OUT
The Amerks continued their winning ways in historic fashion Friday night, topping the Hartford Wolf Pack, 6-3, in front of over 9,000 fans at Blue Cross Arena. The win extended Rochester’s win streak to six games, matching their season-high from the 2023-24 campaign from March 22-April 7, 2024, while subsequently earning the franchise its 2,500th win. The Amerks became the second team in the 89-year history of the American Hockey League to reach 2,500 wins.
“It’s amazing,” said Amerks head coach Michael Leone following the win Friday night. “You look at the crowd and there’s 9,000 people here. The support from the community and the organization is awesome and it’s great to get the win at home.”
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton saw its four-game win streak end Friday after failing to protect 2-0 and 3-2 leads against Lehigh Valley. The Penguins are 4-1-0-0 at home, having won four straight at Mohegan Sun Arena. Both Rochester and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton are second in their respective divisions. Saturday marks the first time in the 2024-25 regular season where Rochester visits a non-divisional opponent.
MIGHTY METSA
Zachary Metsa enters Saturday night second on the team in points and first with 10 (1+9) among Rochester’s blueliners. The second-year pro has points in five of his last six games and has strung together consecutive multi-point games for the first time in his career, logging five assists through two games on the week.
“The production’s been good so far,” said Metsa. “I think a game like that's interesting (Friday against Hartford) when I have three secondary assists. For me, I guess my mindset is always just play the right way, make the right plays, give it to the right guys, and points will follow. That's kind of what happened tonight.”
Metsa’s 10 points tie him with Laval’s Logan Mailloux for first in league scoring by a defenseman. Last season, the Delafield, Wisconsin, native logged seven goals and 24 points and was named the team’s co-Rookie of the Year with Viktor Neuchev.
MAX POWER
Rochester went 2-for-4 on its power-play Friday against Hartford, giving the team power-play goals in four of its last five outings. In November, Rochester has tallied a staggering eight power play-goals over four games.
“I think we can keep doing this with the skill we have,” said forward Isak Rosen. “I think it really can. And you know, in the beginning, it was a little hard when you don't score on the power-play. It gets in your head a little bit and you know, ever since we scored, we kept scoring in every game it feels. It's a difference maker. We talked about it a lot. It's a big difference for all of us.”
The Amerks have scored 12 power-play goals in their last 11 games against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, dating back to the 2017-18 season.
MARCH OF THE PENGUINS
The Amerks went 1-1-0-0 against the Penguins last season, with each team winning on their respective home ice. Last season’s regulation loss to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton was Rochester’s first since the 2017-18 campaign. In the eight seasons since, Rochester has shown a 9-1-0-1 record in 11 meetings with Pittsburgh’s AHL affiliate.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is led by Ville Koivunen and Emil Bemström, who each have nine points through 10 games. Koivunen is a rookie who appeared in 12 games with the Chicago Wolves during the 2022-23 season, while Bemström was acquired in the offseason following three seasons in the Columbus Blue Jackets organization. When in the AHL with the Blue Jackets’ affiliate, Bemström posted 28 goals and 28 assists for 56 points in 43 games with the Monsters, including four goals and five points in four games against Rochester.
The Penguins will play four of their next five games at home.