GAME PREVIEW: AMERKS CLOSE OUT SEASON SERIES WITH CRUNCH
Rochester returns home vying for three-game weekend sweep
Mar 30, 2025
By Andrew Mossbrooks | @ Mossbrooks48
With four straight wins, the Rochester Americans (39-18-3-3) continue their push toward a Calder Cup Playoff berth Sunday afternoon when they host the Syracuse Crunch (29-21-8-4) at Blue Cross Arena.
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It’s game 12 of as many in the season series between these Empire State rivals, as the Amerks will wrap up the 24-game slate of intrastate competition Sunday after ending their 12-round bout with Utica the week prior. This also marks the end of March, the final full month of regular season hockey for the AHL.
This contest is the conclusion to a home-and-home series between the Amerks and Crunch, with Saturday night being a good one for the red, white, and blue, who held on for a 4-2 win in Syracuse. The Crunch have dropped two of their last three games, while Rochester has won four in a row and five of its last six games.
LAST TIME OUT
A Syracuse rally attempt came too little, too late Saturday night, as the Amerks built themselves a 3-0 lead that would go on to benefit them in the end via a 4-2 win over the Crunch at Upstate Medical University Arena.
Following his first professional hat trick last Saturday, Noah Östlund came up big again facing the Crunch with another three-point effort by way of a goal and two assists.
Brett Murray posted the game-winning-goal under four minutes into the second period to make it 3-0 at the time, while chasing Crunch goaltender Brandon Halverson out of the net in the process.
Rochester’s other goals came in the first period from Erik Brännström and Brendan Warren, who scored his career-best ninth goal of the season and found the back of the net for the first time since Jan. 11.
Felix Sandström continued to roll, making 23 saves on the night to win his ninth straight game, improving to 12-4-1 on the season. Sandström has not lost in goal since Dec. 6, 2024 with each of his nine wins coming on the road.
After Halverson was pulled early in the second, backup goaltender Ryan Fanti stepped in for Syracuse, turning aside all 13 Amerks shots sent his way. The only goal that went in for Rochester following Murray’s was an empty-net conversion from Östlund with five seconds left in the game. Before then, a pair of third period Crunch goals from veteran Gabriel Dumont and rookie Conor Geekie pulled Syracuse back within one.
With the win, Rochester has secured the season series against the Crunch, yielding a 7-3-0-1 record heading into the finale. The Amerks have winning records against four of the other six North Division teams this season.
THE ROC SAYS
The Amerks skate into Sunday tied for the third-most points in the AHL at 84. After sputtering some early in March, the team has bounced back with four consecutive wins, outscoring the opposition 18-6 over that span. Their 218 goals scored are second to only Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the Eastern Conference as they lead the North Division by a wide margin, with Laval next closest at 201 goals for.
On the other side of the puck, the Amerks continue to defend extremely well. That, along with superb goaltending has led Rochester to surrendering 166 goals this season, which is fifth-fewest across the AHL. The team’s penalty kill continues to thrive, operating at an 85.5% clip for second-best in the league, trailing only Charlotte (86.7%).
Rochester has a top-10 goal scorer in Isak Rosén (27-7th), a top-10 defenseman in points with Zachary Metsa (42-9th), and the league leader in shutouts with Devon Levi (6). The 23-year-old is also two shutouts shy of tying soon-to-be Amerks Hall of Famer, Ryan Miller, for the single-season franchise record set in the 2004-05 campaign.
BRETT THE HITMAN
After skating in three games for the Buffalo Sabres earlier in the week, veteran and alternate captain Brett Murray returned to the lineup Friday against Bridgeport, then made his presence felt Saturday in Syracuse, nabbing the game-winning goal for his 24th of the season. The goal establishes a new high for Murray, surpassing his 23-goal total from the 2022-23 season. At 42 points this year (24+18), Murray needs seven more to tie his career high set two years prior.
The sixth-year pro continues to be formidable for Syracuse, as his goal last night was his 25th all-time against the Crunch. In 68 career games against Syracuse, Murray has posted 49 points. This doesn’t include playoffs where the Bolton, Ontario, native has also made memories, including last year’s Game 4 overtime winner in Syracuse after the Amerks trailed 3-0 heading into the third period.
With his 97th goal as an Amerk Saturday, Murray tied Rochester great Steve Langdon for 20th all-time on the Amerks goal-scoring leaderboard.
LUCHA LEVI
Levi is expected to make his 36th start of the season Sunday afternoon in downtown Rochester. The second-year pro has had a marvelous season with the Amerks and has been recognized by the AHL on multiple occasions, including being named to the AHL All-Star Classic in early February, then being that month’s goaltender of the month after posting three shutouts in a 15-day span.
The Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Quebec, native continued dishing goose eggs Friday on home ice, where Levi turned aside all 28 Bridgeport bids to record his sixth shutout of the year. He’s the first Amerks goaltender to lead the AHL in shutouts outright since Martin Biron in 1998-99. Five of Levi’s six shutouts have been recorded at Blue Cross Arena, where he has won three of his last four starts.
Levi owns a 22-10-3 record on the season. His 22 wins place him fourth in the league. The Sabres’ prospect in goal also leads the North Division with a 2.21 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage.
In his career against Syracuse, Levi shows a 6-4-3 with 347 saves in 13 career games, while also owning a .908 save percentage and a 2.68 goals-against-average.