GAME PREVIEW: AMERKS END MONTH WITH CHANCE TO SWEEP SYRACUSE
Scene shifts to the road for Amerks in home-and-home weekend
Nov 30, 2024
By Andrew Mossbrooks | @ Mossbrooks48
The Rochester Americans (9-7-3-0) will close out the month of November with the finale to a home-and-home weekend against the Syracuse Crunch (8-7-1-2) Saturday evening. The scene shifts to Upstate Medical University Arena following Rochester’s 3-0 win over Syracuse at Blue Cross Arena Friday night.
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The Amerks close the book on their heftiest slate of games, playing 14 in the month of November, which will serve as a season-high. Thus far, the red, white, and blue have gone 6-4-3-0 on the month. Saturday begins a stretch where six of Rochester’s next seven games will come away from home, including a season long five-game homestand starting Dec. 6.
LAST TIME OUT
Devon Levi’s first professional shutout spearheaded Rochester’s 3-0 shutout win over the Crunch Friday night, allowing the Amerks to leapfrog Syracuse in the standings.
Levi made 20 saves, including 13 in the third period alone, which included a full two-minute five-on-three penalty kill for Rochester.
“First of all, the fans today were unbelievable,” said Levi following Friday’s win. That support is huge. It's it keeps us in the game and wants us to win for them. The boys also have been great just being around the rink and being around the coaching staff. It's an unbelievable vibe and an unbelievable culture here. I wake up and I'm excited to come to the rink. Everyone's in this together.”
Levi’s shutout was his first since he was with Northeastern University during the 2022-23 season. The 22-year-old wasn’t the only Amerk with an impactful night, as Isak Rosen posted his second three-point game of the season, factoring in all three of Rochester’s goals on the night with two goals and an assist. The third-year Amerk leads the team in points with 16 (6+10) in as many games. Rosen’s second goal served as the nail in the coffin coming with 8.2 seconds remaining in the second period.
“It's always tight games against Syracuse and you try to score as many you can,” said Rosen. “That was huge for the momentum heading into the third with that third goal.”
Sandwiched in-between Rosen’s goals was Brett Murray’s sixth of the season, all of which having come on the power-play. Murray has scored at least six power-play goals in each of his six professional seasons, with his career-high being eight scored in 2022-23.
SEEMS A BIT MUCH
Including playoffs, Saturday marks the 36th time the Amerks and Crunch have squared off since the start of the 2022-23 season.
The rivals have traded playoff series wins over one another, with the Amerks and Crunch meeting in back-to-back North Division Semifinal series. In 2023, the Amerks came out on top, while Syracuse exacted its revenge last season. Both series went the distance to a decisive Game 5. In the regular season, Rochester has gone 11-8-4-1 over the last two seasons before getting the win last night. Nine of the last 24 regular-season meetings have gone beyond regulation.
Rochester ended last year’s season series and started the 2024-25 series with shutout wins over Syracuse. After Rosen’s first-period goal Friday, the Amerks have also outscored the Crunch 13-5 through the first 20 minutes of their last nine encounters.
SCOUTING SYRACUSE
Even with the loss last night, the Crunch skate back to their home ice with points in seven of their last 10 tries. Syracuse remains in playoff positioning, anchoring fifth place while trailing the Amerks by two points, however, the Crunch do have a game in hand.
This marks the first meeting between the Amerks and Crunch in Syracuse since Game 4 of last year’s playoff series, where Murray scored the game-winning-goal in overtime to complete a heroic Rochester comeback, as the team trailed 3-0 entering the third period that night.
Ten players that played for Syracuse in that playoff series were in the lineup last night, including goaltender Brandon Halverson, who previously owned the AHL’s best save percentage this season before Rochester scored three goals on 15 shots Friday night.
With team captain Gabriel Dumont out with injury, alternate captain Daniel Walcott has stepped in as the natural leader for transitioning to. After playing one game with the Hartford Wolf Pack at the end of the 2014-15 season, Walcott has been a member of the Crunch ever since. The Ile Perrot, Quebec, native has called Syracuse his home away from home, serving as the franchise’s all-time leader in games played with 444.
Syracuse is led in points by defenseman Derrick Pouliot, who owns 14 (3+11) through 18 games. The decade-long pro was signed to a one-year contract by Syracuse’s parent club, the Tampa Bay Lightning, at the start of free agency this past summer. Pouliot led the Texas Stars last season in points by a defenseman with 46 (9+37) and is currently tied for fourth in points by a blueliner this season while being one of only two AHL defensemen to lead his respective team in scoring this season.