GAME PREVIEW: AMERKS WRAP UP WEEKEND WITH SHOWDOWN IN HERSHEY
Rochester looks for five of six points on three-game weekend
Jan 19, 2025
By Andrew Mossbrooks | @ Mossbrooks48
After a come-from-behind victory on the road Saturday, the Rochester Americans (23-10-3-1) continue their four-game road trip Sunday afternoon against the two-time defending Calder Cup champion Hershey Bears (24-11-3-0) in the weekend finale at Giant Center.
Sunday’s early evening encounter is the second and final meeting of the season between the American Hockey League’s two cornerstone franchises. In November, a goal in the final seconds of regulation allowed the Bears to extend and eventually win a 4-3 overtime contest against the Amerks. Kale Clague was a standout with two goals, while Devon Levi made 24 saves in the loss.
LAST TIME OUT
Three power-play goals were the difference Saturday night as Rochester used special teams to top the Lehigh Valley Phantoms by a 3-2 final at PPL Center.
Isak Rosén scored twice and posted his first career multi-power-play goal game, while Anton Wahlberg recorded his second power-play goal in as many weeks. In his 100th AHL game and his return to Lehigh Valley, former Phantoms’ goaltender Felix Sandström made 25 saves, securing his fourth straight win.
Hershey was idle Saturday, but spent the previous night beating Belleville, 4-1. Mike Vecchione scored the game-winning-goal, while Hershey limited the Senators to just 15 shots, with Clay Stevenson stopping 14 of them for his third straight win. The Bears lead the Eastern Conference with 51 points, ranking just one ahead of Rochester.
ROSTER CAROUSEL ACROSS THE ORGANIZATON
Ahead of Saturday’s game in Lehigh Valley, the Buffalo Sabres summoned goaltender Devon Levi, who is expected to travel with the Sabres for the team’s West Coast trip that begins Monday in Seattle.
Levi, 23, was named to the 2025 AHL All-Star Classic earlier in the month and has won 11 of his last 13 starts with the Amerks. The sophomore goaltender is 12-3-2 through 17 games in the AHL this season, ranking ninth in the league with a 2.33 goals-against-average.
With Levi absent, veteran goaltender Michael Houser has been recalled from ECHL-Jacksonville to join Sandström on the road. Houser, a 13-year pro, is 4-3-1 with the Amerks through 10 appearances this season.
In an unrelated move, defenseman Noah Laaouan was also recalled from Rochester’s ECHL affiliate after posting 15 points (4+11) in 37 games for the Icemen.
POWER UP
Rochester’s three-goal night on the man-advantage Saturday was just the third time this season the Amerks exceeded two power-play goals in a game. Entering the weekend, Rochester was 26th on the man-advantage overall, however, the Amerks have now shot up to fifth-best on the road, operating at 21.2%.
The Amerks reached three power-play goals in a game for the second time, with their high being four scored back on Nov. 1. Each of those three games came on the road, where the Amerks boast an AHL-best 16-4-1-0 record through their first 21 road matchups.
Rosen and Wahlberg each have four power-play goals on the season, while Brett Murray leads the team, and the AHL, with nine. Of their combined 17 man-advantage conversions, 12 have come on the road.
GETTING THE JOB DUNNE
Josh Dunne skates in Hershey riding a six-game point streak with one goal and five assists. The fifth-year pro made a nifty between-the-legs pass in front of the net Saturday, setting up Wahlberg’s power-play goal.
Collectively, Dunne has posted six goals and 15 points in his time as an Amerk. He is one of six players that has dressed in every game for Rochester this season.
Before wearing the red, white, and blue, Dunne played parts of four seasons for Cleveland and faced Hershey in an Eastern Conference Finals’ series that saw the Monsters overcome a 3-0 deficit to force a winner-take-all Game 7, before falling in overtime last season. Dunne dazzled in the series, leading his team with seven points (4+3) against the Bears, posting at least a point in the first five games of the series.
DON’T POKE THE BEAR
Hershey has won 13 Calder Cups over its 80-plus year history, including two in the last two years. The Bears and Amerks are the oldest AHL franchises and most recently met in the playoffs during the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals.
Hershey has maintained a large contingent of its core from the past two championships, including goaltender Hunter Shepard, Mike Vecchione, Aaron Ness, and leading scorer Mike Sgarbossa. Despite all their success, the Bears are barely over .500 on home ice this season, showing an 11-10-1-0 record at Giant Center.