OSTLUND’S HAT TRICK POWERS AMERKS PAST CRUNCH
Sandström extends personal win streak, Amerks bounce back with 4-1 win
Mar 22, 2025Rookie forward Noah Östlund recorded his first professional hat trick – scoring three goals three different ways – to serve as the driving force behind the Rochester Americans’ 4-1 win over the Syracuse Crunch Saturday night at Upstate Medical University Arena.
The Amerks jump back into the win column to even out their record on the weekend going into Sunday’s finale, and more importantly, topped a divisional opponent in regulation to go 10 points clear of Syracuse with 12 games to go in the regular season. Rochester is 36-18-3-3 on the season. The loss for the Crunch snapped the team’s five-game win streak, dropping them to 28-20-8-4.
In addition to Östlund, Mason Jobst scored on the power-play, while leading scorer Isak Rosén converted for three assists. Lukas Rousek, Kale Clague, Zachary Metsa, and Vsevolod Komarov each recorded one assist.
Felix Sandström made 16 saves in his first appearance in 35 days. The veteran goaltender improved to 11-4-1 on the season, extending his personal career-best win streak to eight games. Ryan Fanti made his first AHL start in over two years, stopping 29 shots in the loss for Syracuse.
FIRST PERIOD
Rochester made sure not to duplicate its sluggish start from the night prior as the team came out firing on all cylinders, taking 16 shots on goal in the first, including the first eight shots of the game overall.
The pressure culminated during the second power-play of the period for the Amerks, with Jobst’s 16th of the season getting the team a 1-0 lead going into intermission.
With 3:02 remaining in the period and only a few seconds to go on the man-advantage, Syracuse failed on a clearing attempt up the right boards. Metsa was glued to the wall at the point to keep the puck in, then wristed a shot toward the net that Jobst got a piece of to redirect past Fanti for the power-play conversion.
SECOND PERIOD
The Amerks’ special teams prowess was flexed again in the second period, this time doing so shorthanded.
Komarov picked off a pass from Syracuse during the Crunch’s man-advantage. From there, the rookie defenseman flung the puck to Östlund, who streaked ahead from the neutral zone and found himself with real estate going right to left in the attacking zone. The rookie forward maneuvered the puck to the left side, burying it top shelf over the glove of Fanti to double the lead for Rochester.
Intensity and emotions increased during the back half of the second, beginning with a heavyweight fight between Jagger Joshua and Max Crozier. The pair dropped the gloves, skated from the neutral zone to the Amerks’ attacking end, then grabbed ahold of one another throwing heavy, hard-hitting right-handed shots.
Under four minutes later, Conor Sheary was stopped on a breakaway by Sandström, but was helped by Jobst from behind. Sheary then skated through all three zones to chase the Amerks captain down for the second tilt of the period.
THIRD PERIOD
Syracuse showed signs of life when Tristan Allard got the Crunch on the board 5:28 into the final frame.
Conor Geekie dropped the puck just off to the right of the slot for Allard to shoot. The second-year pro didn’t get all of his attempt, but had enough to get a piece of Sandström before rolling into the back of the net, making it 2-1.
Östlund came to the rescue six minutes later converting on his second of the night by whizzing a shot similar to his first, beating the glove of Fanti from the right circle.
The Swedish forward capitalized again with 1:36 to go on a power-play. With the Crunch tagged for a bench minor, Rosén teed up Östlund for a one-timer from the right dot that blasted into the back of the net, giving the rookie his 14th goal of the season and third of the night, completing the natural hat trick.
Östlund scored a shorthanded, power play, and even strength goal.
STARS AND STRIPES
Östlund’s hat trick is the first for the Amerks since Jiri Kulich scored three goals against Belleville on April 13th, 2024 … Sandström’s win is his eighth straight with each coming on the road ... The 10th-year pro hasn’t lost since Dec. 6 , 2024 … Rosén’s three-point game was his team-leading 17th multi-point game of the season… Rousek played in his 200th game as an Amerk.
UP NEXT
The Amerks host the Utica Comets on Bills Day Sunday afternoon to wrap up this three-game weekend. The game will be carried live on The Sports Leader 95.7 FM/950 AM The Fan Rochester, beginning at 3:00 p.m. Saturday night, as well as AHLTV on FloHockey. The intrastate showdown will also be televised live locally on CW Rochester.
Goal Scorers
SYR: T. Allard (5)
ROC: M. Jobst (16-PPG), N. Östlund (12-SH/GWG, 13, 14-PPG)
Goaltenders
SYR: R. Fanti – 29/33 (L)
ROC: F. Sandström – 16/17 (W)
Shots
SYR: 17
ROC: 33
Special Teams
SYR: PP (0/3) | PK (5/7)
ROC: PP (2/7) | PK (3/3)
Three Stars:
1. ROC – N. Östlund
2. ROC– I. Rosén
3. SYR - T. Allard