POWER-PLAY HELPS AMERKS FLIP THE SCRIPT ON PHANTOMS
Rosén scores twice, Sandström earns win in return to Lehigh Valley
Jan 18, 2025Forward Isak Rosén scored twice on the power-play, including the game-winner late in the third period, to help the Rochester Americans (23-10-3-1) secure a 3-2 win over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (19-14-5-1) in the second straight meeting between the two teams Saturday at PPL Center.
With the win, the Amerks have won 15 of their last 19 contests while earning at least one point in 26 of their last 33 games dating back to Oct. 23. The victory also gave Rochester its first win in the PPL Center since Dec. 18, 2021, as the two teams split the home-and-home series with each winning on the road.
Along with Rosén netting a pair of goals, Noah Östlund (0+2) notched his first multi-point effort with the Amerks. Anton Walhberg logged his second goal since returning to the lineup following the conclusion of the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship and sixth of the season overall.
Zachary Metsa, Mason Jobst, Josh Dunne, and Konsta Helenius all recorded an assist while Noah Laaouan made his season debut with the Amerks after being recalled from the Jacksonville Icemen of the ECHL.
Amerk goaltender and former Phantom Felix Sandström (7-4-0) earned the win in his return to Lehigh Valley, making 25 saves to pick up his fourth straight win. The Sweden native, who appeared in his 100th AHL game tonight, has allowed two or fewer goals in three of his previous four decisions.
FIRST PERIOD
While neither team was able to solve the opposition’s netminder in the first period, both Sandström and Keith Petruzzelli, who made his Phantoms debut, made timely saves to keep the game scoreless after the first 20 minutes of play.
Petruzzelli turned aside Helenius’ odd-man rush as he was alongside Riley Fiddler-Schultz, while Sandström denied a Phantom as he was all alone to the right of the goal crease.
Rochester successfully killed off consecutive penalties in the first period while also outshooting Lehigh Valley 12-11.
SECOND PERIOD
Early in the second period, Brendan Furry banked the puck off the end boards in-behind the Amerks net. Anthony Richard soon gained possession and rimmed it around the boards for Helge Grans to blast over the left shoulder of Sandström for his sixth of the season just 2:35 in the frame.
Rochester drew three consecutive penalties after the marker, and despite not scoring on its first two, began to create scoring chances.
On the third infraction, Östlund and Metsa traded passes near the left face-off dot inside the Lehigh Valley zone. During the sequence, Brett Murray and Jobst positioned themselves to serve as screens before Mesta fired a shot towards the cage. As the puck glanced off a Phantom, Rosén blasted it from the far dot to even the score at 1-1.
Later in the period, Richard restored Lehigh Valley’s lead as he scored off a loose rebound while on the man-advantage, but Rochester countered back once more with another power-play tally.
On their fourth power-play of the period, Lukas Rousek retrieved the puck and flung it through the zone to the corner. Helenius outraced a Phantom and centered it for Dunne, who was parked to the left side of the net. As the puck reached the goal mouth, Dunne steered it between his legs and right to Wahlberg to hammer inside the left post.
THIRD PERIOD
The game remained deadlocked at 2-2 as the two clubs ramped up the intensity in pursuit of the potential game-winning goal over the course of fast-paced third period, however, the Phantoms were whistled for a too-many-men infraction late in the frame.
Rochester sent out its power-play unit for the sixth time with just under four minutes to play, and as it appeared the Phantoms were able to exit their own zone, Metsa made a great play at the blueline to keep the puck inside the left point.
The Quinnipiac University graduate moved it down the wall for Östlund, who outmanned a Lehigh Valley player and connected with a pass to Jobst in-between the face-off circles. With Murray again taking away the eyes of the netminder, Jobst slid the puck through the slot to a wide-open Rosén, who one-timed the offering into the net at the 16:53 mark.
Lehigh Valley tried pulling Petruzzelli twice over the final three minutes of regulation for an extra attacker, but the clock would run out before they could muster up any last-minute heroics.
UP NEXT
The Amerks put the finishing touches on their first three-in-three weekend of the season as they visit the two-time defending Calder Cup champion Hershey Bears for a 5:00 p.m. contest on Sunday, Jan. 19. All the action from Giant Center be carried live on The Sports Leader 95.7 FM/950 AM The Fan Rochester as well as AHLTV on FloHockey.
Goal Scorers
ROC: I. Rosén (15, 16 – GWG), A. Wahlberg (6)
LV: H. Grans (6), A. Richard (8)
Goaltenders
ROC: F. Sandström – 25/27 (W)
LV: K. Petruzzelli – 32/35 (L)
Shots
ROC: 27
LV: 35
Special Teams
ROC: PP (3/7) | PK (2/3)
LV: PP (1/3) | PK (4/7)
Three Stars:
1. ROC - I. Rosén
2. ROC - A. Wahlberg
3. LV - A. Richard