PRIMEAU SURVIVES AMERKS ONSLAUGHT, ROCHESTER DROPS 4-2 FINAL TO ROCKET
Rocket secure North Division title with win over Amerks
Apr 11, 2025The Rochester Americans threw everything they could at Laval goaltender Cayden Primeau, but timely scoring and stellar stops prevented the Amerks from emerging victorious, as the Rocket skated out of Blue Cross Arena with a 4-2 win on Hall of Fame Night Friday in downtown Rochester.
With the loss, Rochester falls to 41-21-4-3 on the season, continuing to hold onto second place in the North Division and third overall in the AHL with 89 points. By picking up a regulation win, Laval clinches the North Division, jumping to 45-18-3-2 on the season, yielding 95 points atop the North and overall AHL standings.
Graham Slaggert and Konsta Helenius found the back of the net for Rochester, while Devon Levi made 15 saves in his 40th start of the season. Despite the loss, Levi’s 24 wins still lead the Eastern Conference.
FIRST PERIOD
Miller’s Hall of Fame speech rallied the troops, with Rochester applying pressure early and often throughout the opening period. The culmination of said pressure reached a fever pitch when Slaggert broke through for the Amerks to carry a 1-0 lead into intermission.
Vsevolod Komarov navigated his way to the top of the blueline, centering the puck to the middle of the paint to dish through traffic. At the net front was Slaggert, who redirected the shot by the AHL’s best goaltender in the form of Cayden Primeau to nab the Amerks the first goal of the contest.
SECOND PERIOD
The Rocket evened the score thanks in large part to Alex Barre-Boulet, who stole the puck behind the net of Levi, then flicked the puck into the slot for Sean Farrell to shoot over the glove of Levi, making it 1-1.
The former Crunch forward continued his success against the Amerks with another assist to bring Laval a 2-1 advantage. While on the power-play, Barre-Boulet twirled the puck toward the front of the goal with three Rocket sticks near the front of the goal. Finishing the play was Laurent Dauphin, who on top of the blue paint tapped the puck past Levi for the power-play conversion.
Rochester amplified the pressure in period two, outshooting Laval, 23-6. The response came from Helenius in highlight reel fashion. Midway through the second, the Sabres’ prospect cut down the right-wing side, then curled toward the front of the goal. With pressure in front and behind him, Helenius knifed the puck over the shoulder of Primeau for his 13th of the season, making it 2-2.
THIRD PERIOD
Laval sacrificed quantity for quality, but after surviving the second period, the Rocket quickly found the back of the net 1:38 into the third to regain the lead when Noel Hoffenmayer drug the puck through the left-wing side before shuffling it past Levi for the 3-2 advantage.
With less than four minutes to play, Barre-Boulet scooped the puck down the wall and behind the goal. Lucas Condotta then picked the puck up behind the goal, wrapping it out in front for Jared Davidson to shoot on Levi. The goaltender made the initial save, but Davidson corralled the rebound to double Laval’s lead, guiding the Rocket to a 4-2 Laval.
UP NEXT
The Amerks begin the final week of the 2024-25 regular season on Wednesday, April 16 at home against the Cleveland Monsters. Game time is slated for a 7:05 p.m. start and will be carried live on The Sports Leader 95.7 FM/950 AM The Fan Rochester as well as AHLTV on FloHockey.
Goal Scorers
LAV: S. Farrell (19), L. Dauphin (26-PPG), N. Hoffenmayer (4-GWG), J. Davidson (24)
ROC: G. Slaggert (12), K. Helenius (13)
Goaltenders
LAV: C. Primeau – 40/42 (W)
ROC: D. Levi – 15/19 (L)
Shots
LAV: 19
ROC: 42
Special Teams
LAV: PP (1/2) | PK (3/3)
ROC: PP (0/3) | PK (1/2)
Three Stars:
1. LAV – S. Farrell
2. LAV – C. Primeau
3. ROC - K. Helenius