TACO BELL WRAP-UP: AMERKS GO THE DISTANCE IN SHOOTOUTS
Rochester picks up four of a possible six points last week
Mar 3, 2025
By Andrew Mossbrooks | @ Mossbrooks48
The Rochester Americans (34-14-3-3) gained four out of a possible six points over last week’s three-game slate. After wrapping up the team’s season-long five-game homestand on a high note with a 5-2 victory over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, the Amerks suffered consecutive shootout losses over the weekend against Utica and Syracuse, respectively.
Despite this, the Amerks carry the best record in the AHL into the first full week of March as they lead the 32-team field with 74 points.
UNLUCKY NUMBER 13
Over the weekend, the Amerks played a combined 13 rounds of shootout hockey.
On Friday, Noah Östlund scored a game-tying goal with 1:25 to play in Utica to force overtime. After neither the Amerks nor comets scored during the three-on-three extra frame, the contest progressed to a shootout scheduled for three rounds. The key word there is “scheduled” as the two sides tripled the amount of time needed to reach an end.
With both sides scoring twice, Utica found its way to victory in the ninth round of the shootout, solving Michael Houser in just his fifth loss over 14 visits to Adirondack Bank Center as the Comets pulled out a 3-2 win. Utica’s win was also its first on home ice against the Amerks in 475 days.
Just 24 hours later, the Syracuse Crunch flipped the script on Rochester. This time it was the Amerks with a late lead and the Crunch pulling their goaltender to find the extra edge and tie the game late. It was trap-heavy game in overtime with neither side budging through the neutral zone, extending the contest into a shootout.
With the shootout even at one apiece, Devon Levi was scored on by Conor Geekie in round four, while Isak Rosén couldn’t get past Matt Tomkins on the other end, stopping the game with the Crunch skating off home ice winners by a 4-3 final.
Over the 13 rounds across two games, Östlund scored twice in the shootout, while Nicolas Aubé-Kubel netted one Friday night against Isaac Poulter in Utica.
MOVES LIKE JAGGER
With the game tied 2-2 in Syracuse, Amerks forward Jagger Joshua rose to the occasion, tipping through a shot taken from Zachary Metsa that beat the Crunch goaltender, thus awarding Joshua his first goal as an Amerk.
The second-year pro was appearing in his 12th game of the season and his eighth with Rochester since being acquired in a trade with the Penguins’ organization in early January. Joshua since has a goal and an assist with the Amerks, appearing in two of the team’s three games last week.
The goal was Joshua’s first since April 6 of last season when he was a member of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s roster. There, Joshua led all Penguins rookies with 93 penalty minutes and finished second overall in that category on his team.
NOAH’S BIG WEEK
Östlund had the best week of any Amerk, scoring a goal in each of the team’s three games played. The rookie forward has amassed 22 points (10+12) in 33 games played, with 19 of those points coming over his last 18 games.
The Stockholm, Sweden, native had a fantastic February, scoring six goals to go with a matching number of assists for 12 points in 11 games. Since early January, Östlund has spent much of his time centering Rosén and Brett Murray. With the latter being out the last three games, Riley Fiddler-Schultz has stepped into that line and the results are still coming.
Östlund only trails Konsta Helenius in scoring amongst the team’s rookies.
COMING UP NEXT
Three points back of the Amerks for the top spot in both the North Division and the AHL as a whole are the Laval Rocket. The Amerks continue their four-game road trip this upcoming weekend, where they spend the back half of it at Place Bell for a pivotal set of games against Laval.
Three total meetings remain between the two sides, with this weekend marking the final time Rochester will be in Quebec during the regular season.
The Amerks are 2-2-1-0 against the Rocket, with both of their wins coming on the road.