Amerks Defend Home Ice, Secure Series Split with Decisive Win Over Marlies

The Rochester Americans continued their dominance at Blue Cross Arena on Friday night, jumping out to an early lead and holding off a late push to defeat the Toronto Marlies 5-2. With the victory, Rochester finishes their season series against Toronto with an even 3-3-0-0 record, highlighted by an undefeated 3-0 mark in front of the home fans.

Rochester’s ability to protect their own barn was the difference-maker in the series, as they outscored the Marlies 13-8 at home compared to a much tougher time on the road.

Hot Start Ignites the Offense

It didn’t take long for the Amerks to set the tone. Just 93 seconds into the opening frame, Carson Meyer intercepted a breakout attempt and redirected a feed from Jake Leschyshyn to put Rochester on the board.

The momentum stayed with the home team throughout the first period. Matteo Costantini doubled the advantage before the six-minute mark, capitalizing on a crisp cross-ice pass from defenseman Zac Jones. By the midway point of the second period, Anton Wahlberg extended the cushion to 3-0, firing a shot over the shoulder of Marlies netminder Dennis Hildeby.

Levi Stands Tall in Workload Milestone

In his 43rd appearance of the season—the most of any goaltender in the AHL—Devon Levi was once again the backbone of the Rochester defense. Levi stopped 27 of 29 shots to earn his 19th win of the year.

The young netminder has now secured back-to-back victories and sits just one win away from reaching the 20-win plateau for the second consecutive season. His composure was tested in the second period when Toronto scored twice in a three-minute span to cut the lead to one, but Levi and the penalty kill remained perfect the rest of the way.

Special Teams and Breakaways Seal the Deal

The Amerks’ power play provided the insurance they needed early in the third. After Gavin Bayreuther settled the play deep in his own zone, he launched a perfect stretch pass to a streaking Trevor Kuntar. Returning to the ice from a change, Kuntar gathered the puck and beat Hildeby on a breakaway to restore the two-goal lead.

Riley Fiddler-Schultz put the finishing touches on the victory with an empty-net goal, marking his 20th tally of the season and securing the 5-2 final.

Noteworthy Performances

• Multi-Point Nights: Carson Meyer (1G, 1A) and Gavin Bayreuther (2A) led the way offensively.
• Point Streaks: Five different Amerks, including Jagger Joshua and Olivier Nadeau, extended their personal point streaks to three games.
• The Helenius Effect: Rochester improved to a stunning 17-0-2-0 when Konsta Helenius records a multi-point game.

What’s Next for the Amerks?

The busy weekend continues as Rochester travels to face the Syracuse Crunch on Saturday, March 28. This marks the start of a critical home-and-home series as the Amerks look to climb the North Division standings in the final weeks of the regular season.