For the first time in nearly 11 months, the Rochester Americans (0-1-0-0) made their long awaited return to the ice at The Blue Cross Arena, where they nearly erased a two-goal deficit before ultimately coming up short in a 3-2 loss to the Utica Comets (1-0-0-0) to open their 65^th season in the American Hockey League.

After signing a tryout agreement earlier this week, Patrick McGrath opened the scoring for Rochester late in the first period before Arttu Ruotsalainen capped of the night with a power-play goal. Two-time Calder Cup champion and goaltender Dustin Tokarski stopped 31 of the 34 shots he faced but suffered the loss.

Along with McGrath, Ruotsalainen and Tokarski, Oskari Laaksonen, Dylan Blujus, Matej Pekar, Steven Fogarty, Ryan Jones, Mattias Samuelsson, Patrick Polino, Dominic Franco and Nick Welsh all made their Amerks debuts.

On the strength of multi-point efforts from Oskari Laaksonen (0+3), Remi Elie (2+0) and Jean-Sebastien Dea (0+2), the Rochester Americans (1-1-0-0) survived a late push from the Syracuse Crunch (1-0-1-0) and earned a 4-3 overtime victory over their North Division rivals Wednesday night at The Blue Cross Arena.

While Rochester was led offensively by Laaksonen, Elie and Dea, team captain Steven Fogarty capped off the win with his first goal as an Amerk 1:39 into the extra session as second-year winger Brett Murray chipped in his first marker of the campaign. Goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 20 saves to record his first win in his season debut with the club.

Another night of multi-point efforts from four different skaters coupled with a dominant four-goal second-period propelled the Rochester Americans (2-1-0-0) to a convincing 7-3 victory over the Cleveland Monsters (0-1-0-0) Friday at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

Rochester was led offensively by C.J. Smith (2+1), Jean-Sebastien Dea (2+0), Mattias Samuelsson (1+1) and Ryan Jones (0+2), all of whom recorded multi-point efforts, the most through Rochester’s first three games of the young season for the Amerks. Remi Elie (0+1) and Oskari Laaksonen (0+1) both tacked on an assist to push their point streaks to two games apiece, while Arttu Ruotsalainen (0+1) added a helper to extend his to three. Goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (2-0-0) made 43 saves in his second straight start, establishing a new career-high.

A power-play goal with 5:55 left in regulation by captain Steven Fogarty sent the Rochester Americans (3-1-0-0) into overtime before Jean-Sebastien Dea sealed the 4-3 come-from-behind victory in the third round of the shootout Thursday night against the Utica Comets (3-1-0-1) at The Blue Cross Arena.

With the win, Rochester’s third consecutive after dropping the season opener to the Comets, the club has collected at least one point in 20 of the last 28 games against Utica dating back to the start of the 2017-18 campaign, going 15-8-2-3 over that span.

Ryan Scarfo’s first goal as an Amerk broke a 2-2 tie midway through the third period and the Rochester Americans held on the rest of the way as the team opened its three-game road swing with a 3-2 win over the Syracuse Crunch Saturday at Upstate Medical University Arena.

After going 4-5-1-0 against the Crunch during the 2017-18 campaign, the Amerks are now 14-7-1-1 in their last 23 contests against Syracuse and tonight’s win made it their fourth straight since dropping the season opener. The win improved Rochester to 4-1-0-0 on the young season and moved the Amerks into a two-way tie with the Hershey Bears for second place in the American Hockey League’s North Division standings.

Rookie defenseman Ryan Jones (1+1) scored his first pro goal to give the Amerks their first lead of the contest halfway through the first period and assisted on Scarfo’s eventual game-winner to turn in his second multi-point effort of the campaign. Brett Murray (1+1) followed suit in the second stanza, racking up his second point of the night with a tally and notching his first multi-point game of the year. Scarfo sealed the victory with his second AHL game-winning goal of his career. Jean-Sebastian Dea (0+1) extended his point streak to four games with an assist, while Michael Mersch (0+1) added

Despite a pair of goals by captain Steven Fogarty, the Rochester Americans (4-2-0-0) were on the wrong side of a 7-2 score against the Utica Comets (4-1-0-1) Friday night at the Adirondack Bank Center.

The matchup was the middle contest of Rochester’s three-game road swing as well as the third of 14 scheduled meetings against the Comets this season. While Rochester saw its four-game win streak come to an end, the club has collected at least one point in 20 of the last 29 games against Utica dating back to the start of the 2017-18 campaign, going 15-9-2-3 over that span.

Along with Fogarty getting on the scoresheet, Michael Mersch, C.J. Smith and Oskari Laaksonen all recorded an assist in the game. The assist gives Mersch helpers in back-to-back games while Smith (2+4) and Laaksonen (0+6) each picked up their sixth points of the season.

Goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (3-1-0) took his first loss of the campaign in the crease while making 32 saves. The Finnish netminder has made 30-plus saves in each of his last three appearances.

Despite erasing a two-goal deficit, the Rochester Americans (4-3-0-0) saw their comeback attempt fall just short in a 4-3 loss to the Syracuse Crunch (2-4-1-0) Monday afternoon at Upstate Medical University Arena.  
 
The contest was the final of Rochester’s three-game road swing as well as the third of 12 scheduled meetings against the Crunch this season. Although the Amerks came away with victories in each of the previous two get-togethers against Syracuse, they suffered the loss today, pushing their record to 14-8-1-1 in their last 24 games against their longtime North Division rival.
 
Forward Ryan Scarfo (1+0) got the scoring started for the Amerks in the first period with his second goal of the season, and the second in as many games against Syracuse, while Michael Mersch (1+0), who appeared in his 400th professional game, and Andrew Oglevie (1+0) each scored on the power-play. Ryan Jones (0+1), Oskari Laaksonen (0+1), Jean-Sebastien Dea (0+1), Casey Fitzgerald (0+1), Brett Murray (0+1) and Arttu Ruotsalainen (0+1) all added assists, while rookie defenseman Griffin Luce (0+0) made his American Hockey League debut.
 
Goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (3-2-0) dropped his second straight game of the season while making 21 saves.

On the strength of a pair of goals from defenseman Casey Fitzgerald and two assists by Steven Fogarty, the Rochester Americans (5-3-0-0) avenged last Friday’s setback by doubling up the first-place Utica Comets (5-1-0-1) with a 4-2 win in a North Division matchup Wednesday at The Blue Cross Arena.

With his first-career two-goal outing, including his first shorthanded marker, Fitzgerald is the first Amerks blueliner to score twice in a game since former defenseman Casey Nelson netted a pair as part of a three-point game back on Nov. 1, 2019 against Binghamton.

Fogarty recorded his second two-point game of the season while Brett Murray and Arttu Ruotsalainen scored their third and second goals of the slate, respectively. Murray has collected five points (2+3) in the last five games. Michael Mersch, who was held without a point in his first three outings with the club, picked up an assist to push his point streak to four games.

Goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (4-2-0) earned his third straight win in the Flower City while making 31 saves. The Finnish netminder has made 30-plus saves in four of his first six games of the season, which included a career-high 43 stops back on Feb. 12 in a 7-3 triumph at Cleveland.

A second-period surge and a three-point night from leading point-getter Jean-Sebastien Dea would solidify the Rochester Americans’ (6-3-0-0) sixth win of the year and third over the Syracuse Crunch (2-5-1-0) in a 4-2 victory over their North Division rivals Saturday at Upstate University Medical Arena.  
 
Captain Steven Fogarty (1+0) notched his fifth goal of the year – and fourth on the power-play – in just nine games, a mark that just last season took him 20 games to reach. The veteran forward is now tied for the league lead in power-play goals this season with Cleveland’s Trey Fix-Wolansky and Utica’s Kole Lind.

Dea (1+2) tallied his fourth multi-point effort of the campaign with a pair of assists and a late goal, making him the first Amerk to reach double digits points in 2020-21 and moving him into five-way tie for second in the league in scoring with 12 points through his first eight games. More impressively, Dea has recorded at least one point in all but one game so far this season, including opening the campaign with three straight multi-point effort for this first time in his seven-year pro career.

Forwards Andrew Oglevie (1+0) and Arttu Ruotsalainen (1+0) both notched their third goals of the season, respectively, while Jack Quinn (0+1) and defensemen Casey Fitzgerald (0+1) and Mattias Samuelsson (0+2) each added assists on the night. 

Despite coming back from a two-goal deficit, the Rochester Americans (6-3-0-1) fell 3-2 in their second shootout effort of the season to the Utica Comets (6-2-0-1) Wednesday night at the Adirondack Bank Center.

Rochester has collected at least one point in 22 of the last 31 games against Utica dating back to the start of the 2017-18 campaign, going 16-9-2-4 over that span. 

Forward Jack Quinn (1+0) scored his first professional goal late in the second period to ignite the comeback and defenseman Griffin Luce (0+1) recorded his first point as an Amerk – and first in the American Hockey League.

Rookie goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (5-2-1), who made his fifth straight and seventh in the last eight games for Rochester, finished with 35 saves in the loss.

The Rochester Americans (6-3-1-1) erased a two-goal deficit to force overtime before suffering a 4-3 setback to the Syracuse Crunch (7-5-1-0) Friday at The Blue Cross Arena.

The contest was Rochester’s first in 16 days and the fifth of 12 scheduled meetings with Syracuse this season. The Amerks show a 3-0-1-0 record in their last four games inside the Flower City and a 15-8-2-1 mark in the last 25 contests with the Crunch.

Rookie froward Brandon Biro factored in on all three Amerks goals, scoring twice, including the game-tying marker in the third period, while also adding an assist in the middle frame on Oskari Laaksonen’s first American Hockey League goal. Remi Elie notched his second multi-point effort of the season as he collected a pair of helpers. Mattias Samuelsson, Casey Fitzgerald and Jack Quinn all notched an assist. Quinn extended his point streak to three games (1+2) dating back to Mar. 6.

Goaltender Stefanos Lekkas, who signed a professional tryout (PTO) on Mar. 15, made his Amerks/AHL debut. The 25-year-old netminder made 25 saves but took the defeat.

The Cleveland Monsters scored twice in the opening eight minutes and rode a near-perfect performance from veteran goaltender Brad Thiessen on their way to a 5-1 win over the Rochester Americans Wednesday at The Blue Cross Arena.

The loss snaps Rochester’s home point streak at four games (3-0-1-0) and drops the Amerks to 6-4-1-1 on the season.

Veteran forward Michael Mersch provided the lone tally for the Amerks, spoiling Thiessen’s bid for his first shutout since April 3, 2019 with a power-play goal late in the third period. Brandon Biro, coming off a three-point effort Friday against Syracuse, notched an assist as did fellow rookie forward Patrick Polino, who registered his first pro point on Mersch’s third of the season. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonnen made 24 saves while making his ninth start in 12 games for Rochester.

The Syracuse Crunch (8-5-1-0) scored three times in the first period and added three more in third to come away with a 6-2 win over the Rochester Americans (6-5-1-1) Friday at The Blue Cross Arena in the first of three straight meetings between the intrastate rivals.

Arttu Ruotsalainen (1+1) and Andrew Oglevie (0+2) each factored in on both Amerks goals in the third period while Brett Murray rounded out the scoring for Rochester with his fourth goal of the season on the power-play. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen earned the start in goal for the seventh time in eight games, stopping 21 shots before being relieved by newcomer Billy Christopoulos late in the third. Christopoulos made two saves on three shots he faced in his American Hockey League debut while becoming the fourth different netminder to see time with the Amerks this season.

Six different goal-scorers found the back of the net for the Crunch, including Grigori Denisenko (1+1), John Ludvig (1+1) and Boris Katchouk (1+1), all of whom finished with goal and an assist each as Syracuse extended its win streak to five straight games. Samuel Montembeault again got the nod for Syracuse, turning aside 25 of the 27 shots he faced to improve to 4-3-1 on the season.

In a game highlighted by near-perfect execution on special teams and a combined seven goals in the first period, the Rochester Americans (7-5-1-1) halted the Syracuse Crunch’s (8-6-1-0) five-game winning streak and ended a four-game winless streak of their own on Saturday with a 5-3 victory at Upstate Medical University Arena. 

Brett Murray (2+1) powered the Amerks offense by notching a point on three of the team’s four goals of the night, marking the first three-point effort of his career. Arttu Ruotsalainen (1+2) had a three-point night as well, picking up his second straight multi-point effort and earning his fourth goal in six games. Rochester newcomer Griffin Luce (1+0) scored his first pro goal, which proved to be the eventual game-winner, while fellow rookie Jack Quinn (1+1) posted his first multi-point game. Dominic Franco (0+1), Oskari Laaksonen (0+2), Andrew Oglevie (0+1) and Mattias Samuelsson (0+1) all added assists on throughout the contest.

Goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (6-4-1) made his third consecutive start in the crease for Rochester and stopped 25 of the 28 shots he faced. 

The Rochester Americans (7-5-2-1) erased a one-goal deficit to force overtime, but it was the Syracuse Crunch (9-6-1-0) who scored 1:37 into the extra frame to win the third straight meeting between the North Division rivals Wednesday at The Blue Cross Arena.

Despite the overtime loss, Rochester has recorded points in six of the first eight games this season against the Crunch by going 4-2-2-0, including a 1-1-2-0 at home. The Amerks are 16-9-3-1 in their last 29 contests against Syracuse.

Forwards Dalton Smith and Remi Elie each tallied their first and fourth goals of the season, respectively, while rookie defenseman Mattias Samuelsson netted his second to send the game into the extra stanza. Dominic Franco found the scoresheet for the second time in as many games as he, Brandon Biro, Casey Fitzgerald and Patrick Polino all recorded an assist.

Rookie goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (6-4-2) made his fourth consecutive start in the crease for Rochester and ninth in the last 10 games, but was dealt with the overtime loss despite making 17 saves. The Finland native is tied for eighth in the AHL in wins and has made 25 or more saves in seven of his last 11 appearances dating back to a career-best 43-save performance at Cleveland on Feb. 12.

Facing a 2-1 deficit in the closing minutes of the second period, the Rochester Americans (9-5-2-1) reeled off three straight unanswered goals, including the game-winner from rookie forward Dominic Franco, on their way to a 4-2 win over the intrastate rival Utica Comets (6-3-0-1) Friday at the Adirondack Bank Center.

With the win, the Amerks extended their point streak to three straight games (2-0-1-0) and have now collected at least one point in 23 of the last 32 games against Utica dating back to the start of the 2017-18 campaign, going 17-9-2-4 over that span. 

Franco’s first pro goal midway through the third period broke a 2-2 tie and the Amerks held on for their third win of the season over Utica. The first-year forward has collected points in three straight games.

Forward Remi Elie (1+1) and defenseman Oskari Laaksonen (1+1) each scored a goal with an assist while picking up their third multi-point outings of the season. Laaksonen is now tied for second amongst all AHL rookie defensemen in assists and fourth in points while also showing goals in two of his last five appearances.

The Rochester Americans (8-7-2-1) opened a two-goal lead in the first period against the Cleveland Monsters (10-5-1-0), but were unable to hold onto the lead as the visitors scored four times in the final frame to come away with a 5-3 victory.

The contest, which was Rochester’s sixth straight home defeat, was the fourth of six scheduled meetings between the two teams this season and second of a three-game series. The Amerks, who boast a 30-10-4-4 record against the Monsters since the start of the 2011-12 season, opened the season series by way of a 7-3 victory while Cleveland has taken the last three meetings with the road team emerging victorious each time.

Rookie forward Jack Quinn tallied his first career two-assist game and second multi-point outing of his career while fellow linemate Michael Mersch also recorded a two-point effort with a goal an assist. Quinn has four points (1+4) over his last five games while Mersch extended his point streak to three games (2+2). Captain Steven Fogarty slipped in his team-leading seventh goal of the season in the third period while Ryan Jones scored his second of the slate. Brent Murray and Brent Gates Jr., who signed a professional tryout with Rochester yesterday, both recorded an assist.

First-year goaltender Stefanos Lekkas (0-1-1) made his second appearance with Rochester this season. The rookie netminder made 28 saves.

Despite opening the scoring for the third straight game against the Cleveland Monsters (11-5-1-0), the Rochester Americans (8-8-2-1) suffered a 6-3 setback in the series finale against the Monsters Saturday at The Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. 

This afternoon’s contest was the fifth of six scheduled meetings between the two teams this season and final of a three-game series. The Amerks, who are 30-11-4-4 record against the Monsters since the start of the 2011-12 season, opened the series with a 7-3 victory while Cleveland has now claimed each of the last four meetings following today’s win.

Forward Remi Elie (2+0) netted his sixth and seventh goals of the season for his second multi-goal outing of the year and now leads the team in that category. Rookie defenseman Mattias Samuelsson (1+1) lit the lamp for the third time this season and recorded his second multi-point contest of the year. Rookie forward Matej Pekar (0+2) tallied two assists on the night, giving him his first pair of points and multi-point outing as a pro.

After giving up a three-goal lead, the Rochester Americans (8-9-2-1) nearly clawed their way back but ultimately could not overcome a six-goal run by the Syracuse Crunch (13-8-1-0), who held on for a 7-6 win in a back-and-forth high-scoring affair Wednesday at The Blue Cross Arena.

The contest, which was Rochester’s seventh straight home defeat, was the ninth of 12 meetings between the two teams this season. The Amerks, however, have recorded points in six of the first nine get-togethers with the Crunch this season while also posting a 16-10-3-1 record in their last 30 games against Syracuse.

Newcomers Brandon Hawkins and Brent Gates, Jr. both netted their first goals as part of multi-point efforts while Brendan Warren also scored his first at the American Hockey Level in his Amerks debut. Rookie blueliner Ryan Jones (0+2) added a pair of helpers while Remi Elie and C.J. Smith both scored for Rochester. Patrick Polino also recorded his first professional goal in the defeat.

First-year goaltender Stefanos Lekkas (0-3-1) made his third straight appearance in net and made 26 saves but suffered the loss.

The Rochester Americans (8-10-2-1) scored three power-play goals and five overall, but were unable to snap their four-game slide Friday night in a 7-5 loss to Utica Comets (10-6-0-1) at The Blue Cross Arena.

The contest, which was Rochester’s eighth straight home defeat, was the sixth of 14 meetings between the two teams this season. Prior to tonight, the Amerks earned at least one point in four of the last five games versus the Comets and in 23 of the last 33 games overall dating back to the start of the 2017-18 campaign, going 17-10-2-4.

Forward Michael Mersch turned in a season-high four points (2+2), his most since a career-high five-point outing (3+2) back on Mar. 27, 2015 as a member of the Manchester Monarchs. Remi Elie and C.J. Smith both tallied a pair of helpers while Brett Murray, Brendan Warren and Dominic Franco all found the scoresheet with a goal. Oskari Laaksonen, Casey Fitzgerald and Brent Gates, Jr. all recorded an assist in the defeat.

In his first-career American Hockey League start and third appearance overall, rookie goaltender Billy Christopoulos made 27 saves but took the loss.

The Rochester Americans (8-11-2-1) erased a three-goal deficit midway through the second period but could not complete the comeback as the Amerks saw their winless streak reach six straight games with a 5-3 setback to the Syracuse Crunch (14-8-1-0) Saturday at Upstate Medical University Arena.

The contest was the 10^th of 12 scheduled meetings between the two teams this season and second in the last four days. Prior to tonight’s matchup, the Amerks had recorded points in six of the first nine get-togethers with the Crunch this season while also posting a 16-10-3-1 record in their last 30 games against Syracuse.

In his Amerks debut, defenseman and East Amherst native, Nick DeSimone, who was loaned to Rochester earlier in the week from the Vegas Golden Knights, led the club with a pair of assists. Forwards Remi Elie, Dominic Franco and Michael Mersch all scored for the second straight night as the Amerks rallied back from a 3-0 first-period deficit before Syracuse tacked on two more 21:02 of regulation.

With his goal, Mersch has tallied nine points (5+4) over his last seven outings while Franco has seven points (4+3) in his last nine games, including three straight games with at least one point. Elie, meanwhile, extended his point streak to four games as he has registered four goals and two assists over that span to take over the team’s scoring lead with 17 points (9+8) in 21 games.

The Rochester Americans (8-12-2-1) struggled to generate any offensive firepower in a 7-1 loss to the intrastate rival Utica Comets (12-7-0-1) Friday at the Adirondack Bank Center. 

The matchup was the seventh meeting between the two teams this season with the Amerks earning at least one point in four of the last seven games. Rochester has collected at least one point in 23 of the last 34 games against Utica dating back to the start of the 2017-18 campaign, going 17-11-2-4. 

The Comets have been dominant within the confines of the Adirondack Bank Center this season, going 8-1-0-0 on home ice with half of those home wins coming against Rochester.

Forward Brett Murray (1+0) provided the Amerks lone tally of the night, which marked his eighth point over the last 10 games. Rookie Matej Pekar (0+1) has found his groove over the last five games, adding his fourth assist in that span. Since coming to the Amerks on loan from the Vegas Golden Knights just last week, defenseman Nick DeSimone (0+1) found himself on the scoresheet once again with his third assist in Rochester and eighth of the season overall.

In his fifth start of the season, rookie goaltender Stefanos Lekkas (0-5-1) got the loss while making 33 saves in his sixth appearance.

Fueled by multi-point efforts from forwards C.J. Smith (1+1) and Brett Murray (1+1) as well as a near-perfect 32-save performance from rookie goaltender Stefanos Lekkas, the Rochester Americans (9-12-2-1) snapped their season-long seven-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory over the Syracuse Crunch (15-9-2-0) Saturday night at Upstate Medical University Arena.

The matchup was the 11^th of 12 scheduled meetings between the two teams this season and final trip of the campaign to downtown Syracuse. With the win, the Amerks have recorded points in seven of the first 11 games this season while also posting an 18-10-3-1 record in their last 32 games against the Crunch.

On the strength of his fourth multi-point outing of the season, Murray has recorded 12 points (6+6) over the last 12 games to retake the team’s scoring lead. Smith, meanwhile, has totaled 13 points (4+9) in 12 contests this season, including nine points (2+7) in his last nine appearances for Rochester. Neither player has gone back-to-back games all season without recording a point.

Rookie forward Matej Pekar completed the scoring as he netted his first professional goal for his fifth point (1+4) in the last six games dating back to a two-assist night on April 17. Patrick Polino, Remi Elie, Oskari Laaksonen and Michael Mersch, all added an assist.

Jean-Sebastien Dea scored twice in regulation, including the game-tying tally midway through the third period, and netted the only goal in the shootout to lift the Rochester Americans (10-12-2-1) to a 4-3 win over the Cleveland Monsters (15-8-8-2) in the final meeting of the season between the two teams Saturday at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

Tonight’s matchup was the sixth and final meeting between the two teams this season with Rochester showing a 2-4-0-0 record against the Monsters, including a 2-1-0-0 mark in Cleveland. Rochester holds a record of 31-11-4-4 over Cleveland since the start of the 2011-12 campaign and has earned a point in nine of the last 12 games, which includes all seven meetings last season.

In his first game back with Rochester since April 9, Dea (2+0) notched his fifth and sixth goals of the season for his fourth multi-point effort of the year before adding the shootout-clinching goal. Rookie forward Patrick Polino (1+0) notched his second professional marker, while defenseman Oskari Laaksonen (0+2) collected his third multi-point game of the season. Additionally, forwards Brandon Hawkins (0+1), Brendan Warren (0+1) and Matej Pekar (0+1) all added assists as Rochester picked up its second straight win on the road.

In his third start of the season, rookie goaltender Billy Christopoulos (1-1-0) earned his first American Hockey League win as he stopped 38 saves on 41 shots he faced.

The Rochester Americans (10-13-2-1) wrapped up the road portion of their 2020-21 regular season schedule with a 3-1 loss to the Utica Comets (15-10-0-1) Wednesday at the Adirondack Bank Center.

Despite the loss, however, Rochester has collected at least one point in 23 of the last 34 games against Utica dating back to the start of the 2017-18 campaign, going 17-11-2-4 over that span.

Rookie forward Brendan Warren (1+0) notched the Amerks lone tally of the night, while fellow rookie forward Dominic Franco (0+1) added the primary assist and defenseman Nick DeSimone (0+1) got the secondary helper.

Goaltender Michael Houser (0-1-0), fresh off a four-game stint with the Buffalo Sabres, got the loss as he made 34 saves on 37 shots he faced in his Amerks debut, becoming the fifth different netminder to appear in a game this season for Rochester.

The Rochester Americans (10-14-2-1) began their final homestand of the 2020-21 campaign on the short end of a 1-0 loss to the intrastate rival Utica Comets (16-10-0-1) in a goaltending duel Friday at The Blue Cross Arena.

The matchup was the second of three get-togethers this week and the 10^th meeting overall between the two teams this season. Rochester has earned at least one point in four of the last nine get-togethers thus far.

Forward Brett Murray, playing in his second game back with the Amerks following a brief two-game stint with the Buffalo Sabres, and defenseman Oskari Laaksonen each registered four shots on net while Michael Mersch, Steven Fogarty and Ryan Jones all had three.

The Amerks successfully killed all three penalties tonight , including a five-minute major, marking the fourth straight game in which the club did not allow a power-play goal. Since the start of May, Rochester has gone 15-for-15 while being a man down.

In his second appearance with Rochester since making his NHL debut, goaltender Michael Houser (0-2-0) made 26 saves but was dealt with the loss. In two starts in the Amerks crease, Houser has stopped 60 of the 63 shots he faced while posting a 1.55 goals against average to go with a .952 save percentage.

The Rochester Americans (10-15-2-1) held a 2-1 lead in the second period against the Syracuse Crunch (19-10-3-0) before allowing four straight goals and ultimately falling 5-3 to their intrastate rivals Saturday night at The Blue Cross Arena.

Rookie’s Brent Gates, Jr. (1+1) and Mattias Samuelsson (0+2) both chipped in a pair of points as did defenseman Nick DeSimone (0+2) in the defeat. Patrick Polino and Remi Elie each scored to complete the scoring for the Amerks, who finished with a 5-5-2-0 record over the 12-game season series with Syracuse. With his 10^th goal of the season, Elie became the first Amerk this season to reach the 10-goal mark. It is also the first time in Elie’s career he has reached the mark.

In his third appearance with Rochester since making his NHL debut, goaltender Michael Houser (0-3-0) made 22 saves but was dealt with the loss. In three starts in the Amerks crease, Houser has made 82 saves while posting a 2.79 goals-against average to go with a .911 save percentage.

The Rochester Americans (11-15-2-1) brought their historic 65^th season in the American Hockey League to a close Sunday night with 2-1 victory over the intrastate rival Utica Comets (16-11-0-1) at The Blue Cross Arena.

The matchup was the third of three get-togethers this week and the 11^th meeting overall between the two teams this season. Rochester earned at least a one point in four of the last 10 games.

Former Comet Dylan Blujus recorded his first two points of the season with his goal first since Feb. 28, 2020 as a member of the Comets. It marked Blujus’ first multi-point effort since Dec. 27, 2017 as he netted a goal and assist. Brendan Warren completed the scoring with his fourth tally of the slate. Michael Mersch, Brent Gates, Jr., and Brett Murray all picked up assists in the victory, Rochester’s first at home since March 3.

Goaltender Michael Houser (1-3-0), who came within seconds of earning his first shutout with the Amerks, picked up his first AHL win since Jan. 17, 2017 as a member of the Ontario Regin. The win was his first with Rochester. In four appearances this week, Houser has made 110 saves while posting a 2.33 goals-against average to go with a .924 save percentage.