AMERKS COME UP SHORT IN REMATCH WITH MARLIES
Leschyshyn scores lone goal, Leinonen makes 17 saves in AHL debut
Oct 11, 2025The Rochester Americans (1-1-0-0) generated 33 shots, including 17 in the first period alone, but were only able to solve the Toronto Marlies (1-1-0-0) once in a 4-1 loss in Saturday’s rematch between the North Division rivals at Coca-Cola Coliseum.
The two teams split the weekend series with each winning at home and each scoring four goals in their respective wins.
Jake Leschyshyn scored his first goal of the campaign from Isak Rosén and Noah Östlund midway through the third period while rookie goaltender Topias Leinonen (0-1-0) made his Amerks debut. The Finnish netminder stopped 17 of the 20 shots he faced but was dealt the defeat.
Travis Boyd (2+0), a 2018 Stanley Cup champion, made an immediate impact in his Marlies debut by scoring twice while team captain Logan Shaw also had two points (1+1) in the victory. Ryan Tverberg (1+0), Jacob Quillan (0+1), Benoit-Oliver Groulx (0+1), Matthew Barbolini (0+1) and William Villeneuve (0+1) all added a point to close out the scoring.
Netminder Dennis Hildeby (1-0-0) made 32 saves in a winning effort for Toronto.
FIRST PERIOD
Contrary to last night’s first period where the Amerks were held without a shot for the first seven-plus minutes, the visitors jumped out to an 11-2 shot-advantage on Saturday at the 11-minute mark, however, neither club found the scoresheet.
Each team had its best chance of the stanza as Tverberg saw his breakaway shot glance off the right post of Leinonen whereas Östlund was stonewalled by Hildeby on the doorstep.
SECOND PERIOD
The Marlies nearly got on the board first four minutes into the stanza but Luke Haymes was denied by Leinonen while on an odd-man rush.
Minutes later, Toronto broke the stalemate just seconds into its first power-play of the day when Boyd finished off Shaw’s backdoor feed inside the crease of Leinonen to put the Marlies in front.
Carrying a 1-0 lead and with the clock winding down, the Marlies pressured an Amerk behind his own net before Benoit-Olivier Groulx, who had a breakaway earlier in the period, lifted the stick of a Rochester defenseman and centered the puck in the slot. As he was cutting through the dots, Boyd converted again, this time hammering a shot to double Toronto’s lead with 13 seconds to play.
THIRD PERIOD
Facing a two-goal hole in the final period, Rochester gained its second power-play at the midway point of the frame with Östlund setting up Rosén for a shot from the right dot. While Hildeby made the initial save, it leaked through his legs before Leschyshyn retrieved it and tucked into the back of the cage with 8:55 to go in regulation.
On the ensuing shift, the Marlies responded on an odd-man rush, as Tverberg finished off a play from Barbolini and Quillan at the 11:22 mark.
As the game continued, the Amerks attempted to cut into the deficit and pulled their netminder, but Shaw capped off the 4-1 score with an empty netter in the waning minutes of regulation.
UP NEXT
The Amerks continue their three-game road swing on Friday, Oct. 17 when they meet the Utica Comets in the first of 10 scheduled meetings between the intrastate rivals at Adirondack Bank Center. The North Division matchup will be carried live on The Sports Leader 95.7 FM/950 AM The Fan Rochester as well as AHLTV on FloHockey.
Goal Scorers
TOR T. Boyd (1, 2 – GWG) R. Tverberg (1), L. Shaw (2),
ROC: J. Leschyshyn (1)
Goaltenders
TOR D. Hildeby – 32/33 (W)
ROC: T. Leinonen – 17/20 (L)
Shots
TOR 33
ROC: 21
Special Teams
TOR PP (1/2) | PK (1/2)
ROC: PP (1/2) | PK (1/2)
Three Stars:
1. TOR - D. Hildeby
2. TOR - T. Boyd
3. TOR - L. Shaw