AMERKS COME UP SHORT IN SYRACUSE
Fiddler-Schultz, Jones each record multi-point outings in 5-3 loss to Crunch
Mar 28, 2026The Rochester Americans (27-25-5-3) scored three first-period goals to wipe out an early multi-goal deficit but then couldn’t find the back of the net again in what became a 5-3 loss to the intrastate rival Syracuse Crunch (39-20-3-2) Saturday at Upstate Medical University Arena.
The contest, which saw the teams combine for 55 shots, 28 penalty minutes, eight goals, including four on the power-play, three multi-goal rallies, and two penalty shots, served as the front-half of a home-and-home between the two teams. The series shifts back to Rochester on Sunday for a 3:05 matinee to close out the weekend as well as the month of March.
The Amerks are winless (0-3-0-1) in their last four games opposite the Crunch after posting three straight victories. It marks the first time Rochester has dropped four consecutive games against Syracuse since the 2023-24 season when they went 0-3-2-0 mark over a five-game stretch.
Riley Fiddler-Schultz (1+2) and Zac Jones (1+1) both notched multi-point outings in the opening period while Olivier Nadeau also scored in the first frame for Rochester, which has dropped two straight 5-3 decisions to the Crunch. Jagger Joshua, Ryan Johnson, and Konsta Helenius each added an assist in the defeat.
Goaltender Scott Ratzlaff (4-4-1) made 27 saves in his 10th appearance of the campaign for Rochester. The rookie netminder has faced 30 shots or more in four of his last five starts.
Mitchell Chaffee (1+1) and Matthew Peca (0+2) both finished with multi-point efforts for Syracuse, which improved to 21-8-1-1 on home ice this season. Cooper Flinton, Jakob Pelletier, Ethan Gauthier all scored one goal apiece before Matteo Pietroniro sealed the win with an empty-netter.
Netminder Ryan Fanti, who shows a 4-1-0 mark since the start of February, upped his record to 13-12-1 as he stopped 30 of the 33 shots he faced.
FIRST PERIOD
An action-packed first period began with an Amerks penalty just 23 seconds into the frame before Pelletier blasted his 27th goal of the season from Chaffee and Conor Geekie.
The Crunch quickly doubled their lead nearly two minutes later as Gauthier fired a shot from the left point past a screened Ratzlaff. Maxim Groshev and Matthew Peca were credited with the assists at the 17:35 mark.
Immediately after the ensuing face-off following Gauthier’s goal, veteran Mason Geersten and Jarred Tinordi dropped the gloves in a spirited heavyweight bout.
Rochester seemed to find its game after the fighting majors and drawing its first power-play with 16:24 left in the frame.
The Amerks controlled the puck in the offensive zone and attempted five shots before Jones fired a sixth from atop the right point. Prior to the puck reaching Fanti, Nadeau redirected it for his ninth goal of the campaign at the 4:59 mark.
Later in the frame, Trevor Kuntar separated a Crunch skater of the puck as he played his body, allowing Johnson to seize control of the puck. The Amerks defenseman exchanged two give-and-go passes with Joshua before sliding it to his left for Fiddler-Schultz to even the contest at 2-2 with 4:56 remainging on the clock.
To close out the period, Rochester gained another power-play and only needed three seconds to capitalize on the man-advantage.
Thanks to a clean face-off win to the right of Fanti, Fiddler-Schultz pulled the puck back to Helenius outside the dot. The second-year Finn provided a quick pass across the zone for Jones to hammer past the netminder, giving Rochester its first and only lead of the contest with just over three minutes in the stanza.
SECOND PERIOD
Unlike the first period, the second stanza saw the two rivals clamp down defensively and turn the game into a stalemate as it went into the third with Rochester still ahead 3-2.
Rochester had the two best chances to add to its lead, but Fanti denied Jake Leschyshyn’s penalty shot attempt five minutes into the frame while also turning aside a late power-play opportunity for the Amerks, which carried over into the start of the third period.
THIRD PERIOD
Syracuse, which trailed 3-2 to begin the frame, saw its best opportunity to find the equalizer on an early penalty shot opportunity, however, Ratzlaff turned aside Peca’s shot attempt just 19 seconds in.
Five minutes later, the Crunch earned a power-play and this made it count on the Amerks’ rookie netminder as Chaffee knotted the score at 3-3 from Ian Mitchell and Peca.
The Crunch reclaimed their lead later in the period as Dylan Duke was carrying the puck through the neutral zone and lobbed a pass to his right for Flinton. As he was streaking down the right wing, Flinton caught the puck, tucked below the face-off dot and cut through the center of the crease before beating Ratzlaff over the glove at the 12:40 mark.
The Amerks tried to force the game beyond regulation as they exhausted their timeout and pulled Ratzlaff for the final three minutes. Despite a few chances, the home squad thwarted the last-minute comeback attempt and sealed the 5-3 win with Pietroniro’s goal in the final second of the game.
STARS AND STRIPES
Tonight’s game featured a penalty shot for both teams, marking the first time since Oct. 26, 2024, the Amerks (Graham Slaggert on Jet Greaves) and their opponent (Cleveland, Owen Sillinger on Michael Houser) had a penalty shot in the same game … It was also the first such occasion in Crunch history.
UP NEXT
Following a quick turnaround, the Amerks and Crunch close out the month of March with a rematch on Sunday, March 29 as the home-and-home series shifts back to The Blue Cross Arena for a 3:05 p.m. matinee in downtown Rochester. All the action will be carried live on The Sports Leader 95.7 FM/950 AM WGR Rochester as well as AHLTV on FloHockey.
Goal Scorers
ROC: O. Nadeau (9), R. Fiddler-Schultz (21), Z. Jones (10)
SYR: J. Pelletier (27), E. Gauthier (11), M. Chaffee (24), C. Flinton (4 – GWG), M. Pietroniro (8)
Goaltenders
ROC: S. Ratzlaff – 27/31 (L)
SYR: R. Fanti – 30/33 (W)
Shots
ROC: 33
SYR: 32
Special Teams
ROC: PP (2/4) | PK (1/3)
SYR: PP (2/3) | PK (2/4)
Three Stars:
1. SYR – M. Chafee
2. SYR – C. Flinton
3. SYR – E. Gauthier