AMERKS HOLD OFF COMETS TO GET BACK IN WIN COLUMN
Geertsen scores in Amerks debut, Warren records two points in 4-3 win over Utica
Nov 22, 2025The Rochester Americans (11-8-0-0) twice carried multi-goal leads, but it was the last that proved to be the difference as the Amerks survived a late-game push from the Utica Comets (2-10-2-1) and held on for a 4-3 victory Saturday at Adirondack Bank Center.
The win gets the Amerks, who entered the matchup having dropped six of their previous nine to start the month of November, back in the win column and back to within two points of the first place in the American Hockey League’s North Division standings.
Rochester has dominated the Comets over the last four seasons, with tonight’s win improving them to 27-7-1-1 against its intrastate rival, which includes a near-perfect 16-2-0-1 record on the road since the start of the 2022-23 season. Rochester has outscored Utica 129-100 over that same span, and after the second period alone, the Amerks have dismantled the Comets by a 59-40 margin.
Forward Brendan Warren (1+1) notched a pair of points for the Amerks in the opening period while Olivier Nadeau, Trevor Kuntar, and Mason Geertsen, who made his season debut with Rochester, all scored. Nadeau’s tally was his second in as many nights and third in his last five games, while Kuntar’s marked his team-leading eighth of the campaign, which ultimately served as the game-winner.
Konsta Helenius extended his point streak to a career-best five games as he assisted on Warren’s first-period goal while Nikita Novikov, Anton Wahlberg and Riley Fiddler-Schultz each also notched an assist.
Goaltender Devon Levi (8-2-0) matched a season-high 33 saves as he improved to 8-2-0 on the slate. Levi, who leads all AHL netminders this season in wins, boasts an unblemished 10-0-0 mark in 10 career appearances versus Utica since making his Amerks’ debut during the 2023-24 campaign.
Lenni Hämeenaho collected his first two-point effort of the season for Utica, which remain winless on home ice this season. Goaltender Nico Daws (2-5-2) made 26 saves in his ninth contest of the season.
FIRST PERIOD
Wahlberg flipped the puck from center ice, sending Helenius on a breakaway. Despite the Finnish forward being denied, Daws tried to glove down the rebound, but it hit his own teammate, keeping the puck in play. Wahlberg then pressured Utica defenseman Dmitry OsipOv in the near corner, forcing a misplay that was intercepted by Helenius. The second-year Amerk played it to his left for Warren, who wired it past Daws with 6:46 left in the frame.
Less than a minute after Warren’s third of the year, Graham Slaggert won a face-off to the left of Daws back to Noah Laaouan. The blueliner tucked behind the Utica net before connecting with Warren atop the right point. Warren slid a quick pass across the zone for Novikov and the defenseman one-touched it in between the dots for Geersten, the former Comet, to double the Rochester lead while Slaggert provided a net-front screen.
Utica cut into the deficit in the final minute of the frame as Calen Addison dished a cross-crease pass for Hämeenaho as the duo skated into the offensive zone on an odd-man rush.
SECOND PERIOD
The second period seemed much like a rotation of special teams as Rochester finished with three power-plays whereas Utica had four. The two clubs combined with 44 penalty minutes, 16 shots and two goals.
The Comets trailed 2-1 with under eight minutes to go in the frame, but after a heavy hit to the left of Levi, Osipov sent a pass to Ethan Edwards atop the Amerks’ blueline. The defenseman, who was reassigned by New Jesey on Friday, slid a one-timer for Nathan Légaré to blast past Levi to knot the score at the 12:47 mark.
The Amerks successfully cleared off a slashing infraction two minutes after the Comets made it a 2-2 game before Viktor Neuchev drew an interference penalty as he tried to take the puck along the wall into the offensive zone.
While the period was winding down and the puck along the wall to the right of Daws, Fiddler-Schultz wrapped it around to Wahlberg. The Swedish winger had his head up and passed the puck to Jones, who unleashed a quick shot towards Daws. Prior to the puck reaching the front of the netminder, Nadeau redirected it for his second goal in as many nights and third in his last five games to reclaim the lead with 28 seconds left.
THIRD PERIOD
Early in the final period, Joshua pressured a Comet as he was attempting to play the puck out of the defensive zone. The attempt caromed off Fiddler-Schultz, who joined the rush to apply pressure, before being gathered by Kuntar at the bottom of the left circle. The Buffalo native shrugged off a back-check before converting his own rebound inside Daws’ left skate to restore Rochester’s two-goal advantage at the 4:38 mark.
The Comets did not go away quietly, though, as Parent netted his fourth of the slate with just over five minutes left in the contest as he was set-up by Addison and Hämeenaho while on the power-play.
Utica tried one final trick to force the game into overtime by pulling Daws, but Jack Rathbone and Wahlberg both made big blocks in the dying minutes to preserve the 4-3 victory.
STARS AND STRIPES
Including tonight, the Amerks have won 16 of the last 18 games on the road against the Comets, with the only regulation loss being a 6-0 defeat on Nov. 11, 2023, and a 3-2 shootout loss Feb. 28, 2025 ... Since the regulation defeat, Rochester boasts an 11-0-0-1 record … By scoring a pair of goals in the opening period, the Amerks have nearly matched their first-period goal total this season (7) versus Utica as they had through the eight games in 2024-25 (8).
UP NEXT
The Amerks open the final week of November at home with a 7:05 p.m. contest on Wednesday, Nov. 26 against the Cleveland Monsters. All the action from The Blue Cross Arena will be carried live on The Sports Leader 95.7 FM/950 AM The Fan Rochester as well as AHLTV on FloHockey.
Goal Scorers
ROC: B. Warren (3), M. Geertsen (1), O. Nadeau (3), T. Kuntar (8 – GWG)
UTC: L. Hämeenaho (3), N. Légaré (2), X. Parent (4)
Goaltenders
ROC: D.Levi– 33/36 (W)
UTC: N. Daws – 26/30 (L)
Shots
ROC: 30
UTC: 36
Special Teams
ROC: PP (1/4) | PK (4/5)
UTC: PP (1/5) | PK (3/4)
Three Stars:
1. ROC - Z. Jones
2. ROC - B. Warren
3. UTC - L. Hämeenaho