AMERKS MOVE INTO FIRST-PLACE TIE WITH 3-1 WIN OVER MARLIES
Another multi-goal effort from Kulich, 34 saves from Levi key win over Toronto
Apr 17, 2024Forwards Jiri Kulich (2+0) and Isak Rosén (0+2) both turned in another multi-point effort to pace the Rochester Americans (38-23-6-2) to a 3-1 victory over the Toronto Marlies (34-24-10-3) Wednesday at The Blue Cross Arena.
GAME SUMMARY PHOTO GALLERY POST-GAME REPORT
With the victory, the Amerks, who are 12-2-0-1 in their last 15 games and have points in 27 of their last 36 dating back to Jan. 17, completed the season-series with a 4-1-0-1 record against Toronto. Rochester finished with a .500 winning percentage or better in back-to-back years against the Marlies for the first time since the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons and is now tied with Syracuse for the top spot in the AHL’s North Division standings.
Along with Kulich, who has notched back-to-back multi-goal outings for the first time in his career, including a hat trick in Saturday’s win over Belleville, Brandon Biro (1+0) also found the scoresheet for the Amerks, who show a 10-2-0-1 record since March 15. Kulich (10+5), Rosén (5+10) and Biro (2+9) have totaled 17 goals and 24 assists over that same span. Aleksandr Kisakov, Jeremy Davies, and Lukas Rousek all registered an assist to complete the scoring.
Goaltender Devon Levi (15-6-3), who made his 24th appearance of the season and third straight, stopped 34 of the 35 shots he faced to pick up his 15th win. The rookie netminder has won eight of his last nine starts and 10 of 11 dating back to the start of March.
Roni Hirvonen scored his seventh goal of the campaign in the second from Topi Niemelä and Robert Mastrosimone for Toronto. Goaltender Matt Murray, who appeared in his second game of his conditioning assignment from the Toronto Maples Leafs, manned the pipes, stopping 24 of the 27 shots he faced.
Midway through the second period, Rochester saw the Marlies even the score at 1-1 on a power-play goal from Hirvonen.
Less than 30 seconds later, the Amerks were whistled for another infraction, however, it was the home club that changed the score.
Biro broke up Toronto’s attempt as they entered the offensive zone before moving the puck into the far corner of the opposite end. Rosén avoided three Marlies and sent a perfect pass for Biro to slip between the legs of the two-time Stanley Cup champion netminder, restoring Rochester’s lead.
Shortly after Biro scored his second shorthanded marker of the season, Kulich gathered Davies’ bank pass off the boards in-front of the Amerks bench and sprinted behind the Marlies defense. As the AHL All-Star reached the top of the goal-mouth, he roofed a forehand shot to make it a 3-1 game with 4:31 remaining in the frame.
The Amerks carried the two-goal cushion into the final period and then clamped down defensively as they blocked multiple shots while Levi stopped all seven he saw to close out the win.
Rochester opened the scoring at the 15:43 mark of the first period as Kisakov tracked down the puck inside the right circle after Zach Metsa cleared it into the offensive zone. The second-year forward snagged the puck and dropped it to Rosén as he skated across the blueline. The latter took a stride towards the net before he centered it for Kulich to wire past the blocker of Murray for his first of two on the night.
The two teams traded goals to start the middle stanza before Biro and Kulich sealed the 3-1 score with second-period markers of their own.
The Amerks close out the home portion of the 2023-24 regular season on Friday, April 19 against the Cleveland Monsters at The Blue Cross Arena. The 7:05 p.m. home finale be carried live on The Sports Leader 95.7 FM/950 AM The Fan Rochester as well as AHLTV.
Stars and Stripes:
Goaltender Devon Levi finished the season series against the Marlies with a 3-0-0 record to go along with a 1.63 goals-against-average, a .962 save percentage and 127 saves … Lukas Rousek, who returned to the Amerks after his NHL recall, is one point away from becoming the fifth skater this season to reach the 40-point mark after notching an assist … Jiri Kulich, who has six goals over his last four games, is three away from being the first Rochester skater since Victor Olofsson to record 30 or more goals during the 2018-19 season.
Goal Scorers
TOR: R. Hirvonen (7)
ROC: J. Kulich (26, 27), B. Biro (15 – GWG)
Goaltenders
TOR: M. Murray – 24/27 (L)
ROC: D. Levi – 34/35 (W)
Shots
TOR: 35
ROC: 27
Special Teams
TOR: PP (1/4) | PK (3/3)
ROC: PP (0/3) | PK (3/4)
Three Stars:
1. ROC - J. Kulich
2. ROC - D. Levi
3. ROC - I. Rosén