AMERKS SCORE FOUR IN FIRST, SURVIVE LATE PUSH FROM WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON
Kuntar strikes twice, Leschyshyn scores for third straight game in 6-4 win over Penguins
Nov 7, 2025On the strength of five different goal-scorers and 11 skaters recording at least one point, the Rochester Americans (8-4-0-0) defeated the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (8-3-1-0) by way of a 6-4 score Friday at The Blue Cross Arena.
GAME SUMMARY PHOTO GALLERY POST-GAME REPORT
With the win the Amerks, who have won four of their first five home contests, have been victorious in seven of the last 10 games. Dating back to the start of the 2017-18 season, Rochester boasts a near-perfect 11-2-0-1 record versus Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the last 13 meetings, including eight straight wins on home ice, while scoring five or more goals in seven games during that stretch.
Trevor Kuntar (2+0), Zach Metsa (1+1), Graham Slaggert (0+2), Konsta Helenius (0+2), and Anton Wahlberg (0+2) all posted multi-point efforts to help the Amerks get back in the win column. Jake Leschyshyn, Viktor Neuchev, and Matteo Costantini, who made his AHL debut, all scored, with Leschyshyn finding the back of the net for the third consecutive game.
Former Penguin Jagger Joshua, Noah Laaouan, and Brendan Warren all provided an assist in the win.
Goaltender Devon Levi (6-1) responded after being dealt his first defeat of the campaign on Wednesday with his sixth win, which is tied for most in the AHL. The netminder made 22 saves in his seventh appearance of the campaign.
FIRST PERIOD
After successfully clearing off a 5-on-3 disadvantage for 1:26 and Costantini clanging a shot off the right post, Rochester kicked off the fireworks that featured four goals in a span of 6:03.
Riley Fiddler-Schultz forced a turnover deep inside the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton zone before Joshua rimmed it from the back of the net for Metsa. While the Amerks captain was outside the right dot, he flung it for Kuntar to steer over the right shoulder of the Penguins’ netminder at the 12:29 mark.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton answered the goal on the ensuing shift, but the Amerks erupted to take a 4-1 advantage into the intermission by scoring three times in the final 3:47.
Leschyshyn added his team-leading sixth of the slate from Wahlberg and Helenius on Rochester’s second man-advantage of the night prior to Costantini and Kuntar adding their first and fourth, respectively.
SECOND PERIOD
The Penguins faced a 4-1 deficit at the start of the second period and tallied one in the first half before adding a second to make it a one-score game after 40 minutes.
Immediately after face-off win inside the offensive zone, Alex Alexeyev wired a shot from the top of the right point at the 2:40 mark before Tristan Broz picked the corner from a sharp-angled shot with under five minutes to go.
THIRD PERIOD
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton completed its comeback after clearing a penalty, but the Amerks restored their lead five minutes later just 50 seconds into a power-play.
Leschyshyn helped win a face-off to the left of the Penguins’ net, where Wahlberg scooped up the puck and provided a feed to Metsa atop the zone. As Rochester’s captain was waiting for bodies to provide a screen in front of the crease, he snapped a shot to beat Maxim Palvenko, who entered the contest at the beginning of the second period.
Trailing by a goal again, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton pulled its netminder for an extra attacker with under three minutes to play. As it looked the visitors would have a grade-A scoring chance, Neuchev broke up the play below the face-off dots and sealed the 6-4 win with an empty-netter.
UP NEXT
The Amerks close out the weekend on the road on Sunday, Nov. 9 when they clash with the Hershey Bears in a battle between the league’s two cornerstone franchises at Giant Center. Game time is slated for a 5:00 p.m. start and will be carried live on The Sports Leader 95.7 FM/950 AM The Fan Rochester as well as AHLTV on FloHockey.
STARS AND STRIPES
Forward Matteo Costantini became the second different Amerks rookie this season to notch a goal in his season debut (Tyler Kopff) and the third first-year skater to record a point in his first game, joining Red Savage and Radim Mrtka … Rochester has outscored Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 40-20 in the last eight games in the Flower City … The Amerks limited the Penguins to just three shots in the third period, which were the club’s fewest allowed in a game this season.
Goal Scorers
WBS: M. De St. Phalle (1), A. Alexeyev (2), T. Broz (6), S. Poulin (4)
ROC: T. Kuntar (3, 4), J. Leschyshyn (6), M. Costantini (1), Z. Metsa (2 – GWG), V. Neuchev (4)
Goaltenders
WBS: F. Larsson – 7/11 (ND) | M. Pavlenko – 16/17 (L)
ROC: D. Levi – 22/26 (W)
Shots
WBS: 26
ROC: 29
Special Teams
WBS: PP (0/5) | PK (6/8)
ROC: PP (2/8) | PK (5/5)
Three Stars:
1. ROC - Z. Metsa
2. ROC - T. Kuntar
3. ROC - M. Costantini