AMERKS SHUT OUT BY MARLIES IN HOME FINALE
Marlies clinch playoff berth, Amerks set to face Crunch in North Division Semifinal
Apr 18, 2025A season-high crowd of 10,395 packed Blue Cross Arena for Fan Appreciation Night, but it was Dennis Hildeby and the Toronto Marlies that spoiled the regular season home finale for the Rochester Americans with a 3-0 win Friday in the first of back-to-back meetings between the North Division rivals.
The Amerks enter their final game of the season Saturday with a 42-22-4-3 record. Toronto improved to 36-23-4-8 on the season, clinching a playoff berth in the process.
Elsewhere in the league, Syracuse won its game, and as a result, the Amerks will face-off against the Crunch in the best-of-five North Division Semifinal Round which begins next Friday in Rochester.
Devon Levi recorded 24 saves in his 42nd start of the season with Rochester.
FIRST PERIOD
Rochester’s biggest moment of the period came over 12 minutes into the contest when Jagger Joshua delivered a heavy hit on Marlies’ leading-scorer Alex Steeves at the Toronto bench, causing a flurry of shoves afterwards that saw both players face roughing minors.
Toronto solved Levi in the final minute of the first with Nick Abruzzese racing down the left-wing side, taking a wrist shot that eluded the glove of Levi to put the Marlies on top with 53 seconds to play in the period.
SECOND PERIOD
Despite outshooting Toronto 16-11, the Marlies again skated out of the period with the only goal.
Former Amerk Alex Nylander swept the puck away in the defensive zone for Toronto, then sped through the neutral zone and down the ice for a partial breakaway. The sniper lifted the puck over the shoulders of Levi, doubling the visitors’ lead.
THIRD PERIOD
The Amerks had a pair of third period power-plays, but were unable to solve Hildeby, who stopped an additional seven shots to preserve a 32-save shutout.
Robert Mastrosimone tacked on an empty-net goal for the 3-0 final
UP NEXT
The Amerks put a bow on their 69th season in franchise history Saturday afternoon in Toronto to wrap up the home-and-home weekend against the Marlies. The action will be carried live on The Sports Leader 95.7 FM/950 AM The Fan Rochester beginning at 4:00 p.m. as well as AHLTV on FloHockey.
Goal Scorers
TOR: N. Abruzzese (15-GWG), A. Nylander (23), R. Mastrosimone (10-EN)
ROC: None
Goaltenders
TOR: D. Hildeby – 32/32 (W)
ROC: D. Levi – 24/26 (L)
Shots
TOR: 27
ROC: 32
Special Teams
TOR: PP (0/1) | PK (3/3)
ROC: PP (0/3) | PK (1/1)
Three Stars:
1. TOR – D. Hildeby
2. TOR – A. Nylander
3. TOR – N. Abruzzese