AMERKS UNABLE TO HOLD LEAD IN 4-2 LOSS TO MONSTERS
Nadeau, Helenius provide the scoring, Levi makes 26 saves as Rochester drops fourth straight
Feb 25, 2026The Rochester Americans (24-18-5-3) scored a pair of first-period goals to take a 2-0 lead, but were unable to stop a four-goal run by the Cleveland Monsters (28-16-6-1) in what became a 4-2 loss Wednesday night at Rocket Arena.
The loss was Rochester’s first in regulation in Cleveland since Nov. 16, 2023. The Amerks had won seven straight and eight of their last night nine games in Cleveland prior to Wednesday while showing an 8-0-1-0 over that same span.
Forwards Olivier Nadeau and Konsta Helenius notched their sixth and 13th goals of the season, respectively, for the Amerks, who have now suffered four straight losses (0-2-1-1) for the first time this season.
Former Monster Carson Meyer and Isak Rosén both tallied an assist to complete the scoring. Noah Laaouan, who returned to the lineup for the first time since Jan. 14, skated in his 200th professional game.
Goaltender Devon Levi (17-11-8) made 26 saves in his AHL-leading 36th appearance of the season. The netminder, who has allowed two or fewer goals in 11 of his last 15 games since Jan. 7, faced 19 of his 30 shots in the opening 40 minutes of regulation.
FIRST PERIOD
Moments following a scoring chance from Brendan Warren at the right circle of Cleveland goaltender Ivan Fedotov, Jake Leschyshyn dumped the puck back down the left wall. As the Cleveland netminder stopped it from rimming around the boards, he bobbled the puck, allowing Nadeau to gain possession and eventually tuck it underneath Fedotov just 2:37 into the contest for his sixth goal of the campaign.
While seeing his first shot attempt of the night clank off the post, Helenius buried his second attempt with 2:58 remaining after he and Meyer exchanged a quick give-and-go inside the Monsters’ zone to double the 2-0 lead.
Trailing by a pair in the final minute of the opening period, Brendan Gaunce scooped up a loose puck to the left of the Amerks net. The Cleveland captain banked a pass off the far side of the boards before Guillaume Richard blasted a shot from below the left dot. Prior to the puck reaching Levi, Zach Aston-Reese turned his stick on his backhand and redirected it past the right hand of Rochester’s netminder to slice the deficit in half in the waning seconds of the opening frame.
SECOND PERIOD
The Monsters seemed to ride the late goal by Aston-Reese into the second stanza as Jack Williams nearly knotted the score midway through the period but fired a shot off Levi’s mask. Shortly thereafter, Rochester was called for the game’s first penalty.
On the ensuing man-advantage, Luca Del Bel Belluz carried the puck across the blueline into the offensive zone. The AHL All-Star slid it back to Gaunce at the left point before Owen Sillinger and Luca Marrelli traded passes. On the return feed from Sillinger, Marrelli wired in his first AHL goal with just nine minutes left in the frame.
Two minutes later after tying the contest 2-2, Dysin Mayo fired a shot from the right point as bodies gathered atop Levi’s crease. Before the puck reached Levi, James Malatesta, who was falling towards the ice, lifted his stick and redirected it to give the Monsters their first lead of the night.
THIRD PERIOD
During the final frame, both teams threw everything they had at the opposition’s goaltender, but both Levi and Fedotov made timely saves and kept the game a 3-2 score.
Unfortunately for the Amerks, they were on the wrong side of some puck luck as Mikael Pyyhtiä backhanded a seemingly innocent shot from the right face-off dot of Levi. As the third-year netminder was in position for the save, it caromed off an Amerk and changed direction before sneaking inside the post at the 16:49 mark.
Rochester pulled Levi on the ensuing shift for an extra skater and exhausted its timeout to try and spark a late comeback, however, both attempts were unsuccessful as the final buzzer sounded.
UP NEXT
The Amerks bring the month of February to a close on Friday, Feb. 27 as they host the first-place Laval Rocket for the second straight week at Blue Cross Arena. The 7:05 p.m. matchup 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 (6), K. Helenius (13)
CLE: Z. Aston-Reese (3), L. Marrelli (1), J. Malatesta (5 – GWG), M. Pyyhtiä (12)
Goaltenders
ROC: D. Levi – 26/30 (L)
CLE: I. Fedotov – 24/26 (W)
Shots
ROC: 26
CLE: 30
Special Teams
ROC: PP (0/0) | PK (1/2)
CLE: PP (1/2) | PK (0/0)
Three Stars:
1. CLE - L. Marrelli
2. CLE - B. Gaunce
3. CLE - J. Malatesta