GAME PREVIEW: AMERKS END ROAD TRIP TONIGHT IN SYRACUSE
Depleted Amerks looking to grind out first win of new year over Crunch
Jan 7, 2026By Andrew Mossbrooks | @ Mossbrooks48
The Rochester Americans (16-11-3-1) will see a three-game road trip conclude Wednesday evening when they visit the intrastate rival Syracuse Crunch (18-11-2-1) at Upstate Medical University Arena.
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Here are five things to know ahead of this intrastate rivalry game.
(UN)HAPPY NEW YEAR
Despite a 2-1 lead entering the second period, the Amerks stumbled out the gates to begin 2026, surrendering four second-period goals to the Toronto Marlies, who topped Rochester in a 6-4 final Saturday evening to start 2026.
Nikita Novikov and Isak Rosén each scored in the first period, which was followed by a Riley Fiddler-Schultz conversion in the second and a Trevor Kuntar goal in the third. Scott Ratzlaff appeared in a second consecutive game, this time through a relief appearance with six saves in the third period.
The loss snapped a three-game point streak for Rochester and is just the second regulation loss the Amerks have had since the start of December.
Syracuse had better fortunes over the weekend, dropping the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins by a 6-0 final. Brandon Halverson posted 17 saves for his third shutout of the season and has helped Syracuse secure points in eight straight starts. The Crunch are three points ahead of the Amerks for second in the North Division, though Rochester holds a game in hand.
RED, WHITE, (BLACK) AND BLUE
As the midway point of the AHL season nears, injuries and call-ups have been a consistent hurdle for the Amerks in the team’s 70th season.
On Tuesday, defenseman and leading scorer Zac Jones was recalled to Buffalo, joining team captain Zach Metsa along with forwards Noah Östlund and Josh Dunne, who have all missed significant time with Rochester.
On the injury front, forward Graham Slaggert will return to the lineup after missing the past three games, however, goaltender Topias Leinonen and now defenseman Vsevolod Komarov are both out week-to-week with lower-body injuries. Forward Carson Meyer will also be unavailable for Wednesday’s game, though there is no timetable on his return.
Through 31 games, the Amerks have yet to ice what was to be their expected lineup back in October. Jack Rathbone and Riley Fiddler-Schultz stand as the only two players to have appeared in every game for Rochester this season.
LEVI LOOKS FOR BOUNCE-BACK PERFORMANCE
The now 24-year-old Devon Levi will make his 22nd start of the season Wednesday night. The third-year Amerk is second in the Eastern Conference for minutes played at 1233:21and tied for fifth in the conference with 11 wins.
Levi took the crease Saturday in Toronto, making 16 saves through two periods before Ratzlaff came in for the third period.
The 2025 AHL All-Star enters tonight's matchup with a 7-6-4 record against Syracuse in 17 appearances since making his debut with Rochester. Levi earned his first win against the Crunch back on Nov. 28 after being winless in his four previous contests (0-2-2) dating back to Jan. 31, 2025.
Saturday marked the third time in Levi’s career that the goaltender had been pulled from a game. He is 2-0-0 in games after said occurrence.
MANY GEERS IN PLAY
Mason Geertsen will return to the lineup Wednesday and for the second time this season take on the role of a defenseman with Jones and Metsa recalled and Komarov out injured. Geertsen is a 13-year veteran who patrolled the blueline earlier in his career, largely with AHL-San Antonio from 2015-18.
In 11 games as an Amerk, Geertsen has logged three points (1+2) and 22 penalty minutes. In his last game as a defenseman on Dec. 27, Geertsen tallied an assist in Rochester’s overtime loss to Cleveland. He has spent much of his career as a forward and has amassed 862 penalty minutes across 458 AHL games.
STINGY SYRACUSE
The Crunch, like Rochester, have strung together a bunch of points over the past month. Syracuse skates into Wednesday with points in eight of its last 10 outings, which is in large part due to its defense and goaltending that have helped the team allow the sixth-fewest goals-against in the league.
Aside from Halverson, Ryan Fanti has helped in-between the pipes, but the strength for Syracuse comes through its shot suppression. The Crunch are averaging 24.31 shots against per game, leading the AHL in that category.
For as good as they are defensively, their offense also has a standout in the form of Jakob Pelletier, whose 16 goals and 35 points make him a top-five scorer in the league. He has scored a pair of goals and an assist in three games against Rochester so far this season.
The Amerks are 1-2-0-0 through the start of their season series with Syracuse. The teams meet nine more times through the back half of the 2025-26 campaign and three times over the next 12 days.