GAME PREVIEW: AMERKS HOST MONSTERS IN FINAL HOME GAME OF 2025
Five things to know as Amerks return to action after eight-day holiday break
Dec 26, 2025By Andrew Mossbrooks | @ Mossbrooks48
For the final time in 2025, the Rochester Americans (15-10-2-1) open the doors to Blue Cross Arena as they host the front half of a home-and-home set against the Cleveland Monsters (12-10-3-1) Saturday evening in downtown Rochester.
Here are five things to know before the Amerks resume play after their extended holiday break.
GOING OUT ON A HIGH NOTE
Before getting to their extended holiday break, the Amerks last played Dec. 19 when the team rallied over the Belleville Senators for a 3-2 win in overtime.
Isak Rosén put the exclamation point on the game with his winning conversion after Riley Fiddler-Schultz evened the scoring as the Amerks trailed by a goal nearing the midway point of the third period. Rosén’s overtime winner was his second goal of the night, with the first being the team’s Teddy Bear Toss goal, which saw a plethora of bears and other stuffed animals hit the ice courtesy of the 6,233 fans in attendance.
In goal, Devon Levi made 22 saves in another steady performance to earn him his division leading-11th win of the season.
Cleveland stayed playing after Friday, though they wish they hadn’t. After shutting out Laval by a 2-0 final, the Monsters ran into the AHL’s buzzsaw that is the Grand Rapids Griffins, who blanked Columbus’ AHL affiliate by a 5-0 score Saturday to pick up their AHL-best 25th win of the season. Prior to their loss, the Monsters had picked up three wins over their previous four outings. Saturday’s loss already marked the third time this season that Cleveland was held scoreless.
CHRISTMAS CONSISTENCY
The Amerks will have hoped to unwrap the gift of consistency as they return from their holiday break. Since the opening month of the season concluded, Rochester has gone 8-8-2-1. The team has seen a turn in point production, garnering them in eight of the previous 10 games, but are looking for more wins as the halfway point to the AHL’s 2025-26 season nears.
Through 28 games this season, the Amerks have yet to ice what was anticipated to be their opening night lineup even once, with players like Josh Dunne, Noah Östlund, Rosén and others being called up to the Buffalo Sabres at various points throughout the season and in some cases altogether at once.
Amerks head coach Michael Leone stated last week that the team hasn’t dressed the same roster for more than three games in a row all season. Injuries have at times played a role with that, too, with forwards Carson Meyer and Jake Leschyshyn missing multiple weeks’ worth of games. Only five skaters have appeared in every game for the Amerks this season.
Despite their adversity, the red, white, and blue enter the final days of the calendar year third in the North Division, trailing both Syracuse and Laval by only two points. Rochester’s 94 goals this season are sixth-best in the AHL, aided by what continues to be the Eastern Conference’s leading power-play unit, operating at 26.3% with 31 goals for on the man-advantage.
PUTTING A BOW ON IT
A win can nab the Amerks five out of a possible eight points on their four-game homestand that concludes Saturday night. Rochester’s quartet of home contests marks the second-longest homestand the team will have over the course of its historic 70th AHL season. Their longest begins at the end of January with six in a row coming at Blue Cross Arena.
The team is 6-5-1-1 on home ice through the opening third of contests being played in Rochester this season. After this, the Amerks hit a daunting stretch where seven of their next nine games come on the road. While it’s perceived as potential adversity, the Amerks have taken quite kindly to the bus rides this season, owning a 9-5-1-0 record. The Amerks’ first home game of 2026 comes Jan. 9 as they’ll embark on a three-game road trip after Saturday’s matchup with the Monsters.
CARSON MONSTER
For a second time this season, Amerks forward Carson Meyer will get to face the team he has played for the most since turning pro in 2021. Meyer’s first 172 AHL games came as a member of the Monsters, playing in the Blue Jackets’ system after being drafted by the team in 2017. Meyer, an Ohio native himself, appeared in 41 games for the big club over parts of four seasons.
Meyer then found a change in scenery out west with the San Diego Gulls a season ago, but was limited to 29 games after suffering a season-ending injury last February. The 28-year-old was still sidelined when the Sabres called, offering Meyer a contract to return back east.
In his time as an Amerk thus far, Meyer has dominated, accruing 11 points (6+5) over 14 games. The sixth-year pro has posted seven of those points on home ice. Meyer has yet to find the stat sheet against his former team.
YOU DON’T SCARE ME
It’s round three of eight in the season series between Rochester and Cleveland, with each side picking up a win in the other team’s home arena to start the year. In October, it was Konsta Helenius stuffing home the overtime game-winner by a 4-3 score in the Buckeye State, before the Monsters were able to get payback on Thanksgiving Eve with a 3-1 win in the Flower City.
Last season saw the Amerks cruise through the season series, showing a 7-1-0-0 mark against the Monsters. Tonight is game one of two in this two-game set taking place over the next 72 hours. The Amerks will travel to Cleveland for a Monday night face-off at Rocket Arena, where the Monsters are 5-5-2-1. This comes a year after Cleveland made the Calder Cup Playoffs with only 16 wins on home ice.
Rochester has yielded a .500 or better record in each of the last four seasons against Cleveland. The Amerks have points in nine of their last 12 home games against Cleveland, displaying a 6-3-3-0 mark since the 2021-22 season.