TACO BELL WRAP-UP: AMERKS SPLIT WEEKEND COMING OUT OF ALL-STAR BREAK
Fiddler-Schultz posts four-goal weekend, including first career hat trick
Feb 16, 2026By Andrew Mossbrooks | @ Mossbrooks48
The Rochester Americans (24-17-4-2) returned from the All-Star break to split a pair of games on the weekend against the Utica Comets, picking up a 4-1 win Saturday before falling on home ice by a 7-4 final Sunday evening.
Rochester’s trio of All-Stars shined brightly in the team’s first game back, while the ironman of the lineup saw his efforts rewarded Sunday at Blue Cross Arena.
TERRIFIC TRIO
After sharing the spotlight in Rockford, Illinois at the AHL All-Star Classic, forwards Konsta Helenius, Isak Rosén, and defenseman Zac Jones all picked up where they left off heading into the break.
On Saturday, the trio combined for six points in Rochester’s 4-1 win at Utica, with Rosén and Jones each registering two assists as Helenius posted his second two-goal game of the season. Jones would find the stat sheet again on Sunday with two helpers to complete a four-point weekend for the veteran defenseman, who continues to lead Rochester and the AHL’s blue line in points with 44 (7+37).
Up front, Rosén and Helenius follow suit in the Amerks lineup, ranking second and third in points, respectively. Rosén tops all Amerks forwards with 24 goals and enters the week tied for fourth most goals in the AHL and is second in the Eastern Conference. His 1.22 points-per-game ranks fifth best amongst all skaters with at least 20 games played this season.
Helenius’ 36 points (12+24) is second-most by any teenager in the AHL. His empty-net goal in the win over Utica Saturday allowed the Finnish-born prospect to leap his rookie total in points while doing so in 28 fewer games.
A FIRST FOR FIDDS
After scoring Saturday in Utica, Riley Fiddler-Schultz amplified his scoring touch on home ice Sunday, netting his first professional hat trick in the team’s 7-4 loss to the Comets. The third-year Amerk scored in each period Sunday, including a power-play goal in the middle period, before tipping his third goal through in the final minute of regulation.
Fiddler-Schultz is up to 15 goals on the season, trailing only Rosén for the team lead with 14 of his 27 points coming since the turn of the new year, including nine goals. Fiddler-Schultz is fourth in team scoring and fourth in shots (97). The Edmonton, Alberta, native’s third goal Sunday saw him surpass his 26-point campaign from a season ago while doing so in four fewer games.
POWER-PLAY BACK ON TRACK
After going seven games without a goal on the man-advantage, Rochester now has four power-play goals over its last three games, including three over this past weekend. The return in man-advantage momentum can largely be attributed to Helenius, Rosén, and Jones all returning as the Buffalo Sabres entered the NHL’s Olympic break.
Rochester’s power-play is the top unit in the AHL’s Eastern Conference and enters Monday third overall, operating at a 23.6% clip. The Amerks have had an impressive 14 different players register power-play goals this season, with nine skaters recording multiple conversions on special teams.
Jones continues to lead the league in power-play points with 27 (1+26), while Rosén is tied for seventh in the league with eight goals on the man-advantage.
COMING UP NEXT
As the Amerks continue a three-game homestand at Blue Cross Arena, they subsequently begin a stretch of playing seven straight against teams ahead of them in the standings, starting Wednesday evening as the defending Eastern Conference champion Charlotte Checkers skate into town.
After that, the division leading-Laval Rocket come to the Flower City for a Friday night tilt. Starting Friday, the Amerks will face the Rocket four times over a 15-day span.