Coming off a week in which they split their four games last week, Rochester sits in second with three home games this week, and two against divisional opponents in Belleville and Cleveland. The Amerks trail Belleville by seven heading into the week, while Cleveland sits last in the division. While they have not won consistently over the last month, Rochester will need to do so in order to ensure their chances for postseason success.
| # |  Top Scorers | GP | Goals | Assists | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 39 | J.S. Dea | 57 | 15 | 24 | 39 |
| 17 | Sean Malone | 58 | 12 | 18 | 30 |
| 22 | Zach Redmond | 59 | 5 | 25 | 30 |
| 15 | Andrew Oglevie | 55 | 15 | 14 | 29 |
| 19 | C.J. Smith | 50 | 12 | 15 | 27 |
February 19: vs. Belleville (L 3-2/OT)
Rochester started strong early, as Jean-Sebastian Dea’s 15th of the year gave the Amerks a 1-0 lead, and along with a decisive edge in shots (13-3) saw them dominate Belleville in the opening 20 minutes.
THAT'S 1️⃣5️⃣ GOALS FOR JSDEA THIS SEASON 🤯#UnitedWeROC | @jsdea10 pic.twitter.com/8uVwaeHWpV
— Rochester Americans (@AmerksHockey) February 20, 2020
While the next period saw the Senators earn greater chances, it was Jacob Bryson scoring his first professional goal at 10:56 in the second to double Rochester’s lead after two periods.
BRYSON'S FIRST CAREER GOAL IS A BEAUTY 😍#UnitedWeROC | @jbryson_18 pic.twitter.com/P6jj1VaeDG
— Rochester Americans (@AmerksHockey) February 20, 2020
Although it took until halfway through the third, Vitaly Abramov scored to put Belleville within one, and under five minutes later, Josh Norris tied the game at 2 with 4:48 left in regulation, as they would go to overtime. Over a minute into extra time, Norris scored again to give Belleville the win, as Rochester fell at home, 3-2. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 15 saves, as the Amerks look to get back to winning.
February 21: vs. Lehigh Valley (W 3-2/OT)
The Amerks got off to a positive start, with C.J. Smith (11) scoring on the power play just a few minutes into the game, along with a lead in shots, Rochester maintained their one-goal lead throughout the game.
CJ Smith from JS Dea and Asplund. pic.twitter.com/QfvzvKNWdx
— LGA585 (formerly LetsGoAmerks) (@LGA585) February 22, 2020
After a 14-9 edge in S.O.G., neither team scored in the second, as Andrew Hammond stopped all 18 shots faced after forty minutes. The Amerks entered the third period with a shutout and a 25-18 edge in shots, but Kurtis Gabriel tied the game 3:35 into the third. The game remained tied, although Lehigh Valley had more shots in the third until Sean Malone (11) gave the lead back to Rochester with 52 seconds remaining. Just 20 seconds later, however, Mikhail Vorobyev evened everything at 2, as the game went to OT.
Jacob Bryson game winner in OT. pic.twitter.com/NzJ4BhBUKf
— LGA585 (formerly LetsGoAmerks) (@LGA585) February 22, 2020
It did not take long to decide a winner, as Bryson’s second goal gave Rochester the win by a score of 3-2, with Hammond making 29 saves in the win.
February 22: vs. Cleveland (L 3-2/OT)
While Cleveland earned few scoring chances early on, they took full advantage, as Trey Fix-Wolansky and Markus Hannikainen scored four minutes apart early in the first for a 2-0 lead. Taylor Leier did respond for the Amerks late in the period, trimming their deficit to one after the opening period, despite an overwhelming 16-3 edge in shots.
ROLL the Highlight Reel 📽️📽️📽️@23TLeier | #UnitedWeROC pic.twitter.com/ArQgORghne
— Rochester Americans (@AmerksHockey) February 23, 2020
At 9:15 of the second, Brett Murray (9) tied the game for Rochester, and after two periods of play, the score was tied at 2, despite Rochester having nearly triple the shots on goal as their opponent.
ℕ 𝕌 𝕄 𝔹 𝔼 ℝ 9⃣@brettmurrayy | #UnitedWeROC pic.twitter.com/6enr3D9vRW
— Rochester Americans (@AmerksHockey) February 23, 2020
The third period saw the Amerks continue their offensive production, but no goals scored, as the Amerks went to OT once again. However, over a minute and a half into the frame, Sam Vigneault scored the game-winner as the Amerks lost to Cleveland, 3-2. Making the start, UPL stopped 10 of only 13 shots faced for Rochester, while Joonas Korpisalo, who was making a rehab start, made 32 saves and won, despite his team being vastly outshot in this game.
Although Rochester earned one win this week, they came away with four points and remain second in the North, with 68 points (30-17-4-4) in 55 games played. Casey Mittlestadt earned an assist this week, while UPL finished the week with two OT losses, with a save percentage of .801% and a 2.94 goals against average. The Amerks head into the week concluding their homestand against Utica (63 pts) and Laval (58 pts) before ending the week traveling to Syracuse (61 pts) and face the Crunch. With three divisional games this week, Rochester has to get back to their winning ways in order to make the playoffs for a third straight year.
| Date | Opponent | Time/Result |
|---|---|---|
| 10/04/19 |  vs. Syracuse Crunch | W 3-2 (OT) |
| 10/11/19 |  @ Springfield Thunderbirds | W 2-1 |
| 10/12/19 |  @ Providence Bruins | L 3-2 |
| 10/13/19 |  @ Hartford Wolf Pack | W 3-2 (SO) |
| 10/18/19 |  vs. Cleveland Monsters | L 4-3 (SO) |
| 10/19/19 |  @ Utica Comets | L 7-1 |
| 10/23/19 |  vs. Hershey Bears | W 5-1 |
| 10/26/19 | @ Syracuse Crunch | W 7-6 (OT) |
| 10/27/19 | @ Springfield Thunderbirds | L 2-1 (OT) |
| 10/30/19 | vs. Providence Bruins | L 4-3 |
| 11/01/19 |  vs. Binghamton Devils | W 4-2 |
| 11/02/19 | @ Utica Comets | W 6-0 |
| 11/08/19 | vs. Binghamton Devils | L 4-3 (SO) |
| 11/13/19 | vs. Syracuse Crunch | W 4-3 |
| 11/15/19 | vs. Cleveland Monsters | W 4-3 (OT) |
| 11/16/19 | @ Utica Comets | W 4-3 |
| 11/22/19 | vs. Hartford Wolf Pack | W 4-0 |
| 11/23/19 | @ Binghamton Devils | W 4-2 |
| 11/29/19 |  vs. Toronto Marlies | L 3-2 (OT) |
| 11/30/19 | @ Cleveland Monsters | W 3-2 |
| 12/04/19 | vs. Toronto Marlies | W 4-0 |
| 12/06/19 |  vs. Charlotte Checkers | W 4-0 |
| 12/07/19 | vs. Charlotte Checkers | L 3-1 |
| 12/11/19 |  vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | W 4-2 |
| 12/13/19 |  @ Laval Rocket | W 3-2 |
| 12/14/19 | @ Laval Rocket | W 5-0 |
| 12/18/19 | @ Binghamton Devils | L 2-1 |
| 12/20/19 | vs. Binghamton Devils | W 3-0 |
| 12/21/19 | vs. Utica Comets | W 4-3 |
| 12/27/19 |  vs. Belleville Senators | W 4-3 |
| 12/28/19 | @ Binghamton Devils | L 2-0 |
| 12/31/19 | @ Utica Comets | L 3-2 |
| 01/03/20 | @ Belleville Senators | W 4-3 (OT) |
| 01/04/20 | @ Toronto Marlies | L 5-2 |
| 01/08/20 | vs. Binghamton Devils | L 4-3 (SO) |
| 01/10/20 | vs. Belleville Senators | L 5-1 |
| 01/11/20 | @ Syracuse Crunch | L 5-4 |
| 01/17/20 | vs. Cleveland Monsters | L 4-3 (SO) |
| 01/18/20 |  @ Lehigh Valley Phantoms | L 4-0 |
| 01/19/20 | @ Hershey Bears | L 4-1 |
| 01/22/20 | @ Cleveland Monsters | W 3-2 (OT) |
| 01/24/20 | vs. Laval Rocket | W 5-2 |
| 01/25/20 | @ Syracuse Crunch | W 3-2 |
| 01/31/20 | vs. Syracuse Crunch | W 4-2 |
| 02/01/20 | @ Binghamton Devils | W 3-2 |
| 02/05/20 | @ Cleveland Monsters | W 4-2 |
| 02/07/20 | vs. Syracuse Crunch | L 5-2 |
| 02/08/20 | @ Toronto Marlies | L 4-0 |
| 02/11/20 | @ Charlotte Checkers | L 4-2 |
| 02/12/20 | @ Charlotte Checkers | L 5-2 |
| 02/15/20 | @ Syracuse Crunch | W 4-3 (SO) |
| 02/16/20 | vs. Utica Comets | W 3-2 |
| 02/19/20 | vs. Belleville Senators | L 3-2 (OT) |
| 02/21/20 | vs. Lehigh Valley Phantoms | W 3-2 (OT) |
| 02/22/20 | vs. Cleveland Monsters | L 3-2 (OT) |
| 02/26/20 | vs. Utica Comets | L 3-2 (SO) |
| 02/28/20 | vs. Laval Rocket | W 4-2 |
| 02/29/20 | @ Syracuse Crunch | L 4-2 |
| 03/04/20 | vs. Utica Comets | L 3-1 |
| 03/06/20 | @ Belleville Senators | W 5-3 |
| 03/07/20 | @ Belleville Senators | W 4-2 |
| 03/11/20 | vs. Binghamton Devils | L 5-2 |
| 03/13/20 | vs. Syracuse Crunch | 7:05 PM |
| 03/15/20 | @ Cleveland Monsters | 3:00 PM |
| 03/17/20 | @ Toronto Marlies | 1:30 PM |
| 03/20/20 | vs. Springfield Thunderbirds | 7:05 PM |
| 03/21/20 | vs. Springfield Thunderbirds | 7:05 PM |
| 03/25/20 | vs. Toronto Marlies | 7:05 PM |
| 03/28/20 | @ Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | 7:05 PM |
| 03/29/20 |  @ Bridgeport Sound Tigers | 3:00 PM |
| 04/01/20 | vs. Utica Comets | 7:05 PM |
| 04/03/20 | vs. Syracuse Crunch | 7:05 PM |
| 04/04/20 | @ Syracuse Crunch | 7:00 PM |
| 04/08/20 | @ Utica Comets | 7:00 PM |
| 04/10/20 | vs. Bridgeport Sound Tigers | 7:05 PM |
| 04/11/20 | @ Binghamton Devils | 7:05 PM |