Rochester Americans defeat the Cleveland Monsters
- Sharvani Regmi
- Apr 17
- 2 min read
By: Sharvani Regmi / Sports Reporter
ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- The Rochester Americans secured a 4-1 victory over the Cleveland Monsters at Blue Cross Arena. With only two games left in the regular season, the Amerks look to head into the postseason on a positive note.
“I thought we won a lot of shifts, and I thought that last 10 minutes the guys did a great job of managing the game, and it kind of got back to what we’ve been all year,” Rochester Americans head coach Michael Leone said. “To be honest we’ve been in a lot of those situations, and the guys’ commitment to play winning hockey and it was really selfless team effort, and we’re really proud of the guys.”
Amerks opened their score line late in the opening frame, after center Mason Jobst capitalized on a power play with 6:59 remaining. Jobst redirected a shot from defender and IOA/American Specialty AHL Man of the Year Zachary Metsa to give Rochester the lead. The advantage was short-lived as Monsters center Luca Del Bel Belluz responded with an equalizer less than a minute later to make the score 1-1 at the end of the first period.
In the first period Cleveland outscored Rochester by only one shot. Cleveland attempted 12 shots on target whereas the Amerks attempted 11.
Rochester found its second goal with just 7:23 left in the period. Left wing Brendan Warren assisted Metsa, who shot the puck from the slot to give the Amerks a 2-1 lead. In the period, Rochester had 11 shots on goal and were successful in converting only one while the Monsters had seven shots on goal, where none were converted.
“Hopefully I can stay consistent,” Metsa said. “That’s kind of been my focus this year. I had some good moments last year. But I really wanted throughout the entire work of 70 so games to put consistent effort night in and night out. I just want to keep that going in playoffs.”
The Amerks sealed the win with two late goals in the final period as Cleveland pulled their goalie in a desperate effort to make a comeback. Center Riley Fiddler-Schultz found the empty net and added a goal for the Amerks with 1:36 remaining in the period. Left winger Brett Murray added another empty-netter just 26 seconds before the final horn which extended the final score to 4-1.
Rochester doubled the number of shots the Cleveland Monsters had on in the frame as well. The Amerks had 12 shots on goal whereas the Monsters only had six.
With the win, Rochester improved its season record against Cleveland to 7-1-0-0 and its overall record to 46-21-4-3 for second seed in the North. The Amerks will host the Toronto Marlies in the last home game of the season on Friday, April 18. The puck drop is scheduled at 7:05 p.m.
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