Jason Polin scored twice for the second consecutive game as the Rochester Americans beat the Cleveland Monsters 4-1 Wednesday at Blue Cross Arena.
The Amerks built a 3-0 lead early in the second period and improved to 6-4-0-1, according to the team's recap. Cleveland fell to 6-5-0-0 with its third loss in four games.
Polin and Peca keep producing
Polin recorded back-to-back multi-goal games for the first time as a professional. Three of his four goals across the two games came on the power play.
Matthew Peca had two assists to extend his point streak to six games. Rookie Liam Valente also recorded two assists for the first multi-point game of his professional career.
Dennis Gilbert added two assists for his first points as an Amerk after returning from a five-game stint with the Buffalo Sabres.
Zac Funk scored his second goal of the season, while Riley Fiddler-Schultz added his fourth. Caleb Jones had a secondary assist, giving him five points in seven games since his Rochester debut Oct. 16.
The Americans have scored at least three goals in each of their six victories. They also remained unbeaten when leading after two periods, improving to 6-0-0-0 in that situation.
Sabres fall to Senators 2-1 at home Rochester has scored a power-play goal in 26 of its last 49 games against Cleveland since the 2020-21 season, converting 32 of 166 opportunities. The team also reported killing 66 of its past 73 shorthanded situations across a 21-game span dating to the 2023-24 season.
Villalta stops 23 shots
Matt Villalta carried a shutout into the latter half of the third period and finished with 23 saves on 24 shots. His record improved to 6-3-1.
The Godfrey, Ontario, native leads AHL goaltenders with six wins and 223 saves, according to the team. His 2.00 goals-against average ranks eighth in the league.
Oiva Keskinen scored his second goal of the season for Cleveland. Evan Gardner stopped 20 shots in his fifth appearance and fell to 3-2-0.
The Amerks finish their four-game homestand Friday, Nov. 6, against the Hartford Wolf Pack, Hartford's only visit to Rochester this season. The game begins at 7:05 p.m. and will air on WGR Rochester, 95.7 FM and 950 AM, and stream on AHLTV on FloHockey.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to news@fingerlakes1.com.