Amerks open up 3-game homestand Wednesday night

The Rochester Americans come into the week fresh off a weekend sweep of the Cleveland Monsters, taking four out of a possible six points this past week.
Rochester has won seven of its last nine games and have earned 38 out of a possible 50 points in its last 25 contests dating back to their 5-3 win over Syracuse on Oct. 10. They're six points ahead of the Crunch for the top spot in the AHL's North Division standings.
Among all AHL teams, only the Charlotte Checkers have more wins (22) than the Amerks (18).

Stats leaders

| Player | GP | G | A | PTS | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1. Zach Redmond | 27 | 14 | 10 | 24 | | 2. C.J. Smith | 27 | 9 | 13 | 22 | | Victor Olofsson | 24 | 8 | 14 | 22 | | Lawrence Pilut (loaned to Buffalo) | 16 | 3 | 19 | 22 | | 5. Alexander Nylander | 27 | 7 | 13 | 20 |

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Goaltending leaders

| Player | GP | W | L | OTL | GAA | SV% | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Scott Wedgewood | 15 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 2.77 | .914 | | Adam Wilcox | 12 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 2.83 | .902 |

News and notes

The Amerks continue on a busy stretch which keeps the team on home ice for four of its next six games beginning this weekend through the New Year.
Rochester will see five different Eastern Conference opponents over that stretch, including a back-to-back series this weekend with the Hartford Wolf Pack before in the final two games leading up to the annual Christmas break.

The Great Lakes Rivalry between Rochester and Cleveland officialy got underway last weekend.
Fans of both teams will have the opportunity to submit their ideas for the design and name of a trophy, which will be presented to the winning team at the conclusion of the regular season. Fans interested in participating can do so by visiting www.amerks.com/trophy to cast their vote. The lucky winner will receive a VIP experience that includes suite tickets to the game between the two teams on Friday, Mar. 22 in Rochester and an opportunity to meet select Amerks players following the game.
The highlight of the Great Lakes Rivalry Series comes later this month with the first of a special two-game home-and-home series of Nickelodeon Nights featuring the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
The promotional nights will take place in both Cleveland and Rochester with both teams hosting Nickelodeon Nights within their respective home arenas over the course of the season. The Monsters, who will host the first event at Quicken Loans Arena on Wednesday, Dec. 26, will wear Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle-themed jerseys while the Amerks will sport sweaters inspired by the Foot Clan. The teams will wear the same themed jerseys again on Friday, Mar. 22 when the Amerks host the Monsters at The Blue Cross Arena.
The Foot Clan jerseys the Amerks will be wearing will be available for purchase through a silent auction held during the game in Rochester on the upper concourse of The Blue Cross Arena. Following the game, the winners of the auction will be able to take the ice and be presented with a "jersey off the back" from the Amerks players.
Remaining season series schedule between the Amerks and Monsters:
Friday, Dec. 14 vs. Cleveland - 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 15 at Cleveland - 7 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 26 at Cleveland - 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 12 at Cleveland - 7 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 20 vs. Cleveland - 7:05 p.m.
Friday, Mar. 22 vs. Cleveland - 7:05 p.m.
Monday, Apr. 8 at Cleveland - 7 p.m.

Coming up

The Amerks are back in action on Wednesday, Dec. 19 when they welcome the Belleville Senators for a North Division showdown at The Blue Cross Arena.
Following the 7:05 p.m. contest with the Senators, the Amerks host the Hartford Wolf Pack in the front-end of a two-game home set on Friday, Dec. 21 at 7:05 p.m. The series then wraps up on Saturday, Dec. 22 for a rematch with the Wolf Pack at 5:05 p.m.

All three games will be carried live on The Sports Leader AM 950/ 95.7 FM ESPN Rochester as well as AHLTV.

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Game recaps

Dec. 12: Devils 5 - Amerks 1
Watch: Youtube Video
Entering Wednesday's contest at The Blue Cross Arena as winners of its last three games, the first-place Rochester Americans' bid to extend its winning streak to four straight was halted in a 5-1 loss against the intrastate rival Binghamton Devils (11-14-3-0).
Second-year winger Sean Malone scored his second goal of the season in the defeat while Matt Hunwick, who was assigned to the Amerks by the Buffalo Sabres that morning, made his season debut in a conditioning stint. The game marked his first professional game since Apr. 1, 2018 as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL) and first AHL contest since Mar. 26, 2014 while with the Lake Erie (Cleveland) Monsters.
Making his third appearance in the last four contests, goaltender Jonas Johansson made six saves in the first 22 minutes before being replace by Adam Wilcox. Johansson was dealt his first loss of the season while Wilcox stopped 20 of 21 shots he faced in relief.
Dec. 14: Monsters 1 - Amerks 3
Watch: Youtube Video
On the strength of a season-high 42-save effort from goaltender Scott Wedgewood, the first-place Rochester Americans came away with a 3-1 victory over the Cleveland Monsters (13-10-3-0) Friday at The Blue Cross Arena. The contest served as the front-end of a home-and-home weekend series between the two North Division teams.
Forward Justin Bailey (0+2) recorded a pair of assists to give the Amerks their fourth home win in last five tilts while Brandon Hickey, Danny O'Regan and Alexander Nylander all lit the lamp.
Wedgewood made his first appearance in the blue paint since Dec. 1 and improved to 9-4-1 with the win, stopping all but one while carrying a shutout into the final 1:11 of regulation.
Dec. 15: Amerks 2 - Monsters 1 (OT)
Watch: Youtube Video
After seeing the Cleveland Monsters (13-10-4-0) tie Saturday's rematch at Quicken Loans Arena late in the closing minutes of regulation, Rochester Americans' reigning Rookie of the Year C.J. Smith scored the overtime-winning goal 3:32 into the extra frame to give the Amerks a 2-1 victory over their North Division rivals.
Along with Smith's eighth tally of the season, second-year defenseman Brendan Guhle also scored for the Amerks, who have claimed the first three games this season against Cleveland.
Goaltender Adam Wilcox recorded his seventh win of the campaign as he turned aside 30 of the 31 shots he faced on the night, coming within just minutes of his first shutout as an Amerk. In 12 appearances this year, Wilcox shows a 7-2-1 record.

Ticket info

Individual game tickets for the 2018-19 season start at just $14. Amerks 2018-19 Flex Memberships are available starting as low as $17 per ticket, are on-sale now at Amerks.com.
Flex vouchers can be used at any Amerks home game in any quantity. For more information, visit www.amerks.com/flexpacks or call 1-855-GO-AMERKS. Amerks Holiday Packs are now available for $59 and include four vouchers, two tickets to a pre-selected Amerks game and a custom knit Amerks scarf.