Amerks split last weekend's games, host Albany Friday

The Rochester Americans split their pair of games last weekend and are now 20-25-0-2 with 42 points on the season.
They'll receive some offensive support for their upcoming games after the Buffalo Sabres claimed forward Derek Grant off waivers on Monday and assigned him to the Amerks. Grant scored 27 goals and posted 45 points in 36 games with Stockton of the AHL last season.

Friday: Amerks 2 - Sound Tigers 3

The Rochester Americans scored two unanswered goals to come within one, but were unable to complete the comeback for the second straight game as the Bridgeport Sound Tigers rode a three-goal second period to claim their eighth straight win with a 3-2 decision Friday at the Webster Bank Arena.
Justin Bailey scored his team-leading 19th of the season, placing him one goal away from tying his rookie total at the end of last season. Fifth-year forward Dan Catenacci had a two-point night, including his fifth goal of the year, and newcomer Patrick Mullen tallied his first point in his first game as an Amerk, assisting on the goal by Catenacci.
Fresh off his Top Goaltender performance at the 2017 AHL All-Star Classic, Linus Ullmark stopped 25 of 28 shots faced and was perfect in the both first and third periods.
Josh Ho-Sang's multi-point night paced the Sound Tigers, which included his sixth goal on the season. Tanner Fritz notched his 12th goal, and with 5:27 remaining in the second, Ryan Pulock fired a shot past Ullmark from the right wing to round out the scoring for Bridgeport.
Jaroslav Halak earned his sixth straight win with a 25-save effort for the Sound Tigers, who also extended their home win streak to six straight games.

Saturday: Amerks 4 - Wolf Pack 2

RCH vs. HFD
The Rochester Americans jumped out to a 3-0 lead midway through the second period before holding off and defeating the Hartford Wolf Pack 4-2 at the XL Center Saturday.
Evan Rodrigues scored his eighth and ninth goals on campaign to help the Amerks grab the lead they would never see evaporate. Also, picking up two assists was newly acquired Patrick Mullen and team captain Cal O'Reilly, who rejoined the club earlier in the day after being reassigned by the parent Buffalo Sabres.
Mullen has recorded three assists in his first two games with Rochester while Rodrigues shows 13 points (4+9) in his last 15 games dating back to Dec. 17.
Nick Baptiste and Cole Schneider finished off the scoring for the Amerks while Linus Ullmark made his seventh straight start in between the pipes, stopping 18 of the 20 shots he faced to improve his record to 18-16-2. The Swedish netminder's 18 wins are just two shy for most in the league this season.

Justin Fontaine and Philip McRae each scored their seventh markers of the campaign for the Wolf Pack while Magnus Hellberg made 20 saves of the 24 shots he faced. He now shows an even 10-10-5 record on the season.

Up next

The Amerks return home on Friday, Feb. 10 when they host the Albany Devils in a North Division showdown at The Blue Cross Arena on Donate Life Night.
For the fifth year in a row, the Amerks are partnering with the Finger Lakes Donor Recovery Network (FLDRN) to raise awareness for organ donation.
The Amerks game will provide an opportunity for FLDRN staff, volunteers and members of the Amerks Alumni Association to encourage people to enroll in the New York State Donate Life Registry at
www.passlifeon.org
to become an organ donor and help save lives.
Registered organ donors can receive a complimentary ticket to that night's game when they "show their heart" on their driver's license at The Blue Cross Arena Box Office with additional tickets starting as low as just $13. Fans can take advantage of this special offer by clicking here..
Additionally, any fan that signs up to be a donor at the game can receive two complimentary ticket vouchers to any remaining 2016-17 Amerks home game.
Members of the Amerks Alumni Association will be on-hand throughout the evening to speak with fans about the importance of organ donation and encourage fans to sign the New York State Donate Life Registry.
Finger Lakes Donor Recovery Network coordinates organ donation in 20 counties with a population of 2.4 million and serves two transplant centers and 36 hospitals in the Finger Lakes Region, Central and Northern New York. Locally, more than 600 patients are currently waiting for a kidney, heart, liver or pancreas transplant. Hundreds of others will be helped this year by tissue transplants such as cornea, bone, tendon, ligaments and heart valves.
Friday's matchup will be the fifth of the eight in the season series between the two teams and can be heard live on The Sports Leader 95.7 FM/950 AM ESPN Rochester.
After the game, they'll travel to Syracuse for a match on Saturday against the Crunch.

Scoring leaders

1. Cole Schneider 17G - 23A - 40 PTS
   2. Cal O'Reilly 8G - 28A - 36 PTS
   3. Justin Bailey 19G - 10A - 29 PTS
   4. Nicholas Baptiste 18G - 10A - 28 PTS
   5. Evan Rodrigues 9G - 18A - 27 PTS

Goaltending leaders

1. Linus Ullmark 18-16-2; 2.82 GAA; .912 SV%
   2. John Muse 2-6-0; 3.21 GAA; .904 SV%