As fans chant, Levi and Amerks blank Syracuse 3-0

By KEVIN OKLOBZIJA

The chants rose from the crowd with frequency during the third period on Friday night as the Rochester Americans protected a 3-0 lead.

For the first 40 minutes, the Amerks were very much in control, using two goals by Isak Rosen and one by Brett Murray to build the lead while they allowed just even shots to get through to their own goalie, Devon Levi.

But the Syracuse Crunch turned up the heat in the third, determined to claw their way back into the game. Levi, however, was even more determined to deny them.

Which is why the crowd of 7,039 was periodically chanting “LE-VI … LE-VI” down the stretch, appreciative of his clutch, 13-save performance in the third period that ensured a 3-0 victory and his first professional shutout.

“The fans were unbelievable, chanting and screaming us on,” Levi said. “That support is huge. It keeps us in the game, wanting to win for them.”

From the intensity on the forecheck and engaged play in the defensive zone, it was evident the Amerks as a team wanted to win for themselves as well. With just one victory in the previous eight games, they’d clearly had enough of losing, especially on home ice (2-5-2-0 for the season).

“I thought we checked as good as you possibly can,” coach Michael Leone said. “Through two periods, they had seven shots on goal. That’s what wins.

“The group got rewarded. This has been a long build-up of how we’ve been defending. It was a great effort from the group.”

And it began with the opening faceoff, with an early Crunch penalty leading to the game’s first goal, by Rosen on a power play just 2:40 into the first period.

He curled off the right-wing half-wall and into the right circle before zipping a wrist shot from the dot that sailed past goalie Brandon Halverson.

“We need him to drive offense,” Leone said. “It was good to see him get rewarded tonight. When he’s engaged in the battle with his version of compete, he helps us a lot.”

Rathbone helped preserve the lead with determined work during a Syracuse power play in the 16^th minute. First he blocked a Dylan Duke shot, then he hobbled back into the deep slot and tied up Duke, preventing a sure goal.

Rathbone knew he got at least a piece of Duke’s stick but wasn’t sure how much his impacted the shot.

“I think that was the hockey gods helping us out,” Rathbone said.

His third-period turnover led to the winning goal for Cleveland in a 5-4 home loss to the Monsters on Wednesday, so there was definitely some personal redemption.

“I was glad to see him respond,” Leone said. “IT was really good that he was able to turn the page.”

The Amerks capitalized on a two-man advantage early in the second period to take a 2-0 lead, with Murray steering home a perfect pass from Rathbone.

Rosen made a backhanded pass from the left-wing boards across the slot to Rathbone, who was alone in the right of the slot. He wound up as though he would unload a slap shot from about 18 feet away but instead, in the same motion, passed into the deep slot and Murray was free to direct it in at 7:21.

The power play had been just 2-for-31 over the past eight games but went 2-for-6 on Friday.

“It gives you momentum, especially the top guys,” Leone said. “You’re feeling good about yourself, your skill comes out. I think it was a long time coming; we’ve been doing a lot of really good things on the power play.”

The lead became 3-0 when, get this, the Amerks didn’t allow a goal in the last minute of the second period but instead scored one. And what a beauty it was.

Viktor Neuchev swung up the right wing in the Crunch zone and passed across the blue line, hitting an on-rushing Kale Clague in stride. He moved into the left circle and the passed into the slot for Vsevolod Komorov, who immediately slid the puck into the right circle where Rosen was free to one-time past a helpless Halverson.

Over the previous 13 periods, the Amerks had given up seven goals in the last minute of a period. It was Rosen’s first two-goal game since last year’s April 21 regular-season finale.

The Crunch predictably dominated the third period but Levi and the Amerks withstood the surge, even killing off a full two minutes of five-on-three Syracuse power play. That’s when the LE-VI, LE-VI chants were the loudest.

“The first two periods, when you don’t get a lot of shots, it’s easy for your mind to kind of go crazy,” Levi said. “But the third period, I was seeing everything, the guys were blocking shots. Overall, I think it was a great win by the boys.”

As for shutout No. 1 as a pro?

“You try not to look at outcomes too much and hold on to them and let yourself feel good because of them,” Levi said, “but this one definitely feels good.”