Tullio finally scores, Rosen keeps scoring as Amerks win again

By KEVIN OKLOBZIJA

The surprise on Friday night was not that Ty Tullio finally scored a goal for the Rochester Americans.

It was that he didn’t faint when his shot zipped past goalie Brandon Halverson and hit the back of the net.

Snake-bitten when he was on the ice and trying to do whatever he could in practice to prove he deserved an every-night spot in the lineup, Tullio has felt mounting pressure as his time without a goal stretched from weeks to months and then almost to the All-Star break.

But when the third-year winger snapped a crafty wrist shot from the left circle past Halverson on the short side 9:03 into the first period, it gave the Amerks a 2-0 lead in what became a 4-1 victory over the Syracuse Crunch.

It also brought instant relief. His 24-game scoring drought was over and he finally had goal No. 1 with his new organization.

“Too long,” Tullio said. “The weight of the world was off my shoulders. I was in a long tunnel that I didn’t think had an end.”

Then there is Isak Rosen. He continued his torrid scoring on Friday by finding the net two more times, giving him eight goals in the past six games and a team-best 22 for the season while linemate Brett Murray scored the other (his 19^th).

After winning 7-4 against Utica on Wednesday despite playing un-Amerk hockey, they did all the right things against the Crunch. They built a 3-0 lead in the first 11:16, prevented the Crunch from rallying, then clinched the victory with Rosen’s empty-net goal with 1:23 remaining.

“I was really proud of the group,” coach Michael Leone said. “I really like the way we managed the puck; everyone was committed.”

Tullio was one of the players doing a lot of the necessary little things on the puck and away from it.

Tullio was obtained by the parent Buffalo Sabres along with Ryan McLeod in an offseason trade that sent Matthew Savoie to the Edmonton Oilers. McLeod was the centerpiece for the Sabres, but Tullio, a fifth-round draft pick of the Oilers in 2020, wanted to show he could help the organization.

In his 24 games with the Amerks before Friday, there were plenty of encouraging moments and enough contributions beyond his six assists that caught the attention of coach Michael Leone.

“He’s a warrior out there,” Leone said. “I give him a lot of credit. Maybe other teams, other situations, he’s in the lineup more. But he makes my job tougher, trying to figure the lineup out.”

There’s natural frustration in not producing more when trying to prove yourself to a new organization. But Tullio also has scored plenty in the past in the AHL. He put up 13 goals and 13 assists in 62 games as a rookie in 2022-23 for the Bakersfield Condors. Last season he produced 9-12-21 in 54 games.

Now on a team with an overload of talented forwards, he’s been working to find his role, as well as more permanent ice time. Friday was a bit of statement.

“He got pucks out, was physical, made a lot of plays,” Leone said. “Awesome for him, the boy are pumped; (he’s a) great teammate. We talked about understanding how important your depth guys are. Don’t look at the points, don’t look at the stats, those guys help you. I’m really happy for him.”

The Amerks did need goalie Devon Levi to make key saves (22 total) but also played with desperation in front of him. With the Amerks killing a penalty and relief goalie Ryan Fanti pulled for an extra attacker, defenseman Ryan Johnson dived to block a one-timer that may very well have found the net with 3:20 remaining.

Instead of a 3-2 score, the lead was still 3-1 and Levi immediately gave Johnson props after the whistle. The crowd of 7,857 at Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial chanted “LE-VI, LE-VI,” but they should have been chanting “RJ, RJ.”

“He might have saved a goal,” defenseman Zach Metsa said. “That sacrifice, that’s what makes our group so special.”

The key block was no surprise.

“He’s arguably been our most consistent player all year,” Leone said. “For a guy who’s not an overly big defenseman, he plays fearless. We’re probably not where we’re at if he’s not in our lineup.”

Where they are is sitting second in the North Division, a point behind Laval (57-56) with a 26-12-3-1 record. They’ll play at Syracuse on Saturday night, then have four days away from the rink and then one practice before the unofficial second half of the season begins next Friday on home ice against Belleville.