ROCHESTER, NY – The Rochester Americans closed out 2014 with a 4-1 win over the Syracuse Crunch in a New Year’s Eve matinee at The Blue Cross Arena on Wednesday. The Amerks bounced back from an early 1-0 deficit by scoring four 
unanswered goals on their way to the win, which evened their season record against their I-90 rivals at 2-2-0-0 and improved their overall record to 13-19-1-0.
Four different skaters scored goals for the Amerks, with Jerome Leduc, Brodie Reid, Zac Dalpe and Brayden Irwin all contributing with scores. Andrey Makarov started in net for Rochester and turned aside 30 of Syracuse’s 31 shots to earn the win. Reid, playing in just his second game with the Amerks, has now scored in each of his two contests with his new club.
Tim Schaller (five games) and Phil Varone (four games) each added an assist for Rochester to extend their personal point streaks.
Slater Koekkoek scored Syracuse’s only goal on the night, with Kristers Gudlevskis denying 24 shots in a losing effort.
Syracuse jumped ahead to a 1-0 lead just under eight minutes into the game when Koekkoek found some time and space in the high slot and beat Makarov with a quick shot.
The Amerks responded later in the period after Varone won a clean draw back to the blue-line for Leduc. Leduc shifted his feet across the stripe and put a wrist-shot on net that snuck through Varone’s screen and past Gudlevskis to tie the score at 1-1.
Rochester scored its second goal 7:42 into the middle frame when Reid gained possession of the puck in the Syracuse zone, fought off a stick-check from a Crunch defender and buried his own rebound to put the Amerks in front, 2-1.
Dalpe would add some insurance for the Amerks 3:52 later while Rochester was short-handed following a two-on-one opportunity with Schaller. Schaller retrieved the puck in the Amerks zone and cruised down the ice with Dalpe. While fighting off a stick-check, Schaller calmly slid the puck around the lone Syracuse defenseman right to a crashing Dalpe, who slammed the puck into the empty net.
Looking to tie the score in the final minutes, Syracuse pulled Gudlevskis with 2:30 left in regulation for the extra skater. Unfortunately for the Crunch, Irwin forced a turnover in the neutral zone with 1:20 to go and shot into the empty net, bringing the score to 4-1 and sealing the win for the Amerks.
