Helenius' Two Goals Propel Rochester Americans to 4-1 Win Over Utica Comets

Konsta Helenius scored twice and the Rochester Americans rolled off four unanswered goals to defeat the Utica Comets 4-1 at the Adirondack Bank Center on Feb. 14. Helenius opened the scoring and added a late insurance goal to cap the win, while Carson Meyer’s 10th of the season was credited as the game-winning goal and Riley Fiddler-Schultz chipped in another tally.

Oursportscentral’s box score lists the scoring as Helenius (11, 12), C. Meyer (10 - GWG) and R. Fiddler-Schultz (12) for Rochester, with X. Parent (9) providing Utica’s lone goal. The goaltender lines show Devon Levi stopping 29 of 30 shots for the victory and J. Málek making 18 saves on 21 shots for the Comets. Shots on goal were 22 for Rochester and 30 for Utica, and special teams swung in Rochester’s favor with a 2-for-6 night on the power play while Utica went 0-for-3.

Rochester’s comeback began after falling behind 0-1. The Americans delivered two power-play goals in a 1:18 span of the third period to seize control, a sequence highlighted in the Rochester Americans news release. Isak Rosén and Zac Jones each recorded two assists in the game, and Olivier Nadeau and Anton Wahlberg also earned assists in the scoring sequence that pushed Rochester ahead late.

The win pushed a hot stretch for Rochester’s top trio. Per Amerks season notes, Helenius, Rosén and Jones are the club’s leading scorers this year, combining for 41 goals and 70 assists for 111 points. Helenius entered the game as the second-leading teenager in AHL scoring with 34 points (10+24). Rosén’s two assists extended his run; he sits at 24 goals on the season, second in the Eastern Conference and tied for third across the AHL. Zac Jones recorded his second multi-point game in the victory and leads Rochester — tied for the AHL lead among defensemen — with 40 points (7+33).

Devon Levi earned first-star recognition for his 29-save performance, according to Oursportscentral. Rochester materials note that Levi also had a standout outing a week earlier in Utica when he made 34 saves in a 5-1 victory that marked his 16th win of the season and his 100th start as an Amerk; those milestones belong to the prior meeting and are separate from the Feb. 14 box score.

The Americans improved to 24-16-4-2 in the standings while Utica sits at 13-23-5-3. Rochester has picked up points in 20 of its last 28 games and has now won three straight against Utica, outscoring the Comets 12-2 over those three meetings. The clubs were scheduled to finish the three-game set with a rematch Sunday, Feb. 15 in Rochester at 3:05 p.m., with the game carried on The Sports Leader 95.7 FM/950 AM The Fan Rochester and AHLTV on FloHockey, per the game notes. The Utica site also highlighted separate promotional material for a home game featuring the “100 Years of Comets Heritage” celebration.