Amerks Edge Monsters in Shootout, Tie for North Division Lead

Carson Meyer grew up in Powell, Ohio, was drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets, and spent four seasons building his AHL career with the Cleveland Monsters. Monday night at Rocket Arena, he buried the shot that knocked Cleveland out of first place.

Meyer's fourth-round shootout conversion lifted the Rochester Americans to a 4-3 victory, a result that reshuffled the AHL North Division standings in one decisive moment. Rochester (29-27-5-4) climbed into a two-way tie with Syracuse for the division lead; Cleveland (35-25-6-2) dropped to third. That gap between first and third carries real home-ice implications for the playoff bracket, and Monday's shootout loss made the Monsters' margin for error considerably thinner with the regular season closing out.

The win also extended Rochester's stunning stretch of road success against their division rival. The Amerks are now 7-0-1-0 in their last eight trips to Rocket Arena dating back to 2023-24, a run of dominance that is arguably the most underrated number in the entire North Division race.

The deciding shootout sequence illustrated why Devon Levi has logged a league-leading 48 appearances this season. The Quebec native stopped 35 of 38 shots through 65 minutes, then made three saves in the skills competition, reading Brendan Gaunce's final attempt wide of the cage to close it out. Levi's record improved to 22-18-8. Rochester cycled through four shooters: Vsevolod Komarov converted in an earlier round, while Konsta Helenius and Olivier Nadeau were turned aside before Meyer stepped up in round four and finished.

Meyer's goal carried weight beyond the standings column. The 28-year-old made his AHL debut with Cleveland on February 22, 2021, scoring twice in a 7-3 win over the Rockford IceHogs. His best Monsters season came in 2023-24 with 22 goals, 15 assists, and 37 points. After clearing waivers from the Buffalo Sabres and landing with Rochester, he had recorded three assists in five appearances against Cleveland this season before delivering the decisive moment in round four.

Komarov's shootout conversion complemented a strong regulation showing. Trevor Kuntar scored twice, his third multi-goal game of the season, and Matteo Costantini added his sixth goal of the campaign, four days removed from the overtime winner he scored the previous Saturday. Rochester built a two-goal lead before Cleveland clawed back to force overtime, and the Amerks needed all four rounds to close it.

Helenius, despite going scoreless in the shootout, was among the game's most influential players. His two-assist night extended a career-long point streak to eight consecutive games (4 goals, 10 assists since March 22). He and Zac Jones, who added an assist to reach 48 on the season, became the first Amerk teammates in franchise history to both record 40 or more assists in the same campaign.

Rochester has points in 15 of its last 20 games since November 22, 2025. A franchise record for assists, a league-leading goaltender, and a road record at Cleveland that borders on supernatural: the Amerks enter the final stretch of this playoff race carrying more than just a share of first place.