***This Week’s Top Storylines***
*The Amerks returned from the Christmas break with a convincing 5-1 victory over the first-place Syracuse Crunch on Monday and have now claimed four of their last five games on home ice dating back to Dec. 2. After falling behind early, Rochester answered with five straight unanswered goals, including three in the first period, to snap a five-game skid against the Crunch.
*Justin Bailey enters the week with four goals in his last three games, including a pair in Monday’s win over Syracuse. He’s currently second on the team in goals behind only Nick Baptiste and ranks third on the team in points while being one of just four Amerks to appear in all 30 games this season.
*Rochester concludes its season-long five-game homestand this week with back-to-back to meetings against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Wednesday and Friday before closing out 2016 on Saturday in a New Year’s Eve matchup against the Utica Comets. The Phantoms return to town with a pair of Rochester natives in forwards Mark Zengerle and Cole Bardreau, in addition to former Amerk T.J. Brennan, who spent parts of two seasons (2011-12, 2012-13) patrolling the Rochester blueline.
