***This Week’s Top Storylines***
*The Amerks took four out of a possible six points over their second straight weekend of three games in three nights to move into fourth place in the AHL’s North Division standings. On Friday, the Amerks trailed 2-1 heading into the second period but scored four straight unanswered goals to overtake the Hartford Wolf Pack. Rochester dropped a 7-2 decision to the Crunch Saturday in Syracuse only to bounce back with a hard-fought 3-2 win in its first-ever meeting with the Springfield Thunderbirds Sunday afternoon.
*The Amerks enter the week owning two of the top three point-getters in the AHL in veteran forwards Cole Schneider (7+9) and Cal O’Reilly (3+13), whose 16 points are tied for second-most in the AHL, as well as one of the top-scoring defenseman in Taylor Fedun.
-Schneider, who recently returned from a two-game stint with the Buffalo Sabres, has recorded at least two points or more in six of the first 13 games this season. The fifth-year pro has found the back of the net in four of his last five games and shows eight points over his current five-game point streak. He’s tied for third in the league in goals (7), fourth in power-play goals (3) and 11th in assists (9) entering play this week. The Amerks are 5-1-0-0 this season when Schneider records a point and 4-1-0-0 when he tallies two points or more.
– O’Reilly is tied for the league with 13 assists after notching two more helpers in Sunday’s win at Springfield. Rochester’s captain, who closed out the month of October on a five-game point streak, has totaled six assists over his last four games and has been held scoreless just three times all season.
-Coming off a career-best four-point night (1+3) Friday against Hartford, Fedun enters the week tied for second in scoring among all AHL defensemen with 12 points (2+10) in 13 games on the season. His 10 assists are also tied for the most among blueliners.
*The Amerks are hosting their third annual Downtown Career Fair on Friday before taking on the St. John’s IceCaps at The Blue Cross Arena. Job seekers will have the opportunity to connect with more than 70 Rochester area businesses that are currently hiring and will be on hand for the event, which will run from noon to 3:00 p.m.
