Rochester sits in third place in the North Division.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Rochester Americans prepare this week for their first road trip to Belleville, Ont., to face the new affiliate of the Ottawa Senators. The Amerks will play 2 games against the B-Sens on Friday and Saturday night.
**Rochester sits just three points back of the Toronto Marlies and Laval Rocket for the top spot in the AHL’s North Division standings after taking five out of a possible six points this past week and nine of 12 dating back to Oct. 25. All three games went to the shootout, marking the first time since the 2012-13 season the Amerks went as far as the shootout in three consecutive outings.
**Saturday’s 7-6 shootout victory over the Hershey Bears saw the Amerks, who were trailing 3-0 after the first, erupt for six goals in 9:02 during the second period, including five in a span of 5:17, before Eric Cornel sealed the win in the shootout for the second straight game. It was the first time Rochester scored six in a single period since a 10-4 win over the Binghamton Senators on Dec. 16, 2006.
**The Amerks are 3-0-0-1 on the road this season coming off their 3-2 shootout loss in Utica on Saturday. Rochester joins Binghamton and Tucson as the only three AHL teams yet to lose in regulation this season.
**Kyle Criscuolo (4+6) and C.J. Smith (2+8) remain tied for the team lead in scoring with 10 points each through the first 11 games of the season. Criscuolo leads the Amerks with four goals while Smith, who enters the week on a season-long five-game assist streak (0+6), paces all Rochester skaters and ranks third among all AHL rookies with eight assists. Smith is also tied for second among all first-year skaters in overall scoring.
**Brendan Guhle, meanwhile, sits at a close third and enters the week leading all rookie defensemen in scoring with eight points (2+6) in 11 games. He closed out the weekend with back-to-back multi-point outings and has recorded all eight of his points in his last seven games, being held scoreless just once over that span.
**Rochester continues its three-game North Division road swing with a two-game set against the Belleville Senators on Friday, Nov. 10 and Saturday, Nov. 11 at Yardmen Arena. The Amerks will face-off eight times this season against the Senators, the new AHL affiliate of the Ottawa Senators.