The Rochester Americans season has come to an end. The Sabres AHL affiliate fell 5-0 to the Laval Rocket in the fifth and deciding game of the AHL North Division Final in Laval on Sunday. Rochester had staved off elimination on Friday night with a 5-1 win to force game 5, but on Sunday, the Rocket showed why they had the best record in the American Hockey League this season.
Laval netminder Cayden Primeau made 27 saves for the shutout. Primeau posted the best record in the league in 2024-25. The 25-year-old finished the AHL regular season with 21 wins, two regular losses, two overtime losses, and two shootout losses.
“I think they played their game today.” Said Amerks winger Brett Murray. “It took us a little bit longer to get to ours. I think we shot ourselves in the foot going down too early. We weren’t able to claw back in that one, unfortunately.”
Rochester was never in the contest. Laval scored two goals in each of the first two periods to build an insurmountable lead.
The Amerks reached the division final with a three-game sweep of Syracuse in round one.
“You’ve gotta credit Laval.” Americans head coach Michael Leone said after the game. “Their coaching staff. Incredible season, 50 wins. We forced it to a game five. They were just better tonight. There’s no other way to put it. They were just better in every facet. They were just really good tonight. We had no answer. They just kept coming.”
Thompson Scores The Golden Goal
Meanwhile, at the 2025 IIHF World Hockey Championship in Stockholm, Sweden, Sabres forward Tage Thompson scored the Gold medal-winning goal for Team USA in a 1-0 overtime win over Switzerland on Sunday.
Thompson tallied the tournament’s final marker 2:02 into overtime and gave the United States the first men’s international tournament victory since the 1996 World Cup and the first World Championship victory since 1933.
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