AMERKS WEEK 25 ROUND-UP
Apr 3, 2023What an exciting week of Amerks hockey, as the team grabbed five of a possible six points against three North Division opponents. The Rochester Americans currently still sit in 4th place in the North Division, but are neck-and-neck with both the Utica Comets and Syracuse Crunch for 2nd place.
With only North Division opponents left on the schedule, you know the next two weeks are going to be fun. Reminder: the top three seeds from the division will not play in round one. Only the fourth and fifth-place teams will square-off in the first best-of-three series.
The Amerks host the Syracuse Crunch on Wednesday night in the only home game of the week.
PLAYOFF PUSH HEATS UP
The Rochester Americans have earned points in nine of their last 10 games, really giving the squad the push into the playoffs that is needed.
“We know how good our division is,” Amerks head coach Seth Appert said. “We're a young team, but we do have a good chunk who were here last year, and went through the grind of the North Division in the regular season and the playoffs."
"If we keep playing the way we've been playing, we're going to put ourselves in a really good position come the end of the season."
The Amerks do control their own destiny with six games remaining on the schedule. The magic number for Rochester to clinch a playoff berth currently sits at five. The Cleveland Monsters, Belleville Senators, and Laval Rocket all play each other this week, so there might be more clarity come Sunday.
Or maybe it'll still be neck-and-neck to the finish line.
GAMES AT A GLANCE
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29: CLEVELAND 3 — ROCHESTER 2 (OVERTIME)
The Amerks opened the week with their second-straight game against the Cleveland Monsters, and the Monsters struck early… just 28 seconds into the game. The Amerks responded later in the first on Brett Murray’s 21st goal of the season.
The Amerks and Monsters traded goals again in the third period, but the Monsters got it done in overtime on a goal from Cole Clayton.
“When you get to overtime, anything's going to happen,” Appert said after the game. "We did a lot of good things again tonight. We weren't as good as we were Sunday, but we were still good enought to win the game."
Malcolm Subban made 23 saves, and the Amerks grabbed another point in the standings.
FRIDAY, MARCH 31: ROCHESTER 4 — UTICA 3 (OVERTIME)
The Amerks headed to Utica for the second time in seven days on Friday night to kick-off a home-and-home with the Comets. The Comets hit first — and second and third — and the Amerks were trailing 3-0 at the start of the third period.
Mason Jobst scored a goal just under three minutes into the frame off a great play from Lawrence Pilut, then Michael Mersch added another just two minutes later. The Amerks outshot the Comets 16-8 in the period.
It wasn’t until the Amerks pulled Michael Houser for the extra attacker that Isak Rosen evened the score with 1:36 left in regulation. Houser would only see one shot in the five-minute overtime, as the game headed to a shootout for the second-straight week.
Linus Weissbach scored the lone goal of the shootout, as Houser earned the victory by turning away all three attempts. Houser made 30 saves in 65 minutes.
SATURDAY, APRIL 1: UTICA 2 — ROCHESTER 4
Both teams headed back to Blue Cross Arena to complete the home-and-home for Red Wings Night on Saturday in Rochester. Joseph Cecconi scored his third of the season just 21 seconds into the first frame to give the Amerks an early lead.
The Comets would respond with two goals of their own, but Tyson Kozak would find the back of the net with just 21 seconds left to tie the game at the first intermission.
Sean Malone scored a power play goal in the second, but the highlight of the period was definitely Kozak’s KO against Tyce Thompson, which got the home crowd roaring on its feet.
The Amerks held the one-goal lead for most of the third, until Aleksandr Kisakov delivered the dagger with just under four minutes left in the period. It was an impressive effort, and deflated the Utica attack to help the Amerks secure the weekend sweep of the Comets.
Subban made 28 saves in the victory.
ROUSEK MAKES NHL DEBUT
On Monday night, Lukas Rousek made his NHL debut for the Buffalo Sabres against the Montreal Canadiens at KeyBank Center. And what a debut it was! Rousek tallied his first NHL goal on the first shot of his first shift, and immediately added energy to the Sabres lineup.
Rousek would also add an assist on Riley Stillman's goal, and his impact on the game came as no surprise to the coaching staff in Rochester. "He's hard on the puck now. He's taking hits to make plays. He's winning puck battles," Appert said. "When he does those things, his skill is immense."
COMING UP THIS WEEK
The Amerks have just one home game this week, hosting the second-place Syracuse Crunch on Wednesday night at Blue Cross Arena. Fans can donate non-perishable food items in the next two days and receive a voucher redeemable to two tickets, thanks to Foodlink.
Rochester hits the road for a North Division back-to-back over the weekend: they’ll see the Crunch again on Friday night in Syracuse before returning to Utica for a Saturday night tilt. Every game’s a big one now for playoff positioning.
The Amerks look to clinch a playoff berth this week, and are guaranteed to do so if they grab five points. They don’t have to do all the work, however, as losses from Cleveland and Belleville would also help secure a spot.
