AMERKS WEEK 7 ROUND-UP
Veteran trio leading my example, Big Murr continues to do big things, Rookies bonding
Nov 28, 2022By Suzie Cool
Last week, the Rochester Americans had their first taste of non-divisional action of the 2022-23 season. In three games against Atlantic Division opponents, Rochester went 2-1 with both wins coming by way of overtime.
And speaking of overtime, let’s not forget the heroics that helped lift the Amerks to those two thrilling victories. There was a Hail Mary pass that forward Linus Weissbach snapped in for an overtime winner with five seconds to spare, a veteran line that combined for nine points on Friday night, a natural hat trick in the span of 5:07 and Thanksgiving holiday in between it all.
Here’s a look at what Amerks head coach Seth Appert took away from his team’s last week of play.
MALONE, MERSCH AND MURRAY LEADING BY EXAMPLE
“We want to be a team that is competitive, that’s aggressive, physically engaged,” started Appert when asked how the line of veteran forwards Sean Malone, Michael Mersch and Brett Murray represents the overall identity of his team.
On Friday night against the Bridgeport Islanders, this line fueled by the veteran trio went off. Malone registered a natural hat trick for the first of his career over a span of 5:07, Murray went on to tally the overtime winner and all three combined for nine points on the evening.
“Everybody's got their own way of playing physical, but they’re physically engaged, great teammates and do anything to help the team win. Obviously, ‘Merschy’ is our captain for a reason, Malone's an assistant, but we’re really starting to see that emergence in Brett Murray. I couldn't be more pleased with what those three guys are doing for us.”
BIG MURR DOING BIG THINGS
Speaking of Murray, the fourth-year pro totaled six points on three goals and three assists through three games last week.
“His (Murray) skating,” began Appert when asked to elaborate on where he’s seen Murray grow the most confident in his skillset this season. “He’s just worked so hard to redefine his game, to be more physically engaged, to be more of a power forward. He’s really put a ton of time into his skating and his body makeup and now he's skating so well that he's out there for three-on-three overtime and he's out during the penalty kill and, I think, it's just growing his confidence in himself as well.”
After Murray scored twice in a span of 1:51 in the third period on Wednesday night against the Providence Bruins, the forward went on to cap off Friday night’s 6-5 overtime win over the Islanders with his third point (1+2) of the night. Friday was Murray’s third multi-point outing in four games and last Wednesday was his first multi-goal effort since Nov. 19 of last season when he scored twice in a 5-4 win over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
Murray is already within half of his career-high 15 goals he scored last season in just 18 games to kick off the 2022-23 campaign.
ROOKIES BONDING BOTH ON AND OFF THE ICE
“There are times times when it’s easier for the rookies to play with vets, but then there's also times that the rookies can maybe defer to the vets too much...and it can be freeing, a little bit, for the rookies to play together,” explained Appert when asked about rookies flourishing on lines without veterans alongside them.
First-year players Jiri Kulich and Isak Rosen are best friends and have been two of the most consistent players on a line with one another this season.
Rosen, who leads the team with five multi-point outings this season, including a two-assist effort Friday against Bridgeport, continues to remain among the AHL's top-scoring rookies with 13 points on three goals and 10 assists in 18 games. Coming into this week, Rosen is tied for ninth in scoring amongst all first-year players while his 10 assists are tied for fourth-most.
At just 18 years old, Kulich is among the youngest players in the AHL. Kulich shows eight assists in his first 18 games of the season, tying him for ninth in the league among all first-year players in that category. Additionally, Kulich leads all Rochester skaters and is tied for fourth amongst all AHL rookies with 45 shots on goal.
“JJ (Peterka) and (Jack) Quinn developed this really strong bond personally and, on the ice,” continued Appert when discussing the type of friendship he’s seen develop from Kulich and Rosen. “We’re seeing that from Rosen and Kulich right now. They seem to have a real good friendship off the ice. There's always the last guys on the ice almost every day working on their game together, and you're starting to see that chemistry on the ice.”
LOOKING AHEAD TO THIS WEEK
This week, the Amerks are on the road for two games against the Cleveland Monsters on Thursday (Dec. 1) and Saturday (Dec. 3).
“It’ll be nice to be on the road and not have a lot of travel in between,” discussed Appert when asked about having an extra day to hang out in Cleveland. “Our schedule has been pretty demanding in the last three weeks. This is a four-hour trip, but it's one-stop and there’s a day in between games. There's more time to really focus in on our game. And there’s more time to spend with each other.”
Both puck drops between Rochester and Cleveland at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse are slated for 7 p.m. and will be carried on The Sports Leader 95.7 FM/950 AM The Fan Rochester as well as AHLTV.