Preview by Aidan Charde
Recap: Northeast Generals on Feb. 14 and 15
The Rochester Jr. Americans exploded for 13 goals last weekend in a huge series that extended their divisional lead and brought the team even closer to clinching a berth in the Robertson Cup Playoffs.
Despite a 5–2 final score, game one seemed like it would be a close fight until the end through the first two periods. Rochester forward Calle Karlsson started the scoring just under four minutes in, but the Generals tied the game a few minutes later before taking the lead early in the second frame.
From there, though, the game shifted. After a strange game-tying goal that saw forward Caden Okovita score his first career goal on a deflection while being pushed into the net, Rochester exploded for three goals in the final frame. Forward Owen King scored his first of two early in the third period before defenseman Jordin Palmer got his fourth goal of the season to make the lead 4–2. King scored again late in the contest to earn his fourth two-goal game and give Rochester a win.
In game two, the Jr. Amerks were on top from the start, but it took them a little bit to really get going. Forward Gabe Randel notched the first of the game just under two minutes in and defenseman Alex Zakrzewski ended a 17-game drought late in the frame to make it 2–0 after one.
Period one was just the beginning, though, as Rochester went on to score a franchise-record five goals in the second period to all but put the game away after 40 minutes.
Forward Ryan Shaw scored quickly in the period before Karlsson earned his second of the weekend, getting Northeast’s goalie Ryan Nolan pulled. The Generals did play slightly better for a few minutes with Carson Barnes minding the net, holding the Jr. Amerks scoreless for seven minutes and scoring one of their own, but a second goal from Shaw and one from forward Jaden Dyke one minute apart was enough to get Barnes yanked after just eight minutes on the ice.
Nolan re-entered and surrendered the final goal of the frame with seven seconds left, giving Dyke his second in two minutes. With a 7–1 lead and having already forced two goalie changes, the Jr. Amerks were able to ease up a bit and coast to the end, but not before Randel bookended Rochester’s scoring with a franchise-record eighth goal of the contest. Northeast scored once more to make the final score 8–2.
With 14 games remaining, the race for the playoffs intensifies and Rochester has the chance to clinch a berth this weekend against the New Hampshire Mountain Kings.
Preview: New Hampshire Mountain Kings on Feb. 21 and 22
WHEN: Feb. 21 at 7:30 p.m. | Feb. 22 at 7 p.m.
WHERE: Rochester Ice Center | Fairport, NY
PROMOTIONS: Feb. 21 – 50 Cent Snacks | Feb. 22 – Autograph Night
WATCH: NAHL.tv
FOLLOW: @JrAmerksNAHL
History
For a second straight week, the Jr. Amerks are facing a team they have dominated for two seasons. Rochester owns a 10–1–1 record against the Mountain Kings, including a 4–0–0 record this season. New Hampshire came close to an upset in their first matchup of the year, a 6–5 win for Rochester, but have since been outscored 11–3 in the last three contests.
East Division playoff update
As the season enters its final stretch, the Jr. Amerks (64 pts) remain atop the division after the Maryland Black Bears (61 pts) lost one of two last weekend. The Maine Nordiques (60 pts) remain alive in the fight for a first-round bye, but sit in third with two more games played than Rochester and Maryland. The New Jersey Titans (54 pts) sit on an island in the fourth seed, six points out of third but six points ahead of the fifth-place Johnstown Tomahawks (48 pts). New Hampshire (43 pts) currently occupies the final playoff spot, but the Generals (40 pts) sit right behind. However, the final three teams all sit knotted up within striking distance of a playoff spot, as the Danbury Hat Tricks (39 pts), Philadelphia Rebels (37 pts) and Elmira Aviators (36 pts) are all within three wins of a postseason seed.
Clinching scenarios
Rochester has the chance to be the second team to claim a spot in the postseason this weekend. For that to happen, one of the following three scenarios needs to happen:
1. Rochester wins BOTH games against New Hampshire, regardless of other results.
2. Rochester wins ONE game against New Hampshire AND BOTH Danbury and Philadelphia lose ONE regulation game.
3. Danbury and Philadelphia BOTH lose TWO regulation games, regardless of Rochester’s results.
Danbury faces New Jersey this week while Philadelphia faces Northeast.
Still no hat trick
Despite four Jr. Amerks notching two goals in a game last weekend (Owen King, Jaden Dyke, Ryan Shaw and Gabe Randel), the Jr. Amerks are still yet to have a player get a hat trick at home. It is not for lack of trying — the team has five hat tricks in history, just all during away games. 12 players in eight games have tallied two at the Ice Center, but for now, it remains a hump that no one has been able to get over. The good news? Rochester is 15–0–0 this season when they have a player score two goals.
Goalies on a tear
It has been no secret that a large part of Rochester’s success this season has come from elite goaltending, especially from Danick Leroux, who is one of the top goalies in the league. The team has only allowed four or more goals in regulation eight times all season and as a unit, Rochester has compiled a save percentage of 91.9%, which is the fourth-best in the league. They sit just behind the Bismarck Bobcats (92.0%), Lone Star Brahmas (92.9%) and Minot Minotauros (94.6%). The Brahmas and Minotauros sit in first place in their respective divisions while the Bobcats are just behind Minot in the Central Division.
Watch out for milestones
With Calle Karlsson’s goal on Friday, he became the first Jr. Amerk this season and fourth in history to reach 50 points in a season. He remains alone in that club so far, but a handful of players are on the brink of their own achievements. Adam Gionta needs just two points to join Karlsson at 50 points while Jaden Dyke and Owen King need 10 apiece. Jordin Palmer is one point away from being the third defenseman in team history to hit 25 points while Alex Zakrzewski, one of two to hit the mark last year, needs just seven. Gionta (19), Dyke (16) and King (18) all also sit just shy of 20 goals — and if they can all hit the mark, four 20-goal players would surpass last year’s total of three. Finally, Karlsson sits at 22 goals with 14 games to play. He will need a few great performances, but he is within striking distance of Massimo Gentile’s record 31 goals last season.
Home ice advantage
The Jr. Amerks may have the most evident home ice advantage in the NAHL this season. The team has been good away, but they have been nearly unbeatable at home, flying to a record of 16–2–2 and a point differential of +38. On the road, they are 12–7–6 with a differential of +9 — nothing to scoff at, but certainly not as strong as the home stats.
Unstoppable force meets immovable object
Despite being far down the standings and, the New Hampshire Mountain Kings have been one of the most effective teams on the powerplay. That trend is particularly evident when they are the away team, where their 23.6% mark is second in the league. Unfortunately for them, they are about to face the third-best home penalty kill, as Rochester holds teams out of the net on 90% of chances. Though that matchup will be exciting to watch, New Hampshire may have some trouble on the other end as Rochester’s home powerplay is successful 23.1% of the time while New Hampshire’s penalty kill of 79.4% on the road is among the worst in the NAHL.
