Written by Aidan Charde
Recap: Elmira Aviators on March 21 and 22
The Rochester Jr. Americans finally quieted their demons against the Elmira Aviators last weekend, winning both games by decisive margins to clinch the top seed in the East Division.
The Jr. Amerks continued their hot streak, winning their 12th consecutive game during the weekend. Game one started slow, though, as neither team could break through the defenses and the first period ended scoreless. Finally, a few minutes into the second, forward JC Humphreys scored his sixth goal of the season to take the lead. Forward Calle Karlsson added to the lead four minutes later, his 30th strike of the year.
The chippy second period also saw 30 minutes of penalties get handed out, all stemming from one incident late in the frame. As crazy as it was, it was just a primer for what happened in the third period when a whopping 16 penalties were assessed between the teams. Defenseman Demitri Diflorio was ultimately given a game misconduct for his role in a fight after an Elmira forward threw defenseman Alex Zakrzewski to the ice during a play.
And yet, despite all the time in the penalty box on both sides, the squads went a combined 0-for-12 on the power play. Forwards Ryan Shaw and Keanan Dewberry both put in even-strength goals to make the lead 4–0 while forward Adam Gionta received a perfect pass on a shorthanded opportunity from forward Jaden Dyke to make the game 5–0.
Goalie Danick Leroux was once again perfect, his sixth shutout and 31st win of the year in the 22-save showing.
Game two was a raucous atmosphere before the game even began, as the team welcomed the Rochester Institute of Technology Pep Band to the stands. The group added plenty of noise and energy to the crowd of over 1,200 fans to help Rochester take an early lead on a powerplay goal from forward Owen King.
As ineffective as the team’s powerplay was on Friday, it found a new gear on Saturday, notching a season-high four goals on seven opportunities. The Jr. Amerks now sit just shy of a 22% success rate with a man advantage.
Defenseman Gavin Carr scored the lone even-strength goal in the contest, a beautiful shot that snuck past the Aviators’ goalie to make the game 2–0 after one period of play. However, the highlight of the night may have come in the second period when Karlsson scored his record-tying 31st goal of the season and extended his points streak to 19 games.
The Aviators earned their first and only goal of the series on a powerplay goal late in the second period, narrowly taking away goalie Ethan Phillips’ attempt for a shutout. A pair of Gionta goals early in the third frame put the game away for good, but tempers flared halfway through when the entire line on both teams erupted into a fight. Seven players were removed from the game between both sides, five with game misconducts.
Rochester went on a five-minute penalty kill after the debacle, but it was helped by an Aviators minor not long into the play. The Jr. Amerks successfully killed the threat and held on for a division-clinching 5–1 win.
The Jr. Amerks get one more home series this weekend before heading on the road for the final weekend of the regular season. After that, they will host games one, two and five (if necessary) in round two of the playoffs.
Preview: Johnstown Tomahawks on March 28 and 29
WHEN: March 28 at 7 p.m. | March 29 at 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: Rochester Ice Center | Fairport, NY
PROMOTIONS: March 28 — Dollar Dogs | March 29 — Billet Family and Fan Appreciation
WATCH: NAHL.tv
FOLLOW: @JrAmerksNAHL
History
The Johnstown Tomahawks and Jr. Amerks have a complicated history, but Rochester has the lead with an 8–3–1 record all time despite splitting 2–2–0 this season. Earlier in the season, the Tomahawks were the first and only team to sweep the Jr. Amerks in regulation, but Rochester got their revenge with a sweep of their own a few weeks later. The Tomahawks also hold the honor of scoring the most goals against the Jr. Amerks in a game (7) and being the first team to be shut out — which happened in back-to-back games.
East Division playoff update
There is little left to play for apart from pride across the division, as the Jr. Amerks (84 pts) lead the way with the top five playoff spots clinched. The Maryland Black Bears (73 pts) look to hold onto the second bye while the Maine Nordiques (69 pts) attempt to close the gap. Meanwhile, the New Jersey Titans (65 pts) held off the Tomahawks (61 pts) last weekend, but neither team is locked into their seed. The New Hampshire Mountain Kings (53 pts) occupy the final playoff spot right now, but face a tough test with the Philadelphia Rebels (51 pts) right behind. The Danbury Hat Tricks (45 pts) are still in mathematical contention, but the Northeast Generals (43 pts) and Elmira Aviators (42 pts) were eliminated last weekend.
Record hunting
Several Jr. Amerks players will be looking to etch their names in the record books as they close in on top marks, most notably Calle Karlsson’s quest for the most goals in team history. He is tied with Massimo Gentile’s 31 scores last year, so he will need one in four games. He is also tied with Matteo Disipio for the most multi-point games with 23. Jordin Palmer may not be able to catch Tyler Procious’ 44 points last season for most by a defenseman, but is just six shy of tying Alex Zakrzewski’s second-place finish last year of 36. Finally, Adam Gionta has 26 goals on the season, which puts him in fourth place all-time. He is unlikely to catch Karlsson and Gentile at 31, but may catch Disipio at 30 or Luca Leighton at 28.
Last chance for home hatty
With the final home series approaching, it is the last chance this season for the Jr. Amerks to get a hat trick at home. With how elite the team’s offense is — they remain first in the league in goals scored — it is a bit of an anomaly that they are yet to have a player score three goals at home in two seasons. Karlsson is the only player to achieve the feat this year, but it happened in Philadelphia. The team has come close many times; they have had a player score two goals at home 15 times this season alone with both Owen King and Adam Gionta doing it three times each.
Just how good are the special teams?
The Jr. Amerks have been one of the best teams in the league this year on both ends of the special teams, which was on display last weekend as they improved their marks to an 87.9% penalty kill and 21.9% powerplay, both season highs. But let’s put some context into just how amazing those numbers are: Last year, the team went on a hot streak between Jan. 5 and March 6 where they went 16–1–2. During that span, they had a penalty kill of 91.3% and a powerplay of 22.2%. In other words, the team this year has been just as good all season as their peak was last season.
Home ice advantage remains crucial
Having the top seed in the division has its perks, and part of it is that Rochester is set to hold home ice advantage through the divisional rounds of the postseason. Any team likes that, but the Jr. Amerks most of all, as they have one of the best home records in the league. They have gone 22–2–2 at the Ice Center with a +52 goal differential. It has been a key part to extending the squad’s win streak to 12 games and should prove to be a key factor in the playoffs.
Tomahawks keep it clean
The Johnstown Tomahawks, statistically, are a strange team. Their goals scored and allowed both rank around the middle tier of the league and while they do not have any one player dominating on offense, they do boast an incredibly well-rounded depth chart that can get production from anyone. But most interestingly may be that they play cleaner that any other team in the league by quite a margin. They have been shorthanded a league-low 148 times to a tune of 524 penalty minutes as a team. That is the lowest in the league by 160 minutes and the gap between them and the second-place St. Cloud Norsemen is bigger than the gap from the Norsemen to the 10th-place Hat Tricks.
