Written by Aidan Charde
Recap: Maryland Black Bears on Nov. 8 and 9
The Rochester Jr. Americans came away with two points and plenty to be happy about after a split series in Maryland, losing 3–2 and winning 4–1 last weekend.
The teams wasted little time getting physical as only two minutes into the contest a fight broke out following a boarding call on the Black Bears. After penalties were doled out, Rochester came away with the man up and took advantage, scoring the first goal of the game via forward Landon Brownlee.
Maryland evened the game up one minute into the second period, but Rochester struck back a few minutes later to take another lead. It looked like the Jr. Amerks would take the lead into the locker room, but the Black Bears got one in six seconds before the buzzer to keep it tied at two. That one score had massive implications — the Jr. Amerks were 7–0–1 going into the game when leading after two periods, but just 1–5–3 when tied or trailing.
The teams stayed knotted at two for most of the final frame, but late penalties ultimately sunk the Jr. Amerks. Defenseman Dimitri DiFlorio earned a major for kneeing, giving the Black Bears an extended powerplay, which proved valuable as it took them nearly four minutes of man-up play to capitalize and take the lead with three minutes to play. Rochester had the chance to tie it, but a second penalty for too many men with under two minutes to play meant they could not pull the goalie to try for an equalizer and Maryland took the 3–2 win.
New forward Nicholas Reif scored his second goal as a Jr. Amerk in game two, giving Rochester another early lead in game two. Forwards Calle Karlsson and Adam Gionta extended the lead for Rochester in the second, putting a goal in each with goalie Florian Wade holding the Black Bears scoreless in another frame.
Wade’s attempt at his second career shutout came up just short as Maryland finally managed to find the net with five minutes left, but it was too little too late. Forward Owen King put the game away with the Jr. Amerks’ fourth goal of the game, giving the away team the momentum into next weekend’s series against the Elmira Aviators.
Preview: Nov. 15 and 16 vs. Elmira Aviators
WHEN: Nov. 15 at 7:30 p.m. | Nov. 16 at 7 p.m.
WHERE: Rochester Ice Center | Rochester, NY
PROMOTIONS: Nov. 15 – EDM Night | Nov. 16 – Beanie Giveaway
WATCH: NAHL.tv
FOLLOW: @JrAmerksNAHL
History
This is the first time the NAHL’s two New York teams will meet, as the Elmira Aviators are one of this season’s expansion teams. The Aviators have not had the strongest inaugural campaign, holding a 7–9–3 record and sitting in ninth place in the division.
Karlsson leaps into top tier
Eight points in three games has vaulted forward Calle Karlsson into the upper echelon of scorers in the NAHL. His 22 points and 10 goals are both tied for the ninth most in the league and more than half of those have come in his last seven games — 12 points and six goals. He was also named the East Division First Star of the Week for the second week in a row thanks to his efforts.
Wade flirts with shutout
Goalie Florian Wade came oh-so-close to his second career shutout, keeping Maryland out of the net for the first 55 minutes of play before a garbage time score made its way past him. Regardless, it was a great showing for a player who is looking to get back to form. He ranks in the middle of the league in goals allowed average (25th of 50) and save percentage (24th of 50) among qualified goalies, but both are big improvements thanks to his last two appearances.
Trends becoming clearer
With nearly a third of the season complete, certain trends have begun to emerge for the Jr. Amerks. Some are positive: The team is 8–0–1 when scoring four or more goals, 10–0–1 when leading with two minutes left and 5–0–0 when a player scores two goals. Some are more concerning: 4–3–3 when allowing even one powerplay goal, 1–4 in overtime or shootout games and 1–3–3 when tied or trailing after the first period. Certain skaters have emerged as impact players as well: The team is 4–0–2 when Owen King scores a goal, the best record among players with five or more goals. Meanwhile, the Jr. Amerks are 8–1–0 when Jaden Dyke notches an assist, the best record among players with more than two assists.
Aviators not flying high
The Elmira Aviators started off their first season with a resounding 6–1 win, but have had less luck since then. They have had a few impressive performances, including a 7–3 win over Johnstown and a four-goal comeback in the third period against Maryland that they ultimately lost in a shootout. In their last four games, though, teams have been scoring at will. They have allowed an average of 6.25 goals per game during that stretch and across the whole season they have allowed six or more goals six times.
