Written By Aidan Charde
Recap: Northeast Generals on Nov. 22 and 23
The Rochester Jr. Americans earned a massive sweep over the Northeast Generals last weekend, winning 4–1 and 5–2 to strengthen their hold on second place in the division.
In game one, forward Landon Brownlee was the star of the show, scoring 49 seconds into the contest for the fourth-fastest goal in team history. Toward the end of the frame, he added an assist on a goal from forward Gabe Randel for a two-point period.
The last few minutes of period one were strange, as three penalties were handed out in 30 seconds. Rochester was down two men briefly but were saved by an interference call on Northeast to make it 4-on-3. Miraculously, not only did the Jr. Amerks not concede a goal, but defenseman Alex Zakrzewski managed to draw a penalty shot and converted it, the first successful penalty shot in team history, to make it 3–0 after the first period.
Neither team was able to do much for the next 20 minutes, although Brownlee did get involved in a fight to notch the team’s first “Gordie Howe hat trick” — one goal, one assist, and one fight. Neither team scored any more until the Generals cut into the lead two minutes into the final period. Goalie Danick Leroux held strong, saving 28 of 29 shots and the Jr. Amerks survived a brief 6-on-5 flash before forward Keanan Dewberry iced the game with an empty net strike from the defensive zone.
Game two also had some speedy scoring, although it took seven minutes for the Jr. Amerks to get started with a goal from forward Jaden Dyke. 30 seconds later, forward Wyatt Stefan put one in the net for the fourth-shortest time between goals in the team’s history. Forward Gabe Cull added a goal to make it 3–0 again midway through the second period before the Generals began to claw back, adding two goals in the final four minutes to make it 3–2 going into the third period.
Dyke continued his strong night with another goal to pad the lead. For the second night in a row, the Generals pulled their goalie with over two minutes to go in a two-goal game, leading to another empty net goal for Rochester, this time by Randel including an assist from Leroux.
Preview: Elmira Aviators on Nov. 29 and 30
WHEN: Nov. 29 at 7 p.m. | Nov. 30 at 7 p.m.
WHERE: LECOM Events Center | Elmira, NY
WATCH: NAHLTV.com (free this weekend)
FOLLOW: @JrAmerksNAHL
History
The Battle of New York heads down to Elmira for the second meeting between the upstate teams. A few weeks ago, they met for the first time and had wildly different results: Rochester won the first game 6–3 before dropping game two 6–0.
Defensemen picking up the pace
Last year, the Jr. Amerks were one of the best scoring defensive units in the league, led by Tyler Procious’ 44 points and Alex Zakrzewski’s 36. It has been much slower this season, as Zakrzewski is leading the team’s defenders with just nine points. All total, the team’s defenders have scored 45 points this season, though five of those came from last weekend’s contests.
Leroux leaps into top tier
Goalie Danick Leroux had a pair of stellar games last weekend to improve his record to 10–2–1. While he sits in 16th place in goals allowed average and 18th in save percentage, he has been steadily improving since his first three games where he allowed 12 goals. Since the NAHL showcase, he has held teams to three goals or fewer in every game, including one shutout and two one-goal showings. He has also failed to save 90% of shots just once in that span.
Dyke’s big weekend one of his best
Forward Jaden Dyke tallied two goals in Saturday’s win over the Northeast Generals, his second two-goal game in his NAHL career and just the fifth for the team this season. He is having a great season for the team, scoring 17 points and has been on the scoresheet in all but six games this season.
Elmira in the midst of a strange stretch
The Aviators have been all over the place in recent weeks as they prepare to host the Jr. Amerks. At the beginning of November, they lost four straight, including a three-game stretch where they were outscored 20–8. They broke that streak (and a six game losing streak) with the 6–0 shutout of Rochester before dropping both games last weekend to the Johnstown Tomahawks. Hopefully, the Jr. Amerks can capitalize on the struggling team that is 2–5–3 in their last 10 games.
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The Rochester Jr. Americans are members of the NAHL which is the oldest and largest junior hockey league of its kind in the United States and one of only two USA Hockey-certified leagues that operate under the non pay-to-play model. Celebrating its 50th season, the NAHL is one of the best at advancing players to NCAA and professional hockey. All league games are viewable via NAHLTV. For more information, visit rochesterjramerks.com.
