Written by Aidan Charde
Recap: Maine Nordiques on Dec. 20 and 21
The Rochester Jr. Americans earned two points to close out the first half of the season back in December, splitting an away series with the Maine Nordiques.
Game one was an all-around solid performance from Rochester, coasting to a 2–1 win. For the first time since Nov. 9, the Jr. Amerks were outshot, but it did not matter as forward Jaden Dyke opened the scoring 15 minutes into the game. Goalie Danick Leroux held a shutout through the first two periods while new addition Ryan Shaw contributed a goal of his own to extend the lead.
Maine cut the deficit in half shortly into the third period, but the Jr. Amerks remained in control to earn two more points and extend their divisional lead. Rochester was effective on the powerplay, scoring twice on four opportunities and raising their success rate over 20% for the first time since September. Leroux excelled in the net as usual, stopping 35 of 36 shots in the dominant performance.
Game two did not go as well for the Jr. Amerks between a franchise-record 109 PIM and a second shutout of the season. The first period passed without any conflict, but a four-minute stretch that saw 14 penalties assessed gave Maine a 2–0 lead with a pair of powerplay goals. The Nordiques added two more in the final frame to make the score 4–0.
The Jr. Amerks have had the last two weeks now to rest and move on from the loss, but return home to the Ice Center for a marquee matchup between the top two teams in the division when the Maryland Black Bears come to town.
Preview: Maryland Black Bears on Jan. 3 and 4
WHEN: Jan. 3 at 7:30 p.m. | Jan. 4 at 7 p.m.
WHERE: Rochester Ice Center | Fairport, NY
WATCH: NAHL.tv
FOLLOW: @JrAmerksNAHL
History
The Black Bears and Jr. Amerks have always made for a great matchup and this should be no exception. All time, Rochester is 4–6–2 against Maryland with a 2–2–0 record this year. Additionally, every contest has been close, coming by a margin of two goal or less in all but one game. This is Maryland’s first time at the Ice Center since a series in October, where Rochester won game one 2–0 and fell in game two 4–3.
Playoff push starts now
If the Jr. Amerks want to prove to the league they’re a serious contender, this is the series to do it in. Maryland sits in second place in the division, trailing Rochester by three points, so it is the perfect time for the Jr. Amerks to make a big leap and extend the lead even more. Additionally, it was the winter break that spurned the Jr. Amerks into a hot streak where they played the best hockey in the NAHL for over two months. Hopefully, that trend should stay true this season.
Don’t forget your stars
Two weeks is a long time without hockey, so here is a quick refresher on the stars of the season so far in the red, white and blue. Goalie Daniel Leroux has blossomed into a top-10 goalie in the league, already notching two shutouts to go along with a 2.041 goals allowed average and .922 save percentage. On the offensive side, the pair of Swedish forwards have been doing the brunt of the work. Hugo Branthsson leads the team in points with 34 (14G, 20A), but is trailed closely by Calle Karlsson with 32 (14G 18A). Forward Adam Gionta is also right there with 32 points (11G 21A). Rochester is not getting high end scoring out of its defensemen, but have had some terrific play from the likes of captain Alex Zakrzewski and Jordin Palmer.
Powerplay, penalty kill surge
The final game of the first half did not do any favors to the Jr. Amerks’ special teams percentages, but they have been steadily improving all season. Since bottoming out with a .156 powerplay, the team made a sharp turn and sent that up to .196. Likewise, the penalty kill was sitting down at .836 at the beginning of November, but the team has improved that all the way to .863. They have scored at least one powerplay goal in eight of the last nine and have held their opponent scoreless on the penalty kill in seven of the last 10.
Maryland boasts strong defense with streaky offense
The Black Bears are certainly one of the top teams in the league defensively, but are not always perfect on the offensive side. Along with being shut out three times this season, their offensive output seems to flip flop back and forth between being elite and average. They have been held to below three goals nine times this season, with all but one of those being a loss. Meanwhile, they have won each of the five games where they have scored more than four goals this year.
