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Amerks at Home vs Grand Rapids Griffins Tonight

February 18, 2009 - By

The Amerks are finally back home from the long and grueling road trip to the midwest.  On his way to the ice Tyler Plante commented, “I am still so tired from that trip.”  I would expect that they all are.

They played five games in six nights.  All five games were in different cities.  There was travel time and lack of sleep and three big wins (that could have been four).  The team traveled 2,451 on their road trip.  That is a lot of travel on little rest.

Kenndal McArdle is back on the ice today.  He was out practicing with Luke Beaverson before the team got on the ice.  They are both still out now that the whole team has joined them.  Kenndal is in a green jersey though, so I’m sure he is not full contact.  Luke is back to full contact so, I wouldn’t expect to see him around here much longer with eight defenseman healthy.

Defenseman, Mike Caruso was the only healthy scratch in Sunday’s win over the Peoria Rivermen.  He wasn’t playing his best in the two games prior to that so Franklin MacDonald took his place in the lineup.  Who will sit tonight?  My [...]Read More

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Amerks Split Weekend In Grand Rapids

February 1, 2009 - By

The Amerks played two games this weekend against the hot and high scoring Grand Rapids Griffins.  The team won in a shootout on Friday night, and lost tonight 8-4.

Tonight’s issues weren’t scoring goals, but stopping them.  After the first period, the score was 1-1.  But, when the second period started, Mike Brodeur did not get back into the crease.  Once Chris Beckford-Tseu went into the net, he let in 7 goals in 31 shots.

Mike Brodeur suffered a groin injury and left the game after the first period.

It was thought we would have no scoring this weekend with most of our “big” scorers either hurt or M.I.A.  With Janis Sprukts playing for his country (as he should be), and injuries to Meyer (knee), McArdle (shoulder), and MicFlikier (foot), most of our scoring was down the drain.

But, when some are down, others rise to the occassion.  Tonight, the usually laughable Drew Larman picked up a goal to tie the game 2-2.  That was the Amerks’ second of three comebacks during the game.

New left wing, Ross Carlson had the third goal for the Amerks, once again tying tonight’s game 3-3.  Ross was also the only player to score in [...]Read More

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Cory Murphy Picked Up By Tampa Bay

January 19, 2009 - By

corymurphy

Well, Cory Murphy gets to stay in the NHL.  Much to many Amerks’ fans’ saddness, the Tampa Bay Lightning claimed Murphy off re-entry waivers.  Kevin O’s blog said it best for me…so, I am going to quote him.  Check out his blog here: Kevin O’s Blog

I can’t, however, criticize the Panthers for being player friendly. This is the type of deal that makes players happy, that makes players respect management.

They didn’t bury Murphy in the AHL, they gave him a chance to stay in the NHL and perhaps earn another contract for next season.

And since Murphy was never a guy targeted to play in Rochester, the Amerks really didn’t lose him. Losing tough-guy winger Steve MacIntyre on waivers in training camp was a punch in the gut. He was to be a focal point in Rochester.

But in Murphy’s case, you can’t lose something that was never yours to begin with.

Tags: ι ι ι Categories: Amerks

Sprukts Leads Depleated Amerks Over Monarchs and Bruins

January 18, 2009 - By

Janis Sprukts had an eight point weekend, leading the Amerks to two victories out East.  On Friday night he posted a hat trick and an assist.  Tonight, Sprukts had another goal and three assists.  The player everyone has been waiting for has returned.

Team captain Rory Fitzpatrick had a goal and an assist in tonight’s win over the Providence Bruins.  He took 6 shots which sometimes is as many as the whole team gets in a game.

The Amerks played without many key players.  Stefan Meyer is still out with a knee sprain.  Mike Caruso is out.  Riley Emmerson is out.  Franklin MacDonald had to travel home this weekend because of a death in the family (our condolences to you and your family Frank).  And Jason Garrison didn’t play in tonight’s game after having a four point night on Friday.

Players stepped up this weekend to make sure the team didn’t slump because of injuries.  Drew Larman, who has been nearly impossible to find on the ice this season, had three points this weekend (an assist on Friday and a goal and an assist on Sunday).  Peter Aston did his job, getting a +2 rating on Friday night [...]Read More

Categories: Headlines

Amerks fall to B-Sens 4-1; Meyer out until after all-star break

January 15, 2009 - By

The Amerks just couldn’t get anything going when they took on the Binghamton Senators tonight at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena, losing to the Senators 4-1.

The team started without one of their better players.  Jacob MicFlikier has a cracked foot.  He will be out for about 4 weeks.

Riley Emmerson was back in the lineup, however, and made his presence know when he took on Yablowski (typo stays).  I would call the fight in favor of the mohawked Senator.  Not a horrible fight for Riley, but he looked a bit rusty.

He wasn’t the only one to drop the gloves tonight.  Neil Clark took on on Geoff Waugh.  I would have called the fight for Neil who gave a handful of jabs to Waugh’s head.  But, Clark also busted up his hand.  He left the game for a few minutes while he got it checked out but, was back on the ice before his penalty was up.

Jordan Henry also decided to “fight” tonight.  He tangled with Zack Smith.  Jordan did little to nothing in this fight so, he lost.  When asked what made him drop the gloves tonight because it is rare that he does [...]Read More

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The Battle Of The Backups: Plante vs Shantz

January 13, 2009 - By

Goaltenders, Tyler Plante (Dayton Bombers) and David Shantz (Elmira Jackals) will be taking each other on tonight when their teams battle it out in Elmira.  Both goalies have played for the Amerks this season and last.  But, once Michael Brodeur was brought on board it was clear that neither of them would be needed in Rochester.  They were both sent to different teams in the ECHL.

We here at LetsGoAmerks decided to go see our old backup goalies take each other on for the title of “most relevant backup goalie.” 

Tyler Plante was the first to be shipped out of Rochester when he had a poor showing in Rochester.  Winning none of his 6 starts and being pulled once.  He had  20 goals against in that time.  He was sent to Dayton and David Shantz was brought to Rochester to see what he could do.

Shantz really didn’t do much better.  He started in 5 games, was pulled once and lost 3 of the 4 games he stayed in.  The only point he earned was in an overtime loss.  Although, his goals against average was much better than Plante’s. 

People in Elmira are happy to [...]Read More

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Michael Frolik To Play In NHL Youngstars’ Game

January 12, 2009 - By

From Panthers.NHL.com:

The National Hockey League (NHL) announced today Florida Panthers rookie C Michael Frolik has been selected to compete in the three-on-three NHL YoungStars Game on Saturday, Jan. 24 in Montreal, Canada, as part of NHL All-Star Weekend.

Frolik, 20, is tied for 10th in rookie scoring with 17 points. He’s tied for ninth in rookie goal scoring (8) and eighth in power play assists (4). Frolik has played 38 of the Panthers’ 41 games and is the team’s seventh-leading scorer.

A native of Kladno, Czech Republic, Frolik was the Panthers’ first choice (10th overall) at the 2006 Entry Draft. Frolik spent the two previous seasons in Quebec playing for Rimouski of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Frolik had 65 points (24 goals) in 45 games last season for Rimouski.

Sunrise Sports & Entertainment is the premier company of its kind in South Florida. Home to more than 200 events annually and the Florida Panthers Hockey Club, the BankAtlantic Center is consistently a top 15 worldwide venue according to Pollstar. The BankAtlantic Center welcomes more than two million guests each year and is also the home of Sawgrass Live presented by [...]Read More

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Cory Murphy Back To The Panthers…But, For How Long?

January 12, 2009 - By

corymurphy

Defenseman, Cory Murphy was sent back to the Florida Panthers after last night’s win against the Hamilton Bulldogs.  The Panthers immediately put Murphy on waivers.

Could this mean that they plan to keep him in Rochester for the rest of the season if he clears?  He would be a great addition to the Amerks (and was for the five games he played here over the past two weeks).  Remember, Murphy did clear waivers in November but, was never assigned to the Amerks.

Stefan Meyer Cory Murphy

In five games with the Amerks, Cory had 2 goals and 4 assists for 6 points and played about 30 minutes a game.  We could use him for the rest of this season.  He didn’t seem to hate being here either…

Make it happen Florida.

Tags: ι ι Categories: Amerks

The Amerks Crunch Syracuse in Their Third Straight Win

January 9, 2009 - By

The Amerks beat the Syracuse Crunch 3-1 tonight in front of 6,310 fans.  Mike Brodeur showed, once again, why he deserved the contract that he signed today.  The boys in front of him didn’t make the job too hard for him tonight either, scoring three goals and keeping play alive in the Crunch’s end of the ice.

Tanner Glass fought Kevin Harvey two seconds into the game.  They had already gotten started before the puck dropped, but it took two seconds for the referee to understand what was happening.  Tanner left Harvey with a nasty cut over his eye.  When the fight ended, I asked myself…who is here that he wants to impress.  It was Jack Birch.  Saw him.

That was basically how the rest of the game was played.  A lot of hitting, a lot of play making and not a lot of mistakes.

Stefan Meyer scored his 10th goal of the season.  He is really showing what he is made of lately.  He has always had the ability to be a team leader, but in the last 15 games he has really stood out a lot more.

Rory Fitzpatrick had a good first game [...]Read More

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Mike Brodeur Signs With The Amerks!!!

January 9, 2009 - By

Finally, after wondering if this would ever happen, Mike Brodeur signed a one-year AHL contract with the Rochester Americans.

From Amerks.com

Rochester Americans General Manager Jody Gage announced today that the team has signed goaltender Mike Brodeur to a one-year standard American Hockey League contract.

“We’re happy Mike was able to earn a permanent spot in Rochester and within our system,” said Jack Birch, Director of Player Personnel for the Florida Panthers. “He has certainly shown he has the talent to play in the AHL and the potential to play at the next level.”

“We’re excited we were able to come to terms with Mike,” said Gage. “He has done a lot to help this team turn around since his arrival here and his All-Star nomination is a direct indication that he is deserving of this contract.”

The 25-year-old netminder joined Rochester in early December on a 25-game professional tryout (PTO) and since shows an 8-3-1 record with a 1.59 goals-against average and .944 save percentage in 12 games between the pipes for the Amerks. His two shutouts also tie him for third among AHL goaltenders. He has now started 12 of the last 13 games for Rochester, [...]Read More

Tags: Categories: Headlines, Players

Gameday – Amerks vs Syracuse Crunch 01-09-2009

January 9, 2009 - By

Riley Emmerson and Michael Duco werer out on the ice before practice. Duco wants to stay out and practice with the team, but Cipolla is sending him back to check with the Doctor.  Emmerson looked good on his skates.  Don’t expect either of them on the ice for tonight’s game.  Duco is coming back on the ice.  So, it looks like he will be practicing with the team.

I am excited to finally see Cory Murphy play in the Blue Cross Arena.  It’s really not the same watching them online.  I have been excited about seeing him since he cleared waivers back in October.  It was too bad the Panthers just assigned him back to Florida again right after clearing.  He would have been a great addition to the team.

Mike Brodeur will be starting in goal tonight which shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone.  He is now the best goalie in the league and will want to hold that title against the ailing Crunch tonight.

Blue Jackets’ goalie, Pascal Leclaire was placed on IR with a lowerbdy injury.  He will be out at least seven days.  LaCosta has been called up to replace him and the Crunch signed [...]Read More

Tags: ι ι Categories: Amerks, Headlines

Practice; Matthias Called Up; Brodeur Contract/All-Star Game

January 6, 2009 - By

It’s the first practice I have been able to get to in the new year, and as usual at ESL, it is freezing cold.

The biggest question is still the status of contract talks with goaltender Mike Brodeur.  We asked him after practice and apparently a contract has not been offered to be signed, but his agent has been in talks with the Panthers.. he said he’ll be calling his agent today to try and find out what’s going on.

Mike Brodeur has been selected to the Canadian team for the AHL All-Star Classic, looks like his value continues to go up every day.

I guess we left a few minutes too early to get the scoop, Brodeur gave Kevin O the following quote in the Democrat and Chronicle:

“I’m kind of at a loss for words, it’s an honor and a privilege to be chosen to the All-Star Game,” Brodeur said after this morning’s practice at the ESL Centre. “We’ve been playing great as a team and that accounts for it.”

Shawn Matthias was called back up to the Florida Panthers again, this is his fourth call up in seven days.  Or something like that.. Anthony [...]Read More

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