– No Playoff wins in 3 seasons (since the..GASP..Florida years)
– No Playoff series wins in 8 seasons
– No Playoff run in 9 seasons
– No Cup Appearance in 13 seasons
– No Cup in 17 years
Browsing posts in the ‘Amerks’ category
And the Banners Weep
Amerks, Playoffs and Darcy
After a second frustrating trade deadline in a row, Eric Bourgeois and Jason Bonno discuss the Amerk playoff roster (who’s on it, who is not), playoff chances……..and Darcy Regier.
Kevin Porter
Eric: He was clearly very important to the team in many ways as its captain and is sorely missed. Good for him in getting NHL time, but I think he would have cleared waivers so that he could have played with us in the playoffs.
Jason: This was a tough blow to the Amerks. Porter’s speed and puck possession were elite at the AHL level, and are two things the Amerks severely lack currently. He was the backbone of the Amerks forwards. Beyond his offensive abilities, he was also responsible defensively and was a key PK’er. I can’t say 100%, but my guess is he would have cleared waivers. His 1-way deal next season was a nice security blanket and probably would have scared off teams from claiming him.
Cody Hodgson and Marcus Foligno
Eric: I’m okay with considering them “graduated” and therefore not eligible for the playoffs here, but boy does the Buffalo organization need some playoff experience for its young players. And it’s not like Hodgson [...]Read More
Veteran core the key to success
Darcy Regier answered our previous question of “Does Buffalo care about winning here” with a YES.
With the additions of Adam Pardy and Patrick Rissmiller, the Amerks now have a legitimate veteran core that is capable of a Calder Cup run. Rissmiller (34 years young) is particularly important because he gives some age to a rather young team.
Defined as having played 320+ pro games at the AHL or higher level, the Amerks now have 4 veterans in Pardy, Rissmiller, Mancari and Tarnasky to go along with the exempt spot (260-320 games) that Captain Kevin Porter fills. League rules allow up to 5 veteran spots to be used per game (plus the exempt spot, and goalies are excluded) so we still could use one more. Matt Ellis is a possibility and frankly I would like a little depth added to this most critical core, too.
So please Darcy, make that a YES – with a exclamation point! Teams who compete for the Calder Cup never have a shortage of veteran players, and Rochester’s storied history – as displayed in banner form in the War Memorial – are proof of this.
Does Buffalo care about winning in Rochester?
-Written by Jason Bonno
Buffalo Sabres management is failing the Rochester Americans. The season, which arrived amidst much hoopla with the NHL lockout, is starting to come off the rails by the middle of December, with apparently no help in sight. To the contrary, the positive is just that, it’s only the middle of December and there are 55 games remaining. However, one has to wonder if Sabres GM Darcy Regier and Kevin Devine, who oversees Amerks hockey operations, really have any pulse on what is happening to the Amerks – and if they do, do they care?
It didn’t start well on the injury front, with the Amerks losing Corey Tropp for the season during their very first game. Many fans hoped for a replacement player right away. That the Sabres management would recognize losing their top winger in the first game could be a devastating blow, especially in a league with so much talent. But nothing happened. It was understandable, especially when Brian Flynn capitalized on his new opportunity. He has, perhaps, become the Amerks’ best forward and arguably MVP to date.
However, it didn’t end there. As it seems to happen to every year to the Amerks, [...]Read More
Oct 20 Video Highlights of Amerks Win Over Hershey
The longest rivalry in the AHL continues as the Bears open up their 75th season at home. The Amerks fell behind by 3 in the second period but made a huge comeback fueled by a 4 for 6 performance on the power play and some awful goaltending by Dany Sabourin (4 goals against, 3 saves in second period). Marcus Foligno had his best night so far as a professional with 2 goals and 2 assists. Cody Hodgson added 3 assists and T.J. Brennan had 2 goals and 1 assist. On the Hershey side, Garrett Stafford had 4 assists and Jeff Taffe had a goal and 3 assists.
Final Score: Amerks 8, Bears 7
Joe Finley & Matt MacKenzie vs Patrick Wellar & Garrett Mitchell
Nick Tarnasky vs Matt Clackson
Video Highlights of the Amerks 4-3 Win Over Grand Rapids
The Grand Rapids Griffins make their only trip to Rochester in search of their first win of the season. The Griffins took a 2 goal lead in the second period but 3 power play goals by the Amerks sealed the victory for Rochester with the final score ending 4-3.
Binghamton Senators at Rochester Amerks October 16th Highlights
The Binghamton Senators head to Rochester for their first of 8 meetings against the Amerks. The Senators would dictate play all 60 minutes as David Leggio attempted to keep the Amerks in the game with Robin Lehner stopped 32 of 33 shots, most of which being routine saves. Zemgus Girgensons recorded his first point as a professional, an assist on Kevin Porter’s goal. The loss put the Amerks at 1-2-0 on the season.
October 13 Amerks at Toronto Marlies Highlights
10/13/2012 The Rochester Amerks head up to Toronto to face the Marlies for the first time since being eliminated in the playoffs. The Amerks penalty trouble would cost them as the Marlies went 3-for-7 on the power play for a 3-1 Marlies victory. Ryan Hamilton was the star of the game with 2 goals.
Video Highlights of the Home Opener Shootout Win
10/12/2012 The Crunch and Amerks kick off the 2012-13 AHL season in the Blue Cross Arena. The Crunch erased a 4-1 deficit to take a 5-4 lead. Mark Mancari tied the game at 5 during a 5 on 3 power play with 7 minutes left and then won it in the shootout.
2012-2013 Amerk Preview
(Special thanks to main contributor – Jason Bonno)
The long hockey offseason is finally ending and the Rochester Americans are preparing to open the season Friday night against their longtime rivals, the Syracuse Crunch. It’s been an interesting offseason, to say the least, as the NHL has locked out its players. For Amerks fans, however, this means being able to watch players who otherwise would have made the Buffalo Sabres. Cody Hodgson, acquired in the trade with Zack Kassian at the trade deadline, headlines that group along with Marcus Foligno. Guys like Corey Tropp and Brayden McNabb also had excellent chances to make the Sabres based on training camp play. The offseason also saw the return of former Amerk Mark Mancari, who had somewhat of a rocky past with Amerks fans, but today appears more mature – a better player and someone who is looking to take on a leadership role. Rounding out the well-knowns is the return of Amerks 2011-2012 MVP goalie David Leggio.
The stability the Amerks and the rest of the AHL will have during the lockout without any recalls will help improve the product we see on a nightly basis.
We’ll first breakdown the Amerks’ forwards [...]Read More
It’s Been A Fun 5 Years but Future Coverage on Hold
This hasn’t been an easy decision to come to but after nearly 1,300 posts and close to half a million visitors I just wanted to take a moment to write a thank you and going on an extended hiatus post. It’s been fun but I don’t see myself writing again in the near future. This site will always be here with the message board for the die hards to talk hockey (I’ll still be one of them) and others may start writing as well but it’ll be a big change from recent years. I probably could’ve just pulled the plug and walked away but with the season ahead and expectations I wanted to make this post.
The days in the fall, winter and spring are great when started at a rink and even better when the day ends at one as well. So why am I unplugging the keyboard? I’ll always love hockey and being around the sport but the easiest explanation is that life has changed. This move doesn’t have anything to do with money or access to the team, life is just different than it was when I started. A site like this takes an incredible amount of [...]Read More
Amerks 2012-2013 Schedule by some Numbers and Highlights
The American Hockey League released the full 2012-2013 schedule today so now it’s time to start planning some road trips and schedules around the upcoming season. The schedule still stinks and again there’s little variety, the Amerks play the same set of teams as last year. Someday the board of governors will recognize that fans want to see more of a variety to the schedule and see different teams. The biggest change is that Friday night home games have moved from a 7:35pm start to 7:05pm.
That start time seems to be the only lowlight of the schedule. The Amerks have played games on Friday nights at 7:35 for a very long time. Rob Kopaz told Kevin Oklobzija the following about the change:
1) Consistency to the schedule. Fans don’t need to try to remember if it’s 7:05 or 7:35.
2) It’s more family friendly. “If you want younger kids to come to games, starting earlier is better,” he said.
3) The team gets on the bus sooner and, thus, gets more rest before the Saturday road game. There will be 14 times the Amerks are home Friday and on the road Saturday (most are game-day bus trips to Syracuse, [...]Read More