The Amerks did something they have not been able to do for a while, play an entertaining home game.  Unfortunately the game went downhill as it went on and they ended up losing.  Albany scored a power play goal at 7:04 of the third period to take a 4-3 lead and from that point on they controlled the game.

Tyler Plante talked about that fourth goal after the game and said that he went to raise his blocker and it got caught on the pants of a player to the side of him.

Rewinding a bit, the Amerks got on the scoreboard at 5:39 of first when Chris Taylor scored his 13th goal of the season.  Evgeny Dadonov fed a great pass to the front of the net where Taylor put it in with a slap shot.

Mike Duco went in the penalty box for throwing a punch and on that power play Drayson Bowman scored for the Rats to tie the game 1-1.

Jordan Henry put the Amerks back in the lead scoring a power play goal of his own at 17:28 in the first.  Mike York made a great pass through the middle of the ice to Henry who had a lot of time to pick his shot and that he did.

After that the game seemed to go downhill.  Oskar Osala tied the game 2-2 at 1:46 of the second period.  Scott Hotham gave the Amerks a 3-2 lead late in the second.  Osala tied the game at three less than a minute later.

And then Bryan Rodney scored the game winning goal at 7:04 on the power play in the third period.

I think the biggest factor missing in this game was Jeff Taffe.  Taffe was called up and hopped on a flight across the country to San Jose where the Panthers play the Sharks on Saturday afternoon.  As we saw last Sunday he made the big play late in the game to score the game winning goal.  Put Taffe on a line with Jamie Johnson and Mike York and your chances are pretty high of something happening.

It also would have helped to have the speed and skill of Michal Repik.

It would also be nice to see Evgeny Dadonov have a breakout game.  He makes a lot of great passes and a lot of great attempts at breaking through opposing players but all too often the puck is knocked off his stick.

It’s taken a while but this seemed to be a game where Steve MacIntyre led the charge and led it hard.  He had a couple of huge hits.  He practically took on the entire River Rats bench.  He got into a great fight and led the game with 19 penalty minutes.  Unfortunately he did not scare the Rats in any way and the Rats did not back down.

The four game winning streak leading up to Friday nights game was impressive and the team has made some great progress working together as a team.  The one area of weakness now showing is the goaltending.  Alexander Salak and Tyler Plante have been good for most of the season but when it’s come time for that big save they have not come through.

If the team could play a hard hitting physical game for 60 minutes I’m pretty confident they would win and possibly even dominate games.  Unfortunately as the game goes on they seem to lose some steam.  It was a disappointing loss but not at the same level as many other Friday night games.

The Amerks have won the previous eight games this season but the Syracuse team they’ll be facing on Saturday is a different team.  They’ve played better hockey over the course of the season and are fighting to try and reach the playoffs.  Salak will get the start on Saturday in Syracuse.

Rats Never Back Down and Defeat Amerks is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!

The game on Friday night between the Rochester Americans and Albany River Rats took less than 12 minutes before the two teams proved they were not going to be pushed around by the other.  Steve MacIntyre set the pace early with a huge hit on Casey Borer behind the Rats net and from then on it was a physical first period.  That type of hit is what fans would love to see more of.  A big hard clean hit.

Steve MacIntyre vs Zack FitzGerald at 11:17 of the first period:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQvNMfGkmJw

Two seconds later Jimmy Bonneau vs Brad Herauf:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIympUYecTM

The Amerks are on the road on Saturday night against the Syracuse Crunch, a team they’ve beaten eight times already this season.  The Crunch will be looking for redemption on home ice and I’m sure Mirasty will be looking for a rematch against MacIntyre.  Unfortunately I will not be at the game, hopefully someone else will to get some video!

Friday Night Fights Featuring MacIntyre and Bonneau is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!

It’s hard to believe that there is only six home games out of the remaining 16 games for the Amerks. The Amerks are home tonight to host the Albany River Rats and looking to extend their winning streak to five games.

The Amerks have taken over second place again in the North Division and will be looking to hold on to that spot. This season has been a roller coaster ride of wins, losses, injuries, streaks, frustration and everything in between. The message seems to be going through the locker room and the players have stepped up to the challenge.

Tyler Plante will be getting the start again in net tonight after winning two games last weekend against Portland and Toronto.

The game starts at 7:05pm and it’s another night of $1 beers and dogs (between 6 and 8pm).

If anyone has noticed changes to the web site or problems with the RSS feed I apologize, I’ve been dealing with some technical issues. The site is undergoing a gradual redesign.

See you at the game!

Gameday: Amerks Host Rats, Looking to Extend Streak is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!

The only roster move on Wednesday was Michal Repik being called up to the Florida Panthers.  There were no clear day roster moves to help toughen up the blue line.  There had been talk by Amerks and Panthers management that they wanted to make a change or two but as it turns out nothing happened.  Looking at the bigger picture and the amount of teams in the AHL the amount of moves is usually minimal.

The rosters can consist of 20 players and two goalies.  A player can be replaced because of injuries or call ups.  Also, players brought in from college or junior leagues are exempt and can be added at any time.

The Florida Panthers did loan Craig Weller to the Chicago Wolves, a move that many had thought would see a player loaned back to the Amerks in exchange.  Weller had been acquired from the Boston Bruins in a trade that also included Dennis Seidenberg.  Weller was set to make another $100k this season which is probably why the deal happened, a salary dump.

We could debate and discuss and question why nothing happened, but that wouldn’t be very productive (right now).  The clear day roster was submitted at 3pm on Wednesday to the AHL and should be made available sometime Thursday.  What we’ve had is what we’re getting for the playoffs.

It’s time to stop debating “what if’s” with the roster and time for this team built by Ted Nolan and Jody Gage to step up and prove that this mix of vets and prospects is good enough to make a long run in the playoffs.  Everything else can be debated once the season is over.

Here’s the roster:

According to AHL by-laws, only those 22 players listed on a team’s Clear Day roster are eligible to compete in the remainder of the 2009-10 AHL regular season and in the 2010 Calder Cup Playoffs, unless emergency conditions arise as a result of recall, injury or suspension. Teams may also add signed junior players or players on amateur tryout contracts after their respective junior or college seasons are complete.

The following 22 players are currently on the Clear Day List for the Rochester Americans:

Goaltenders: Alexander Salak and Tyler Plante.

Defensemen: John de Gray, Keaton Ellerby, Rory Fitzpatrick, Jason Garrison, Jordan Henry, Mathieu Roy and Clay Wilson.

Forwards: Jimmy Bonneau, David Brine, Evgeny Dadonov, Michael Duco, Jamie Johnson, Steve MacIntyre, Shawn Matthias, Graham Mink, Victor Oreskovich, Michal Repik, Jeff Taffe, Chris Taylor and Mike York.

Players In Residence: Luke Beaverson, Mike Caruso, Maxime Gratchev, Scott Hotham, Daniel Steiner and Andrew Sweetland.

Below was my original post and guess at the roster.

Below is my guess at the roster.  The only kink in the lineup would be the amount of vets.  Could Max Gratchev replace Steiner?  Keep an eye on Amerks.com or TheAHL.com on Thursday for the complete lineup, this just my guess.

Chris Taylor
Graham Mink
Evgeny Dadonov
Jeff Taffe
Jamie Johnson
Mike York
David Brine
Mike Duco
Victor Oreskovich
Michal Repik
Shawn Matthias
Daniel Steiner
Rory Fitzpatrick
Mathieu Roy
Clay Wilson
Jason Garrison
Keaton Ellerby
Jordan Henry
Michael Caruso
John de Gray

Alexander Salak
Tyler Plante

In case of injuries Luke Beaverson, Andrew Sweetland, Jimmy Bonneau and Steve MacIntyre will still be around.

Amerks Roster Set for Run at the Playoffs; Repik Up is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!

Graham Mink has now gone 13 games without scoring a goal and nine without a point so what better way to try and take your mind off that than with a fight.  Here’s the video of his bout with Kyle Rank during the Amerks 3-2 win over the Portland Pirates at HSBC Arena in Buffalo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnSiOGuXThI

Enjoy and share!!

Graham Mink Drops the Gloves vs Kyle Rank is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!

Jeff Taffe scored the game winning goal with 65 seconds left on the scoreboard to end the Amerks three game road trip and extend the teams winning streak to four games.  Mike York made a great pass to Taffe who then sent a rocket of a shot into the top corner past Enroth (video embedded below).

“I don’t think too many goals go in in this league without a screen or something like that from that far out,” Taffe said talking about the goal.  When asked if he saw an opening Taffe replied with, “There wasn’t much, I was just more or less trying to get a good shot off before the guy caught me and it worked out pretty well.”

The last time the Amerks won a three games in three days weekend was October 23-25 against Syracuse and Albany.  The only other time they’ve had a winning streak of four games was during their 11 game winning streak early in the season.  What was missing in between the long stretch between these streaks?  Mike York, that’s who was missing.  The Amerks are 6-3 since York made his return.

Jeff Taffe talked about how great York is on the team in terms of scoring, making plays, and even killing penalties.  Taffe said, “I think he see’s the ice better than anybody on our team.”

“There’s no more questions about him, he’s healthy and he’s playing well,” Rory Fitzpatrick said.  “Off the ice is no longer a question and on the ice you know he never was a question.”

Fitzpatrick hurt his knee on Sunday and was questionable for Sundays game.  Scott Hotham had participated in warm ups just in case Rory could not play.  Fitzpatrick said warmups went well, the doctor checked out his knee, and he was all set to play.

“It feels like we’re playing the hockey we were playing at the start of the year,” is what Tyler Plante mentioned that he said to Salak after the game.  Every player knows they went through a mid season slump and every player is hoping that it’s over.  Plante commented on that saying, “We’re rolling again, having a lot more fun.  It’s a way better atmosphere in the room.”

Travis Turnbull put the Pirates on the scoreboard first with a goal at 8:13 of the first period.  Tyler Plante appeared to bobble the shot and gave up a rebound to Turnbull who put it in the net.

Victor Oreskovich tied the game early in the second period at 1:51 knocking in a rebound with authority while parked in front of the net.  The line of Oreskovich, Duco, and Brine was busy for much of the game making plays happen.

The Amerks took the lead at 14:22 of the second period when Mike York scored his 10th goal of the season and fourth since returning to the lineup on February 19th.  York crossed the blue line with the puck, passed it to Taffe and Taffe passed it back to York who was open and with Enroth out of position the Amerks took a 2-1 lead.

Portland tied the game at 4:39 of the third period off a power play goal by Cody McCormick.  Rory Fitzpatrick dropped to the ice in an attempt to block a pass from Derek Whitmore to McCormick.  Whitmore didn’t bite and easily passed it around Fitzpatrick to McCormick who scored.

With only 65 seconds left in the game Mike York sent a beautiful pass up the ice to Jeff Taffe breaking into the Pirates zone.  Taffe took the puck, stopped around the top of the face off circle and sent a rocket of a shot into the top corner.

Tyler Plante won his second in a row making 28 saves in the game.  One of the questions coming into the game on Sunday was how tired they would be at the tail end of the road trip.  Plante said the team had a sleeper bus for the road trip and that he probably got a better nights sleep on Friday after the game on the way to Toronto than he did in the hotel room on Saturday night.

There’s only 15 games left in the season, nine of which are on the road.  A comfortable and well rested team is a winning team, let’s hope they keep it up.  It also sounds like some team time together is just what may have been needed.

“Maybe this road trip was good, we’re together so much and it builds some character too,” Mike York said.

The Amerks are back home on Friday March 12th for a game vs the Albany River Rats.  Tell your friends and family, this Amerks team is exciting to watch again!  It’s also another night of $1 beers and hot dogs, a deal that’s too good to pass up on.

Here’s a clip of Jeff Taffe’s goal I was able to snag off of the scoreboard:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-B8mZR1Tn8o

Enjoy and share!

York and Taffe Sink the Pirates and Extend Winning Streak is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!

The Amerks opened the month of March with a 5-2 road win over the Phantoms, four of those goals were scored in the third period.  David Laliberte tied the game 2-2 at 9:55 of the third period off of a horrible defensive zone giveaway by Rory Fitzpatrick.  The most impressive part of the game was that after that goal was scored to tie it up the team did not appear to lose confidence but instead took control and scored three more goals to win the game.

Evgeny Dadonov and Michal Repik each scored two goals and Chris Taylor had three assists.

I did not have time to write a complete postgame report so the press release about the game is below.

For Immediate Release
March 5, 2010

AMERKS OPEN MARCH WITH 5-2 WIN OVER PHANTOMS

(Rochester, NY)… Michal Repik and Evgeny Dadonov each scored two goals and added an assist as the Rochester Americans skated past the Adirondack Phantoms for a 5-2 win tonight at the Glens Falls Civic Center. With the win, Rochester (37-26-2-0, 72 points) has now won two straight and four of its last five to remain in a second-place tie in the North Division with the Abbotsford Heat.

Veteran forward Chris Taylor also recorded three assists and finished with a plus-three on-ice rating, while rookie goaltender Alexander Salak turned away 24 saves to notch his 27th win of the season. Adirondack’s Johan Backlund made 16 saves in the losing effort.

Patrick Maroon gave the hometown Phantoms a 1-0 lead midway through the opening period with his 10th goal of the season. Forwards Matt Clackson and 2010 AHL All-Star Jon Matsumoto each picked up assists on the goal at 10:12.

Rochester responded just over three minutes later off a goal from veteran forward Mike York at 13:24 that made it a 1-1 game. The goal was York’s fifth point in the last two games since registering a four-assist night last Sunday against Binghamton. Jamie Johnson recorded his team-leading 61st point with an assist, while Amerks captain Rory Fitzpatrick also assisted on York’s eighth tally of the season.

After a scoreless second stanza, Taylor and Repik combined with Dadonov just 54 seconds into the final frame to put the Amerks on top 2-1. The goal was Dadonov’s 12th of the season.

Adirondack battled back, again midway through the period, as David Laliberte’s marker at 9:55 evened things up a 2-2. Jared Ross and Logan Stephenson tabbed the assists on play.

The game would remain tied only for minutes as the Amerks scored three straight within a four-minute span en route to a 5-2 vistory. Dadonov potted his second of the night at 15:01, the eventual game-winner, before Repik netted back-to-back tallies, including an empty-netter with 26 seconds remaining in regulation.

With the goals, Repik became the third Amerks player this season to reach the 20-goal plateau. Taylor assisted on Dadonov’s game-winner and Repik’s first goal to record his three helpers, while defenseman Clay Wilson extended his point streak to four games (1+4) with an assist on Dadonov’s first tally of the night.

Rochester heads north of the border on Saturday, March 6th for a North Division showdown with the Toronto Marlies at Ricoh Coliseum. The 4:00 p.m. matinee will be the fifth of eight get-togethers between the two teams this season and will be carried live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK and FM 107.3, Rochester’s Sports Talk. The Amerks have an unblemished 4-0-0-0 record against the Marlies this season, outscoring their opponent 15-6 through the previous four gatherings. Rochester, however, is 16-21-1 lifetime against the Baby Maple Leafs.

————-

Rochester Americans 5 At Adirondack Phantoms 2 – Status: Final
Mar 5, 2010 – Glens Falls Civic Center

Rochester 1 0 4 – 5
Adirondack 1 0 1 – 2

1st Period-1, Adirondack, Maroon 10 (Clackson, Matsumoto), 10:12. 2, Rochester, York 8 (Johnson, Fitzpatrick), 13:24. Penalties-Taylor Rch (interference), 13:51.

2nd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Dingle Adk (hooking), 6:43; Wilson Rch (interference), 7:50; Kalinski Adk (elbowing), 8:17; Brine Rch (roughing), 14:17; Kalinski Adk (roughing), 14:17; Laliberte Adk (slashing), 15:41.

3rd Period-3, Rochester, Dadonov 12 (Repik, Taylor), 0:54. 4, Adirondack, Laliberte 15 (Ross, Stephenson), 9:55. 5, Rochester, Dadonov 13 (Wilson, Taylor), 15:01. 6, Rochester, Repik 20 (Dadonov, Taylor), 16:51. 7, Rochester, Repik 21 (Salak), 19:31 (sh en). Penalties-Gratchev Rch (charging), 4:45; Duco Rch (slashing), 18:23.

Shots on Goal-Rochester 9-6-6-21. Adirondack 7-13-6-26.
Power Play Opportunities-Rochester 0 of 3; Adirondack 0 of 4.
Goalies-Rochester, Salak 27-12-0 (26 shots-24 saves). Adirondack, Backlund 20-15-2 (20 shots-16 saves).
A-4,906
Referees-Ghislain Hebert (49).
Linesmen-Steeve Lemay (64), Mike Emanatian (69).

Amerks Opened March with 5-2 Win Over Phantoms is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!

Short and sweet, the run for the playoffs starts this weekend. There’s no more excuses. There’s no time left to blame road trips or even personal gripes with anyone. With only 18 games remaining it’s time to see what this Amerks team is capable of and that includes the coaching staff and players.

The North Division is tight and continues to become tighter with every game played. Hamilton has the clear lead in the division and that does not look like it will change. Every team is looking to get better so it’s time for this team to step it up.

The Amerks are on the road tonight against the Adirondack Phantoms. The last time these two teams played on February 10th the Phantoms won the game 3-1. Rochester won the two previous games.

Graham Mink is not playing tonight, he’s staying in Rochester because his wife is expected to give birth anytime. Daniel Steiner has sat out the two previous games and will be looking to show how valuable he is to the team when he’s in the lineup.

The Amerks also play Saturday in Toronto and then on Sunday in Buffalo against the Portland Pirates.

Gameday: Amerks at Phantoms, Race Towards Playoffs is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!

A bit of good news for Fridays game against the Adirondack Phantoms is that the Panthers have sent Michal Repik back to the Rochester Americans.  Repik played in two games for the Panthers during his latest promotion.  Repik is currently fifth on the Amerks in scoring with 19 goals and 19 assists in 45 games.

Newly acquired defenseman Mathieu Roy from the Columbus Blue Jackets was also sent to the Amerks.  Roy is currently nursing an ankle injury and is expected back the weekend of the 12th.

Repik Sent Back, Roy Out Another Week is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!

The Amerks have struggled in a number of areas for most of the season, the one area they’ve needed improvement on since day one has been defense.  That’s something the Amerks management has talked to the Panthers about and prior to the trade deadline the Panthers made a move.  They traded prospect Matt Rust for defenseman Mathieu Roy from the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Amerks fans may think the name sounds familiar and it should, he has played for cross state rival Syracuse Crunch this season.

There are two downsides to the move.  One is that Roy is out with an ankle injury.  The other is that he’s going to be considered an exempt veteran.  Clay Wilson is currently the exempt veteran on the Amerks roster, meaning more than 260 pro games and less than 320 prior to the start of this season.

The positive is that the Panthers did make a move.  They also made a move for a stay at home physical player to help out on defense, again the area this Amerks team has lacked since day one.  But, what’s the point when healthy players who are valuable to the roster will be forced to sit out in order for this guy to play?

There are some vets who have not performed lately but if the Amerks make the playoffs I’m confident those players will step up.

An injured player who will not be able to jump right into the lineup when he’s healthy without forcing the coaches to sit someone else.  Somehow this move does not seem all that great.  Others will say we should be happy the Panthers made a move in the first place, I’ll nicely disagree.

The trade deadline has come and gone, now it’s time for some AHL moves to occur to see if this Amerks roster can be improved or tuned up in some way.

Panthers Acquire Mathieu Roy for Amerks, Too Bad He's Injured is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!