It was a short fight with Fitzgerald getting a nice shot in on Finley.  As each game passes Finley is working closer and closer to deserving an NHL contract if there’s more injuries with the Buffalo Sabres defense.

Zack Fitzgerald was also involved in this fight below during the 2009/2010 season when he played for the Albany River Rats and squared off against Steve MacIntyre in an Amerks uniform.

As always, enjoy and share!

Joe Finley vs Zack Fitzgerald Fight Video is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!. For discussion visit the forums at LetsGoAmerks.com/Forums.

Growing up in the Buffalo area he was also a Sabres fan and has the same favorites growing up that most of us did during the 1990′s.  When he was young he remembers watching Alexander Mogilny and then Pat LaFontaine.  Grant Fuhr was a favorite goalie to watch and then Dominik Hasek during his era in Buffalo.  As he’s gotten older Miikka Kiprusoff is a goalie he’s aways liked to watch and has shared ice time with over a recent summer.

Some kids get on the ice for the first time wanting to be a goalie but that wasn’t the case for David Leggio.  He only moved into the goalie position after he was cut as a forward from the mite travel team when he was eight years old, well more like he didn’t make the team out of tryouts.

“When you’re eight you don’t know you’re at tryouts,” he said.  ”Someone said you want to play goalie?  I said sure and that’s how it started.”

There’s always a kid in a neighborhood that takes the beating by the other kids, not in the bullying fashion but the kid forced to play goalie because no one else wants to.  The kid given the football as running back and always tackled hard.  David Leggio was that kid in his neighborhood, especially with cousins about 3-4 years older living nearby and it prepared him for his current profession.

He graduated high school from St Joseph’s Collegiate Institute in Buffalo, NY in 2002 where he was their goalie.  He also played as a forward for two games in high and scored two goals.

Prior to this past Tuesdays game I teased a misleading headline talking about “Leggio switching positions” because of the way he was passing pucks to TJ Brennan during warmups at a previous game, as it turns out it’s a position he could easily move back into.

The next stop for Leggio after graduating high school was going to Clarkson University to play hockey and study for a business degree.  ”I was a late developer and it was my best option, I favored education,” he said.

“I played for Todd Marchant’s father Pete when I was in peewee’s and just knowing Todd went there and following his career from when I was young, that made Clarkson one of the destinations I wanted to go to.”

During the summer months David Leggio trains other goalies so once his career as a professional goaltender is over down the road it’s likely something he hopes to continue with in life.

Going Pro..

He got his first professional experience signing an ATO (amateur tryout) with the Binghamton Senators at the end of the 2007/2008 season and played in the last game of the season in relief of Jeff Glass against the Hershey Bears.  He had just over 29 minutes of ice time and allowed two goals on nine shots, the Bears won the game in overtime.

In the summer of 2008 through the Carolina Hurricanes he signed a two way contract to play between the Albany River Rats and Florida Everblades.  He only played one game with Albany that season where the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins lit him up scoring seven goals on 33 shots.

During that 2008/2009 season he was the number one goalie in the ECHL playing in 39 games for the Florida Everblades with a record of 27-7-3 with a 2.26 GAA and 0.916 save percentage.

The Florida Everblades were also the number one team in the regular season leading the league in points, a great achievement for a team but it seems like a curse (Presidents Trophy in the NHL).  ”We had a very good team but ran into a hot South Carolina team in the second round,” he said.  ”We underachieved but it was a good experience.”

That experience and great season with the Everblades got him noticed by a team on the other side of the world, TPS Turku from Finland.  TPS Turku had talked to Leggio during that year and made it clear they were going to offer him a contract after the season was done.

“Coming out of the ECHL that would be my best chance to go and play at a higher level,” he said.  ”If I signed with an American League team I’d be fighting just for the AHL spot and if I went to Finland I would get to go in one of the best leagues in the world.”

One of many reasons for any goalie to go and play for TPS Turku is to be able to train with one of the best goalie coaches in the world, Urpo Ylonen. Who is Urpo Ylonen you ask?  Ylonen was inducted into the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988 and to the IIHF Hall of Fame in 1997. SM-liiga (name of the league that TPS Turku is in) has named the goalie of the year award after him; the Urpo Ylonen trophy.

Urpo Ylonen has coached Miikka Kiprusoff, Antero Niittymaki and even former Amerks goalie Alexander Salak.  When you watch Leggio play you may notice some similarities to Salak in how he plays.

“When I was there I was training with Kiprusoff and Nittymaki when they were around in August that summer, that was probably the biggest thing for me,” Leggio said.  ”A huge stepping stone in my career so far.”

Not a bad start to a pro career.  Getting his feet wet in the ECHL and earning the honors of being the number one goalie and then going to Finland to be coached by one of the best goalie coaches in the world before coming back to North America.

Buffalo Sabres Era

In 2010 after David got back from the World Championships the Buffalo Sabres said that they were interested in him and but also looking at a few others guys.  The Sabres had asked if he signed anywhere in Europe, which he hadn’t, and he was also talking to a few teams.  As the summer progressed Buffalo offered him a deal to start the season with the Portland Pirates.

“That was my goal, to go to Finland and try to have the chance to come back here,” he said.  He certainly earned it.

Leggio split time with the Pirates during the 2010/2011 regular season playing in 36 regular season games and nine playoff games.  During the regular season he went 22-12 with a 2.80 GAA and 0.911 save percentage.  He went 5-4 in the playoffs before Portland was eliminated in the second round.

When Terry Pegula bought the Buffalo Sabres the talks almost instantly began to circulate that he would try and buy the Rochester Americans.  I asked Leggio when he found out he’d be moving closer to home and he said, ”there were rumors in Portland.  I heard publicly they were going to stay in Portland, heard rumors about the Amerks, we really had no idea until the deal was down.”

Leggio talked highly of Portland and that it was a great place to live and play but living closer to home isn’t a bad thing.

“I’m really happy to be in Rochester, especially close to home.  Family and friends have season tickets purchased,” he said.  ”They can come and watch anytime they want.  In the past I was in Florida, Finland and Portland.. this year if you’re a friend or family member and don’t come you don’t have an excuse.”

One of the things I’ve noticed early about Leggio is how well he plays down low and is able to stay in position to stop the second chances.

“I’ve always been pretty good down low,” he said.  ”When in tight you have to take up the bottom portion of the net and try to get your hands forward and smother the puck.  You always want to start from the middle out, the puck starts on the ice theoretically and has to go up to go anywhere.”

Those skills are improved by coaching which is another reason to be closer to home and the Buffalo Sabres.

Bob Janosz is the Rochester Americans goalie coach and is on the ice every practice with the team going through drills.  Jim Corsi, the Buffalo Sabres goalie coach, visited Portland a few times during the 2010/2011 season but because of the distance it wasn’t easy.

“It’s only been my second year where I’ve had a goalie coach throughout the whole season, in Finland and now this year,” Leggio said.  ”It’s a really huge asset for the goalies to have a guy watching you everyday and helping you work on things and telling you things you need to work on.”

“At my position you can watch video, you can do whatever, but you can only assess yourself so much, you need another set of eyes and someone else who’s an expert in the field to be able to tell you ‘I think you need to improve this’ or notice you’re doing this.  Sometimes you just don’t see that, a lot of things you don’t see that you need to improve on and just it just pushes you that much harder.”

The lack of a goalie coach for Alexander Salak during the Rochester Americans 2009/2010 season is one of the reasons many people think he faded as the season went on.

Prior to games the only routine Leggio has is to eat some oatmeal about three hours before the game and listen to a couple of songs that as he says, “remind me of times at Clarkson or along the way.  For one reason or another there’s stuff in the playlist and I can’t get rid of them no matter how old they are.”

He wasn’t willing to share what’s on the playlist other than saying there’s a couple of Eminem songs on there.

“Overall nothing crazy that I have to do,” he says.

Goalie Helmet

I’ve written before that goalie helmets are one of the only places on the playing surface that players have a chance to be original and show off part of who they are and David Leggio isn’t any different.

Like a lot of other goalies in the world, his helmet was designed by David Gunnarsson out of Sweden (Daveart.com).

The helmet features the Rochester Americans logo, Buffalo Sabres logo, the picture of a soldier killed in Iraq, Rick Jeanneret, a chicken wing and an eagle.

The last Amerks goalie to have the Amerks logo on his helmet?  Ryan Miller.

“The helmet is a combination his ideas and mine,” Leggio said.  ”Dave wanted to put on an eagle coming through the Americans logo and I wanted to put on my friends dad Terrence K. Crow who was killed in action over in Iraq in 2005 so I wanted to put  soldier on there, something to show respect to his family.”

More on Terrence K. Crow:

44, of New York, N.Y.; assigned to the 10th Battalion, 98th Regiment, 4th Brigade, 98th Division, Army Reserve, Lodi, N.J.; killed June 7 when his unit was attacked by enemy forces using rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire in Tal Afar, Iraq.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — A lieutenant colonel with the Army Reserves from western New York was killed by hostile fire while training Iraqi security forces near the Syrian border, military officials said Wednesday.

Lt. Col. Terrence Crowe, 44, of Grand Island, was one of four U.S. soldiers killed in three separate attacks Tuesday. He is the fourth member of the Rochester-based 98th Division to die in Iraq.

Click here to read more here

“On the other side, a chicken wing for Buffalo was my idea along with the Buffalo Sabres logo.  I was also thinking what I could put on there that I’ve always liked about the Sabres and I went with Rick Jeanneret,” Leggio said.  ”He’s in there on the logo (back corner below).  Growing up for me players come and go but he’s always been there, always been exciting the fans, everyone in Buffalo loves him.”

Competition with Drew MacIntyre

The Amerks are considered to have one of the best goaltending duo’s in the American Hockey League this season between David Leggio and Drew MacIntyre.  Here’s two goalies at the top of their game with the dream of playing in the National Hockey League.  It’s inevitable that Ryan Miller or Jhonas Enroth will have some downtime this season which will require a call up from the Amerks.  If the Sabres had to make that decision right now they’d likely have to flip a coin to decide, both have played some great hockey (they get a pass on the first two games of the season).

When asked if the two of them will be having some friendly competition Leggio said, “I think we will.  We’re both older and will do it in a respectful way.  It’s healthy competition, we are going to push each other to both give our absolute best efforts everytime that we’re in the net.  It’s a good thing, a good relationship.”

Amerks coach Ron Rolston has always said that he believes winning starts from the goalie on up.  The season is still young but Leggio and MacIntyre will certainly be the anchor for this team that he believes in.

——-

You can read about Drew MacIntyre’s story here and his helmet here.

Florida to Finland and Back, David Leggio is Closer to Home and His Dream is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!. For discussion visit the forums at LetsGoAmerks.com/Forums.

The Albany River Rats recently packed up and moved to Charlotte, leaving their mascot Rowdy the Rat unemployed.  Below is a series of four videos that were released that chronicled his days of saying goodbye, being down and out and eventually a happy ending.  The videos were not all released at the same time which at first left anyone who found them curious about what would happen.

A great job by the Tri-City ValleyCats for this cute story (for a lack of better words).  I’ll admit that I had never heard of the ValleyCats but if I’m ever out that way I’d probably find a way to visit for a game.  Minor league teams don’t have the massive marketing and promotion budgets that the big leagues do so you have to give credit to the creative forces behind things like this.

Rowdy Says Goodbye

“Rowdy says his finals goodbyes to the Times Union Center as he tries to find a job. What’s next?!”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_KOCjrTw18

“Rowdy has hit rock bottom and is left searching for hope.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6kMpMl-NtU&

“Pet Connection with Steve Caporizzo”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1sl-JxGTk8

“The Tri-City ValleyCats are proud to announce the adoption of Rowdy The Rat into their mascot family. Rowdy has made his home in Albany since 1993, a tradition that will now continue.”

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

Enjoy!

River Rats Mascot was Down and Out but Found a Home is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!. For discussion visit the forums at LetsGoAmerks.com/Forums.

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!. For discussion visit the forums at LetsGoAmerks.com/Forums.

One thing is for certain is that the affiliation between the Rochester Americans and Florida Panthers will last through the 2010/2011 season.  Talks have not yet started about a possible extension but it was recently reported in the Democrat and Chronicle that both parties have until November 2010 to work something out.

American Hockey League President and CEO David Andrews announced today that the league’s Board of Governors has approved the relocation of the AHL franchise owned by the Edmonton Oilers from Edmonton, Alta., to Oklahoma City, Okla., to begin play there in the fall of 2010.

No, there is not currently an AHL team in Edmonton.  The Edmonton Oilers are one of many NHL teams that owns the rights to an AHL franchise so in a sense they are relocating what they own but has been dormant from Edmonton to Oklahoma City.  The still unnamed team will play at the Cox Convention Center.

In other news the sale of the Albany River Rats is going to be finalized at a 2pm press conference on Wednesday to announce they will be moving to Charlotte, NC.  The Carolina Hurricanes want their affiliate closer to home and they’ll accomplish just that with this move.  What does that mean to an AHL team in Albany?  Well known car salesman Billy Fuccillo could be a potential buyer for a team in Albany, here’s more from The Record in Troy, NY:

http://www.troyrecord.com/articles/2010/02/09/sports/doc4b70fa365dd63007510580.txt

Robb admitted he was looking for a potential buyer in the past, but always stated the sale would come with the stipulation the team remained in Albany. That no longer looks like an option. If Robb wanted to continue as an AHL owner, he could have switched affilations. AHL Commissioner Dave Andrews said five or six affiliation contracts were set to expire at the end of the season.

Two of the affiliations whose contracts expire are the New York Rangers (Hartford WolfPack) and the New York Islanders (Bridgeport Sound Tigers), which seem like a natural fit for Albany. The Rangers and Hartford are involved in tense negotiations involving the Hartford Civic Center. The Sound Tigers rate 19th in attendance in the AHL (3,915), which is approximately 500 more fans per game than the River Rats draw for a home date. Sources said the New Jersey Devils, which is located in Lowell, Mass., and the Buffalo Sabres affiliate, located in Portland, Maine, could also end up in Albany because the AHL wants to have a team in the Capital District.

A broadcast report Monday stated that Fuccillo, known for his incessant car commercials stating he’s willing to offer customers “huuuuge selections, huuuuuge savings and huuuuge deals,” is interested in owning an AHL team in Albany. Fuccillo certainly has pockets deep enough to finance a team. His car conglomerate features 23 dealerships in New York, including seven in the Capital District.

Another known affiliation agreement that is about to run out at the end of the season is between the Syracuse Crunch and Columbus Blue Jackets.  Lindsay Kramer over at Syracuse.com has written a number of stories that talks between the Crunch and Blue Jackets about extending their agreement have not really gone too far.

The Texas Stars are currently operating as a temporary franchise for this season and will need to purchase a franchise for the 2010/2011 season.  They could potentially buy the dormant franchise in Iowa that was suspended at the end of last season due to money being owed.

The Springfield Falcons will be losing their affiliation with the Edmonton Oilers at the end of the season so that means they will need an affiliate.  The Falcons are one of few grandfathered franchises that could potentially operate without an affiliate but that’s not very likely.

The only NHL team currently without an affiliation is the Anaheim Ducks.  But, that does not mean they’ll go with Springfield.  They could continue without an affiliation spreading their players around like they currently are or sign an agreement with a team in need.

The Buffalo Sabres and Portland Pirates did announce a “long term” affiliation through the end of the 2010/2011 season but a number of sources are stating that there’s an out clause at the end of the season if the Sabres choose to leave.  If the Sabres could find an affiliation closer to Buffalo it’s widely assumed they would jump at the chance.  Who would the Pirates affiliate with?  It’s anyone’s guess.

AHL President and CEO David Andrews said that he expects about five or six changes to take place by the end of this season.  We already have two with the Rats moving to Charlotte and Edmonton going to Oklahoma City.  As the end of the season comes to a close and the summer starts there will be a lot more confusion and changes.

If I missed anything or mixed up any details please leave a comment and let me know.

Oklahoma City, Charlotte and Other Possible AHL Affiliation Changes is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!. For discussion visit the forums at LetsGoAmerks.com/Forums.

On Friday night, Salak turned aside 32 of 33 shots and was named the game’s first star in Rochester’s 2-1 victory at Albany. On Saturday, he finished with 22 saves as the Americans rallied for a 3-2 overtime win in Syracuse. And on Sunday evening, Salak was again selected as the number-one star of the game as he stopped all 34 Syracuse shots for his first career AHL shutout, a 3-0 decision over the Crunch.

In recognition of his achievement, Salak will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming Americans home game.

Salak is now 5-0-0 with a 1.60 goals-against average and a .947 save percentage in six appearances for Rochester, helping the Amerks to a seven-game winning streak and an 8-1-1-0 record overall, good for first place in the North Division. The 22-year-old rookie is in his first season of North American pro hockey after signing with the Florida Panthers on May 29, 2009. A native of Strakonice, Czech Republic, Salak spent the previous two seasons playing with TPS Turku in Finland.

Here’s an excerpt from Sundays post game recap:

Benoit Groulx talked about Salak saying, “He’s the only one who’s 60 minutes out there and did not show any signs of fatigue or anything physically or mentally.”

There was never any question in the minds of the coaches about him playing all three nights.  “I told him that he was in and that was it, he had no choices,” Groulx said.

Alexander Salak did not seem to mind either, “That was tough,” he said.  “But it was good.  We won 3 games in a row and i don’t mind much.”

It helps that Salak can count on the defense in front of him.  Keaton Ellerby has been playing his best hockey yet with the Amerks.  He’s skating fast, controlling the puck, not losing the puck, and holding on to his stick.

“If i give up a rebound the guys get it, they make our game really easier and it was fun to play,” Salak said talking about counting on the defense.

The defense is also relying on him.  Clay Wilson said, “He’s a good solid goalie.  He’s everything you need.  Gives you confidence that he’s going to make the save.  If you mess up you can have a little extra confidence because he’s standing on his head right now.”

Watching Salak in net can give someone high blood pressure with the way he plays.  When asked how to describe his style of play he just says, “I just do what i think is right.  This is my game.”

If you still have not had the chance to see Salak play here’s about 1:30 of him in action.  I think you’ll get an idea of what he’s like all over the place.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3fIgeTs-KU

While Alexander Salak is getting well deserved honors for his play it’s still worth noting that Tyler Plante has also been playing well this season.  Once his knee is healed and he can return it should be quiet the battle for the goalies trying to earn a start.

The Amerks are back in action on Friday October 30th in Binghamton.

Alexander Salak Named AHL Player of the Week is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!. For discussion visit the forums at LetsGoAmerks.com/Forums.

A lot has changed since that  game though.  The team has had more than a week of practice time together and have been on a four game winning streak since then.  The chemistry, the winning streak, the pride, and the hard work should be enough for the team to put together another win.  One thing the Amerks will need to do is not allow the River Rats to try and push them around again.  We should expect to see Jimmy Bonneau back in the lineup.

You can watch the game for FREE on The AHL Live http://www.ahllive.com.

Alexander Salak will be getting the start in the net.

Tyler Plante hurt his knee during Wednesdays game against the Binghamton Senators.  Rory Fitzpatrick is also dealing with pain from scar tissue following his sports hernia surgery and will be out of the lineup.

Protecting the Goalie

One thing the Amerks will need to do is step up their game in protecting the goalie.  Tyler Plante was hit at least six times on Wednesday night, one of the hits resulted in his knee injury.  Two goaltender interference penalties were called but I think there should have been at least one more.

A couple of comments in the post game article agreed as well.

Check out this video and you make the call:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Vs83F8hupQ

One question remains, why didn’t anyone go after Cody Brass after this hit?  It’s not just that one hit but all of them.  This is not something the team can allow to happen.  Something similar happened when Zach Smith was called for boarding after he hit Clay Wilson.  Shawn Matthias was standing there and did nothing.  When Victor Oreskovich leveled a Senators player with a clean hit the other teammates were all over Oreskovich.

The team is playing great hockey scoring goals and winning games.  They don’t need to go out and start playing the same style of hockey the opposition is playing, but they can’t allow the opposition to do this to them.  It’s something opposing teams will start to notice and start taking advantage of.

Paul Gaustad took matters into his own hands after Tim Jackman recently ran over Ryan Miller, something similar should have happened Wednesday night as well.  Check out the video if you havn’t seen it.

Were the Senators playing hard and crashing the net?  Yes.  If a goalie is out of the crease I think they’re a little more fair game but the Senators were going beyond that.  Two interference calls in one game is a great indication of what their game plan was.  It’s something we’ll move on from, but something that the Amerks cannot allow to happen again.

I’m not sure what kind of trend may be occuring at the AHL level, but it’s on the rise in the NHL.  I’m not the only one talking about “crease crashers.”

Jim Kelly wrote a couple days ago, “NHL must stem the rising tide of crease-crashers; NHLPA intrigue”

Like most things in the NHL, the how and why isn’t really at issue. Goalies, well-padded but arguably as defenseless as a punter in the path of a half-dozen onrushing linesmen, are being overrun across the NHL. It appears to be a tactic and the league is at least giving lip service to doing something about it.

Though it hasn’t officially been added to the agenda for next month’s general manager’s meetings, enough GMs are lobbying to get it there. That alone doesn’t provide for any real hope to putting a stop to the nasty tactic. One need only look at the way the GMs skirted the issue of blows to the head and the NHL Players Association again buried the idea of adjusting the size of goaltenders’ equipment to suspect that there will be much noise and very little action. Still, crease-crashing is an issue that impacts a very important segment of the playing fraternity and, perhaps more importantly, attracts the attention of ownership.

Buffalo News reporter John Vogl wrote the following:

There’s a growing sentiment the line is being crossed too often. There were four goalie interference calls in the league over the weekend and numerous collisions that weren’t penalized.

The New York Post reported that Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist was popped three times Saturday by the Toronto Maple Leafs, who escaped without an infraction. Rangers opponents already have been sent to the box four times for running the netminder.

“Something has to be done [by the NHL] or we’ll have to take care of it our way,” Rangers coach John Tortorella told reporters after the game. “The way guys are coming in on Hank now is ridiculous.”

Added Sabres coach Lindy Ruff: “I saw a game against the Rangers where they absolutely plowed Lundqvist over a couple times. I think some of that is strategy now. I think that’s going to be the trend to disrupt teams that aren’t giving up a lot, or a hot goaltender.

“I more than expect it. It’s not anything new. I think when teams get frustrated with not scoring goals, then you get more and more powerful people going through the paint.”

It’s something we’ll keep an eye on this weekend.

Protecting the Goalie; Gameday Amerks vs Rats is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!. For discussion visit the forums at LetsGoAmerks.com/Forums.

The team is on a three game winning streak and the team chemistry appears to be building every game.

In two previous back to back home and away games the team has struggled out of the locker room getting started.  The first road game in Albany was a mess, they lost 6-1.. but it was only the third game of the season.  This past Saturday was a different story.  Too many penalties in the first period allowed the Marlies to take an early 3-0 lead in the first.  The Amerks pulled together and came back to win the game 4-3 in OT thanks to a short handed goal by David Brine.

“We may have taken them lightly after the game on Friday night.  The win shows our pride and depth in the locker room knowing the game is not over,” Benoit Groulx said after practice.

Getting back to the present..

Bill Pucko (Bylinesports.com) posted, “It is time to stop making excuses for the Rochester hockey fan.  The Amerks along with the Hershey Bears are the cornerstones the American Hockey League is built on.  New ownership has invested in our team, invested in us.  We need to start acting like we deserve that.”

Finally someone in the local media gets it!!!  Great job Bill Pucko, hopefully others will start taking notice as well.

Practice…..

Due to changes in my work schedule (unfortunately writing about the Amerks is not my real job) I have not been able to make it to many practices like the past two seasons.. but it’s definitely a different atmosphere.

It was easy to say over the past two seasons that the team had good practices.  Every team should have good practices.  The difference seems to be that players are finishing drills.  This may have been the first practice I’ve ever seen where Benoit did not have to stop and raise his voice.

When I had to leave many of the players had already been on the ice for an hour and 45 minutes.

** We’ve seen what these players are capable of, Victor Oreskovich will get his chance on Wednesday night in his first game in over two years.  Oreskovich skates hard and skates fast.  In case you missed it, check out my previous story on Oreskovich (Fortunate to Get a Second Chance)

** Kenndal McArdle just schooled Peter Aston.  Went hard at him, side stepped, and was able to put the puck past Plante.. the move got a nice round of cheers and sticks banging against the boards by his teammates.

** Mike Duco (banged up shoulder) and Michal Repik (sick) had the morning off.

** Tyler Plante got off to a rough start on Saturday in Toronto but rebounded nicely in the second and third periods finishing the game with 40 saves.  Benoit Groulx said that there was one poor goal he let in but as the game went on he made a number of excellent saves that kept them in the game.

** No decisions have been made about who starts on Wednesday.  I’m guessing Salak.

** The only forwards still looking for their first point of the season are Shawn Matthias, Mike Duco, and Evgeny Dadonov.

** Dadonov is fifth on the team with 13 shots.  He’ll eventually find the net.. he’s only played six regular season games in North America so a learning period is acceptable.

** Matthias has only played in two games and is still getting to know his teammates.  He looks much improved over last season.  He’s skating faster and hitting opponents.

** Groulx said that he has not made a decision yet if Bonneau is going to play on Wednesday.  I made a sophmore mistake first asking Groulx “what role will Bonneau play in the game?”  Benoit laughed and asked me if I wanted to think about the question again.  The question was supposed to come out of my mouth asking, “Is Bonneau playing on Wednesday?”

** Groulx said that facing Mike Brodeur is not an issue on Wednesday, that’s behind them.  This is a different team now.  I’ll give Brodeur a nice welcome, he deserves it.  We have to wonder now if he regrets getting out of town.

Amerks vs Binghamton Senators on Wednesday night, 7:05pm Blue Cross Arena!

Tuesday Morning Practice; Pride and Depth is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!. For discussion visit the forums at LetsGoAmerks.com/Forums.

There’s been talks about the team not having had a full week of practice together.  The fact that Taffe, Repik, and Duco were late to joining the team.  That may have been the case for some sloppy play even though they won on Friday night, but there’s no excuses anymore.  This team was built to win.  Built to score some goals.  They need to find a way to do those things.

Unfortunately what we’ve seen is a team that has been slow and afraid to play physical at times.  The only players that have played a consistent physical game have been Graham Mink, Kenndal McArdle, and Jordan Henry.

The Amerks have one win, one loss, and one overtime loss.  They’re better than last season already but shouldn’t we be expecting more?

I’ll remind myself now that it’s only going to be the 4th game of the season… the company line is that it takes time for a team to find it’s identity and build chemistry.  My take on it is that these guys are not rookies, they should be able to adjust.

The game tonight against the physical and quick Syracuse Crunch is going to be an interesting one.  Going into a game against Syracuse we often assume it’ll be a physical game filled with a fight or two.. not sure who’ll fill that role tonight.

Mike Duco will need to step up his game and keep agitator Kevin Harvey under control.

The Crunch will be riding the momentum of their 6-2 sold out home opening win against the Adirondack Phantoms on Saturday night.

It’s an odd Monday night game that starts at 7:05pm at Blue Cross Arena.  It’ll be a miracle if attendance is higher than 1,500.  I’m hoping for the best and hate to be critical, but who scheduled a Monday night game thinking it’d be a good idea?

The Bridgeport Sound Tigers had the right idea with a 1:00pm afternoon game since kids have off from school.

I may not sound too optimistic here but when I leave work Monday evening and head down to the arena I’ll be hoping for the best.

A few other tidbits:

** Alexander Salak will be making his first start as a Rochester American in net.  He replaced Tyler Plante in the second period on Saturday against the Albany River Rats.

** The team has one roster spot available that will go to either Andrew Sweetland or Luke Beaverson.  If I had to pick I’d go with Sweetland.  Not a lot to choose from.

** Jason Garrison returned from the Panthers.  Peter Aston will be sitting out.

** No known injuries.

A Rare Monday Hockey Night in Rochester is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!. For discussion visit the forums at LetsGoAmerks.com/Forums.

Here’s my guesses for changes in the lineup this weekend:

Out of the lineup: Matt Duffy, Dan Collins, Peter Aston, Jimmy Bonneau, Jon Landry, and Luke Beaverson.

In the lineup: Rory Fitzpatrick, Jason Garrison, Mike Caruso, Michal Repik, and Mike Duco.

With Oreskovich still getting work visa issues straightened out I’m assuming we’ll see James DeLory in the lineup to fill the final spot.  Luke Beaverson was not very effective so I hope DeLory is given a chance.

A full lineup should be exciting to watch.  The Amerks will have more offense with Repik and Duco on the ice.  The question mark will be with James DeLory to see how he plays.  The defense will also be stronger.

Tyler Plante will get the start in net on Friday night.  Assuming he plays as well as he did last weekend he’ll probably play all weekend.

The key to winning these games will be a strong transition game and the defense preventing the opposition from getting to the front of the net.  Something that was an issue last season and carried over into the first game.

Tonight we’ll see a rematch of last Saturdays home opener against the Lake Erie Monsters.  The Monsters won that game with 5 seconds left in OT (game recap).  The Amerks controlled the first period of that game but the Monsters came back to eventually win the game.  This will be the second of eight games between the two teams this season.

Saturday night the team travels to take on the Albany River Rats for it’s first road game of the season.  The game will be the first of four games between these two teams this season.  Last season the Amerks split the season series 2-2, both wins were on home ice at Blue Cross Arena.  The Amerks have a 46-41-9 all-time record against the River Rats.

The last of the three games is at home on Monday night against the Syracuse Crunch.  The real test for this game will be to see how the Amerks match up against the rough and tough Crunch.  The Amerks released the last of three enforcers invited to camp so we’ll see how this game goes.

All three games will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTM and FM 107.3.  All home games this season will be televised live on Time Warner SportsNet Channel 26.  If you’re looking to watch the road games you can do so at http://www.ahllive.com.

Week in Review:

** Florida Panthers signed RW Victor Oreskovich -He may not play this weekend while visa issues are worked out.

** Dan Collins was assigned to the Johnstown Chiefs of the ECHL – no need to see more.

** Matt Duffy assigned to the Florida Everblades – He’ll be a great call up when he’s needed.

** Alexander Salak recalled by the Florida Panthers -Scott Clemmenson had some family issues to attend to so the Panthers called up Salak in case Clemmenson isn’t back by Friday.

** Jon Landry Released from PTO

** Duco, Repik, Salak, and Garrison Assigned to Amerks – great to have these guys back!

Amerks have Three Games in Four Nights is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!. For discussion visit the forums at LetsGoAmerks.com/Forums.