Starting with 2008 and then 2011 at the bottom..

2008 featuring Drew Larman, Keaton Ellerby, Jordan Henry, Dan Collins, Franklin MacDonald, Tanner Glass, Michael Caruso, Riley Emmerson, Jason Garrison, David Shantz, Andrew Sweetland, Michal Repik

2009 featuring Tyler Plante, Mike Duco, Andrew Sweetland, Jimmy Bonneau, Shawn Matthias, David Brine, Brady Calla, Luke Beaverson, Evgeny Dadanov, Michal Repik, Jason Garison, Alexander Salak

2010 featuring Jacob Markstrom, Adam Comrie, AJ Jenks, Evgeny Dadanov, Brady Calla, Scott Timmins, Colby Robak, PJ Fenton, Eric Selleck, Paul Baier, Michael Caruso, Tyler Plant.  I’m missing two faces here, who are they?

2010 Bloopers

2011 Version:

Bloopers:

Enjoy!

The Amerks 12 Days of Christmas 2008 to 2011 is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!. For discussion visit the forums at LetsGoAmerks.com/Forums.

Rory Fitzpatrick – Retired
Jamie Johnson – Grand Rapids Griffins
Mike York – Finland
Graham Mink – Peoria Rivermen. He was traded to the St Louis Blues in exchange for T.J. Fast.  With the money the Panthers saved by trading Mink they immediately signed Joe Callahan.
Jeff Taffe – Traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Marty Reasoner
Mathieu Roy – Signed 2way deal with Tampa Bay Lightning
Maxime Gratchev – Hartford Wolf Pack
Jordan Henry – KHL
Jimmy Bonneau – Hamilton Bulldogs
Chris Beckford-Tseu – unknown
Alexander Salak – loaned to Farjestad of the Swedish Elite League. With Vokoun and Clemmenson as #1 and 2 in Florida and Markstrom and Plante planned for Rochester there was no room for Salak so the Panthers allowed him to go back to Europe.
Steve MacIntyre – Edmonton Oilers
David Brine – San Antonio Rampage
John de Gray – Syracuse Crunch
Victor Oreskovich – Vancouver Canucks (or Manitoba Moose).. he was traded along with Keith Ballard to the Canucks in exchange for Steve Bernier, Michael Grabner and a 1st round selection (Quinton Howden) in 2010.
Andrew Sweetland – Elmira Jackals
Peter Aston – unknown
Daniel Steiner – Switzerland

If anyone has any info on the “unknowns” please let me know.  There’s other players as well not returning but I didn’t think they were big enough part of the team that anyone would wonder about.

Amerks from Last Season Not Returning is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!. For discussion visit the forums at LetsGoAmerks.com/Forums.

Thanks to Eric Bourgeois (frequent reader, supporter and die hard Amerks fan) who contributed to this.  There’s a couple things I disagreed with him on and noted.  You may agree or disagree yourself on a lot of things said and I’d love to hear your thoughts.  These grades are based on a lot more than just a stat sheet.

Starting with highest grade to lowest:

Jason Garrison: A-
– He’ll have a full time job in the NHL soon enough.  Eric had him listed as a B+ but I gave him an upgrade.  The Amerks defense had issues all season and without Garrison in the lineup for the post season (2g+7a) things may have been worst.  Once he masters his shot from the point and can use it more effectively he’ll have a long career ahead of him.

Mike York: B+
– He was the heart and soul of this team and his play making was dazzling.  The Amerks were a better team when he was in the lineup than when he was not.  His skill for feeding the perfect pass or stepping out from behind the net to score a goal were always highlight reel material.  Can’t give an A due to the fact that he disappeared for two months out of the lineup.  It doesn’t really matter anymore if something more than knee surgery happened but when he left the Amerks ability to win disappeared as well.

Jimmy Bonneau: B+
– It seemed like a huge mistake when the Amerks released him after the first game of the season but they quickly called him back.  Jimmy did everything that was asked of him throughout the season.  His span of four fights in x games with Jon Mirasty was a memorable moment of the season.  He proved he could stand toe to toe with anyone and also play a regular shift on the ice without being a liability.  He does not strike fear into the eyes of opponents, but they know he’s there and will have to answer to him.  When Steve MacIntyre arrived his role sort of faded, but I’d love to see him back in an Amerks uniform again.

Jordan Henry: B+
– Led team in +/- and really came into his own offensively.  However, sometimes plays too offensive.  He appeared to have a conflicting style of play this season between trying to be offensive but at times not being defensive.  He’s a bonafide NHL prospect that deserves to get a look over other players.  He’s a leader on the ice but also from the bench.  Very few players were as vocal as him on the bench.  I upgraded him from Erics score of a B to a B+ because he played in 76 regular season games and was more consistent than any other defenseman.

Chris Taylor: B
– He needs to be a player-assistant with a reduced role next season.  Maybe 40-50 games.  Looked gassed in the playoffs.  I say he gets 40 points in 40 games playing rested.  Could be more of an asset in the playoffs rested too.  Taylor was the only player other than Jamie Johnson to play in all 80 games, something Taylor would probably say he was fine with.  At the start of the season he was often making great plays at the right times to win games but that magic faded as the season went on.

Jeff Taffe: B
– Scoring 28 goals and 28 assists were a huge part of the Amerks offense all season but still less than what he produced the year before with the WB/S Penguins.  He’s more of a play maker than a goal scorer but scoring goals is what was expected of him in Rochester.  Expecting something out of a player that he is not is a great way to screw with the way he plays.  Taffe is on a one way contract with the Panthers for the 10/11 season which means unless they send him through waivers he may not be back.

Shawn Matthias: B
– The only game he’ll ever play again in Rochester should be with the Florida Panthers when they play their preseason game here in October against the Boston Bruins.  He’s an NHL player and when matched up with better players he steps his game up.  Playing on a third line in the AHL was slowing his career progression.

Jamie Johnson: B
– Played in all 80 games for the Amerks through the good times and the bad times.  He’s consistently productive and plays hard.  If he had been more of an offensive threat in the playoffs his score would have been higher.  He’s the type of player you’d love to have on your team every season if he stays as productive.  He has clearly stated he would not return next season as he pursues his goal of playing in the NHL.

David Brine: B
– He is what he is – a checking center.  He’s good on draws and the penalty kill.  He showed promise as an NHL player when he played in nine NHL games in the 07/08 season but since then has played to the calibre of being an AHL’er.  He’s not considered a veteran yet 245 career AHL+ regular season games.  He’ll earn a job somewhere but it’ll be somewhere else, not playing for the Panthers or Amerks.

Graham Mink: B
– A back injury in a game against the Hershey Bears cost him an A, but he’s the type of guy you build this team around…not the guy you scratch for a game 7.  BIG, Plays hard, fights, scores, good around the net and in the room.  Goalies hate when Mink is in front of them because of his size.  He may not get a real chance in the NHL but he enjoys playing in the AHL and if the Amerks can continue giving him a great experience here he could stick around fora while.

Steve MacIntyre: B
- Knocked down Mirasty, Knocked OUT Yablonski, took out the Heat bench.  He is THE deterrent in Hockey.  Don Cherry says he’s the best heavyweight in hockey.  Eric said he was not appreciated here AT ALL.  I think it just took some time for fans to realize players are literally afraid of him and did not want to ever fight.  Players do feel safer knowing he’s around.  When he’s given the chance he can look somewhat decent in a semi-regular shift.

Maxime Gratchev: B
– He was inserted into the lineup and did not have the luxury of really knowing players since he only played in 13 games.  Gave us much needed speed, would be an excellent depth signing for next season.  There may not be room in the lineup every game for him but having him on standby with the Florida Everblades would be a great thing.

Daniel Steiner: B
– The guy can produce, but due to the vet rule there may not be room for him in Rochester.  When Mike York was out of the lineup Steiner was vital to this team.  If he decides to stay in North America next season he’ll likely be invited to an NHL camp somewhere and should be a leader on an AHL team.

Kenndal McArdle: B
– Will Florida re-sign him, will he be healthy?  Is he the 10-11 version of Tanner Glass?  Has to play physical to be effective, but gets injured playing that style.  Tanner Glass recovered from similar injuries and spent the season playing in the NHL, the same should happen with McArdle.  If he would’ve been healthy all season he likely would have earned an A.

John de Gray: B
– He’s going to be the “enemy” next season playing in Syracuse.  He’s a solid defensive defenseman that got better as the season went on and was reliable to not give up the puck.  He needs to learn to use his body more than just the long reach of his stick, in other words he seemed to play too nice sometimes.  He was a quality player to get on loan from the Ducks when the defense was really hurting.

Tyler Plante: B
– A solid AHL goalie.  He would make a nice veteran goalie to have around, especially with his fire.  He needs to be given the chance to play or he seems to get rusty.  He protects his crease and is not afraid to get physical or allow the physical part of the game to get to him mentally.  The Panthers have a logjam of top goalie prospects coming in (Cheverie, Markstrom and Salak) so his time may be over due to the numbers, not his skill.  Watch out for him to come back and haunt the Amerks like David Shantz did this season.

Jason Cipolla: C+
– A lot of people questioned how he became an assistant coach in the AHL but he has done a good job with what he has had to work with.  It’s been widely discussed the issues players seemed to have with Benoit Groulx but no one had any issues with Cipolla.  He was the coach on the ice with players well after practices had officially ended.  He was constantly working with players and always talked with players during games.  Eric had given him a much lower score, but I think Cipolla did the best he could do with what he had to work with and even possibly allowed to do.

Evgeny Dadonov: C+
– He becomes invisible, but was only a rookie AND in a foreign country.  He will continue to become a better player and probably needs to be put on the same line as players with more speed.  Playing with Graham Mink and Chris Taylor will teach you a lot, but those two are not the fastest.  He needs to work on his ability to carry the puck through the neutral zone.  He will be better next season and should grow into an NHL player.

Clay Wilson: C+
– He was one of the top scoring defensemen in the AHL this season and a great power play QB but his size in the defensive zone was often an issue.  He’s a small player and was never afraid to stand up to another player but was easily overpowered.  He made costly turnovers that resulted in the other team scoring, something often overlooked because he would make an offensive play to make people forget.  Even though we gave him a C+ I would have no problems seeing him in an Amerks uniform again.  The Panthers saw enough interest to offer him a two way NHL contract and he deserved the call up which he finally got at the end of the season to try and show something more.

Michal Repik: C+
– Invisible in the playoffs and down the stretch.  Can’t sustain a good game over the course of a full season.  Eric said he can’t envision him being in the NHL at this point.  I disagree.  I think he’s like Shawn Matthias and he’ll play better in a better league.  His development may have been hindered due to the number of veterans that seemed to get more ice time than he did.

Mike Duco: C+
– When he plays like like Mike Duco is supposed to play he could be an energy NHL’er.  When he doesn’t play physical he isn’t worthy of an AHL roster spot.  When he did play physical he was a force on the ice and the type of player that other teams are frustrated by and fans love.  Some games he played with that force and energy, many he did not.

Rory Fitzpatrick: C
– He had a horrible end to his career but looking at the bigger picture it’ll just be a small note.  He played okay for the most part when he was healthy and could play.  Someone players relied on for assistance on and off the ice.  If anyone could predict injuries he never would have been signed but in theory it was the right decision to sign him.

Luke Beaverson: C
– A reliable defenseman when others are injured but he’s likely going elsewhere.  He’s got the size but too much depth hurt his chances to really try and move up the rankings.  Some time in the ECHL playing full time will help him try and get noticed by someone else.

Michael Caruso: C
– He was never bad but was never great either.  He struggled in the middle of season.  Definitely not a top prospect anymore.  Maybe not a prospect anymore?  You’re either a vet contributor or a true prospect.  Caruso could turn out to be the type of defenseman that suffered from not having a solid defensive coaching staff.  He’s not a player you’re worried about having in the lineup but he’s also not a game changer.

Alexander Salak: C-
– There’s two ways people will look at Salak, one way would be off of the stat sheet and the other would be for those who saw him play.  He was near the top of the league with 29 wins and only 14 losses but he needs help.  As the season went on he was not an AHL goalie.  His desire to compete gets him hot and is something to build on but that desire also seemed to have an impact on his game, unlike Tyler Plante.  Salak was new to North America and started off the season on a streak but opposing teams quickly figured him out.  He was easy to get out of position and score goals on.  If he would have had a goalie coach working with him all season instead of about 10 days total he probably would have been much better.

Victor Oreskovich: D
– Is it effort with him?  History suggests it is.  He was physical the last 2 games, and shows signs of promise, but was not consistent and not offensive at all after the first 5 games of the regular season.  After taking two years off it was probably too quick for the Florida Panthers to call him up and rely on him for half the season.  Once his productivity slowed he was sent back down and he never had that fire and passion he had at the start of the season.  If they had allowed him to continue playing in the AHL and building upon his game he may not have regressed as the season went on.

Keaton Ellerby: D
– He has regressed.  That is not arguable.  Defensively he’s a huge liability (and he doesn’t posses a Wilson type of offense).  Unless you’ve watched him play on a regular basis you’ll probably disagree with this grade.  His avoiding a hit to gain the red line on an icing in game 7 was the type of play that took momentum away from the team.  A horrible giveaway in game 6 that the Heat turned into a goal was a play that costs the Amerks the series.  It’s not entirely his fault, but it could be argued that the Amerks were worst defensively with him on the ice.  The scouting reports from Juniors questioned him, and now we have our own questions.

Peter Aston: D
– He was a warm body that knew how to play defense when someone else was called up or injured.  Players spoke highly of him in the locker room but will never be a top six defenseman in the AHL.

Andrew Sweetland: D
– One of the most baffling comments ever was when Benoit Groulx said he was the best player on the ice after a game.  It’s amazing to think he played in 51 games this season.  If the Panthers had thought so highly of him they should have had him playing in the ECHL to improve his offensive game, not playing on the fourth line in the AHL.

Benoit Groulx: F
– After what many felt was a terrific rookie season where he never made excuses, team played hard, and he said all the right things…this year everything fell apart.  After a hot start where we still were playing subpar some nights, we had many injuries and recalls and when the players came back nothing clicked.  Line juggling, no emotion (almost took a nap as Mirasty attacked the Amerks bench), getting out-adapted by an always in motion Playfair in the playoffs are all examples of why he had a terrible season.  Rumors of players not respecting him have turned out to be true as exit interviews with Johnson and Fitzpatrick indicate.  His willingness to yank a goalie is a strength, but his decision to go with Salak in game1 may have cost us a sweep.  His decision to sit a winner with proven playoff experience in Mink was as bizarre a move as I’ve ever seen by a coach.  Him not sitting down with Fitzpatrick and explaining his scratching in Game 1 was wrong.  For all this – he needs to be removed as head coach of the Rochester Americans.  His lack of awareness and poor communication aren’t helping us win a cup, sell seats….nor is it helping Florida develop players.

Other players worth noting but never really played enough to be given a grade…

Brady Calla
– He’s not a goal scorer, he’s not a great passer and he’s not really a physical player.  What role does that leave him to fill?

Ernie Hartlieb
– 2 stints, 10 games…represented us well.  I wanted to give both he and Andrew Lord kudos for helping out this season.  Lord took a lot of punches the week he was here, and deserves a look in September.  If guys like Carlson, King and Delory were signed for depth than players like Lord and Hartlieb deserve to be kept on speed dial in times of need.

Carl Hudson
– Just what the doctor ordered.  A young angry D not afraid to hit, punch or slash.  I want him here next season.  Florida ought to think about signing him even… not just us.  At the end of the 08/09 season I said the same thing about Matt Duffy and he never really progressed, but certainly worth keeping around as he could become one of those rare finds.

Matt Duffy
– A solid defenseman for depth in times of need but never really continued on the same path he had at the end of the 08/09 season.  He may have been another casualty of depth.

Mathieu Roy
– He’s a 7th defensemen in the NHL.  He has the toughness for the position.  He didn’t get a grade as he was really only seen in the playoffs and even then it seemed as if he was still favoring his ankle at times which may have slowed him a bit.  He seems to want to play in the NHL more than the AHL which is fine, but not the type of distraction needed from a player here next season.

Grading the 2009-2010 Amerks Player by Player is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!. For discussion visit the forums at LetsGoAmerks.com/Forums.

Currently Under Contract for 10/11:

Coaches: Benoit Groulx and Jason Cipolla

Goalies: Alexander Salak, Marc Cheverie

Defense: Michael Caruso, Keaton Ellerby, Adam Comrie, James DeLory

Forwards: Evgeny Dadonov, Michal Repik, Brady Calla, Graham Mink, Chris Taylor, Shawn Matthias, Victor Oreskovich, Eric Selleck, AJ Jenks

One Way: Clay Wilson and Jeff Taffe are signed but to one way contracts with the Florida Panthers.  If they don’t fit into their plans it’s still possible the Panthers will try and have them clear waivers to be sent to the Amerks.

***** Shawn Matthias has probably played his last game in the AHL and should be able to earn a job with the Panthers going forward.  Keaton Ellerby will be trying to earn a job as well but he has some work ahead.  It’s amazing that James DeLory is still under contract but has never been given a chance in the AHL.

Likely To Sign:

Goalie: Jacob Markstrom

Defense: Colby Robak

Forward: Scott Timmins

Restricted Free Agents:

Goalies: Tyler Plante

Defense: Jason Garrison, Jordan Henry, Peter Aston, Luke Beaverson

Forwards: Andrew Sweetland, Kenndal McArdle, Dan Collins, Mike Duco

***** It’s a no brainer that Jason Garrison will be offered a contract and likely battle for a full time job in Florida.  Jordan Henry, Mike Duco and Kenndal McArdle should be made offers as well.  The status of Tyler Plante will likely depend on what the Panthers have in store for Jacob Markstrom and if they’re going to try and trade Tomas Vokoun.  We can probably say goodbye to Peter Aston, Andrew Sweetland, Luke Beaverson and Dan Collins.

Unrestricted Free Agents:

Goalies: Chris Beckford-Tseu

Defense: Mathieu Roy, Rory Fitzpatrick

Forwards: Steve MacIntyre, Jimmy Bonneau, David Brine, Jamie Johnson, Mike York

***** Jamie Johnson has made it clear he’s not coming back.  Mike York was on an AHL contract with the Amerks and said he’d love to come back.  MacIntyre had an NHL contract, Bonneau was AHL only with the Amerks.  It’d be nice to have at least one of them back into the lineup.  They both proved they could be enforcers and also play the puck as well.  Fitzpatrick is retiring and Roy will likely be looking for an organization that can offer him a real chance in the NHL.  The same can probably be said about David Brine, I imagine he’ll be chasing the dream elsewhere.  Chris Beckford-Tseu, well we all know he won’t be back.

Others:

Daniel Steiner, Matt Duffy, Carl Hudson, Maxime Gratchev, John Scott Dickson, Andrew Lord, Corey Syvret, Scott Hotham, Ernie Hartlieb

***** These players were all either signed to AHL, PTO or ATO deals by the Amerks throughout the season.  I could see Daniel Steiner getting another look if he can’t find an NHL deal somewhere.  Carl Hudson was a tough gritty defenseman who may have earned himself a look somewhere.  Gratchev and Hartlieb could be a couple of players offered deals but spend a lot of time with the Florida Everblades.

There’s always a lot going on when it comes to the status of players and contracts.  I think I have everyone but open to feedback if anyone see’s an error somewhere.

Contract Status for Amerks Players Heading into Next Season is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!. For discussion visit the forums at LetsGoAmerks.com/Forums.

The supposed plan was to start Alexander Salak in the game but I don’t think that was ever going to happen.  Even if Tyler Plante did not get called up I think someone else would have been brought in to start in net for the Amerks.  With nothing on the line and the Crunch with a strong dislike for both goalies it was obvious that something would have happened.

Jon Mirasty spent time during the warmups chirping at Salak but Salak didn’t give him the time of day.  Maybe if those players spent less time worried about trying to intimidate their opponents during warmups they’d be in the playoffs instead of scheduling locker cleanout day.

Alex Petizian Save on Chad Kolarik

Alex Petizian was the unfortunate goaltender to get the call and make this is his first professional game.  The game will either scar him for life or give him some tough skin having to play behind an invisible defense and against a team determined to win.  Four goals were scored against him but he also made a number of great saves (including the one pictured).

At the other end of the ice Kevin Lalande won the game for the Crunch with 37 saves on the night.  Rochester had a number of great scoring chances but Lalande stopped just about all of them.

After the game I talked to Jamie Johnson and said to him ‘with that game behind you’ he quickly replied, “Thank God.”

“It was one of those games you just want done with and one of those games that you don’t want to play before  the playoffs but we did,” Johnson said.  “Keeps us in shape I guess.”

Late in the third period the Amerks seemed to kick things up a notch trying to get a third goal and make it a game but it just was not meant to be.  If the Amerks had a stronger defense and one of their two starting goalies it probably would have been a much different game.  In the end the game meant nothing to Rochester.

Graham Mink scored his 20th goal of the season and David Brine scored his 14th.  At one point it appeared as if the Amerks scored but one of the Crunch players pushed the net off just in time.

There were the fights as expected – view those here.  There was a number of great Crunch fans but of course many more who felt the need to open their mouths.

Everything changes from here going forward for the Amerks.  Abbotsford won their game on Saturday night so they’re in third place and will be the Amerks first round opponent starting on Thursday.

——–

Box score from the game:

Rochester Americans 2 At Syracuse Crunch 5 – Status: Final
Apr 10, 2010 – Onondaga County War Memorial at Oncenter

Rochester 0 0 2 – 2
Syracuse 2 1 2 – 5

1st Period-1, Syracuse, Frischmon 7 (Sestito, Harvey), 1:29. 2, Syracuse, Mayorov 16 (Murovich, LaVallee-Smotherman), 11:46. Penalties-Bonneau Rch (fighting), 5:38; Mirasty Syr (fighting), 5:38; Liffiton Syr (hooking), 8:22.

2nd Period-3, Syracuse, Mayorov 17 (LaVallee-Smotherman, Holden), 16:03. Penalties-Lord Rch (fighting), 6:56; Harvey Syr (fighting), 6:56; Kana Syr (roughing), 16:34; Hudson Rch (fighting), 19:52; Mirasty Syr (instigating, fighting, misconduct – instigating, game misconduct – persisting a fight), 19:52.

3rd Period-4, Syracuse, Ratchuk 3 (Mayorov, LaVallee-Smotherman), 2:32. 5, Rochester, Mink 20 (Repik, Taylor), 8:12. 6, Rochester, Brine 14 (Duco, Syvret), 15:08. 7, Syracuse, Holden 6 (Moore, Liffiton), 19:24 (en). Penalties-Lord Rch (interference, fighting), 11:35; Harvey Syr (fighting), 11:35; Mink Rch (hooking), 16:44.

Shots on Goal-Rochester 10-9-20-39. Syracuse 10-10-11-31.
Power Play Opportunities-Rochester 0 of 4; Syracuse 0 of 2.
Goalies-Rochester, Petizian 0-1-0 (30 shots-26 saves). Syracuse, Lalande 25-24-2 (39 shots-37 saves).
A-6,317
Referees-Terry Koharski (10).
Linesmen-Jeff Walker (28), Brian Lemon (25).

Crunch Finally Defeat the Amerks, In Game Number 80 is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!. For discussion visit the forums at LetsGoAmerks.com/Forums.

The Phantoms were 2/4 on their power play and the Amerks went 0/3.  It’s impressive watching other teams on a penalty kill box out the Rochester Americans and don’t give them anything to work with.  On the other end of the ice the penalty kill is all over the place.

If the players can’t motivate themselves and the coach can’t seem to motivate the players, who’s job is it?  If the players and coaches don’t have an answer about the reason for the poor play than who does?  One persons name that is being talked about around town is Ted Nolan.  Everyone knows his experience.  Is that really his place?  No idea, but nothing else is working so what could it really hurt if he spoke up?

Michal Repik was the lone goal scorer for the Rochester Americans scoring at 19:07 of the second period, assisted by David Brine.

The Amerks hit the posts at least five times and the cross bar at least twice throughout the game.  I guess we could classify this loss as one of those games where they didn’t get the bounces.

Heading into the third period only down by a goal the Amerks still had a chance, especially with two power play opportunities.  Why didn’t the team call a timeout?  We see opposing teams calling timeouts all the time but not the Rochester Americans.  Maybe I’m just reaching at this point, but it at least seems like a logical call to make.

The Phantoms scored their third goal at 15:52 of the third period and Don Stevens said on the air, “that’s the insurance goal.”

How come the team seems to have settled for defeat when going down by two goals?  Other teams seem to always step up their level of play to try and get back within one goal and then it’s a game again, not the Rochester Americans.

Last week after a game when Rory Fitzpatrick was asked about the teams recent play part of his response was to look at the past 10 games, at the point the Amerks were 7-3 in the past 10.  Suddenly they’re 5-5 in their past 10 and the Lake Erie Monsters have pulled within eight points.

I really wish I could find a way to write something positive but I can’t find anything.  Some people about a month ago said that a lot of others were complaining too much and not happy having a second place team.  Those same people have changed their tone and are starting to be concerned.

The next game for the Amerks is this Friday against the Abbotsford Heat.  If you’ve been following the team you know that Friday games have not been well.  I’ll be going to the game with a sense of optimism and excitement, here’s hoping that sticks around through the end of the third period.

Jason Garrison did not play but is expected back on Friday.  The U.F.O. still has not returned Mike York.

————————

Rochester Americans 1 At Adirondack Phantoms 3 – Status: Final
Feb 10, 2010 – Glens Falls Civic Center

Rochester 0 1 0 – 1
Adirondack 1 1 1 – 3

1st Period-1, Adirondack, Kalinski 6   14:45. Penalties-Mink Rch (high-sticking), 15:22.

2nd Period-2, Adirondack, Ward 9 (Ross, Pyorala), 3:40 (pp). 3, Rochester, Repik 17 (Brine), 19:07. Penalties-Duco Rch (high-sticking), 1:55; Ellerby Rch (roughing), 13:16; Marshall Adk (roughing), 13:16; Ward Adk (high-sticking), 14:55.

3rd Period-4, Adirondack, Curry 2 (Matsumoto, Maroon), 15:52 (pp). Penalties-Pyorala Adk (hooking), 3:30; Pyorala Adk (goaltender interference), 11:58; Mink Rch (holding), 15:44; served by Steiner Rch (bench minor – too many men), 16:38.

Shots on Goal-Rochester 10-7-9-26. Adirondack 8-12-5-25.
Power Play Opportunities-Rochester 0 of 3; Adirondack 2 of 4.
Goalies-Rochester, Salak 23-9-0 (25 shots-22 saves). Adirondack, Backlund 16-10-2 (26 shots-25 saves).
A-2,623
Referees-Francis Charron (46).
Linesmen-Jim Briggs (83), Frank Murphy (29).

Lousy Special Teams Leads Amerks to 3-1 Loss is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!. For discussion visit the forums at LetsGoAmerks.com/Forums.

It was frustrating.  I’m not really sure where to start so I’ll put up a guest post of sorts.

(This was a post by the user named insagt1 on RochesterSportsFan.com, a local message board where a number of die hard sports fans discuss Amerks hockey)

The Rochester Americans refuse to learn. And so they truly deserved to lose tonites hockey game against Lake Erie.

When is this team going to figure it out:
1) You can’t take a period or even a part of a period off every night and expect to keep stealing wins
2) If you keep taking dumb penalties you are not going to win hockey games.

Amerks played a solid 1st period and they were sharp (sort of) in the 3rd…but for some unknown reason they came out in the 2nd period and fell asleep. Bing, bing, bing—barely 3 shots and 3 goals before the period was barely 5 minutes old.

Whats the story guys—they came out smoking and score quickly so what do you do? You take a dumb penalty….oh, and then you take another dumb penalty (delay of game) to put you 2 men down with zero momentum.
We have no penalty kill this season. And we have no power play. Given an opportunity to come right back after the 3 goal nightmare…we do nothing.
With time running out in the game, Mink unwisely takes another penalty which pretty much finishes us off…in their zone no less. You just can’t do stuff like that.

We have been lucky the last few games in getting wins when perhaps we didn’t play well. tonite the bad habits that have dogged us all season long came home to roost.

I’m sure somebody will definitely say we played well tonite–that we were all over them in the third and their goalie stoned us.

I say, when you decide to take some shifts off; when you play undisciplined hockey when the other guys have grabbed momentum; when your special teams continue to cost you bigtime; and when you trash your last minute chance to score by taking a foolish penalty in their zone—-you haven’t played well and you deserve to lose.

I hate it when we lose any game so I’m rarely understanding or benevolent in defeat–unless there were special circumstances. tonite our season long problems were lit up in neon.

Will they ever learn?

Perpetual Bad Habits Do Amerks In is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!. For discussion visit the forums at LetsGoAmerks.com/Forums.

For the first time this season I get the impression that the team is now looking at the end goal of making the playoffs and positioning themselves in the division.

“Today was a very important game today, we tried to catch up with Hamilton and get away from Manitoba and Abbotsford and they weren’t playing so we have a game in hand,” Benoit Groulx said postgame.

The first period was sloppy on both sides of the ice.  It was pretty obvious that both teams were playing their third game in three nights.  The passes were sloppy.  The shots were sloppy.  If things had continued half the arena probably would have been either asleep or out the door.

The Phantoms scored first when Andreas Nodl won a battle for the puck along the boards and carried the play into the Amerks zone for a two on one break passing the puck to Jason Ward who beat Salak.

Graham Mink answered back 24 seconds later with a goal of his own to tie the game at one.  As the Phantoms were chasing the puck behind their net Jamie Johnson intercepted the puck and fed it to Mink in front of the net and he had no problems beating Johan Backlund low as he tried to make the save.

Johnson really made that play happen by intercepting the puck and quickly feeding it to Mink.

Talking about Johnson after the game Benoit Groulx said, “I think he’s shown a lot of consistency since the beginning of the year.  During our tough stretch Johnson was one of the soldiers on this team that showed up every night, he’s a good player.”

Michal Repik scored the games last two goals, one short handed and one into an empty net.  The short handed goal at 2:52 of the third period he was rushing out of the zone when David Brine chipped it off the boards to him and he was able to beat Backlund with a shot into the top corner.

Jamie Johnson won a key face off in the final moments of the game that allowed Repik to take it down and put it into the empty net.

The defense finally played a decent game even with missing Garrison for half of it.  John de Gray seemed to play his most consistent game for the Amerks.  Jordan Henry was solid as well.

For a third game in three nights it was a good sign that the team found a way to play through the first period and come back strong enough to play through the second and third.  Too often we’ve seen the team lose steam as the game goes on and end up losing.

I’m confident the team is figuring themselves out now that they’re back together.  If the goaltending and defensive units can stay strong we’ll be in for an exciting second half.

The Amerks are back at home again on Friday night versus the Albany River Rats.

——

Adirondack Phantoms 1 At Rochester Americans 3 – Status: Final
Jan 24, 2010 – Blue Cross Arena

Adirondack 0 1 0 – 1
Rochester 0 1 2 – 3

1st Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Henry Rch (tripping), 5:05; Dingle Adk (slashing), 8:40; Kalinski Adk (tripping), 17:19.

2nd Period-1, Adirondack, Ward 7 (Nodl, Kalinski), 10:14. 2, Rochester, Mink 11 (Johnson), 10:38. Penalties-Stephenson Adk (hooking), 3:51; Mormina Adk (tripping), 7:34; Mink Rch (slashing), 16:30.

3rd Period-3, Rochester, Repik 15 (Brine), 2:52 (sh). 4, Rochester, Repik 16 (Wilson, Johnson), 19:59 (en). Penalties-MacIntyre Rch (tripping), 2:37; served by Bellamy Adk (bench minor – too many men), 8:33.

Shots on Goal-Adirondack 7-9-9-25. Rochester 8-11-10-29.
Power Play Opportunities-Adirondack 0 of 3; Rochester 0 of 5.
Goalies-Adirondack, Backlund 12-9-1 (28 shots-26 saves). Rochester, Salak 21-6-0 (25 shots-24 saves).
A-2,810
Referees-Ghislain Hebert (49).
Linesmen-Dan Murphy (21), Peter Feola (33).

Repik and Johnson Lead Amerks to 3-1 Win over Phantoms is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!. For discussion visit the forums at LetsGoAmerks.com/Forums.

In 23 games this season Brine has 9 goals and 5 assists, 2 of those goals were scored short handed.

I think I’ve mentioned a few times over the past few days that the team seems to be getting back on the right track both with their play and players.

David Brine Returning Wednesday Night vs Hamilton is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!. For discussion visit the forums at LetsGoAmerks.com/Forums.

Mike York, David Brine, Tyler Plante, Rory Fitzpatrick, and Luke Beaverson were all on the ice. Rory said he’ll be back on January 8th. I did not get the chance to talk to anyone else, was only at ESL to get my kid signed up for a camp and happened to get there near the end of practice.

The team is getting back in the right direction and should be just about back to the full team by the time they play Grand Rapid on January 8th. Next week they’ll have a week of practice which will help out even more.

Next game is Wednesday night on the road in Hamilton and on Thursday at 5pm against Lake Erie. I’ll have the live chat going for Wednesdays game.

Team Canada All-Star roster is announced at 2pm. I asked Jody Gage who was going and he said he was sworn to secrecy.

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