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Posts Tagged ‘Michael Ryan’

Amerks Injury Updates; A Healthy Future is Near

February 7, 2012 - By Keith Wozniak

It’s probably safe to say that every hockey fan in Western New York is tired of hearing about injuries. The Buffalo Sabres and Rochester Americans are slowly returning to health though and will hopefully stay that way.

For the Amerks, Corey Tropp is set to return on Wednesday morning against the Toronto Marlies. Tropp has been out since early January with his concussion issues. He has missed 10 games since the injury.

Colin Stuart injured his knee while on recall with the Buffalo Sabres in mid December. Since that injury and when he probably would’ve returned to Rochester the Amerks have been without him for 18 games. Best case scenario is that Stuart returns this Friday but definitely by February 17th assuming he doesn’t have a set back. He has been skating on his own and returned to practice with the Buffalo Sabres today. Once he’s cleared to play he’ll be sent back to the Amerks (assuming the Sabres don’t have anymore injuries).

And then there’s Michael Ryan. The word is that he’ll play on Wednesday morning as well. We’ve heard this three or four times already. Ryan has missed 43 games this season with an above the shoulders [...]Read More

Tags: Colin Stuart ι Corey Tropp ι Evan Rankin ι Injuries ι Matt MacKenzie ι Michael Ryan ι Mike RyanCategories: Amerks

Playing the What If Game with the Amerks Standings and Roster

February 4, 2012 - By Keith Wozniak

One of the biggest challenges for the Rochester Americans is an inconsistent effort in games they have the chance to win (like Friday night against the Abbotsford Heat) which can be attributed to young players and the expectations of players to put in a lot of ice time. The result? The Amerks have lost 15 combined games due to a one goal margin. That breaks down to six in regulation, six in overtime and three in the shootout. Considering the fact that the Amerks are only four points behind the division leading Toronto Marlies we can see how even a few more wins would put the season in a different light right now.

Assuming the Amerks had found a way to win at least half of those 15 losses they’d be the division leaders and be considered one of the top teams in the league in the standings. Add seven wins to the 20 that the Amerks currently have and they’d be tied with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and one win behind the league leading St Johns IceCaps who’re at 28 wins.

That’s a great way to look at things with the glass is half full attitude considering the injuries and [...]Read More

Tags: Buffalo Sabres ι Colin Stuart ι Corey Tropp ι Evan Rankin ι Injuries ι Luke Adam ι Michael Ryan ι Zack KassianCategories: Amerks

Amerks vs Barons Again.. Pre Game Notes and Thoughts

January 20, 2012 - By Keith Wozniak

The Amerks lost on Thursday by three goals and they’ll get another crack tonight at the Barons. The difference between the Amerks and Barons was defense and goaltending. The Barons were able to keep the puck clear of their zone and advance the play which ultimately lead to goals scored. Yann Danis was also great coming up with some big saves when needed. Paul Szczechura, Marcus Foligno and Jonathan Parker all had great chances but Danis was able to make the save.

Drew MacIntyre will be starting for Rochester tonight. It’ll be another chance for MacIntyre to have a big game and challenge Leggio for the top goaltending spot he’s had recently. Rolston said he has no confidence issues in either goalie but didn’t think Leggio was as sharp as he has been so MacIntyre will get the start. This team as it is needs the goalie to be able to bail them out of games.

Drew Schiestel wasn’t at the morning skate today but is traveling and Ron Rolston expects to have him back in the lineup tonight. Schiestel hasn’t been one of the top defensemen but he’ll make the defense better than they were last night.

As for [...]Read More

Tags: Derek Whitmore ι Drew MacIntyre ι Drew Schiestel ι Jay McKee ι Jonathan Parker ι Marcus Foligno ι Michael Ryan ι Paul Szczechura ι Ron Rolston ι Yann DanisCategories: Amerks

Amerks Gameday Notes, Lineup and Injury Updates

January 19, 2012 - By Keith Wozniak

The biggest news in Rochester other than Kodak filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy is that Michael Ryan is back in the lineup for the Rochester Americans. The last appearance of Michael Ryan on a gameday was October 16th when he was on the ice for warmups but didn’t come out for the game. It was reported as “headaches” and he’s missed 35 games since then. It’ll probably take a few games for Ryan to get his timing back but they’re looking for some instant offense out of him.

Zack Kassian had a solid two games against Binghamton and Hershey when he first came back and then was “ok” last weekend against Toronto and Hershey. Rolston attributed that to Kassian just getting back to town, settling in and getting reacquainted with the team. hmm.. I think that would’ve been the case with the first two games back, not the second two. Kassian should be playing on a line with Michael Ryan and Paul Szczechura so a big game will be expected from him.

One thing the Amerks don’t want to do is get into a shootout type of situation against the Barons. They don’t want the game to get into a shootout to [...]Read More

Tags: Colin Stuart ι David Leggio ι Drew Schiestel ι Evan Rankin ι Gameday ι Igor Gongalsky ι Injuries ι Michael Ryan ι Paul Szczechura ι Ron Rolston ι Shaone Morrisonn ι Zack KassianCategories: Amerks

Michael Ryan Returns, Evan Rankin ECHL Trade and One Hundred Thousand Amerks Fans

January 19, 2012 - By Keith Wozniak

The last time Michael Ryan played a game was October 14th against the Lake Erie Monsters and has since missed 35 games due to a mystery injury/illness/something or another. If everything goes according to plan he’ll skate to the ice tonight against the Oklahoma City Barons. The last time he was expected to return was Thanksgiving week before another he had another set back. So, what’s been wrong? Who knows but a healthy Michael Ryan in the Amerks lineup immediately contributes some speed up front and even more potential scoring up front. The team and fans will take that any day.

In his past three full seasons in the AHL, he was a big-time goal-scorer. In 2006-07 he scored 28 in 50 games for the Amerks. He scored 25 in 40 games with the Albany River Rats in 2008-09. He had 25 in 52 games for the Adirondack Phantoms last season.

And considering about half the forwards in Buffalo have been injured this season, and that six different Amerk forwards have been called up as injury replacements, there’s little doubt that Ryan would have been adding to his NHL games-played total.

[...]Read More

Tags: Evan Rankin ι Injuries ι Michael Ryan ι TransactionsCategories: Amerks

Injury Updates but No Timeframe for Ryan, MacKenzie or Rankin

January 11, 2012 - By Keith Wozniak

As of writing this there are three Rochester Americans players still out with injuries, Michael Ryan, Matt MacKenzie and Evan Rankin. I guess we could also include Colin Stuart on this list even though he’s still on the Sabres roster and has not been sent back down yet. So here’s a quick update on these guys:

Michael Ryan has only played in three games this season and there’s still no timeframe for his return. He has been back on the ice trying to get back into shape but when I recently asked Ron Rolston if that meant he’ll be ready to play when he is in shape he said no. The team would love to have him playing. Ryan would love to be playing but it’s just not close to happening. Exactly what’s wrong? Still no idea. Rolston hasn’t shared any information and I get the idea talking to him that they don’t know either. Unless anything changes with Ryan, like we see him on the ice in full contact practice, this will be the last update saying there’s no update.

Matt MacKenzie was injured on December 3 on the road in a game against the Hamilton Bulldogs and is [...]Read More

Tags: Colin Stuart ι Evan Rankin ι Injuries ι Matt MacKenzie ι Michael RyanCategories: Amerks

Gameday: Maturing Amerks Hit the Road Again; Morrisonn and Tropp Return

January 6, 2012 - By Keith Wozniak

The Amerks hit the road again for the start of a busy almost second half of the season. They’ll be playing three games in three nights starting tonight against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and then Binghamton Senators and then closing out the weekend against the Hershey Bears on Sunday. The team will play every Friday and Saturday night until April 6th which is the second to last weekend of the season. This will also be one of five sets of three games in three nights to finish the season.

Last weekend the Amerks ended the year one point behind the Toronto Marlies for first place in the division and here we are a week later and the Amerks are now six points behind them and ninth place in the conference. It’s not October or November anymore, this is the time of season when points start to have a lot more meaning when it comes to the playoffs. There are 43 games remaining and there’s only four points separating the Amerks from where they are in ninth place to the Hamilton Bulldogs in 13th.

The Rochester Americans have been maturing as the season goes on which is great instead of a quick [...]Read More

Tags: Binghamton Senators ι Colin McDonald ι Corey Tropp ι David Leggio ι Drew MacIntyre ι Hershey Bears ι Injuries ι Matt MacKenzie ι Michael Ryan ι Ron Rolston ι Shaonne Morrisonn ι Wilkes-Barre/Scranton PenguinsCategories: Amerks

Gameday Notes: Amerks vs Bulldogs; Big Crowd Expected

December 30, 2011 - By Keith Wozniak

The Amerks have a chance to take first back first place in the North Division with a win tonight over the Hamilton Bulldogs, a team they’ve had difficulty beating so far in six games this season. The Bulldogs have 12 wins this season and five of those have been against the Rochester Americans. Both teams are playing improved hockey lately so it should be a competitive game starting at 7:35 at the War Memorial.

Rochester is on a four game winning streak having just defeated the Oklahoma City Barons in a shootout and overtime. They handed the Lake Erie Monsters a 4-1 loss last Wednesday and almost two weeks ago defeated the Houston Aeros on the road. The winning streak has the Amerks within one point of first place in the North Division and thanks to a Toronto Marlies loss on Thursday they have a chance to move up. They’re a young team finding ways to win through injuries, call ups and overall simply working as a team.

Hamilton on the other hand has won six of their last 10 games and picked up points in eight of those games. On Monday the Toronto Marlies were winning 3-0 at the [...]Read More

Tags: David Leggio ι Derek Whitmore ι Drew MacIntyre ι Evan Rankin ι Gameday ι Hamilton Bulldogs ι Injuries ι Jacob Lagace ι Marcus Foligno ι Matt MacKenzie ι Michael Ryan ι Paul Szczechura ι Phil Varone ι Shaone Morrisonn ι TJ BrennanCategories: Amerks

Persson to Play, Brennan out and the Amerks Are Always Looking for Players

December 8, 2011 - By Keith Wozniak

The Amerks are just finishing up their Thursday morning practice where they spent most of the time working on special teams. Everyone was present and accounted for at practice with no current call ups. Rolston said that he hadn’t talked to the Sabres yet but with the Sabres playing at home Friday night there’s no real urgency to scramble for flights. If this had been last season in Portland someone would probably be getting a flight booked already as a precaution.

Along with the inuries and the call ups the other issue with the Rochester Americans roster is the lack of scoring at times. When I asked Rolston if they’ve been looking at making changes to the roster by bringing in players he said, “pretty much every day it’s something we look at.” He also said that every day they make sure to have a list of guys they’d like if the need comes up. Finding the right players that will produce and have chemistry is the biggest issue. Any moves would likely come from the ECHL where players may put up a ton of points there but that doesn’t always equal production in the AHL. It’s probably a pipe [...]Read More

Tags: Dennis Persson ι Injuries ι Matt MacKenzie ι Michael Ryan ι Mike Ryan ι Ron Rolston ι TJ Brennan ι Travis TurnbullCategories: Amerks

Amerks Injury Updates, MacIntyre is Back and The Positive Effect of Call Ups

December 1, 2011 - By Keith Wozniak

The big news out of Amerks practice this morning was that Drew MacIntyre was back on the ice with the team in net after spending some time with the Buffalo Sabres. The first thought was maybe they just sent him down for the day but Ron Rolston confirmed that MacIntyre is here for the weekend. So that brings up the next thought, are we going to see the return of the goalie rotation? MacIntyre had two solid games before being called up and since then Leggio has played pretty good and carried the team. There’s three games this weekend which means one of them will get two starts so we’ll find out tomorrow who that is.

Dennis Persson was on the ice this morning with a red no contact jersey practicing with the team. He’s been out since the first week of the season with an ankle injury and looked to be skating well. It’s not likely he’ll play this weekend but it’s a positive sign for a player that’s expected to be one of the top defensemen.

When I arrive at practice TJ Brennan was sitting on the bench without any upper pads on, it looked like he had [...]Read More

Tags: David Leggio ι Dennis Persson ι Drew MacIntyre ι Joe Finley ι Jonathan Parker ι Marcus Foligno ι Michael Ryan ι TJ Brennan ι Travis TurnbullCategories: Amerks

Amerks Late November Injury Report

November 26, 2011 - By Keith Wozniak

There’s one good thing going for the Amerks, they’ve been staying healthy and waiting to get guys back from injury instead of continuing to lose guys like the Buffalo Sabres. The only long term injury at this point is Dennis Persson with no timetable set on his return.

It’s possible that Turnbull and Ryan could get clearance to play tonight against Hamilton but it’s doubtful. Parker also sounds doubtful for tonight’s game as well. More info below on everyone…

Travis Turnbull was hit in the head on November 11 (see it here) and did not return to the game after that. He was expected back on Friday night against the Devils but must not have received clearance from the doctors. The word concussion has never been used but I think it’s a safe assumption that’s what he’s been recovering from.
Michael Ryan has been skating and practicing with the team wearing a full cage and was expected back this weekend but the doctors have not yet cleared him. At practice he has still been wearing a no contact jersey as well which is a sign he’s not ready. He has been out with an “upper body” injury. It was first [...]Read More

Tags: Dennis Persson ι Injuries ι Jonathan Parker ι Michael Ryan ι Travis TurnbullCategories: Amerks

Mid Week Amerks Report: Weekend Games, Injuries, Call Ups, etc

November 23, 2011 - By Keith Wozniak

There hasn’t been any breaking news out of the Rochester Americans but with the business of Thanksgiving wanted to take time to catch up on everything going on. Besides a few Twitter updates I doubt there’ll be another post until after the game on Friday.

Even though most of us will be getting a day off from on Thursday the Amerks will not be as they have practice on Thursday morning. The last I had heard was that a bunch of the players would be getting together for their own dinner, there may be a story about that in the Democrat and Chronicle.

The Amerks have two home games this weekend, Friday night against the Albany Devils and on Saturday against the Hamilton Bulldogs.

This’ll be the first of four games against the Devils this season. The Devils will have former Rochester American Eric Boulton in the lineup, he was sent down by the New Jersey Devils for conditioning. The Devils also have Rochester native Stephen Gionta in the lineup, younger brother of Brian. The Devils are 7-1-1-1 over their past 10 games and have won their past six straight.

The Amerks need to get their first win of the season on Saturday against the [...]Read More

Tags: Corey Tropp ι David Leggio ι Drew MacIntyre ι Eric Boulton ι Injuries ι Michael Ryan ι Stephen Gionta ι Tim Conboy ι TJ Brennan ι Transactions ι Travis TurnbullCategories: Amerks

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