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.

Kenndal McArdle, Jason Garrison, Mike Duco, Jordan Henry and Tyler Plante were all extended offers.

Andrew Sweetland, Luke Beaverson, Peter Aston, Dan Collins and Nick Tarnasky were all advised to hit the free agency market on July 1st.

Tarnasky is a player that will stand up for his team but offers little in terms of offensive capabilities.  Assuming Kenndal McArdle can stay healthy he could easily step up to fit the same role and have the ability to score.

Dale Tallon told the media at the NHL draft that he wants to try and get Jason Garrison locked up into a long term contract.  Garrison is likely a full time NHL player for the rest of his career at this point.

Panthers Extend Offers to Five Players 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.

Jeff Taffe and Shawn Matthias were called up earlier this week. Taffe has been sent back but Matthias is still on recall. Steve MacIntyre was also recently sent back down.

The Amerks also sent out a press release stating that Mike Yorks knee surgery was successful and is expected back in 3 to 4 weeks. Interesting to note is that in the release Ted Nolan is quoted as saying, Mike has been dealing with knee issues all season long and it has come to a point where he could not skate on it.”

Amerks are back at it on Friday night vs the Hamilton Bulldogs at 7:05pm and it’s also another $1 beer and dogs night.

Aston to Utah, Taffe Back, York Surgery, Matthias Up is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!. For discussion visit the forums at LetsGoAmerks.com/Forums.

Healthy scratches for tonight will be Brady Calla, Peter Aston, and James DeLory.

Steve MacIntyre is a beast in front of the net.  It was amusing watching him stand there as Clay Wilson and Keaton Ellerby tried to defend against him.  Mac pushes those guys around like they’re rag dolls.

Game is at 7:05pm and you can watch it live on AHLLive.com for $6.99, listen at WHTK 1280 AM/107.3 FM, whtk.com or watch it elsewhere online if you know where to look.

Clicking the pictures will take you to flickr:

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

3:33 into the first period Jon Mirasty layed a huge hit on Beaverson against the boards.  There was no penalty called but Jimmy Bonneau was also on the ice and quick to go after Mirasty and get a fight going.  Mirasty should have been given a boarding penalty on that hit.

Tim Miller put the Crunch on the scoreboard first at 10:02 of the first period.  Miller had tipped in a slap shot by Nick Holden.  Jon Mirasty was also credited with an assist.

At the next faceoff Jimmy Bonneau and Jon Mirasty dropped the gloves a second time for a real fight.  Mirasty appeared to get in a few more direct punches than Bonneau but credit is due for Bonneau for busting open Mirasty’s left eye.

Maksim Mayorov scored four minutes later with an assist to Jared Aulin.

Jimmy Bonneau scored at 17:08 of the first period on the power play to get the Amerks within one goal.  Bonneau was in front of the net and tipped in an Ellerby shot from the blue line.

The second period did not have any scoring but it was physical.  It all started when Peter Aston hit Derek McKenzie hard into the boards in the Amerks end.  Tom Sestito skated across the ice to chase down Peter Aston and tackle him to the ice.  Kenndal McArdle got a penalty for 3rd man in and a game misconduct for coming to Astons defense.

I think it’s safe to say we’ll see McArdle and Sestito settle this on Sunday afternoon in Rochester.

The Amerks had a five minute power play since Sestito was given a five minute major.  The best scoring chance was by Jamie Johnson with six seconds left as he went around two Crunch players but LaCosta made an excellent glove save.

Fast forward to 12:53 of the third period where Jamie Johnson tied the game 2-2.  Johnson was all alone to take a rebound off a shot by Ellerby to put a shot past LaCosta.

The game ended tied 2-2 and went into overtime.

The Amerks came on strong in OT with a number of odd man rushes against the Crunch led by Jeff Taffe and Mike York.

With 34 seconds remaining in OT the Amerks capped off the come from behind victory from a goal scored by Michal Repik.  Chris Taylor and Mike Caruso were given assists for leading the play into the Crunch end.

The win puts the Amerks in sole possesion of firth place in the North Division and also extends their winning streak to six games.

It was pretty even throughout much of the second half of the game.  The speed and skill difference between the Amerks and Crunch was evident in overtime.

Alexander Salak and Dan LaCosta both had great games trading great saves.  In the end Salak kept the Amerks in the game.

With Fitzpatrick and Garrison out of the lineup both Peter Aston and Luke Beaverson saw a lot of ice time and both played well.  Jimmy Bonneau also earned a lot of ice time even after two fights with Mirasty.

Same two teams Sunday afternoon for what will be another battle.  The Amerks have played some great hockey at home and should have the momentum heading into the game.

———————-

Rochester Americans 3 (OT) At Syracuse Crunch 2 – Status: Final OT
Oct 24, 2009 – Onondaga County War Memorial at Oncenter

Rochester 1 0 1 1 – 3
Syracuse 2 0 0 0 – 2

1st Period-1, Syracuse, Miller 1 (Holden, Mirasty), 10:02. 2, Syracuse, Mayorov 2 (Aulin), 14:17. 3, Rochester, Bonneau 1 (Ellerby, Repik), 17:08 (pp). Penalties-Bonneau Rch (fighting), 3:33; Mirasty Syr (fighting), 3:33; served by Picard Syr (bench minor – too many men), 6:24; served by Dadonov Rch (bench minor – too many men), 7:39; Bonneau Rch (fighting), 10:03; Mirasty Syr (fighting), 10:03; Taylor Rch (hooking), 10:42; Mink Rch (roughing), 15:53; Salak Rch (roughing), 15:53; Pelletier Syr (interference, roughing), 15:53; Picard Syr (roughing), 15:53.

2nd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-McArdle Rch (tripping), 0:13; Liffiton Syr (roughing), 5:50; McArdle Rch (roughing, game misconduct – third man in), 7:47; Sestito Syr (fighting, game misconduct – aggressor), 7:47; Ratchuk Syr (cross-checking), 10:09; Dadonov Rch (interference), 13:25; LaVallee-Smotherman Syr (high-sticking), 17:28; Aston Rch (roughing), 19:08; MacKenzie Syr (roughing), 19:08.

3rd Period-4, Rochester, Johnson 1 (Ellerby, York), 12:53. Penalties-Henry Rch (slashing), 10:03; Mink Rch (elbowing), 13:42; Aulin Syr (tripping), 13:50; Matthias Rch (goaltender interference), 16:13.

OT Period-5, Rochester, Repik 6 (Taylor, Caruso), 4:26. Penalties-No Penalties

Shots on Goal-Rochester 7-11-10-5-33. Syracuse 7-5-10-2-24.
Power Play Opportunities-Rochester 1 of 7; Syracuse 0 of 7.
Goalies-Rochester, Salak 4-0-0 (24 shots-22 saves). Syracuse, LaCosta 2-3-1 (33 shots-30 saves).
A-4,372
Referees-Jean Hebert (87).
Linesmen-Jeff Walker (28), Derek Sylvester (76).

Amerks Come Back to Win in Over Time is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!. For discussion visit the forums at LetsGoAmerks.com/Forums.

With Fitzpatrick out injured and Garrison called up it means we’ll see both Peter Aston and Luke Beaverson in the lineup tonight.  Luke Beaverson played on Friday night in Albany.

This is also the last game that Dmitry Kulikov can play in the NHL before he either earns a full time spot with the Panthers or he has to go back to juniors.  It’s entirely possible but not likely that Kulikov will go back to juniors and Garrison will stay with the Panthers.  We’ll know more by morning.

Chris Beckford-Tseu was also recalled on Friday and backed up Alexander Salak in Albany.  Tyler Plante is out with a knee injury.  Luckily the Amerks only have two games after this weekend in the next ten days.  Salak should be strong enough to play both games this weekend and next.

Panthers Recalled Jason Garrison; Beckford-Tseu 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.

The team should have been going off the momentum of Friday nights win and carried into Saturday.  Instead it looked like they left the momentum in the locker room on Friday night and forgot to bring it to Albany.

The final score was 6-1, two goals by Albany were scored on the power play and one was scored short handed.  The Amerks were assessed a total of 30 minutes in penalties and gave the opposition eight power play opportunities for the second time in as many nights.

Tyler Plante was pulled from net five minutes into the second period after the Rats went up 3-0 in the game, he stopped 10 of 13 shots.  Alexander Salak played in his first game as an Amerk and stopped 12 of 15 shots faced.

The goalies allowed six goals but they were not to blame for this game.

Mike York had a few decent scoring opportunities but without any help on his line how much can he keep doing?

The defense was also having problems.  The Rats second goal of the game which was short handed was scored by Pat Dwyer who beat Clay Wilson in a race from center ice, Dwyer was able to beat Plante glove side.

That was pretty much the game right there and it was only 1:15 into the second period.

With the Rats up 3-0 it was time for the Amerks to try and do something.  There was no one making any big plays, no one trying to get any momentum going.  Where was Mike Duco to throw a big hit?  Get in someones face and start chirping?

That is until Kenndal McArdle and Graham Mink tried to rough things up.

McArdle was tied up with one of the Rats on the ice when Mink and Ben Olson got tangled up and started throwing punchs.  They dropped to the ice and with the linesmen busy with McArdle and his player Mink started laying into Olsen.  They got up and as one of the linesmen was holding Mink we saw Olsen toss another punch at Mink.

That’s not acceptable.  This is where the role of real enforcer comes in.  Ted Nolan was at the game and must have seen what was going on.  He talked to Don Stevens during the first intermission about just this thing.  We’ll see what happens.

A few minutes later Jordan Henry and Nicolas Blanchard dropped the gloves, Blanchard got a few punches in, Henry didn’t get a decent punch in at all.

After that it was still all Rats everywhere on the ice.  Jerome Samson scored the second power play goal of the game in the second period to put the Rats up 4-0.

Stefan Chaput and Zack FitzGerald scored in the third to give the Albany River Rats a solid 6-0 lead half way through the third period.

Thanks to David Brines goal at 13:57 of the third assisted by Brady Calla the Amerks did not get shut out, it was all I was hoping for in the third period.

If anyone knows someone who can approve work visa’s please make a call to get Victor Oreskovich’s visa approved quickly.  Luke Beaverson and Andrew Sweetland are not capable of playing at this level right now.

With the play of those two still being questioned, why didn’t they keep James DeLory around to see some playing time?  Could he have done any worst?  I doubt it.

The defense is in trouble if Garrison is going to be the primary call up.  They can’t rely on Peter Aston to play the role of 6th or 7th defenseman.  He was responsible for too many turnovers and also allowing the puck to go across the blue line.

Alright……. it was only the third game of the season…. except… the Syracuse Crunch walked all over the Adirondack Phantoms on Saturday night and won 6-1.  The Crunch are a team that may not be made up of stars, but they’re hard working, physical, and not ready to take a night off early in the season.

The Amerks are back at home on Monday night to play the Crunch at Blue Cross Arena.  If we thought the crowd was bad on Friday night I’m afraid to see what it’s going to be like on Monday.  Who schedules a Monday night game?  Sure it’s a holiday but kids still have school the next day.

Again, it’s only the third game of the season.  The Amerks lost one game in OT, won big during regulation, and lost big during regulation.  They’re just trying to cover everything early in the season.

The game is now behind them and now it’s time to prepare for the next game against the Crunch.  They need to continue to build some chemistry, get to know each other better, and work out all the kinks.  This team has still not had a full week of practice together.

There’s no reason to hit the panic button.  This team has enough experience in the locker room that they’ll figure things out.

I will ask though if I can have the $6.99 back that I paid to watch the game?

At least I made the smart decision to not travel to the game.

Rats Win Big Against the Amerks; Only the Third Game is a post from: Let's Go Amerks!. For discussion visit the forums at LetsGoAmerks.com/Forums.