AMERKS REPORT CARD FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY
Looking back on a busy month on home ice, All-Star selections and more
Jan 30, 2023By Suzie Cool
The first month of the 2023 calendar year has come and gone and with that another 11 games are checked off the Rochester Americans’ 2022-23 schedule.
Of the Amerks 11 games in the month of January, eight were at home. Amerks forward Brandon Biro was named to the North Division roster for the 2023 AHL All-Star Classic. Rochester netminder Malcolm Subban established a career-best win streak and Mason Jobst celebrated his first pro hat trick.
It’s hard to believe that the first month of the year has already passed us by, but there’s a lot to look back on for Rochester. Let’s dive deeper into the Amerks five fast facts from the month of January.
BUSY, BUSY BEES
The Amerks went from a big break around the holidays in December to diving right into the thick of a crazy schedule come January.
All but one week in the first month of the calendar year featured three games over a four-day span, however, the catch was that the Amerks had only one true road trip in January. In their 11 games, the Amerks went 3-7-1-0 overall while averaging 2.27 goals per game.
The crazy part is…11 games is usually a normal month for the Amerks. Just wait until March when Rochester is faced with 15 games over a 31-day span.
SPENDING JANUARY AT HOME
We just went over how the Amerks had 11 total games in January, however, EIGHT of them were right inside the comfy confines of The Blue Cross Arena.
During the first month of 2023, the Amerks went 2-6-0-0 at home, while outshooting their opponents four times and scoring 20 goals in front of the home crowd. For the remainder of the 2022-23 campaign, the Amerks won’t play that many games at home again, however, they’ll get close in that crazy month of March when they total seven tilts in the Flower City.
ALL-STAR BOUND
On Jan. 11, the AHL announced today that Amerks forward Brandon Biro was named to the North Division All-Star roster for the 2023 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Bell in collaboration with Manulife Bank. The annual event will take place Feb. 5-6 at Place Bell in Laval, Quebec, home of the Laval Rocket.
Originally, the third-year pro was the lone Amerk named to the roster for the 2023 AHL All-Star Classic. Not surprising considering Biro currently paces the Amerks with 20 assists and 39 points through 31 games.
Unfortunately, an upper body injury has sidelined Biro for the annual event and now Amerks forward Lukas Rousek is set to take his place.
With six goals in his last 18 games, Rousek ranks tied for second on the team in scoring with 28 points on 10 goals and 18 assists while being one of only two Amerks to appear in all 39 games with the club this season. The second-year pro is excited to take on his first All-Star experience next week in Laval.
SUBBAN STEADY IN THE CREASE
Subban went streaking in the month of January…literally.
After suffering a defeat in his season-debut on Nov. 18 against the Utica Comets, Subban has gone 10-5-1 since over his last 16 starts, including seven straight wins between Dec. 10 to Jan. 14. The seven-game win streak was the longest of Subban’s pro career and the third-longest streak among all AHL goaltenders behind Toronto's Joseph Woll and Calgary's Dustin Wolf.
Subban was the first Amerks goaltender to post seven straight wins since Jonas Johansson won nine consecutive contests during the 2019-20 campaign.
A JOBST WELL DONE
On Saturday, Jan. 14 against the Toronto Marlies, we saw Jobst produce his first professional hat trick to help keep the Amerks in the game.
Unfortunately, casting a shadow over Jobst’s phenomenal offensive production on that Saturday at The Blue Cross Arena was a late third-period comeback by the Marlies, who scored three times over the final four minutes, including the go-ahead goal with nine seconds remaining to escape with a 7-5 win.
However, Jobst has been a steady, under-the-radar presence for Rochester this season.
Jobst has centered almost every line and proceeds to produce whether on the first or the bottom line on any given night. Through 33 games this season, the second-year Amerk has already surpassed his career-highs in all offensive categories with seven goals and 12 assists for 19 points.
LOOKING AHEAD TO FEBRUARY
The month of February just seems a little lighter for the Amerks, even though it’s not considering they still have 11 games on deck.
In the first week, the Amerks head on the road to take on the Belleville Senators before a five-day break in their schedule for the 2023 AHL All-Star Classic. The Amerks are then home for four games between Feb. 10 to Feb. 24, with two three-in-fours over the last two weeks of the month.
There are three Friday home games at The Blue Cross Arena in February on Feb. 10, 17 and 24. Just a reminder that every Friday home tilt you can get $2 beers at the Genesee Brew House located in arena from 6-7 p.m. The Genesee Brew House is located at the top of the stairs and our Pregame Happy Hour will feature live music, bands, and plenty of fun to get the Friday night party started.
Additionally, the Amerks are hosting their annual Kids Day, presented by NY’s 529 College Savings program, on Sunday, Feb. 19 with a 3:05 p.m. puck-drop against the Syracuse Crunch. Tickets are only $10 for kids 12 and under and a Kids Day giveaway will be announced SOON for the first 1,000 kids through the doors at The Blue Cross Arena. Lastly, the kids will be taking charge in various roles on Kids Day and you can still nominate your child to be involved in the game.
As always, all games will be carried live on 95.7 FM/950 AM The Fan Rochester as well as AHLTV, while the Friday, Feb. 10 matchup against the Springfield Thunderbirds and the Friday, Feb. 24 game against the Laval Rocket will also be televised live locally on CW Rochester.