AMERKS REPORT CARD FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER
Oct 31, 2022By Suzie Cool
It’s hard to believe that the first month of the 2022-23 American Hockey League campaign has already come and gone and the Rochester Americans just so happened to finish October above the .500 mark for the seventh straight season.
In October, the Amerks proved to be a young team with a lot of potential, a defensive core that will continue to fluctuate until injuries are healed up throughout the entire organization, an unbeaten start at home and a power-play that sits atop the league for the third year in a row.
Here’s a closer look at the Amerks Five Fast Facts from their first month of play.
GOING OVER .500
By splitting this past weekend’s series in Laval, Rochester finished the first month of the regular season with .571 winning percentage and show a 4-3-0-0 record through its first seven games. It marks the seventh straight season the club has finished the first month of the regular season with a .500 winning percentage or better dating back to 2016-17.
NOTHING BUT DUBS ON HOME ICE
Of the Amerks seven games in October, three were on home ice at The Blue Cross Arena and all three home games ended with wins, marking Rochester’s first 3-0-0-0 start to the season at home since 2006-07 when the Amerks won their first nine straight at home that year.
Rochester outscored its opponents 12-8 on home ice, with all three October home wins coming from four-goal performances. Additionally, 12 of the Amerks’ 21 markers in the first month of play were tallied within the friendly confines of The Blue Cross Arena.
With Saturday’s 5-1 win over Laval at Place Bell, it marked Rochester’s first and only win on the road this season after starting the campaign 0-3-0-0 away from the Flower City.
POWER-PLAY PROFICIENCY
Seven of the Amerks 21 goals this season have come on the power-play, which are tied for fourth-most among any team in the AHL. By going 7-for-28 while on the man-advantage, Rochester is tied for seventh in the league with a 25.0% conversion rate.
The Amerks' six power-play goals at home are tied for the second-most among the league so far, going for 6-for-16 through their first three home matchups.
11 DIFFERENT DEFENSEMEN? NO PROBLEM
With both veteran defensemen Brandon Davidson and Matt Borkowski meeting the team in Laval for the final two games of October, the Amerks have now used 11 different defensemen through the first seven games this season, which is tied for most in the AHL alongside the Cleveland Monsters.
Bartkowski joined the Amerks after appearing in 72 games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in 2021-22. In addition to recording four goals and 12 assists during the regular season, he also skated in six Calder Cup Playoff contests, scoring one goal.
The blue liner had totaled 140 points (24+116) in 429 career AHL games with Providence Bruins, Iowa Wild and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton prior to Saturday’s game against the Rocket, while also adding 48 points (8+40) over 256 NHL contests with the Boston Bruins, Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, and Minnesota Wild, winning his only Stanley Cup with Bruins in 2011.
Davidson returns for his third season with the organization after appearing in 25 games with the team since the start of the 2020-21 season. In addition to recording one goal and five assists in 2021-22, Davidson skated in six Calder Cup Playoff contests during the Amerks’ run to the North Division Finals.
The veteran defenseman has totaled 23 points (9+14) in 183 career NHL games with Buffalo, Calgary, the Chicago Blackhawks, Edmonton Oilers, Montreal Canadiens, New York Islanders, and San Jose Sharks while also adding 55 points (16+39) over 215 AHL contests with Rochester, Stockton Heat, Rockford IceHogs and Oklahoma City Barons.
During the 2012-13 season, he received the AHL’s Fred T. Hunt Award in recognition of his sportsmanship, determination, and dedication to the game of hockey.
UPL GOING STRONG IN THE CREASE
Goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen got the nod in the crease in all but one game for Rochester in the month of October, going 3-3-0 over that span. This marks the most consecutive starts Luukkonen has made in the first month of play at the AHL level.
In those six games, Luukkonen went on to wrap up the month with a 3.63 goals-against average and an .872 save percentage. Though Luukkonen’s 21 goals-against rank second amongst league netminders, he’s faced the third-most shots-against with 164 and ranks second with his 347:21 minutes in net.
LOOKING AT AHEAD TO NOVEMBER
In the month of November, the Amerks have 11 games on deck with six home matchups. The month kicks off and ends with some three-in-four action, Rochester’s first three meetings with the Utica Comets and three-straight Atlantic Division opponents to close out the second month of play.
On Friday Nov. 18, the Amerks are hosting their Hockey Fights Cancer game, presented by Cancer Support Community Rochester, which will feature the first of seven specialty jerseys worn by Rochester this season. Game-worn Hockey Fights Cancer jerseys will be up for auction via DASH the week of the game.
Every Wednesday at The Blue Cross Arena features College Night with discounted tickets and beverage prices for college students, while every Friday 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 if you enter the main atrium and our Pregame Happy Hour will feature live music, bands, and plenty of fun to get the Friday night party started.
Additionally, all games will be carried live on 95.7 FM/950 AM The Fan Rochester as well as AHLTV.