AMERKS SPEND THE WEEK GIVING BACK AND SPREADING HOLIDAY CHEER
Dec 22, 2022By Suzie Cool
With the holiday season upon us, the Rochester Americans have been out and about doing their part in the Flower City. Within the last week alone, the Amerks visited Golisano Children’s Hospital, Rochester General Hospital and the Ronald McDonald House to help kick off the week of with some holiday cheer.
“It’s great to be in the community,” stated Amerks head coach Seth Appert when asked why these kinds of events are important at this time of the year. “I love it, it's something I’ve been strongly involved in everywhere I've been. You want to connect with the community, you want to give back, you want to help those that are maybe in situations that are less fortunate than we're in.”
On Tuesday, two groups visited local Rochester hospitals. Forwards Mason Jobst, Lukas Rousek, Filip Cederqvist, Tyson Kozak and goaltenders Michael Houser and Malcolm Subban spent time with the kids at Golisano Children’s Hospital, while Appert and forwards Sean Malone, Brett Murray and Brandon Biro joined defensemen Matt Bartkowski, Ethan Prow and Chase Priskie all took in some foosball and visited with pediatric patients at Rochester General.
“I was able to go to the hospitals with the guys,” continued Appert. “Just seeing our players interact with young children that are going through a hard time, those are great opportunities. That's the least we can do for this community that embraces us.”
Wednesday followed with another day in the Rochester community as defenseman Jeremy Davies, forward Matej Pekar, Murray and his girlfriend, Katelyn Hochgeschurz, and Priskie and his wife, Cydney, all stopped by Ronald McDonald house to cook up a delicious dinner of stuffed shells for the patients and families currently in its care.
“They get perspective, right?” began Appert when asked what giving back the community in turn gives back to the players and staff. “We’re in the American Hockey League. All these players are trying to get to the NHL and you fight every day and most athletes have a little bit of tunnel vision because that's how you're wired. Every day you're just pushing so hard to try to accomplish your goals. With this, you take a step back and appreciate what you have, and what to be grateful for.”
With tomorrow’s game against the Syracuse Crunch being postponed due to impending inclement weather conditions, the Amerks now have a little more time to reflect on the good they’ve done heading into the holidays while spending time with the ones they love.
Appert then finished with, “You have a lot of people in this world and a lot of people in our community are in much tougher spots than we are. I think it (giving back to the community) gives a good perspective.”
The week began with Biro visiting Gates Public Library for the Amerks Reading Power Play program.
While the game tomorrow is postponed, a make-up date has not yet been determined. Ticket holders for Friday’s game are asked to retain their tickets for the rescheduled date, which will be announced soon. All ticket purchasers will receive an email with additional details.
The Amerks will resume play after their annual holiday break with a game next Wednesday, Dec. 28 against the Utica Comets. Puck drops at 7:05 p.m. and will be carried on The Sports Leader 95.7 FM/950 AM The Fan Rochester as well as AHLTV and the local CW Rochester.