BRETT MURRAY'S TOP THREE MOMENTS OF THE 2021-22 SEASON
Jun 15, 2022By Ryan Harr
The Rochester Americans’ 2021-22 season saw a lot of magical moments, both for the team and for the players. Here’s a closer look back at some of the top moments of the season for Amerks forward Brett Murray.
SUCCESSFUL SEASON IN ROCHESTER
In the second year of his two-year National Hockey League entry-level deal, Murray was one of nine forwards from the 2020-21 season to return to Rochester. The 6-foot-5, 228-pound forward led all Amerk skaters in points (20) while his 11 assists tied for first and his nine goals were second.
Fast forward to 2021-22, Murray was primed to take on more responsibly as he began his third season in the organization after the COVID-19 pandemic cut short his rookie season and delayed his second campaign.
Murray skated in 52 games with Rochester in 2021-22, posting 15 goals and 17 assists for 32 points, all of which were career-highs.
After returning regularly to the Amerks lineup in February, the Bolton, Ontario native, responded with his best offensive showing of the season as he led the team with 12 points on seven goals and five assists while skating in 13 contests over the month. He began the month with four goals in his first five games, including a season-best three straight from Feb. 5 to Feb. 9. Additionally, Murray began and ended February with multi-point efforts, highlighted by a career-high four-point effort (1+3) in Rochester’s 5-3 victory over the Toronto Marlies on Feb. 27.
WATCH: BRETT MURRAY YEAR-END INTERVIEW
PRODUCTIVE STINT WITH BUFFALO
Murray was the first forward this past season to earn a recall, and on Nov. 26, he made his was down the thruway for his first of three promotions. On Black Friday, he joined Buffalo and spent nearly the next three months with the Sabres.
Two days after earning his first career NHL point on an assist, Murray scored his first NHL goal against Seattle on Nov. 29 with his family in attendance. His parents, John and Melody, attended their first NHL game after watching remotely last season due to COVID-19 travel restrictions during his two-game stint. Murray’s sisters, Arika and Alicia, as well as his girlfriend, Katelyn Hochgeschurz, were also there to witness him scoring his first of many NHL goals.
It gets even better yet.
It was also Hockey Fights Cancer Night at KeyBank Center. Murray's high-school girlfriend, Katelyn, is a survivor of childhood ovarian cancer. His grandfather, Bob Henry, had passed away from cancer.
“It was pretty special,” said Murray when talking to the media following the game. “It is something you work your whole life for and then it to finally happen, it was amazing. Even more amazing, I was able to have my entire family in the stands.”
“My parents are the ones who have gotten me to where I am today and to be able to share the moment with them, I am really excited to have that memory,” Murray continued.
Buffalo’s fourth-round selection (99th overall) in the 2016 NHL Draft finished the year skating in a personal-best 19 games and registered a pair of tallies and four assists for six points.
POST-SEASON EXPERIENCE
For Murray, like many of the Amerks, the playoff run to the North Division Finals was their first taste of the postseason as professional hockey players.
The forward finished the 10-game stint with three goals and three assists for six points. Murray was fourth among all Amerks in goals and was tied for seventh with points.
He opened the playoffs by notching a helper on Arttu Ruotsalainen’s overtime-winning goal in Game 1 of the play-in series against the Belleville Senators before delivering the overtime game-winner in Game 2 as Rochester won its first playoff series since 2005. He then scored twice in Game 3 of the North Division Finals against Laval in what turned out to be a season-ending triple-overtime loss to the Rocket.
It marked just the fourth time in 165 career games as a professional that Murray posted a multi-goal performance.
Additionally, Murray, who began the postseason with three points in the first three Calder Cup Playoff games, registered 14 shots over the final four contests.