FAMILIAR FOES, TRIP NORTH OF THE BORDER AWAIT AMERKS THIS WEEK
Dec 6, 2022By Suzie Cool
This week, the Rochester Americans are back to a full schedule of three games over a four-day span and Amerks head coach Seth Appert is excited about it.
“It'll be a really exciting and challenging week,” stated Appert when asked how comforting it is to be taking on familiar foes from the North Division.
On Wednesday, the Amerks return home to take on the Syracuse Crunch before another Friday night at The Blue Cross Arena against the Utica Comets. On Saturday, Rochester heads north of the border to take on the Toronto Marlies for the first time since opening weekend of the 2022-23 campaign.
“It feels like it's been a while since we've played them (Syracuse, Utica and Toronto), and that’s nice. They're really good teams and we know how physically demanding these games are,” laughed Appert when continuing to talk about the week ahead.
Here’s a closer look into this week’s matchups and where the Amerks’ next three opponents sit in the North Division standings.
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 7 AGAINST THE SYRACUSE CRUNCH
Puck drops at The Blue Cross Arena at 7:05 p.m. on Wednesday and marks the fifth matchup between the two teams this season.
Syracuse currently sits in fourth in the North Division with an 8-8-2-2 overall record. Rochester has posted a 3-1-0-0 mark against the Crunch this season. The last time these two teams met was on Nov. 9 when Rochester came away with a 3-1 win over Syracuse.
“Syracuse is quite a bit older…we're not going to be fooled by their record,” stated Appert when asked about the matchups heading into this week.
The Crunch offense is led by defenseman Darren Raddysh and centerman Alex Barré-Boulet, both of whom have 26 points each on the season. In the four games against Rochester this season, Raddysh has gone on to post five points on three goals and two assists while Barre-Boulet has spent the entirety of his American Hockey League career with the Crunch, registering 225 points over his five-year tenure.
“Some nights have gone really well and some nights we struggled, and that's part of the growing process,” explained Appert when discussing how his young lineup compares to that of a veteran heavy roster like Syracuse.
Appert’s young lineup has fared quite well against the Crunch already this season. The Amerks’ best outing against Syracuse this year came on Nov. 2 when Rochester defeated the Crunch 7-2 with seven different goal scorers etching their names onto the scoresheet.
“The nice thing we see with all those young players is they're all getting better by the week. They're getting better defensively. They're getting better with how hard they play. They're getting better at their offensive habits, and that's what you want. You want players that are engaged in their development process, so they keep growing as prospects for our organization,” finished Appert when discussing Wednesday’s game against the Crunch.
FRIDAY, DEC. 9 AGAINST THE UTICA COMETS
Friday’s home matchup against the Comets won’t be any easier.
Currently, Utica is in sixth place in the North Division with a 7-7-3-1 mark on the year. In four games between the clubs, the season series is split at 2-2 while Rochester has the slight edge with 11 goals opposed to Utica’s 10.
The last time Rochester and Utica faced off was in a home-in-home set on Nov. 18 and 19 when the team’s exchanged wins on the road.
“Utica is just a very physically demanding team,” Appert said when explaining the Comets style of play.
Utica has several offensive weapons that are putting up points this season, with winger Brian Pinho leading the way with his team-high eight goals and 14 points. Comets forwards Nolan Foote and Jack Dugan, along with defenseman Reilly Walsh, aren’t too far behind Pinho, all posting 10 points so far.
A big key to Utica’s success in the past, though, was that of its goaltending. Last year, the goaltending tandem of Nico Daws and Akira Schmid was arguably the best duo in the American Hockey League.
The Comets started the 2022-23 campaign with both Daws and Schmid on the roster, however, Schmid was recalled to the New Jersey Devils on Nov. 5 after posting a 1.97 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage in four games for Utica. This left Daws to take on a majority of the work for the Comets and he’s gone on to appear in 11 games while registering 267 saves and a 2.57 goals-against average.
SATURDAY, DEC. 10 AGAINST THE TORONTO MARLIES
The Marlies come into this week of action as the top team in the North Division and a three-point lead on the Amerks in the standings.
“Toronto is in first place and they're in first place for a reason,” said Appert when discussing the final game of the Amerks hectic week ahead. “They've been excellent all season long. They have a real, real strong depth of offensive production, both from their blueline and their forward group. They've got a ton of really good players in their lineup.”
Toronto currently holds a 13-7-1-0 overall record, while they’re faced with a three-game week as well. The last time the Amerks and Marlies met was on opening weekend of the 2022-23 campaign where the teams split a home-and-home series.
Once again, the Marlies are another team that is much older than Rochester with players that they acquired over the offseason.
Marlies centerman Logan Shaw has posted 24 points on eight goals and 16 assists in 21 games this year and winger Alex Steeves isn’t too far behind him with his 20 points over that same span. Toronto seems to be another one of those teams where production isn’t just coming from one or two players, as they have six on their current roster that have double-digit points.
“They've got a few older guys they added in, like (Logan) Shaw, who’s having a big-time season for them, so, it’s a great week and it's going to be a heck of a challenge,” finished Appert.
Both home games are slated for a 7:05 p.m. puck drop while Saturday’s matinee at Coca-Cola Coliseum gets underway at 4 p.m. All the week’s action will be carried on The Sports Leader 95.7 FM/950 AM The Fan Rochester as well as AHLTV, while Friday’s game against the Comets will be live on the local CW Rochester.