GAME PREVIEW: AMERKS BEGIN SEASON-LONG ROAD TRIP IN CHARLOTTE
Amerks make first visit back to Charlotte since 2024 Queen City Outdoor Classic
Dec 5, 2024
By Andrew Mossbrooks | @ Mossbrooks48
The Rochester Americans (11-7-3-0) carry a three-game win streak into the Queen City Friday night, when they face the Charlotte Checkers (10-4-1-2) for their first of two meetings over the weekend.
Overall, Friday’s game at Bojangles Coliseum is the first of four meetings between the Checkers and Amerks during the 2024-25 AHL season. The two sides evenly split last year’s season series, with Rochester showing a 2-2-0-0 mark. Friday is the 25th all-time meeting between Rochester and Charlotte, with the Amerks holding an 8-16-0-0 record when facing the Checkers.
LAST TIME OUT
Riley Fiddler-Schultz, Konsta Helenius, and Brett Murray each recorded a goal and an assist Wednesday night as the Amerks held on to snap Utica’s five-game win streak, beating the Comets by a 3-2 final.
Devon Levi made 21 saves for his third straight win, as he has started each of Rochester’s last three games during the team’s current streak. Fiddler-Schultz’s two-point night was the first of his AHL career, while Helenius posted his second multi-point game in the league, and Murray netted his first even strength goal after his previous six came on the power-play. The Amerks are on their second win streak of three or more games this season, with the prior high being six from late October into early November. The win catapulted Rochester into a tie for third place in the North Division, ranking equal to Toronto with 25 points, though the Marlies have four games in hand.
Charlotte rides a five-game point streak onto home ice Friday, and like Rochester, have won three straight. The Checkers come in as the more rested team, having last played Saturday on home ice where they completed a weekend sweep of the Iowa Wild. After a 5-3 win Friday, Cooper Black stopped all 23 shots he faced Saturday for Charlotte’s 3-0 win, and subsequently, his first professional shutout. Former Amerk Kyle Criscuolo had a three-point weekend (1+2) and leads Charlotte with 10 goals and 21 points in what is the veteran’s ninth professional season.
The Checkers are amid a four-game homestand and play six of their next nine games on home ice. The Florida Panthers’ affiliate own a 6-2-0-0 record on home ice.
COUNTRY ROADS
After playing five of their last six games within the friendly confines of Blue Cross Arena, the Amerks hit the road for their longest stretch of the season, playing five straight outside the Empire State from Dec. 6-14. Following their two games in Charlotte, Rochester returns home, only to quickly re-pack and head to Laval, where they’ll meet the Rocket on Wednesday. The team remains in the Great White North, heading to Belleville from there where they’ll meet with former Amerk Jeremy Davies and the Senators for a pair of games.
“It’s a really important segment of games for us,” said Amerks head coach Michael Leone. “I think you find out a lot about your group when you’re on the road. We’ve played really good on the road. You got to play together and stay connected. We have to manage games. I’ve really liked our group when we’ve been on the road. We’ll have to play team hockey and be selfless. It’s probably one of the toughest stretches we’re going to go on this season, but we just have to try and keep getting better and play our best hockey.”
The Amerks are off to an impressive start away from home this season, churning out a 7-2-1-0 record through their first 10 games outside the Flower City. The Amerks have also finished the season .500 or better on the road in six of their last seven seasons dating back to the 2017-18 AHL campaign. Both Rochester’s power-play and penalty kill are also clicking better on the road. On home ice, their man-advantage ranks 26th in the AHL compared to 16th when playing on the road. On the kill, the Amerks yield the 17th place penalty kill at home, but clock in at ninth when playing as visitors.
MOVIN’ ON UP
On Thursday, Amerks defenseman Ryan Johnson was recalled to the Buffalo Sabres. Johnson, 23, becomes the third Amerk that is currently in Buffalo on a recall, joining Jiri Kulich and Tyson Kozak, who made his National Hockey League debut last night in Buffalo’s 3-2 overtime loss to Winnipeg.
Johnson posted five assists in 21 games with Rochester this season. The second-year pro was often paired with experienced blueliner Jack Rathbone. Last season, Johnson was with Buffalo for half the season, logging seven assists through 41 games. The Newport Beach, California, native found himself with the Amerks for 27 games in 2023-24, pushing nine assists through. In 89 professional games, Johnson has yet to record his first pro goal.
In addition to moves from Rochester to Buffalo, forward Olivier Nadeau returns to the red, white, and blue after playing 11 games for ECHL-Jacksonville, where the sophomore pro scored six goals and eight points. Nadeau previously played two games for the Amerks earlier this season, logging an assist and two penalty minutes.
GOOD CHARLOTTE
The first weekend of December is Rochester’s lone visit to the Queen City during the 2024-25 regular season. Charlotte sits tied in points with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for second in the Atlantic Division and have points in seven of its last 10 outings.
Along with Criscuolo, Zac Dalpe is another former Amerk who has called Charlotte home for some time, entering his fourth season with the red and black. Dalpe returned to the lineup over the weekend after missing over a month of action due to injury. The 35-year-old is 10 points from 400 for his AHL career.
Charlotte mimics Rochester in shots for and shots faced, with both the Amerks and Checkers ranking top three in each category.
The Checkers’ power-play has proven to be the team’s most lethal weapon through their first 17 games of the season. Charlotte ranks first across the board on its man-advantage, be it home, away, or overall. In particular, their power-play at Bojangles Coliseum has converted on 16 of 37 tries, placing them at a 43.2% clip on the season. They are an even 19% better than any other team on home ice in the AHL.