GAMEDAY NOTES AND QUOTES: ROUSEK RETURNS AS AMERKS FACE MARLIES
Apr 17, 2024
By Andrew Mossbrooks | @Mossbrooks48
With three games to play in their season, the Rochester Americans (37-23-6-3) continue their homestand with game three of four straight at Blue Cross Arena, taking on the Toronto Marlies (34-23-10-2).
GAME NOTES ROSTER SHEET MEDIA KIT
Wednesday serves as the season series finale between these teams. The Amerks are 3-1-0-1 against Toronto, though the Marlies have skated away with victories in each of the last two meetings. Both teams have three games remaining and are separated by three points. The Amerks rank second in the North Division while Toronto is holding down the fourth seed.
“They could still win the division,” said Amerks head coach Seth Appert. “I think when you play Toronto, it starts with your team defense. You cannot let a high-flying team like them get out in open space and have time on line rushes and in the offensive zone. The best way to be successful against them offensively is gauged by how good you defend, how much time and space you take away from them, and how physically engaged we are without the puck. If we do those things, then we can get the puck and show our talent as well.”
ROUSEK RETURNS
For the first time since March 2, forward Lukas Rousek will be in Rochester’s lineup. The third-year pro was reassigned to the Amerks from Buffalo upon the Sabres completing their season. This year, Rousek appeared in 15 games for Buffalo, logging two assists.
“This is the longest run he’s had in the NHL,” said Appert. “There’s a lot of confidence, knowledge and experience he’s gained from that. Now, it’s an opportunity for him with his play and competitiveness to state that he’s done with this league. That’s the challenge we’ve laid out to him. He wants to be a full-time Buffalo Sabre next year and he’ll get the opportunity to make that kind of statement down the stretch with us.”
“It was a perfect time,” said Rousek. “Every day there was perfect for me. Getting to play with the best players in the world and play against the best in the world was exciting. I want to stay there next season. The speed is a big difference there and the players are so smart. There’s so much more skill, but for me, I’m happy to be back here and help the guys here and prepare for the best time of the season (playoffs).”
Rousek’s 38 points (10+28) are tied for fifth in team scoring despite only playing 48 games. His 28 helpers rank in a tie for first with Mason Jobst and Isak Rosen. Rousek will return joining a line with Linus Weissbach and centered by Brandon Biro.
In other news, defenseman Joseph Cecconi will also return to the lineup, coming off an injury sustained two weeks ago.
ENJOY THE RIDE
There is still work to be done for the Amerks, who can finish anywhere from first to fourth in the North Division standings. They yield second place entering game 70. We’ll see where things stand after game 72.
“It’s really exciting,” said Appert. “You put so much work in. You think back about the beginning of the year and it seems like it was years ago. All the work these guys have put in has seen us become a good team that plays so hard for each other and become a group that you want to fight for. That doesn’t happen every year. It just doesn’t. It’s your goal every year, but you can’t always put yourself in a spot like this where these games are meaningful. We want to embrace that.”
Rochester has hit its stride down the stretch, accruing points in nine of its last 10 games (8-1-0-1). The team’s second-half surge is also noteworthy, with the Amerks earning points in 26 of their last 35 games.
TOUGH TORONTO
Discounting COVID-impacted years, the Marlies are heading back to the Calder Cup Playoffs for the 10th time in the last 11 seasons. Led by 30-goal scorer Logan Shaw, Toronto’s boasts the league’s top offense with 244 goals, 10 better than any other team in the AHL’s Eastern Conference. Four of their forwards have at least 25 goals.
“They’re not top heavy, they’re just heavy. Their lineup is loaded with offensive weapons. They’ve got depth scoring that is really talented as well. They present a lot of different challenges when you play against them.”
If the playoffs started today, Toronto would enter a best-of-three ‘play in’ round against fifth-seed Belleville. Any team that finishes top three in the North will bypass that and automatically move into the best-of-five divisional semi-final round. While the Marlies can currently still leapfrog the teams in front of them to win the North, a regulation loss to the Amerks would prevent them from finishing any higher than third.