GAMEDAY NOTES AND QUOTES: SAVOIE TO MAKE REGULAR SEASON DEBUT AGAINST CHECKERS
Oct 25, 2023
By Andrew Mossbrooks | @Mossbrooks48
After posting a 2-1-0-0 record over their recent three-game Canadian road swing, the Rochester Americans return home to play four of their next five games at Blue Cross Arena, beginning tonight in a preview of the Queen City Outdoor Classic against the Charlotte Checkers.
“They’ve been very hard to play against in the past,” said Amerks head coach Seth Appert when asked about Charlotte. “They play a smothering style of hockey. Their defensemen like to gap on you, and they pinch in the offensive zone, and they do a good job of transitioning out from that.”
WE MEET AGAIN, MY FRIENDS
Four former Amerks will return to the Flower City Wednesday evening. Checkers Captain Zac Dalpe is back in the fold for a third straight season in Charlotte and sixth overall, but the AHL veteran of over 500 games played 44 of those with Rochester during the 2014-15 season, amassing a 16 goal, 28-point campaign. That following season saw Bob Sanguinetti, now an assistant coach in Charlotte, appear in 40 games with the Amerks.
Defenseman Casey Fitzgerald and forward Rasmus Asplund will also be on the ice and facing Rochester for the first time in their careers. The duo were both drafted by Buffalo in the 2016 NHL Draft and would go on to play parts of multiple seasons in Rochester beginning in 2018. Fitzgerald posted eight goals and 34 points over 79 games as an Amerk, while Asplund played 111 games in an Americans jersey, collecting 13 goals and 49 assists for 62 points.
“I loved coaching Casey Fitzgerald,” Appert remarked. “He meant a lot to us here and he was one of those first Amerk guys that developed the identity and the culture that we wanted to stand for in practice and in games.”
The Amerks bench boss also shares a connection with Charlotte goaltender Spencer Knight, as Appert coached Knight with the United States National Program for two seasons from 2017-19. After finishing his second season under Appert, Knight was drafted by Florida with the 13th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. Knight is the only goaltender the Panthers have ever drafted in the first round.
“Seeing players that you’ve coached in the past is always a fun experience. Watching players go on and have success at different levels, wherever that is, is very rewarding for me as a coach.”
TURNOVER TURMOIL
The Amerks have faced 40 or more shots in each of their first four games. Appert believes the issue isn’t within the structure of the team, but rather putting the puck on the wrong sticks.
“Our team is turning too many pucks over,” he said. “It’s less a structural issue and more about just understanding how to play the right way. There’s a fine line. I never want to be a coach that takes the puck out of my players’ hands. Players need to make decisions in split seconds at game speeds with resistance. Our puck play is making us a bad defensive team. When you turn pucks over, you put yourself in a position where you’re chasing the game. You end up out of structure and go into scramble mode.”
Rochester’s 17 goals are tops among teams with fewer than five games played, but their 20 goals against are third-most across the AHL.
OUTDOOR CLASSIC PREVIEW
Tonight marks the first of four meetings against the Florida Panthers’ AHL affiliate this season, with the culmination of the series taking place outdoors at Truist Field in Charlotte when the Amerks visit to take part in the 2024 Queen City Outdoor Classic on Saturday, Jan. 13.
Rochester has won six of 20 all-time meetings against Charlotte, but did manage a split across last year’s four game series.
Brett Murray led the season series with two goals and three assists for a five-point campaign when facing Charlotte. Murray has a goal and an assist to start the 2023-24 season. The fifth-year Amerk has also found success on home ice of late, posting nine points (5+4) over his last nine regular season games at Blue Cross Arena. Murray opened the scoring against the Checkers the last time the team visited the Flower City on Jan. 28, a 5-3 outcome that favored the visitors.
SAVOIE PAIRED WITH FELLOW FIRSTS
Appert confirmed after Wednesday’s morning skate that forward Matt Savoie will skate on right wing, playing on a line centered by Jiri Kulich, with Isak Rosen flanking the other side. It will be the highly touted forward’s regular-season debut after joining the Amerks for Games 2 and 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals this past spring.
“Lines are interesting. They’re usually written on a scratch piece of paper in the middle of the night. Sometimes it works and you look really smart. They’re all very good hockey players. The biggest thing with those three is making sure they play defense. If they play great defense, they’ll have the puck a lot and then their offensive skills and instincts will take over. We’ll find out tonight.”
“I think we all play a fast game,” said Savoie. “We like to create. They’re (Kulich and Rosen) both really smart players and I think we can create a lot of offense. Kulich is a really good centerman. He manages the middle of the ice well, so I think my speed can complement that. Being on the wing gives you a little more opportunity to get behind the defense and create chances off the rush. I’m looking forward to it.”
Savoie’s conditioning assignment can’t exceed more than two weeks, but considering this will be his only opportunity to play in the AHL this season due to league rules, it’s fair to assume the forward will be here for the full 14-day duration. He was injured in the final game of the Sabres Prospects Challenge last month, sidelining him for the first weeks of training camp.
Savoie was selected ninth overall by Buffalo in the 2022 NHL Draft. Later that round, the Sabres snagged Kulich with the 28th overall pick, and a year prior the team used a first-round pick on Rosen (14th overall).
Kulich and Rosen sit in a tie for leading with Amerks with six points to start the 2023-24 campaign.