GAMEDAY NOTES AND QUOTES: TOKARSKI’S 400TH GAME TONIGHT VS COMETS
Tokarski set to join elite company in season debut, Giroux to make Amerks debut
Nov 3, 2023
By Andrew Mossbrooks | @Mossbrooks48
After their first regulation loss at home, the Rochester Americans (5-2-1-0) look to rebound against the Utica Comets (2-2-2-0) Friday night at Blue Cross Arena. This is the second of 12 meetings between the teams and the second of what will be four encounters over a 14-day span.
“We have to dig deep and simplify our game,” said Amerks defenseman Riley Stillman. “They forecheck hard and it’s one of those things where they’re coming. They’re converging on net and find a way to get a lot shots through. They’re a big, physical team, so we need to use our speed to our advantage. We have a job to do and we need to be the best version of ourselves that we can and it starts with just playing simple tonight.”
TOKARSKI HEADS TO THE RECORD BOOKS
Amerks head coach Seth Appert confirmed after Friday’s morning skate that veteran goaltender Dustin Tokarski will make his 2023-24 season debut tonight as the 34-year-old gets the start in goal after beginning the year with an injury.
Once the puck drops, Tokarski will officially compete in his 400th American Hockey League game, becoming just the 18th goaltender in the league’s 86-year history to achieve this feat.
Dustin will become the fifth Amerk to reach 400 games in net, joining the elite list that includes Bobby Perreault (512), Michael Leighton (507), Drew MacIntyre (440), and Ed Chadwick (417).
Since debuting in 2009, Tokarski has enjoyed a 15-year playing career that includes 80 games in the NHL. The Humboldt, Saskatchewan, native is in his second stint with the Amerks after briefly being with the team for the 2020-21 campaign. Through 399 AHL games with 10 different teams, Tokarski owns a 205-137-40 record with a 2.52 goals-against average that’s coupled with a .912 save percentage. His 28 shutouts are tied for ninth most in AHL history, trailing Yann Danis (29) for eighth all-time.
Tokarski is a two-time Calder Cup Champion, having won in 2011-12 with the Norfolk Admirals where he posted a dominating 12-2-0 record in the playoffs, then once more in 2019 when the netminder went 5-0 with the Charlotte Checkers in postseason play.
NEXT MAN UP MENTALITY
The Amerks are far from a healthy team just eight games into the season. Coach Appert provided the following updates regarding several forwards Friday morning:
Michael Mersch and Linus Weissbach are dealing with upper-body injuries and listed as week-to-week. Brett Murray (upper-body), Aleksandr Kisakov (lower-body), and Viktor Neuchev (upper-body) are also out tonight and listed as day-to-day.
On a positive note, Tyson Kozak, who has missed the last three games due to injury, will make his return to the lineup tonight.
“I like these moments as a coach,” said Appert. “These are galvanizing moments. These are moments where your back is against the wall. Your lineup’s not what it was. We’ve got defensemen playing forward tonight. It’s kind of all hands-on-deck and these are moments that can really bring a team together. You need a gutsy kind of win, but we have the men in that locker room to do this.”
GIROUX DEBUTS
After getting called-up from Rochester’s ECHL affiliate in Jacksonville Wednesday, forward Damien Giroux will get to make his Amerks debut Friday night.
“It was an easier call-up for Giroux than it was a send-down,” said Appert earlier in the week. “I never want to send anybody down. It’s a horrible thing to do and one of the worst parts of our job. Sending him down was that times 10, because of how good of a player he is and what a great young man he is. He’s a guy that you see and your day gets better. Every day is a great day for him. He practices hard and is a pest to play against. It's exciting to see him back.”
Giroux began the year in the ECHL where he scored a goal and an assist in three games with the Icemen. The 23-year-old has spent the last three seasons with the Iowa Wild and earned a one-game call-up to Minnesota in the NHL last season. In 149 AHL games, Giroux has scored 13 goals and added 35 assists for 48 points.
The Amerks also called-up forward Riley Fiddler-Schultz from Jacksonville, though Appert said that he would not be in tonight’s lineup.
ROUSEK TO SABRES
For the second time this week, the Amerks will see one of their top forwards make their way to the NHL. After Brandon Biro scored twice in his season debut with Buffalo, forward Lukas Rousek will get his second look with the Sabres after scoring in his NHL debut with Buffalo from a season ago.
Rousek scored two goals and was up to six points through eight games with Rochester this season. The 24-year-old led the Amerks in 2022-23 with his 56-point campaign.
“He’s really rounded his game out,” said Appert when asked about Rousek Friday morning. “His offensive instincts are elite. The beauty is when a player like Rousek gets called-up, really high-end NHL players like having him on their line, because his offensive intelligence and his mind are high-end NHL. What he’s done over the last couple of years is put his other skills in a spot where they’re NHL ready. So, his checking, his defensive awareness, his habits away from the puck, his competitiveness; all of those things have risen, and now that they’ve risen to NHL caliber, his talent can come through. We’re excited to see how he does with this opportunity.”
FAMILY REUNION: PART 2
Amerks blue liner Riley Stillman will take on his younger brother, Chase, yet again. The 20-year-old New Jersey Devils prospect scored his first two professional goals last week against the Amerks, but Rochester pulled away from the Adirondack Bank Center with a 5-4 win. Riley, 25, is set to appear in his seventh game with the Amerks this season.
“I was happy for him after the game, but not at the time,” Riley laughed. “We got the two points and he got the two goals.”
“Having those shared moments together and the opportunity to compete against each other are pretty special moments to be a part of,” said Appert. “They’re going to look back at this at the end when they’re older and sitting on a dock somewhere looking at the lake with some fond memories.”