TACO BELL WRAP UP: AMERKS CARRY THREE-GAME POINT STREAK INTO BUSY STRETCH
Feb 12, 2024
By Andrew Mossbrooks | @Mossbrooks48
The Rochester Americans entered the AHL All-Star break on a winning note and carried some of that momentum forward into last week, earning standings points both Friday and Saturday in games against Syracuse.
With a 21-16-5-1 record, the Amerks are tied for third place in the North Division with 48 points.
DÉJÀ VU
The home-and-home series against the Crunch began with the Amerks hosting Syracuse Friday, before paying a visit to their intrastate rival the next night. Both games saw Rochester take a 2-0 lead, but fall by way of 3-2 finals in overtime.
“Both games were violent,” said Amerks head coach Seth Appert. “These were heavy, physical games. You’d like to find a way to win or get the extra point in overtime, but I liked a lot of what we did. I liked our push back. We played hard physically. We outplayed them in the third on Saturday and had a chance to win.”
The Amerks entered the weekend with a 12-4-1-1 record when scoring the first goal in a game. While picking up points is ideal this time of year, there’s a glass half-empty feel of what could have been.
“Anytime you have a lead and you lose a lead it’s no fun,” said Brett Murray, who scored in Saturday’s game. “I think there’s a lot we can take from it moving forward, though, especially against a team like Syracuse. It’s a playoff-style hockey game anytime we play them. It’s good to be a part of these games now. It doesn’t feel good to drop both of those games, but you got to look at the silver lining. We picked up two out of four points and now we have to move forward.”
LEANING ON LEVI
For the second time in his young career, goaltender Devon Levi started games on consecutive nights. The 22-year-old combined for 55 saves in his sixth and seventh starts as an Amerk, with the bulk of his shots faced coming Saturday in Syracuse, as Levi stared at 36 shots from the Crunch compared to their 25 the night prior.
“It was great,” said Levi on getting back-to-back starts. “It felt a little like I was back in school. It was nice to be in a rhythm and play in a series against the Crunch. It was a good experience for me to play and be challenged.”
The Sabres prospect has appeared in seven games for Rochester this season, owning a 3-2-2 record with a 2.57 goals-against-average and a .912 save percentage. His save percentage is ninth amongst AHL rookie goaltenders with seven or more games played.
“There’s been a lot of different games and types of experience here (in Rochester). I think that so far, it’s been great for me to play and experience what I’ve experienced. It’s a good experience to be with this group. I’m having a really good time. The guys are great and ‘Apps’ (Appert) is unbelievable. They make it so easy to have fun here.”
“I love Devon,” said Murray. “He’s a good kid and a great goaltender. You feel confident knowing you have a player like Devon backing you up. Hockey’s a game of mistakes and when they happen, it helps to know you have someone in net that you can put your confidence in to know he can bail you out a couple of times.”
TERRIFIC TRIO
All lines have a shelf life according to Appert, but the trio of Brandon Biro, Brett Murray, and Lukas Rousek will likely continue to garner looks together. The three forwards produced three goals and 10 points over the weekend against Syracuse.
“All three of them have been some of, if not, our best players all season,” said Appert. “But it’s been really interesting of late to see Brett Murray be an ignitor or catalyst on whatever line he’s going to. You’re starting to see a pattern that Brett Murray’s consistency of play over the last 15 games or so is really, really high.”
Individually, Murray has amassed nine points (6+3) over his past 10 games. He scored a goal and added an assist in Saturday’s game.
“They’re (Biro and Rousek) such intelligent hockey players,” said Murray. “You have two very fast, very smart hockey players that always seem to be in the right position offensively or defensively. Whenever I get the puck, I can trust that I’ll have an outlet somewhere. Half the time I don’t even have to think about it. I know what kind of players they are and where they like to be and how they like to play the game. I think we complement each other.”
COMING UP NEXT
The Amerks begin their most daunting stretch of the 2023-24 schedule to date when they resume play Wednesday in Utica. That game begins a sprint of seven games over the next 11 days. After visiting the Comets, Rochester returns home for games on Friday and Sunday at Blue Cross Arena against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Utica, respectively.