TACO BELL WRAP-UP: AMERKS HEAD INTO PLAYOFFS WITH WAVE OF MOMENTUM
Apr 22, 2024
By Andrew Mossbrooks | @Mossbrooks48
The Rochester Americans closed out their 68th regular season in franchise history on a high note, pulling out a 3-2 win in Utica Sunday afternoon to clinch the second seed in the North Division standings.
The Amerks had three games across their last week of the season, going 2-0-1-0 with wins against Utica and Toronto, while also earning a point facing Cleveland to cap off a season for the record books.
HISTORIC SEASON
While the Amerks fell short of their first division title in 19 years by way of a tiebreaker, the team still reached feats not seen in recent years. Finishing with a 39-23-7-3 record, the Amerks amassed 88 standings points, their highest total since the 2018-19 season (99). The team ended its season with a road win in Utica to boast a final mark of 21-11-3-1 when playing away from the Flower City. It’s just the second time in the last decade that Rochester exceeded 20 road wins.
All-time, Rochester exceeded 38 wins for the 28th time in 68 seasons and the sixth time in the 21st century. The Amerks ran through the back half of their season, as head coach Seth Appert guided his team to earning points in 29 of their last 38 games. The red, white, and blue streaked to the finish line as well, going 13-2-1-0 across the final 16 contests.
The team also showcased its clutch ability to lock down tight games. Half (36) of Rochester’s games were decided by one goal, with the Amerks baring a 23-3-7-3 mark in said scenarios. A third of the season (24) saw the Amerks require overtime, where Rochester won 14 of its games past regulation.
Individually, multiple players reached milestones not recently reached by Amerks of the past. With 27 goals, forward Jiri Kulich became just the ninth Amerk over the last 15 years to score more than 25 goals in a season. Brandon Biro led the team with three shorthanded goals, becoming the first Amerk since Colin Blackwell (2017-18) to post a trio of shorthanded conversions.
In net, rookie netminder Devon Levi amassed a .927 save percentage across 26 AHL starts. The Amerks goaltender not only won 16 of his 25 games, but posted the best save percentage amongst qualified Amerks goaltenders since Hall of Famer Martin Biron (.930) in 1998-99. Levi and Biron are the only Amerks goaltenders to have posted a save percentage above .925 in the history of the team, dating back to when save percentages were first tracked in 1983.
FAN APPRECIATION
Blue Cross Arena was rocking on Fan Appreciation Night this past Friday with a season-high attendance of 10,251 for the final home game of the regular season. It was the first time the Amerks had reached a five-figure attendance since Game 4 of the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals on May 29, 2023 (10,687).
Since the start of March, the Amerks have gone 8-1-1-1 at Blue Cross Arena, and now with a second-place finish, will have home ice advantage against Syracuse in the opening round.
OSTLUND ARRIVES
Noah Östlund, the Sabres’ 2022 first-round draft pick, was assigned to Rochester last week, making his North American debut Friday, then posting his first AHL point, assisting on Isak Rosen’s opening goal Sunday against the Comets.
“It’s a fun opportunity to get him in the lineup,” said Appert. “It’s nice to get him in now when he can play a couple of regular season games instead of just being thrown into a playoff series. It’s a great opportunity for him to get his feet wet and get a feel for the American Hockey League.”
“He can play all three forward positions. He’s been a center by trade growing up, but right now there’s not a lot of room for him at center, but he’s a smart enough player that he can fit into whatever role he plays. He’s a smooth skater, very good on his edges and very good laterally. He has high hockey sense. He plays a winning brand of hockey.”
The 20-year-old out of Nykvarn, Sweden was selected 16th overall by Buffalo in the 2022 NHL Draft. He began his pro season earlier this year in his native country, logging 12 goals and 23 points in 38 games for Lakers HC in the SHL.
COMING UP NEXT
For a fifth straight season, the Amerks find themselves in the Calder Cup Playoffs. The journey to the team’s first championship in 28 years takes them through Syracuse: the same Crunch team that Rochester rallied from a 2-0 series deficit to beat in overtime of Game 5 at the start of last year’s playoff run.
The Amerks and Crunch were separated by one point in the regular season, with both teams posting 39 wins. In their 12 game season series, Rochester went 5-5-2-0, winning three of their last four encounters.
Games 1 and 2 come on home ice for the Amerks, beginning this Friday, April 26, at 7:05 p.m.