TACO BELL WRAP-UP: AMERKS SPLIT OPENING WEEKEND OF PLAYOFFS
Apr 29, 2024
By Andrew Mossbrooks | @Mossbrooks48
The Rochester Americans began their quest for the Calder Cup, opening the 2024 Calder Cup Playoffs with Games 1 and 2 of the North Division Semifinals at home against the Syracuse Crunch.
Both matchups saw the Amerks open with a 2-0 lead, though only the first game of the series ended on a winning note. After pulling out the 3-2 win Friday, Syracuse would battle back Sunday evening for a 4-3 overtime win to even the series, 1-1.
LEARNING FROM THE BEST
Michael Mersch and Mason Jobst have been linemates virtually all season, so when Amerks head coach Seth Appert decided to compliment the duo by adding 18-year-old prospect Anton Wahlberg on the wing, you knew the youngster out of Malmo, Sweden would be in good hands.
The three skated on a line together for much of the final three weeks of the regular season, and, through the first two games of the playoffs, each forward has found the back of the net.
Wahlberg pounced just 61 seconds into the playoffs Friday night, cutting to the far post to tuck home his first professional playoff goal in North America.
“That started with Mersch, our captain,” said Appert when talking about Wahlberg’s goal. “Merschy made a great hit to create a turnover, and we play best when we play fast and direct. (Ethan) Prow from there just made a real good play to Wahlberg and he used not just his skill, but the nerve to take that to the back post. There’s always risk when taking pucks to the back post because it leaves you vulnerable. I thought that was an excellent goal.”
Less than 48 hours later on the afternoon of Game 2, it was Mersch opening the scoring with a power-play goal being jammed through at the front of the net. Jobst earned an assist on the conversion, then late in the contest scored the game-tying goal with 3:54 to play in regulation.
“It’s lots of fun,” said Mersch when asked about playing with Jobst and Wahlberg. “Anton’s done a great job since he got here. He’s really mature for being an 18-year-old. It’s crazy to me when people say he’s that young. He’s a great player and he’s got a great career ahead of him.”
Mersch (31), Jobst (30), and Wahlberg (18) combined for three goals and four points over the weekend.
EURO BULLET
Speaking of lines that impressed, a trio of Sabres’ first round draft picks have generated plenty of scoring chances through games one and two. Jiri Kulich has centered a line featuring fellow AHL All-Star Isak Rosen, along with newcomer Noah Östlund, who made his Amerks debut on the final weekend of the regular season. The three European-born forwards generated three points (2+1) over the weekend, with Östlund getting credit for his first pro goal in North America, blasting a one-timer through on the power-play in Game 1.
“It was good timing,” said Östlund. “I think we’re playing better and better (as a line). I think we created a lot of chances and could’ve had more goals.”
Rosen scored the game-winning-goal with under half a period to play Friday night, doing so moments after Syracuse erased a two-goal deficit. Since the start of the regular season, Rosen leads all Amerks with seven game-winners.
Kulich posted an assist on Mersch’s power-play goal Sunday and was second on the team in shots on goal with four in Game 2. Including last year’s playoff run, Kulich has seven goals and 12 points in 14 postseason games with Rochester.
NOBODY SAID THIS WOULD BE EASY
Syracuse overcame back-to-back 2-0 holes to tie each game and win the second one in overtime, 4-3. Over the course of the regular season, the Crunch won three games against the Amerks when trailing 2-0. Rochester carried a lead into the third period of Game 2, losing for just the third time since the start of the season when leading after 40 minutes.
“They’re not going to go away,” said Appert. “They were one of the top teams in the American Hockey League all season long. We know how good they are. They earned their goals (on Sunday) off tips, screens, and things of that nature. We need to do a better job of boxing out and getting under sticks and making sure they don’t get those opportunities.
SERIES AT A GLANCE
With this best-of-five series tied, the Crunch and Amerks are guaranteed to at least play each other two more times. Both of those games will take place on the road for Rochester, which skates into Upstate Medical University Arena on Thursday and Saturday for Games 3 and 4 of this series. Should the series remain tied at the end of the weekend, a winner-take-all decisive Game 5 would take place back at Blue Cross Arena on Friday, May 10.
The winner of this series will face the winner of Cleveland and Belleville’s best-of-five battle, after the Senators knocked off the Toronto Marlies in a three-game play-in series Sunday in overtime.