Written by Aiden Charde
Recap: New Jersey Titans on Dec. 5 and 6
The Rochester Jr. Americans earned their fourth sweep of the season in an important matchup with the New Jersey Titans last weekend to climb back to third place in the East Division.
It was a characteristically close weekend between the two teams — entering the series, Rochester was 5–4–1 against New Jersey with a miniscule +3 goal differential. The Jr. Amerks emerged with both wins, but only by a combined four goals.
In game one, it was a rough start for Rochester. After 13 scoreless minutes in the first period, the Titans scored thrice in the final seven minutes to put the Jr. Amerks in a hole early. Fortunately, the three goals were split up by one from forward Konner Powell, meaning New Jersey had a 3–1 lead after the first frame of action.
An early strike from forward Cameron Doran brought the Jr. Amerks within one in the second period, but it was the only goal from either team until the Titans scored again in the third to take a 4–2 lead.
Entering the night, Rochester was 1–7–0 on the season when trailing after two periods and had only come back from a two-goal deficit seven times in history. With plenty of time left in the game, though, forward Colin Dustin brought Rochester back within one goal before Powell’s second of the night tied the game.
Two more Jr. Amerk goals, one from forward Ryan Shaw and a second from Dustin, gave Rochester a 6–4 lead, which held despite a late New Jersey goal to make the final score 6–5. It was also the first time since September 2024 that the team won in regulation after conceding five goals.
In game two, the Jr. Amerks were held to the fewest shots all season with 17 and challenged New Jersey’s goalie only three times in the first period. However, that did not translate to the scoreboard when Shaw scored twice in the frame to take a 2–0 lead.
The rest of the contest was quiet, with neither team able to score in the second period or the first half of the third. The drought was finally broken up by Shaw, who cemented his second hat trick of the season with his 20th goal. Shaw’s strike proved to be the final score of the game, giving Rochester its first shutout of the season and first in history against the New Jersey Titans.
The Jr. Amerks get one more road series before travelling home to play in the Rochester Ice Center’s new arena next weekend.
Preview: New Hampshire Mountain Kings on Dec. 12 and 13
WHERE: Delta Dental Arena | Hooksett, NH
WHEN: Dec. 12 at 7 p.m. | Dec. 13 at 6 p.m.
WATCH: NAHL.tv
FOLLOW: @JrAmerksNAHL
History
The Jr. Amerks swept the Mountain Kings earlier this season and hold a 14–1–1 record all-time, their best mark against any team in the East Division. The Jr. Amerks average 1.813 points per game and hold a +33 goal differential against New Hampshire.
By The Numbers
Rochester
17–10–0 | 34 pts | 3rd place | 92 GF | 71 GA | W3 streak
New Hampshire
7–16–3 | 17 pts | 10th place | 58 GF | 103 GA | L9 streak
Stat of the Series
Historically, this has been one of the most lopsided rivalries in the division: Since both teams joined the NAHL in 2023, Rochester has scored four or more goals in 11 of 16 matchups while New Hampshire has scored three or fewer 13 times.
Shaw on historic pace
For fans who have followed the Jr. Amerks’ season, it should come as no surprise that Ryan Shaw has been the best player on the team and is among the league’s elites this year. His pace is already historic — 21 goals in 27 games is the fastest any Jr. Amerk has hit the mark and already puts him in fifth place all-time for goals in a season, while his 37 points are the 10th most. On his current pace, he is on the way to setting the single-season record for goals (45) and points (83). Oh, and his hat trick on Saturday made him the first player in team history to achieve the feat twice in a career, let alone a single season.
Brick Wall Wade
Goalie Florian Wade has had a career year so far and was highlighted last weekend by his second NAHL shutout and first since March 2024. He did not play until mid-October this year, but since his debut, Wade has earned a 6–1–0 record with a career-high 91.7% save rate and 2.134 goals allowed average. Strangely enough, both of Wade’s shutouts also came on nights where a Jr. Amerk scored a hat trick — and they are the only two times in history the team has had a hat trick and shutout in the same game.
Time for Maguire?
Following a four-game points streak in early November, forward Corson Maguire has gone scoreless in his last five games. That streak ended following a four-point weekend against the Mountain Kings where he scored two goals and two assists in the sweep. Now, facing New Hampshire for the first time since then, it may be primed for Maguire to get back in the swing of things with an end to his scoring drought.
Powell’s impressive impact
Konner Powell played opening weekend and scored in each of the first two games before missing over a month with an injury. Since returning on Halloween, Powell’s eight goals trails only Shaw’s 11 while his 10 points ranks fifth on the team. Even with a maximum of 46 games this year, Powell is on pace for 26 goals and 13 assists, which would still make him one of the most productive players in Rochester’s history.
Mountain Kings stumble into series
New Hampshire carries a nine-game losing streak into the weekend, the worst active streak in the league. It also has not been particularly close for many of the contests; the Mountain Kings have been within one goal a single time during the skid and have been outscored 48–13. It has sunk the squad to a distant last place in the East Division after being within the playoff fight for much of the first two months.
