Written By Aidan Charde
Recap: East Division Finals Games 1 and 2 vs. Maine Nordiques
It was a marquee matchup last weekend between the Rochester Jr. Americans and Maine Nordiques and the teams did not disappoint, playing a pair of defensive battles to split the opening games of the series.
Game 1 showcased Rochester’s ability to shut down opposing offenses and prevent them from racking up shots, allowing just 21 pucks to reach goalie Jensen Carlstrom all game. It was the fifth time in six playoff games the Jr. Amerks outshot their opponent and the second time it was by 10 or more shots.
Unfortunately, it did not pay off for the team as the Nordiques capitalized twice on a pair of powerplay opportunities while the Jr. Amerks were kept off the scoreboard for the first time in playoff history as the Nordiques took a 2–0 victory. It was also the first home playoff loss in team history.
If any silver lining could be gained from the contest, it was the continuation of the team’s exceptional even strength play this postseason. While special teams have not been stellar since the end of the regular season, the team has allowed just 10 five-on-five goals.
The Rochester powerplay was also not given much of an opportunity with the whistle being slanted toward Maine all night. The Jr. Amerks had just two man-up chances compared to Maine’s six.
Game 2 looked like it belonged to the Nordiques for quite some time, especially after they dominated possession in the first period. Rochester logged a solid six shots on goal, but it was nothing compared to Maine’s 18 — the third most the team has allowed in a frame all season. A slashing penalty gave the Nordiques a powerplay seven minutes in which looked dangerous until they gave the advantage up with a hooking penalty 30 seconds later.
After a pair of penalties by Rochester that gave Maine nearly four minutes of powerplay action, the score still remained tied at zero. And while Rochester did get a powerplay late in the period, it led to nothing and the teams exited the ice scoreless.
Rochester defense picked it up in the second period to help out their goalie after a gritty first period showing. The Nordiques managed just nine more shots the rest of the game while the Jr. Amerks more than tripled their first period total, shooting 21 more times in the final 40 minutes.
Though the second period came and went without much excitement, the third period began with a quick goal from forward Jaden Dyke. While it was just one goal, the relief and excitement that flooded the arena afterward was palpable, as Carlstrom had been playing phenomenally all game and it felt like the one goal could be enough.
The Jr. Amerks had a pair of good chances to extend the lead late in the game, first on a bench minor for too many men that gave Rochester a powerplay halfway through the period, but it led
to nothing. Later, the Nordiques got nabbed for high sticking to give the Jr. Amerks another advantage, but the team lost it on a slash while they were skating around to kill time before the ref could blow the whistle.
Ultimately, despite a strong end-of-game effort from the Nordiques, Carlstrom continued his powerful performance to deliver his first career shutout and the second postseason shutout in team history. It was perhaps lower-scoring than the team would have liked, but taking the momentum and evening the series ahead of two games in Lewiston may be pivotal in the best-of-five series as the team looks to move on.
Preview: East Division Finals games 3 and 4 vs. Maine Nordiques
WHEN: May 9 at 7:30 p.m. | May 10 at 4:30 p.m.
WHERE: The Colisee | Lewiston, ME
WATCH: NAHL.tv
FOLLOW: @JrAmerksNAHL
Dyke dominates
In the last two hours, 13 minutes, and 57 seconds of gametime, Jaden Dyke is the only player to have scored a goal for the Jr. Amerks. That is not for lack of trying: The team had plenty of chances and near-misses while playing against one of the best goalies the NAHL in Carter Richardson, but it is impressive for Dyke. He has scored three goals in the last three games and all three of them have had a massive impact. He tied game five against Johnstown in regulation before scoring the winner in overtime 7:05 apart — the second-fastest consecutive goals by one player in team postseason history — and the lone goal in game two against Maine.
Carlstrom joins elite group
With his shutout effort, Jensen Carlstrom became the fifth goalie in team history to notch a shutout and the second to do so in the playoffs (Danick Leroux on April 12, 2024). It also means that every goalie who has started at least two games for the team (Leroux, Carlstrom, Florian Wade, Ethan Phillips and Cole O’Donnell) has earned a shutout for the Jr. Amerks, an excellent group for the former emergency backup to join. For what it’s worth, that stat would say every goalie to start one game, but Aries Carangi, who started once last season, allowed a single goal 53 seconds into his only appearance for the team, just missing out.
Special teams improve while even strength excels
The special teams this postseason have admittedly not been as incredible as the regular season, but trends indicate that may be about to turn around. The team went 5-for-5 on the penalty kill in Game 2, their best performance yet, which gives them an 81% success rate in the series, up from 75% against Johnstown. On the other side of the ice, the powerplay has yet to take a step, scoring just once in 20 tries this postseason, but despite a 0-for-5 performance on Saturday, the team looked vastly improved from earlier contests with an extra man. Meanwhile, although offense has been average, the team’s five-on-five defense has been stellar en route to 1.42 goals allowed per game in even strength action.
Richardson holds strong, but for how long?
As mentioned last week, Maine goalie Carter Richardson’s season has been defined by streaks, having multiple stretches of elite play sandwiched between multiple stretches of below-average showings. After an 11 game streak at the end of the season where he went 4-5–2 with 32 goals allowed, he has been dominant in the playoffs as well as his final regular season game. During that 10 game stretch, he has allowed an average of 1.31 goals per game and stopped over 95% of shots — yet his longest streak of great play has been 12 games. The team cannot count on his performance dropping, but trends would certainly suggest he is about to come back to earth after a month of prolonged excellence.
