Written by Aidan Charde
Recap: Maine Nordiques on Nov. 21 and 22
For the first time since Oct. 10 and 11, the Rochester Jr. Americans split a series, dropping the first contest but winning in game two against the Maine Nordiques in a thrilling weekend.
Game one started off with a bang from the Nordiques when they earned a breakaway opportunity early and converted to take a 1–0 lead four minutes in. Playing against one of the best goalies in the NAHL, the Jr. Amerks knew they had to score soon in order to stay in the game.
Forward Konner Powell delivered, tallying his fourth of the year to tie the game, before forward Adam Gionta gave Rochester the lead 39 seconds later. While it looked like Rochester had the momentum and came inches away from taking a 3–1 lead, the Nordiques took another breakaway down the ice at the end of the first period to tie the game at two.
The second period was dominated by Rochester, but they could not get any of their shots to land despite great efforts all around. Lukas Fürsten, Maine’s goalie, stole the show, stopping all 10 shots he faced and notching a highlight-reel save. After falling well out of the net on a save attempt, Fürsten managed to recover and dive from outside the crease to barely get his stick on a puck sailing toward an empty net, preventing the Jr. Amerks from taking a 3–2 lead.
Unfortunately for Rochester, it was the last good opportunity they would have all game. Maine took the lead back in the third and extended it at the end of the frame and, though forward Keanan Dewberry scored on a 6-on-4 to get within one, it was too little too late and the Nordiques won 4–3.
Game two ended up being just as exciting, as this time the Jr. Amerks were able to get in the net first off the stick of forward Ryan Shaw — his team-leading 14th of the season.
Of course, because the Nordiques are always an elite opponent, it had to be a back-and-forth affair. Maine scored with one second remaining on a powerplay late in the first period to tie the game at once heading into the locker room.
Rochester took over in the second period once again, but this time were actually able to take advantage and score. Gionta and Powell both scored in the frame, each getting their second of the weekend, to bring the Jr. Amerks to their biggest lead of the series, up 3–1.
The period was punctuated by some chippy activity as the clock hit zero when the teams got into a bit of a scuffle — the first, but not last, fight of the game. As the fight settled, each team had double minors for roughing.
The Nordiques got a quick goal in the third to make it 3–2 Rochester before another, larger fight broke out. Forwards Jackson Schouten and Colin Dustin each got time in the box along with a pair of skaters from Maine, joining the men already off the ice for the fight after the second period.
Another Rochester penalty gave the Nordiques the opportunity to tie the game with 15 minutes remaining, but the team did not roll over there. Gionta got his third goal of the series soon after, which would prove to be the game-winner as the Jr. Amerks held on to win 4–3 and split the series.
With two more games left against Maine this season, the Jr. Amerks cannot win the season series but are still able to keep it tied. They travel this weekend on the first of a three-week road trip, this time to face the Elmira Aviators for the first time all year.
Preview: Elmira Aviators on Nov. 28 and 29
WHERE: LECOM Events Center | Elmira, NY
WHEN: Nov. 28 at 7 p.m. | Nov. 29 at 7 p.m.
WATCH: NAHL.tv
FOLLOW: @JrAmerksNAHL
History
Last year’s expansion team struggled mightily all season, but played well against Rochester. The Jr. Amerks hold a 5–1–2 record against their New York rivals. Elmira’s lone regulation win was a 6–0 shutout, but it was made up for by a pair of Rochester 5–0 wins.
By The Numbers
Rochester
14–9–0 | 28 pts | T-3rd place | 77 GF | 60 GA | 1W Streak
Elmira
8–12–3 | 19 pts | 9th place | 62 GF | 96 GA | L4 Streak
Stat of the Series
Last year, Rochester’s record when scoring three goals or fewer against Elmira was 0–1–2, compared to 5–0–0 when scoring four or more.
Stars are shining
Adam Gionta added three goals to his total last weekend after missing a month due to injury. He is now at seven goals, tied for second-most on the team with Colin Dustin and behind Ryan Shaw. Gionta is on a 54-point and 27-goal pace, which would be the seventh- and fourth-most in a season for Rochester, respectively. Neither would be his career records, though, as last season he powered to 28 goals and 65 points. He is also 16 points away from being the first Jr. Amerk to hit 150 career points.
Top of his game
Through six games, Florian Wade has been playing his best NAHL hockey in his final season. His 2.337 goals against average is the best of his career by a large margin, and he is above a 90% save rate for the first time in his career. He is on pace to set career bests in all of his rate stats, though missing the first several weeks of the season may hurt his chances to improve upon his counting stats.
Keep an eye out for Ryan Shaw
In four games as a Jr. Amerk last year against Elmira, Ryan Shaw scored just one point, a goal on March 21. He played well in a series against the Aviators when he played for the New Jersey Titans — one goal and four assists in two games — but has just the lone point since he was traded to Rochester. Shaw has been one of the best scorers on the team since putting on the red, white and blue: In 64 games (including playoffs), Shaw has 30 goals and 65 points. Now, he is looking to finally get some production against the Aviators.
Aviators not far off from last year
In their inaugural season, the Elmira Aviators were ultimately the second-worst team in the division and scored the fourth-fewest goals in the entire league with 157. Their offense is certainly firing on more cylinders than last year — they are already at nearly half of their 2024-25 total — but they remain in ninth place in the East Division with a disappointing -34 goal differential. They enter the contest losers of four straight and six of their last eight.
