Written by Aidan Charde
Recap: Northeast Generals on March 8 and 9
The Rochester Jr. Americans moved closer to securing a first round bye in a dominant series sweep of the Northeast Generals last weekend to extend their league-best win streak to eight.
Just a few short weeks ago, the Jr. Amerks set their record for goals in a game against the Generals with a convincing 8–2 win. This weekend, they shattered that record in game one. Forward Owen King started a flurry of scoring early in the first with a goal 3:39 into the period, followed by forward Landon Brownlee 24 seconds later. The Generals got on the board less than 30 seconds after that, but forward Adam Gionta made the lead 3–1 just 90 seconds later — four goals in under 2:30.
They would not stop there, though, with forward Ethan Coots earning his first NAHL point with a goal before forward Ryan Shaw struck with 45 seconds remaining to make the game 5–1 and tie the team’s record for goals in a period.
Northeast fought hard to get back in the contest in the second frame, tallying 11 shots on goal in the period, but it was dwarfed by Rochester’s 17 attempts. Brownlee scored his second before the Generals could add another, but by then it was too little too late. Shaw ended the period with his second of the game to give Rochester a 7–2 lead after two.
With 10 minutes elapsing in the third period before anyone could score, it seemed unlikely that the Jr. Amerks would break or even tie their goals record. That is, until another scoring bonanza hit the game, as forwards Keanan Dewberry, Calle Karlsson and Jaden Dyke each scored within a four-minute span to push the lead to 10–2. It would hold there the rest of the night.
In a somewhat strange statline, despite 10 goals and all but two having a pair of assists, no one on the Jr. Amerks scored more than three points. Shaw, Dewberry and Karlsson each paired their goals with assists, while defenseman Liam Chapman helped on a trio of goals.
If something was in the air on Saturday night, it did not return fast on Sunday. The Jr. Amerks were held scoreless in the first, but stopped all nine of Northeast’s shots to keep the game tied after one.
Forward JC Humphreys broke the tie in the second frame with his first point since January while Gionta doubled the lead a few minutes later. Not to be outdone, forward Hugo Branthsson helped his quest for a 20-goal season with a pair in the final period to make the final score 4–0. Rochester’s goalie Ethan Phillips earned his first career shutout in just his third start, a nice bounce back performance after getting pulled in his last appearance.
The two wins paired with ideal out-of-town results mean the Jr. Amerks could clinch a first round bye on Friday night when they take on the New Jersey Titans for the first time since opening weekend.
Preview: New Jersey Titans on March 14 and 15
WHEN: March 14 at 7 p.m. | March 15 at 6:30 p.m.
*NOTE TIME CHANGES FOR BOTH GAMES*
WHERE: Rochester Ice Center | Fairport, NY
PROMOTIONS: March 14 — St. Patrick’s Theme | March 15 — Whiteout Night and Rally Towel Giveaway
WATCH: NAHL.tv
FOLLOW: @JrAmerksNAHL
History
The New Jersey Titans are a great unknown for the Jr. Amerks as the teams have faced each other just six times in history. They met to kick off the season, with the Jr. Amerks winning once and losing in a shootout, but hold just a 2–3–1 record all-time. However, that number is slightly deceptive: All four contests last year came early in the season while the Jr. Amerks were still experiencing growing pains, while the opening weekend series was so long ago that neither squad can truly say they are the same team anymore.
East Division playoff update
The weekend could not have gone better for Rochester (76 pts) as they moved closer to a first round bye. The Maryland Black Bears (67 pts) reclaimed second place, but narrowly as they lost both games in overtime. The Maine Nordiques (66 pts) split with the New Jersey Titans (60 pts) to hold onto third for the time being. The Johnstown Tomahawks (57 pts) and New Hampshire Mountain Kings (49 pts) each earned three points to maintain their hold on playoff spots, but still remain at risk of being bounced. A pair of wins launched the Danbury Hat Tricks (43 pts) into a tie for seventh with the Philadelphia Rebels (43 pts), both just barely alive in the playoff race. The Elmira Aviators (42 pts) also improved, moving into a tie for last with the Northeast Generals (42 pts).
Clinching Scenarios
The Rochester Jr. Americans clinch a first round bye if any of the following happen:
1. Rochester wins BOTH games, regardless of other results
2. Rochester wins ONE game AND Maine loses ONE game against New Hampshire
The Rochester Jr. Americans clinch the top seed if the following happens:
1. Rochester wins BOTH games AND Maryland loses BOTH games against Northeast in regulation
Going streaking
Calle Karlsson is on a tear, establishing himself as one of the top forwards in the league. With two assists on Sunday night, he officially passed Massimo Gentile to take the longest points streak in team history, scoring in 15 consecutive games. But he is not the only forward making waves during the team’s win streak; Owen King and Adam Gionta have eight- and seven-game streaks going, respectively.
Best offense in the league
In recent weeks, the Jr. Amerks have shot up the league leaderboard for goals and goal differential as a team. They currently have 195 goals scored, good for the best mark in the league, while their differential of +72 is behind just three teams, all of whom have allowed under 92 goals all season. In individual standings, Karlsson is the only Jr. Amerk with a chance to lead the league in a major stat category — his 65 points is tied for third in the NAHL. But Adam Gionta, Owen King and Jaden Dyke are each making a push for the upper tier, all three being over 47 points and Dyke just missing the top-25. Meanwhile, despite missing 10 games, Hugo Branthsson’s 42 points is tied for 46th in the league.
Phillips rebounds in a big way
With three starts under his belt, goalie Ethan Phillips has seen all sorts of situations with Rochester. He had a stellar stat line in his first appearance, stopping all but one shot in a shootout loss, but was pulled in his second after allowing two goals in four shots. However, his third game might put the Providence College commit on the up-and-up, as he saved all 27 shots in his first career shutout. It is also worth mentioning that the Generals offense has been one of the better ones this season, tallying 171 goals so far, even if they could only score nine goals in six games against Rochester.
Don’t be fooled
The Titans are a formidable team despite stats that are far from eye-popping this year. They hold a goal differential of +1 with both goals scored and allowed ranking toward the middle of the league. Their top scorer, Jack Hillier, is tied with Karlsson for the third-most points, but there is a sharp drop in production after the first line and just one player has eclipsed 20 goals. On defense, their top goalie is stopping over 91% of shots, but is also allowing just under three goals per game. Regardless, this has not proved to be too important to a team that still has a chance to earn a first round bye. They are 16 points behind the Jr. Amerks, but just seven behind the second-place Black Bears with a game in hand.
