Written by Aidan Charde
Recap: New Hampshire Mountain Kings on Dec. 12 and 13
The Rochester Jr. Americans stayed hot over the weekend, sweeping the New Hampshire Mountain Kings for the second time in a month and improving to 12–2–0 in their last 14 games.
In game one, forward Owen King got the team on the board in the first period on a wraparound shot that the New Hampshire goalie never even saw. Thanks to a strong performance in the net by goalie Florian Wade, who stopped the first 13 shots he saw, the lead held until the final ticks of the second period when the Mountain Kings tied the game.
New Hampshire took the lead quickly in the third period and as the clock wound down, a comeback was looking more and more unlikely. However, with 4:11 to play, King collected his own rebound and sent a snipe past the goalie to tie the game.
The comeback was not guaranteed yet, though, as the team still needed to bury a game-winner. It came in a familiar form early in overtime from forward Ryan Shaw, whose 21st of the season gave Rochester their first non-shootout overtime win of the year and cemented one of the latest comebacks in team history.
Game two was a night of milestones all around for Rochester, starting off with a goal in the first period from forward Tyler Wilmoth. Wilmoth, who was playing his third game and earned his first NAHL point, collected a rebound from forward Stone Rolston and gave the Jr. Amerks an early lead.
Rolston himself had a great performance, extending the team’s lead in the second period, giving him his fifth goal of the season and second multi-point game after earning an assist on Wilmoth’s goal.
The Mountain Kings got within one in the second period, but defenseman Logan Keup was the hero, netting his first NAHL goal in what would become the game-winner. It was only the sixth defensive score of the season and the team’s first since Nov. 8.
New Hampshire added one more, but the defense held long enough to take another 3–2 win and keep hold on third place in the division. The sweep marked the end of a lengthy road trip, too, and sends the Jr. Amerks into the Rochester Ice Center’s new arena with plenty of momentum.
Preview: Danbury Hat Tricks on Dec. 19 and 20
WHERE: Rochester Ice Center | Fairport, NY
WHEN: Dec. 19 at 7:30 p.m. | Dec. 20 at 7:00 p.m.
WATCH: NAHL.tv
FOLLOW: @JrAmerksNAHL
History
This will be the second meeting of the season between these two teams, with the teams splitting a series in September. The Jr. Amerks have typically handled the Hat Tricks, owning a 9–2–1 record across three years of play with a +35 goal differential.
By The Numbers
Rochester
19–10–0 | 38 pts | 3rd place | 98 GF | 75 GA | W5 streak
Danbury
13–13–4 | 30 pts | T-7th place | 97 GF | 99 GA | L1 streak
Stat of the Series
All three losses the Jr. Amerks have suffered against the Hat Tricks have come in the teams’ first series of the season. In 2023-24, Rochester lost the first game 2–1 before winning the next three. Last year, Danbury won 4–3 in overtime in the Saturday game of the series but lost the other five contests that year, and the trend continued so far this year with Danbury taking one of two in the first of six meetings.
Rolston joins the mix
Stone Rolston may be starting to establish himself as a scorer for Rochester, hitting double digit points last weekend with a goal on Saturday. After scoring just twice in the first 18 games, Rolston has three goals in his last 11 contests and two in the last five.
Looking for #2’s #2
It comes as no surprise that Ryan Shaw has been one of the best scorers in the league this season, sitting in second place for goals scored in the NAHL at 21. Behind him, though, sit 10 players who are between three and nine goals this season and none of whom have cemented themselves as the second-best scorer on the team. There are arguments to be made: Colin Dustin’s nine goals are the second most on the team, Konner Powell and Corson Maguire each have eight, while Adam Gionta has seven. Meanwhile, Ryan Flaherty and Owen King sit at five and seven respectively, but are the only two in that bunch to have eclipsed 10 assists. The team does have valuable depth up and down the line chart, which will help in close games down the stretch, but it is only a matter of time until one of those players steps into the role.
Battle-tested at midseason
No Jr. Amerks squad has faced as much adversity as this one, and yet the team remains on pace to be just as strong as in past years. The team had a difficult start, losing five of their first nine and dropping to ninth place in the division. They also suffered the worst loss in team history and held a negative goal differential for the first time since December 2023. Still, the team is on pace with last season’s squad in terms of points and has rocketed back up to third place in the standings.
Learning new Tricks
The Danbury Hat Tricks are a far better squad this year than Rochester is used to. Across the last two seasons, the Hat Tricks won a combined 39 games — for context, Rochester won 39 in 2024-25. This year’s team is already at 13 and is well within the playoff race. Offensively, the team has made strides each of the last three years, improving from 135 goals scored in 2023-24 to 182 last year, to being on pace for 191 this season. Historically, defense has been hard to come by for Danbury, but they are on pace to concede fewer than 200 goals for the first time since a 54-game slate in 2020-21, a massive improvement in a division known for high-scoring offenses.
Rowdy is our reputation
The Jr. Amerks are preparing for the biggest weekend in team history when the team takes the ice on the brand-new rink at the Rochester Ice Center. With 1,000 seats, it has a larger capacity than the team’s usual rink, but fans are still recommended to come early to ensure they get the best view of the game. On Saturday night, all fans should come wearing white for the team’s annual Whiteout game and be prepared for the rowdiest rink in the NAHL.
