Written by Aidan Charde
Recap: Games 1 and 2 vs. Northeast Generals on April 17 and 18
The Rochester Jr. Americans jumped out to a 2–0 series lead last weekend with a pair of wins over the Northeast Generals, guaranteeing at least one more home game this season.
Game one was tense on both sides. The Jr. Amerks entered having lost six of their final seven games, while the Generals had won seven of their last eight including the first round of playoff action.
The Generals got out to a faster start, logging several shots on goal before the Jr. Amerks even gained solid possession of the puck, but it was for naught as neither team was able to score in the first period.
Rochester rebounded at the end of the first frame, getting back into form and eventually opening the scoring with a one-on-one goal from forward Keanan Dewberry, who deked around a defender and Northeast’s goalie for his second career playoff goal.
The Generals tied the game five minutes later on a powerplay goal, but forward Ryan Flaherty gave Rochester another lead before the teams went back into the locker rooms.
Although Rochester held all the momentum heading into the final frame, the Generals came out strong in the third period, scoring twice in the first seven minutes to take their first lead of the game. The Generals doubled the Jr. Amerks on shots in the frame, and as time ticked down a comeback was seeming less likely.
But with just under seven minutes left, forward Adam Gionta netted an equalizer, and with neither team able to pull ahead in the end of the period, the teams went back to the locker rooms to prepare for overtime.
NAHL playoffs feature full five-on-five overtime periods rather than the usual three-on-three for five minutes of the regular season. Rochester took command of the puck early, putting pressure on the Generals for over 10 minutes and keeping their opponent from even getting a scoring chance. Finally, defenseman Logan Keup put one behind the Generals’ goalie to send Rochester fans home happy and the team home with a 1–0 series lead.
For as back-and-forth as game one was, game two was Rochester’s from the jump. Forward Matt Portz scored 4:06 into the game, his first career goal in the NAHL and the fastest goal in team playoff history, to take a 1–0 lead. In the second, Flaherty added his second of the weekend to make the game 2–0.
The Generals had chances in the final frame, but could not capitalize, ultimately pulling their goalie with over three minutes left to try and get back in the contest. Instead, forward Lukas Bellinger put one in the empty net, making the final score 3–0. The win means Rochester is guaranteed to host at least one more game — either a winner-take-all game five on Sunday or the second leg of the East Division Finals next round.
Preview: April 23 and 24 vs. Northeast Generals
WHERE: Canton Ice House | Canton, MA
WHEN: April 23 at 7 p.m. | April 24 at 7 p.m. (if necessary)
WATCH: NAHL.tv
FOLLOW: @JrAmerksNAHL
History
Rochester improved to 4–0–0 against Northeast in the postseason, 5–3–0 this season and 17–5–0 all-time. Two of Rochester’s three postseason shutouts have come against the Generals, one each by Danick Leroux and Florian Wade.
Stat of the Series
Rochester has struggled on the road in the postseason, but the team typically loves playing in Northeast’s rink. The Jr. Amerks are 2–0–3 on away ice in the divisional rounds, but are 6–2–0 when visiting the Generals.
Brick Wall Wade
Florian Wade lived up to his moniker last weekend, stopping 60 of the 63 shots he faced and earning his first postseason shutout. Somewhat remarkably, despite spending parts of all three seasons with Rochester, this weekend marked Wade’s second and third playoff starts, respectively. His first start was average, but in his two starts this season, he has been electric. In his career, Wade holds a 91.6% save rate and a goals allowed average of 2.214.
Flaherty catches fire
For much of the middle of the season, Ryan Flaherty struggled to find the net. After scoring a goal on Nov. 8, he went 31 games before getting another on March 17. But since then, Flaherty has four goals in just nine games, including important scores in both contests. Flaherty was not invisible in the regular season; his 26 assists were tied for fourth on the team, but he had entered the year off a season with the Johnstown Tomahawks where he found the net 20 times. If Flaherty continues his form in the postseason, it would make an already dangerous offense even more intimidating.
Killer performance
In a gritty first round, the biggest standout for the Generals was their powerplay, which went 7-for-11 against the Maine Nordiques after a regular season where they converted 24% of the time. Rochester had a solid penalty kill in the regular season, which stopped 82.8% of chances, but it seemed like a mismatch. Instead, the Generals went 2-for-11, including 0-for-5 on Saturday’s shutout. Regardless of the small sample size, it was an encouraging result for the unit, especially against such an effective opponent.
Generals fail to bounce back
After falling 5–4 in game one against Maine, the Generals rebounded in a massive game two, winning 8–2 before an easy 3–1 win in the final game. It was looking like a similar script last weekend when the Jr. Amerks took a close 4–3 win; the Generals were in it for most of the night, but lost steam as the game neared the end. Game two was a different story from their first round, though, as the Jr. Amerks stymied an offense that exploded the week before. Time will tell if Northeast still has what it takes to bounce back, so Rochester will need to stay vigilant this weekend to stay on top.
