Written by Aidan Charde
Recap: Maine Nordiques on Feb. 13 and 14
The Rochester Jr. Americans split a series last weekend with the Maine Nordiques, staying even in the standings but failing to solidify their hold on the second seed in the East Division.
Game one was a solid performance all-around for the Jr. Amerks, who got a goal halfway through the first period from forward Stone Rolston. The team held strong in the first frame, stopping all 14 shots from Maine and holding to the narrow lead until halfway through the second, when newly acquired forward Brendan Giles added his first as a Jr. Amerk on the powerplay.
Defenseman Maxim St-Pierre made the game 3–0 not long after, and the rest of the game was spent trying to maintain the shutout.
Toward the end of the third period, forward Ryan Shaw got back on the board with his 33rd strike, making it 4–0, but the Nordiques were able to notch a goal on one final effort just after coming off the penalty kill to make it 4–1 at the end of the third.
With the win, Rochester jumped into second place, surpassing the Nordiques by one point. Game two was a pivotal contest for both squads, as a Rochester win would likely cement the second seed — a three point lead with two games in hand as the season draws to a close may have been enough.
It started out well enough when forward Konner Powell got the scoring started late in the first period to make it 1–0, but any momentum was lost when a scrap between the two teams led to a late powerplay for Maine.
The Nordiques were not able to capitalize on that powerplay, but that was not a trend for the rest of the game. Rochester entered the contest having killed 30 of the last 32 penalties, but ultimately allowed Maine to go 2-for-5, their worst performance by percentage since November.
Maine got their first powerplay strike to tie the game in the second period, which kicked off a wild series of events. 11 seconds after Maine tied the game, Shaw took matters into his own hands to recapture the lead — only for Maine to tie the contest yet again just 38 seconds after.
It was the last goal of the frame, and as both goalies settled in, it looked like it may have been the last goal of the game. Rochester was up a man for six of the first 14 minutes in the third period, but after being unable to score during any of the chances, an ill-timed penalty gave Maine a chance, and they found the back of the net to take their first lead of the game with under six minutes to play.
Rochester did get another powerplay opportunity and spent two minutes playing 6-on-4, but nothing came of it and the team ultimately fell 3–2 to drop back into third place.
Preview: Feb. 20 and 21 vs. Elmira Aviators
WHERE: Rochester Ice Center | Fairport, NY
WHEN: Feb. 20 at 7:30 p.m. | Feb. 21 at 7 p.m.
WATCH: NAHL.tv
FOLLOW: @JrAmerksNAHL
History
The Aviators had a difficult first season and are not much better this year, but they have been a thorn in the side of Rochester. The Jr. Amerks are 6–2–2 against their in-state rivals and have had several memorable games, including multiple shutouts, improbable comebacks and hundreds of penalty minutes handed out.
By the Numbers
Rochester
29–14–0 | 58 pts | 3rd place | 158 GF | 107 GA | L1 streak
Elmira
16–20–8 | 40 pts | 9th place | 125 GF | 171 GA | L1 streak
Stat of the Series
Five of the 10 matchups between the teams have been decided by one goal, three of which went to overtime. The other five games have been decided by an average of 4.6 goals per game.
East Division playoff update
The Maryland Black Bears (78 pts) clinched a berth for the playoffs, but have not locked in the top seed quite yet. The Nordiques (59 pts) and Jr. Amerks (58 pts) are in lockstep for the second, but Rochester’s two games in hand and advantage in regulation wins gives them the upper hand. The final three playoff teams are separated by just two points, as the New Jersey Titans (50 pts), Northeast Generals (48 pts) and Danbury Hat Tricks (48 pts) all fight for the fourth seed, which gives the rights to host round one. The Johnstown Tomahawks (45 pts) sit just outside in the seventh spot, ahead of the Philadelphia Rebels (42 pts), whose three-game losing streak has given them plenty of ground to make up. The Aviators (40 pts) and New Hampshire Mountain Kings (38 pts) move closer to elimination each week.
What a start
Forward Brendan Giles joined an exclusive group with his goal in his first game as a Jr. Amerk, becoming the 13th player to achieve the feat and the 10th to do it during his NAHL debut. Additionally, Giles joins the ranks of Sam Schulte, Ryan Shaw and Caden Okotiva as the only four players to score a goal after joining the Jr. Amerks as a midseason acquisition. It was a strong start for the former BCHL forward and the team will look for him to build on the momentum as the season enters the final stretch.
Close competition
Although Rochester is not playing in more one-goal games than in previous years, it has been noteworthy that the team has only gone to overtime five times all year. In 18 one-goal games this year, the Jr. Amerks are 10–8–0, good for 20 points. Last season, they went 9–6–8, accounting for six more points despite one fewer win. Positives and negatives can be taken away; on one hand, the team is not tying close games and getting extra points out of losses, but on the other hand, last year’s team went 4–8 in overtime and shootouts, compared with 5–0 this year.
Shaw goes streaking
Since November 7, Ryan Shaw has only failed to register a point in three games, allowing him to build several solid scoring streaks. While the gaps align perfectly to prevent him from stringing together a truly historic streak, he matched his season-best mark with seven consecutive games last weekend. That ties Sam Schulte, who started his run as a Jr. Amerk with seven straight, but sits behind Owen King’s ongoing stretch of 10 straight games.
Lucky reds
Forget top scorers, elite goalies or special teams play, the real trend is Rochester’s performance when wearing red jerseys. The team has donned its alternates 10 times this year and powered to an 8–2–0 record in the uniform, losing once last weekend and once in the second game of the year. But the luck does not stop there: The trend continues when factoring in games where their opponent wore red. In six games — four against the Johnstown Tomahawks and two against the New Jersey Titans — the Jr. Amerks are 4–2–0. In other words, when either team wears red, Rochester has a total record of 12–4–0.
Get to know the Aviators
Over the course of Rochester’s 16 remaining games, the team will see its in-state rivals six times, starting with two this weekend. The Aviators may be in 9th place in the division, but the team has proven it can hang with the big dogs on the right day, owning four wins over Rochester in the last two seasons and playing Maryland and Maine close in many of their matchups this season. They also boast a solid top-five forwards, each having over 13 goals on the year, including former Jr. Amerk Corson Maguire, who was swapped to the team three weeks ago.
