Article Written by Aidan Charde
Recap vs. New Hampshire Mountain Kings Jan. 19 and 20
Two games that started similarly could not have ended more differently as the Rochester Jr. Americans took three points in last weekend’s series against the New Hampshire Mountain Kings.
In game one, the Mountain Kings jumped out to the early lead, sliding a shot past goalie Danick Leroux five minutes in. The Jr. Amerks would tie it up a few minutes later, but the Mountain Kings were able to take another lead with eight minutes left in the period. The Jr. Amerks responded and forward Thomas Rockey scored on the power play tied the game once again. At the time, it looked like we were destined for a high-scoring affair.
Instead, both defenses locked it down and the game remained scoreless through the final two periods of play. Unfortunately, Rochester’s struggles in the shootout continued as the Mountain Kings scored the winning goal in the third round. Importantly, the Jr. Amerks snagged a point in the standings.
In game two, it once again started the same: The Mountain Kings took a lead, the Jr. Amerks tied it, the Mountain Kings scored again and the Jr. Amerks tied it again. This time, though, forward Matteo Disipio was able to score once more right before the end of the period to give the home team a 3–2 advantage after one frame.
The second period was an offensive explosion that saw the Jr. Amerks extend the lead to 7–3, highlighted by two goals 13 seconds apart that iced the game. Disipio and forward Michael Sandruck both scored two goals in the game to lead the Jr. Amerks to a big win and two important points.
Preview: Jan. 19 and 20 vs. New Hampshire Mountain Kings
WHEN: Jan. 26 at 2 p.m. | Jan. 27 at 6 p.m.
WHERE: New England Sports Village | Attleboro, MA
WATCH: NAHL.TV
FOLLOW: @JrAmerksNAHL
History
The Jr. Amerks and Northeast Generals have a fiery history. Their first time playing, the Jr. Amerks earned a sweep, but it cost both teams greatly after a line brawl erupted and caused three player suspensions. The Jr. Amerks hold a 3–1 head-to-head advantage over the Generals, but the teams are separated by just one point in the standings.
East Division tightens up
The race for third place got even more wild last weekend and almost every team shuffled in the standings during the chaotic slate of games. The Jr. Amerks benefitted the most, taking three points while the Johnstown Tomahawks had a bye week. The Generals, meanwhile, suffered the most. With a one point lead over the Jr. Amerks and a weekend against the struggling Danbury Hat Tricks, the Generals only managed to scrape one point out of an abysmal weekend, losing 4–0 and 4–3 in a shootout. Entering this weekend, the Jr. Amerks sit in third with 43 points, followed by Johnstown and Northeast with 42 and the New Jersey Titans with 40.
Sandruck earns his spot
Following a productive weekend, forward Michael Sandruck got the call and was added to the Jr. Amerks’ full-time roster. Sandruck has played five games for Rochester after being a standout for the Bishop Kearney Selects. His two goals last weekend included the game-winner and earned him the first star of the game. Sandruck is also committed to Cornell University to play Division I hockey.
Disipio’s streak snapped, but a new one begins
Matteo Disipio has been the standout star for the Jr. Amerks this season, leading the team in goals, assists, and points. While his streak of six consecutive games with points ended in the first game of the weekend, he added four more points the next night to become the third player in the league to pass the 50-point mark.
Jr. Amerks offense clicking
Coming off the second seven-goal performance of the season, the Jr. Amerks offense is as hot as it has been all season. The team has earned a point in each of its last seven games with five wins and two overtime losses. Additionally, the Jr. Amerks are the only team in the East Division to have not been shutout in a game this season, a streak that they will hope to hold firm against Northeast.
Jennersjo helping keep Generals afloat
Generals forward Sixten Jennersjo has the second-most points in the NAHL this season with just seven goals scored. How? He has assisted on 48 goals — nearly 40% of all goals the Generals have scored this season. He has more games with multiple assists (12) than no assists (9) on the year and had a streak of 11 straight games with at least one assist spanning from Sept. 23 to Nov. 1.
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The Rochester Jr. Americans are members of the NAHL which is the oldest and largest junior hockey league of its kind in the United States and one of only two USA Hockey-certified leagues that operate under the non pay-to-play model. The NAHL is also one of the best at advancing players to NCAA and professional hockey. All league games are viewable via NAHLTV. For more information, visit rochesterjramerks.com.