Recap: Jan. 30 and 31 vs. Philadelphia Rebels
The Rochester Jr. Americans came away with a series split last weekend against the Philadelphia Rebels, falling just short of a comeback win in game one before rebounding in game two.
Really, the team played five terrific periods after a difficult opening frame in the first contest, but it was enough to hand the team one loss. Despite only logging eight shots on goal, the Rebels scored four times in the first 20 minutes to take a commanding lead.
Rochester did not go quietly, though, earning one back from forward Ryan Shaw, who tied the team record for goals in a season with his strike. Defenseman Logan Keup added his second of the year minutes later while the defense held strong to make it 4–2.
Heading into the third period, Rochester had some momentum, but needed to capitalize on chances. Forward Owen King did get the team within one goal, but despite 90 seconds of 6-on-4 for Rochester at the end of the game, the Jr. Amerks could not tie the contest and dropped the game 4–3.
Game two picked up where the first left off with Rochester controlling the tempo from the first seconds. Though they did not score, the Jr. Amerks logged 12 shots on goal and held the Rebels to just three. In the second frame, Shaw got on the board first, breaking the tie both in the game and for the team’s single-season scoring record. The Rebels tied the contest before the period was over, but King scored his second of the weekend on a shorthanded opportunity to reclaim the lead.
The Rebels had some chances in the third period, but neither team was able to find the back of the net for the remainder of the night and Rochester took a gritty 2–1 win.
It may not have been the perfect outcome, but the Jr. Amerks came away two points richer and remain one point shy of second place in the division.
Preview: New Jersey Titans on Feb. 6 and 7
WHERE: Middletown Ice Complex | Middletown, NJ
WHEN: Feb. 6 at 7 p.m. | Feb. 7 at 4:00 p.m.
WATCH: NAHL.tv
FOLLOW: @JrAmerksNAHL
History
The Jr. Amerks have seen the Titans just 12 times, the second-fewest of any East Division team. The all-time series has not been too decisive, either, as Rochester holds the slight advantage with a 7–4–1 record and a +7 goal differential. Earlier this year, Rochester won both games in Middletown 6–5 and 3–0.
By the Numbers
Rochester
27–12–0 | 54 pts | 3rd place | 145 GF | 98 GA | W1 streak
New Jersey
20–16–4 | 44 pts | 5th place | 117 GF | 122 GA | L1 streak
Stat of the Series
Forward Ryan Shaw exploded against his former team earlier this year for 4 goals and two assists, including a hat trick. Since being traded to Rochester, Shaw has scored 10 points — five goals, five assists — in six games against the Titans.
East Division playoff update
As the postseason inches closer, all 10 teams in the division are well within striking distance of a playoff spot. The Maryland Black Bears (70 pts) are certainly favorites to take the top seed, sitting 15 points ahead of the Maine Nordiques (55 pts) in second. The Jr. Amerks (54 pts), though, are right behind with plenty of time to earn the first round bye. The Northeast Generals (46 pts), New Jersey Titans (44 pts) and Johnstown Tomahawks (43 pts) are bunched up in the final three spots, but could face challenges from the Danbury Hat Tricks (41 pts) and Philadelphia Rebels (40 pts), sitting in seventh and eighth, respectively. The Elmira Aviators (35 pts) and New Hampshire Mountain Kings (34 pts) have ground to make up, but are not out of the race quite yet.
Shaw finally does it
It has been a long time coming, but Ryan Shaw finally broke the team’s single-season goals record of 31, hitting his 32nd in Saturday’s game just one day after tying the mark. While the feat alone is impressive, the speed and efficiency at which he has done it makes it all the more wild. Calle Karlsson took until the 55th game of the year to hit 31, while Massimo Gentile did it in the 60th and final game of the regular season. Shaw’s came in his 38th contest, leaving him 20 more games to improve upon the record. Right now, he is on pace for 49 goals and 40 assists.
King’s comeback
For the first half of the season, Owen King, who was one of the key pieces of last year’s team, looked less than stellar, holding 18 points in his first 25 games. Since then, in just 14 games, King has 27 points, including 12 goals in his last 12 games. Entering December, King was on pace for 42 points on the season — and he now sits at 45 with the pace to be the team’s fourth-highest scorer all-time. While it is unlikely King can manage to average one goal per game the rest of the season, with 17 goals so far and 20 games left, suddenly a 30-goal season is not out of the question for the star forward.
Gritty showing
Saturday’s game was the team’s tenth scoring two goals or fewer this season, a situation in which they had lost each of the first nine. In fact, Rochester’s last regular season win with two or fewer goals came in December 2024, when they took down the Nordiques 2–1. The split between two and three goals scored has been night and day: 1–9–0 with two or fewer compared to 26–3–0 with three or more.
This team has it
After the first period of Friday’s contest, the energy in the rink was low. The team had conceded a season-high four goals in the first period, just the sixth time they have ever allowed four or more goals in a frame, and it came on just eight shots, good for a 50% success rate on Philadelphia’s part. After that period, though, the team came to life: In the final five periods of the weekend, Rochester held the Rebels to one goal on 29 shots while scoring four of their own. Additionally, following the first period, Rochester held Philadelphia 0-for-7 on the powerplay while going 3-for-9 and scoring shorthanded themselves.
Tough matchup incoming
The New Jersey Titans may be several points behind Rochester in the standings, but they are not ones to roll over. They have the most points of any team with a negative goal differential (44 points, -5 goal differential) and start a pair of goalies that are each in the top-25 in the league in both goals allowed average and save percentage, one of four teams in the NAHL. On the flip side, the Titans enter having lost seven of their last nine games, including a 6–2 loss last weekend, and boast just two skaters that average over .80 points per game.
