Written by Aidan Charde
Recap: Maryland Black Bears on Jan. 9 and 10
The Rochester Jr. Americans earned their biggest win of the season to start the second half en route to a series split against the league-leading Maryland Black Bears last weekend.
Although the Jr. Amerks got a later start to the second half — Maryland had a series on Jan. 2 and 3 to knock the rust off — Rochester’s squad got out to a blistering start and never looked back.
Forward Konner Powell took one to the net less than five minutes into the contest to give the Jr. Amerks a lead they would never give back before defenseman Michael Gravina notched one to make it 2–0. Three minutes later, forward Keanan Dewberry, who provided a perfect assist on Gravina’s goal, picked up a loose puck in the offensive zone and skated around the entire Black Bears defense to give Rochester a 3–0 lead into the locker rooms.
It was not the end of the scoring, though, as forward Owen King got in on the action with a goal early in the second frame. Although Maryland finally got on the board during the period, forward Ryan Shaw put one in as the clock wound down to give Rochester a 5–1 lead going into the third.
Maryland added a second goal in the final period, but Powell’s second of the night put the Black Bears to bed, giving Rochester a dominant 6–2 win. It was the first time the Jr. Amerks put up more than four goals in a game against Maryland in team history.
Game two got off to a difficult start when the Black Bears scored one minute into the contest, but a pair of powerplay goals from forward Ryan Shaw soon after gave Rochester a 2–1 lead — all within four minutes of puck drop.
Shaw added a third early in the second period for his third hat trick of the season, but that was the final bright spot as Maryland rattled off six unanswered goals in the final 37 minutes of play to take a 7–3 win.
The Jr. Amerks return home this weekend to face the New Hampshire Mountain Kings, their first games of the second half at the Rochester Ice Center in what is a home-heavy schedule to end the season.
Preview: New Hampshire Mountain Kings on Jan. 16 and 17
WHERE: Rochester Ice Center | Fairport, NY
WHEN: Jan. 16 at 7:30 p.m. | Jan. 17 at 7:30 p.m.
WATCH: NAHL.tv
FOLLOW: @JrAmerksNAHL
History
The Mountain Kings have proven to be little difficulty for Rochester in three seasons. The Jr. Amerks hold a 16–1–1 record with a +35 goal differential and have won all four matchups this season.
By the Numbers
Rochester
22–11–0 | 44 pts | 3rd place | 119 GF | 89 GA | L1 streak
New Hampshire
11–18–5 | 27 pts | 10th place | 85 GF | 130 GA | W2 streak
Stat of the Series
In 18 matchups, New Hampshire has only scored four or more goals against Rochester three times. Conversely, Rochester has achieved the feat 11 times, including six games with six or more goals.
Unstoppable Shaw
Forward Ryan Shaw has been one of the best scorers in the NAHL this season. His 26 goals rank second in the NAHL to go along with the fifth-highest points total of 49. If he hits the 50-point mark in the next five games, he will tie Matteo Disipio for the fastest to reach 50 points in team history, and he would be just the eighth Jr. Amerk to reach the mark in history. He has 31 points in his last 18 games, a stretch during which he has the same amount of hat tricks as he has scoreless games (three).
Historic return
The Jr. Amerks have already faced New Hampshire four times this season, but this will be the Mountain Kings’ first time back in the Ice Center since Rochester’s impossible five-goal comeback in February 2025. During that game, the Mountain Kings scored five goals in the final eight minutes of the first period to take what seemed like an insurmountable 5–0 lead, but the Jr. Amerks clawed back and tied the contest 5–5 with under five minutes to play, ultimately winning in overtime. Had New Hampshire held on, it would have been just their second win in the Ice Center. Instead, it went down as one of the most memorable games in Rochester’s history.
Sitting in a good spot
Maryland’s Saturday win ended Rochester’s eight-game win streak, which was tied for the second-longest in team history. It also set the Jr. Amerks further back in the divisional race, creating a gap of 17 points that is unlikely to be bridged barring an unprecedented collapse. However, despite sitting in third place and just two points above fourth, the Jr. Amerks hold games in hand over both of their two biggest adversaries as the season enters the playoff race. The Maine Nordiques have 47 points, three above Rochester, but have played two more games. Below, the Northeast Generals’ 42 points look threatening, but they have played three more games. The race for the second seed will be intense, but the Jr. Amerks hold good odds of grabbing it.
Mountain Kings looking for new results
The last-place New Hampshire Mountain Kings enter this weekend on their best stretch of hockey all year, but that is not a very high bar. They have won two straight contests, only the third time this season they have won in consecutive games, and three of the last four, something they’ve done one other time. It has not been the best season for the 2023 expansion squad, who have conceded 130 goals — for comparison, only four NAHL teams have scored more than 130 goals — and hold the third-worst goal differential in the league.
