Reliable and Steady: The Jr. Amerks Wagon Rolls On To New Hampshire

Article Written By Aidan Charde

Recap vs. Philadelphia Rebels Feb. 2 and 3

The Rochester Jr. Americans extended their win streak to five and points streak to 11 following a pair of wins over the Philadelphia Rebels last weekend. Both games were close, but the Jr. Amerks had the edge and were able to snag a 4–3 and 3–2 win to draw closer to the playoffs.

Rochester defense played well all weekend, allowing 48 shots across both games. They held the Rebels to under 10 shots in all but one period. In game one, forward Keanan Dewberry got the scoring started, earning his second goal of the road trip midway through the first period.

The Rebels tied it up and even pulled ahead until the Jr. Amerks responded with a pair of strikes by forwards Massimo Gentile and Conor Humphrey giving them a 3–2 lead. Philadelphia would tie the game one more time before heading into the final period, but Jr. Amerks forward Thomas Rockey scored early in the frame to give Rochester the win. It was Rockey’s third game-winning goal of the season.

In game two, Rockey scored again and forward Adam Gionta added one of his own to give the Jr. Amerks a 2–0 lead at the end of the first period. Although the score sheet was empty in the second period, it was anything but boring — 54 total penalty minutes were given out between the teams — but still neither team managed to make something happen.

Less than a minute into the third period, forward Luca Leighton gave the Jr. Amerks another goal to add to the lead, and it proved crucial as Rochester’s offense cooled and Philadelphia’s heated up. The Rebels were able to tighten the game with a pair of goals in the final minutes, but it was too little too late as the Jr. Amerks held on for another win.

Preview: Feb. 9 and 10 vs. New Hampshire Mountain Kings

WHEN: Feb. 9 at 7:30 p.m. | Feb. 10 at 7:30 p.m.

WHERE: Tri-Town Ice Arena | Hooksett, NH

WATCH: NAHL.TV

FOLLOW: @JrAmerksNAHL

History

For the third time in six weeks, the Rochester Jr. Americans will play the New Hampshire Mountain Kings, this time traveling to Hooksett for the first time since December. The Jr. Amerks have had the edge in the series so far, holding a 4–1–1 record and having a pair of seven-goal performances to show for it, but the Mountain Kings have been a gritty opponent.

Second place within reach?

The Jr. Amerks have been immersed in a tight race for third place in the East Division along with the Johnstown Tomahawks, New Jersey Titans and Northeast Generals. To start the second half of the season, Rochester was in sixth place, two points ahead of seventh. But 11 straight games with points has launched the team to third place and opened a sizable gap ahead of the Titans and Generals. If the team can continue its strong play, the eight points it needs to gain on the Maine Nordiques might not be out of the question — the Jr. Amerks have a game in hand over Maine and the teams still meet four more times this season.

Jr. Amerks shine at prospects tournament

Five players and two staff members represented the Rochester Jr. Americans at the mid-week NAHL Top Prospects Tournament. Forwards Matteo Disipio and Massimo Gentile joined defenseman Liam Chapman on the East team, while defenseman Mitch Kniedel represented the Gold Selects. Forward Jacob Roberson, who the Jr. Amerks acquired from the Danbury Hat Tricks around two weeks ago, was on the Silver Selects. Gentile scored one goal and one assist while Disipio and Roberson each tallied two assists across the two-game slate. In addition, Kyle Cannillo and Ben Calkins were invited as the play-by-play announcer and equipment manager, respectively.

First line on a tear

The scoring line of Gentile, Disipio and Luca Leighton has been stellar all season, but they have been especially explosive over the team’s 11-game point streak. The three of them have combined for a ridiculous 20 goals and 35 assists since losing to the Danbury Hat Tricks on Dec. 15. Gentile has assembled quite the streak, scoring a point in every game, yet his 15 points across the streak are still behind Disipio’s total of 21 — thanks in large part to five games with two or more assists.

Goalies elevating their play

The Jr. Amerks goaltending might not have started how it wanted this season, but it’s been reliable and steady over the past four weeks. Since the addition of Danick Leroux to the lineup on Jan. 12, Rochester goalies are allowing an average of 2.125 goals per game, a huge leap from the average of 3.24 prior to then.

Mountain Kings lacking top-end talent

The New Hampshire Mountain Kings have some good offensive depth — all but two players who have played at least one game for them have scored a point — but are falling short at the top. Forward Nick Reif leads the team in goals and points this season with neither mark opening eyes: His 10 goals are tied for 101st in the league while 23 points ties him for 137th. That is part of the reason why the Mountain Kings have only scored more goals than five teams this year.