They Meet Again: Jr. Americans Host Maine For Another Epic Series in Rowdy Town

Jan 30, 2025

Written by Aidan Charde
Recap: Elmira Aviators on Jan. 25

A weekend series was cut short due to rink maintenance, but the Rochester Jr. Americans took a motivating victory over the Elmira Aviators in the one game played.

Prior to Friday night’s game, it was announced that the game would be postponed with unsafe ice conditions in the LECOM Events Center. That game will be played on Tuesday, Feb. 11 in Elmira.

Saturday night’s game ended well for the Jr. Amerks, but it was not their cleanest game off the bat. Just two minutes in, Elmira notched the first goal of the game to take an early lead, the ninth time all season the Jr. Amerks did not score first.

Forward Adam Gionta powered through the Elmira defense to even the game on a shorthanded goal at the halfway point in the period, but the Aviators would score once more to take a 2–1 lead into the locker room after the first break.

Rochester locked in after the first period, though. After allowing eight shots on goal in the first frame, they allowed just 10 the rest of the way while adding 28 of their own to utterly dominate the scoresheet. Two minutes in, forward Landon Brownlee tied the game a second time before the Aviators pulled away yet again to take a 3–2 lead. Forward Owen King tied the game at three with 12 minutes left in the period and that score would hold until the intermission.

In the third period, Gionta finally gave the Jr. Amerks their first lead of the game with another shorthanded goal, becoming the first Jr. Amerk in history to net two shorthanded goals in the same game and only the third player in team history to have two or more in his career.

That score marked the last one of the game on either team as the Jr. Amerks held on for a gritty, come from behind win to stay even in the race for the East Division.

This weekend, they welcome in the Maine Nordiques for the most influential series of the season, the last time the top two teams in the division will meet in the regular season.

 

Preview: Maine Nordiques on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1

WHEN: Jan. 31 at 7:30 p.m. | Feb. 1 at 7 p.m.

WHERE: Rochester Ice Center | Fairport, NY

PROMOTIONS: Jan. 31 – $1 Hot Dogs | Feb. 1 – First Responders Appreciation Night

WATCH: NAHL.tv

FOLLOW: @JrAmerksNAHL

 

History

The Jr. Amerks and Maine Nordiques have had some memorable matchups, but Rochester’s northern rivals have had the edge this season. The Jr. Amerks are 1–2–1 this year and 5–4–3 all-time against the Nordiques. The teams are tied for the top spot in the division, and while Maine holds the tiebreaker right now, Rochester has four games in hand to make up ground.

 

Rochester adds intimidating forward

The big news of the week was the recent addition of Jackson Schouten to the Jr. Amerks roster. Schouten, who is a Webster, NY native and Jr. Amerks youth alum, was acquired from the North Iowa Bulls prior to the series against Elmira. The 6’7” forward provides a feared enforcer to a lineup that is relatively small compared to the other top teams in the league.

 

Gionta sets milestone

Two shorthanded goals for Adam Gionta was a notable achievement, but it was not his only time adding his name to the record books last weekend. With his second goal, he hit 40 points on the season, making him the first player in franchise history to pass that barrier twice in his career. He is also the first player this season to hit the mark and just the fifth player in team history to do so.

 

Three is the magic number

On both sides of the ice, three has been the key for the Jr. Amerks this season. On defense, the squad is 17–2–0 when they allow under three goals compared to 6–6–7 when their opponent goes over that total. Offensively, Rochester is 20–2–5 with three or more goals in a game and just 3–5–2 with two or less. The trend has continued recently, as the team has not won a game with fewer than three goals scored since Dec. 20 and has not lost a game where they allowed two or less since Oct. 18.

 

Enter the home stretch?

It is never a good idea to discount divisional matchups, but this weekend’s series with Maine marks the last regular season game against the top two teams in the division, the Nordiques and the Maryland Black Bears. No game is easy, but it could prove to be important with the division title race primed to be a dogfight.

 

Maine returns for first time since playoffs

The last time the Nordiques traveled to Rochester, they were up 2–0 in a best-of-five postseason series against the Jr. Amerks with a chance to sweep. Instead, Rochester stunned the Nordiques with a 2–1 overtime win and a 5–1 throttling to tie the series and force a game five back in Lewiston. While the Nordiques came out on top, it was a clear indication that Rochester’s home ice advantage is real. Maine has hosted both series this season, so this will be the first and only time the teams meet at the Ice Center.

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