Written by Aidan Charde
Recap: East Division Semifinals vs. Northeast Generals on April 23, 24 and 26
The Rochester Jr. Americans fell twice in Canton, but rebounded with a series-clinching overtime win in Game 5 to advance to the East Division Finals against the Maryland Black Bears.
After entering with a 2–0 series lead, the Jr. Amerks started slow against the Northeast Generals, falling behind midway through the first period and sitting down 2–0 after two periods. Though they limited the Generals to just six shots in the final frame, they only mustered six shots of their own, scoring once courtesy of forward Matt Portz to cut the deficit in half. It was the only goal of the game for Rochester, who fell 2–1.
Game 4 was a more exciting affair, although after two periods of play and 40 combined shots on goal, the score was just 1–0 Generals. That score did not last long, as the teams combined for six goals in the final 20 minutes, including five in under eight minutes for an exhilarating third period.
The Generals doubled their lead just over one minute into the frame, but forward Adam Gionta struck on the powerplay two minutes later to make it 2–1. Northeast retook control once again, extending the lead 90 seconds after Gionta’s goal, scoring shorthanded to take a two-goal lead that lasted for all of 23 seconds, when forward Konner Powell made the game 3–2 with the fifth goal in five minutes.
Gionta’s second of the night — the 10th Jr. Amerk to score twice in a playoff game — tied the game with 11 minutes remaining, but a penalty in the final five minutes gave the Generals a powerplay, which they capitalized on to take one final lead, one that held until the end of the game. Northeast won 4–3 and evened the series 2–2.
It set up a winner-take-all Game 5, which took place back in the Ice Center. For the third straight game, the Generals struck first, but forward Ryan Flaherty tied the game halfway through the second before Powell and Gionta each added goals 44 seconds apart to give Rochester a 3–1 lead.
The Generals found the net twice before the frame ended to even the score, and although forward Colin Dustin hit his first of the playoffs to give Rochester another lead, Northeast tied the game at four with three minutes remaining, sending the game to overtime.
In the extra frame, the Generals jumped out to a faster start, notching six shots on goal before the Jr. Amerks even tallied one. However, it did not amount to anything, and Rochester outshot Northeast 9–1 the rest of the way. With under nine minutes remaining, Gionta collected a puck along the boards and passed it out, getting tipped into the air by a Generals’ stick before getting corralled but Dustin, who sent it behind the goalie to give Rochester the game and series and booking a trip to Maryland for this weekend.
Preview: May 1 and 2 vs. Maryland Black Bears
WHERE: Piney Orchard Ice Arena | Odenton, MD
WHEN: May 1 at 7 p.m. | May 2 at 6:30 p.m.
WATCH: NAHL.tv
FOLLOW: @JrAmerksNAHL
History
The Black Bears have been the only team in the division to consistently give the Jr. Amerks a hard time, but despite being one of the best teams in the NAHL for three years, Rochester has held its own. The Jr. Amerks are 7–10–3 with a -6 goal differential all-time, and 2–4–0 this year. Rochester beat the Black Bears on opening night, which remained Maryland’s only regulation loss until November.
Stat of the Series
Somewhat remarkably, this is the first time the Jr. Amerks and Black Bears have matched up in the postseason. In 2023-24, Rochester’s late jump into the third seed matched them up with Maine in the semifinals, a series they ultimately lost in five games. Last year, after the Jr. Amerks won the division ahead of Maryland, the Black Bears were upset in the semifinals, sending the team home before they had a chance to meet Rochester.
Another overtime?
After last weekend, every playoff winner-take-all game the Jr. Amerks have participated in has gone to overtime. In 2023-24, the Maine Nordiques came out on top in Game 5 of the East Division Semifinals, a game that nearly went to double overtime. Last year, the semifinals proved tight once again, as the Jr. Amerks lost in overtime in Game 3 and Game 4 before coming victorious on the third try in Game 5 against the Johnstown Tomahawks. Later, the winner-take-all Game 3 of the NAHL Semifinals against the Bismarck Bobcats went to overtime, where the Jr. Amerks fell 2–1. Sunday’s game is added to the list of classic Jr. Amerks games. In winner-take-all overtime games, Rochester is 2–0 at home and 0–2 on the road.
Making waves
Despite being without the team’s leading goal scorer in Ryan Shaw for Game 5, the Jr. Amerks had strong offensive performances to end the series. Adam Gionta and Colin Dustin became the 10th and 11th Jr. Amerks to score twice in a playoff game, respectively, while Gionta’s three-point game five made him the second Jr. Amerk to have multiple three-point games in a single postseason. Gionta’s fourth goal of the playoffs also makes him the fifth-highest single postseason goal scorer in team history with at least three more games left and puts him in second place for the career postseason record.
Wonderful Wade
Florian Wade has been money in the postseason. He has tallied over 320 minutes in five games due to a pair of overtime games and is saving 92.8% of shots in that span, the fifth-best mark in the NAHL of goalies with four or more starts. At this current pace, Wade is on track to have the best goalie postseason in team history, but he’ll need to stay hot against Maryland. Wade might be the team’s most important player this series against the Black Bears.
Biggest challenge of the season awaits
The semifinals were a grind, but the division finals are set to be an even bigger challenge for Rochester. The Black Bears were the best team in the NAHL this year, ending with 12 points more than the second place team — the gap between Maryland and Austin in second place was bigger than the gap between Austin and Aberdeen in sixth place — and lost just 10 times all season, four of them in overtime or shootouts. They did it all with just one player scoring over 30 goals, thanks in part to having 10 players with double digit goals and nine with over 30 points. In the playoffs, though, that depth has shrunk: 27 of their 57 points have come from just three players, forwards Tanner Duncan, Harrison Smith and Ryan Franks. Meanwhile, a defense that was among the best in the league in the regular season has been average. Goalie Ryan Denes has saved under 89% of shots faced and allowed seven goals in three games to the Danbury Hat Tricks, whose offense is lagging far behind Rochester’s.
