Amerks Sign Purchasing Agreement With the Sabres

From Amerks.com

The Rochester Americans announced today (Friday June 24th) that the team has signed a purchase agreement with the Buffalo Sabres Hockey Club. The AHL Board of Governors approved the sale earlier today.

The Sabres expect to hold a public press conference in Rochester next week to set forth their plans for the franchise.

Current Amerks owner Curt Styres will retain ownership of the Rochester Knighthawks franchise of the National Lacrosse League.

AHL Announces Schedules.... Preseason games announced for Amerks and Crunch along with team schedules

The Rochester Americans and Syracuse Crunch announced their Preseason schedules this week as well as the announcement coming from the AHL about their 75th season of professional hockey action. The Merks have their preseason games against the Toronto Marlies on October 1st in Bradford, Ontario followed by a game in Oshweken the following night. The Amerks start their regular season home schedule against the Hershey Bears on October 10th at the Blue Cross Arena in downtown Rochester.

The Crunch on the other hand will be having a preseason contest against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at the Campus Center Ice Arena in Oswego on September 29th with a 7:00 pm faceoff from the Port City. This is the Crunch's fourth appearance on the shores of Lake Ontario while the Baby Pens are making their first trip further up on route 81.

Possibility of Seeing Former Laker Eric Selleck

According to amerks.com, the Rochester Americans announced that the Florida Panthers will be playing a NHL Preseason game against the Boston Bruins on Thursday September 23rd at the Blue Cross Arena.  This would mean a possibility of seeing former Oswego State Laker Eric Selleck wearing a Panthers jersey after Selleck (Pictured left) was signed by the Panthers and he will for-go what would have been his Junior season in Oswego. Selleck is the defending SUNYAC Player of the Year and led the Lakers in goals (21) and points (54) this season. In his two seasons on the shores of Lake Ontario, Selleck played in 54 games wearing the Hunter Green and Gold. He collected 34 goals and 46 assists for a total of 80 points. If he continued on the pace that he had last year, he could have been a member of the 100 goal club.


The 7:00 p.m. contest against the Boston Bruins is set at the home of the American Hockey League’s Rochester Americans. Rochester is entering its third season as the sole affiliate of the Panthers.
Florida opens the preseason on Tuesday, September 21st with a game against the Carolina Hurricanes at the RBC Center, followed by contests in Rochester (September 23rd), Boston (September 25th) and Montreal (Sept. 27).

The Rochester Americans will open their 55th season against their oldest rival, the Hershey Bears, as the two teams participate in the historic kick off to the AHL’s 75th anniversary season. The Amerks will open the 2010-11 campaign against the oldest team in the AHL on Sunday, October 10th at The Blue Cross Arena. To order Amerks season tickets, call a ticket representative at (585) 454-5335 or go online to amerks.com.

Amerks in Complete Control after 6-1 Win

The Rochester Americans used another four-goal second period to cruise to a 6-1 win in Game 4 tonight over the Abbotsford Heat and take a 3-1 series lead in the best-of-seven North Division semifinals. With its third straight win, Rochester now needs just one more victory to win the series and advance to the second round (North Division Finals) of the 2010 Calder Cup Playoffs. The game was also the second of three straight this week from the Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre.

Defenseman Jordan Henry scored twice, Jeff Taffe assisted on three goals and four others each tallied a goal and an assist as Tyler Plante earned his third straight win with a 46-save effort. Josh Meyers was the lone scorer for the hometown Heat and ex-Amerk David Shantz dropped his third straight game with 16 saves.

The Heat outshot the Amerks 47-22 in the contest, including 23-4 in the first period alone. Rochester, however, made up for it on the power-play, converting on four of six opportunities, while holding Abbotsford scoreless on its six man-up situations. For the second straight game, the Amerks scored four unanswered goals in the second and five straight as Rochester has now outscored Abbotsford 20-9 through the first four games of the series.

Despite being outshot 23-4 in the opening period, the Amerks were able to jump out to a 1-0 lead and maintain it throughout the frame. For the first time in the series, Rochester opened the scoring in the contest, on its very first shot, midway through the first period as Jamie Johnson beat Shantz low glove-side for his first of the postseason the power-play. Jason Garrison beamed his notorious slap shot from the center of the blueline into traffic, and after Shawn Matthias’ first attempt was denied, Johnson picked up the loose puck and tucked it just inside the far post at the 8:49 mark. With the assists, Garrison extended his point streak to four games and Matthias established his first three-game point string of the playoffs.

Abbotsford knotted the game at one courtesy of Meyers’ first of the playoffs at 4:14 of the second stanza. Mikael Backlund led his team into Rochester’s zone along the right-wing boards and found a breaking Meyers in the slot, who’s quick shot eluded Plante with enough force to slide past the goal line. The goal would stand as the only one for the Heat, as Plante was impenetrable for the next 35:46 of play.
The game remained tied for just a short period of time, however, as Henry potted back-to-back goals, including one on the power-play, 78 seconds apart to give the Amerks a 3-1 lead. His first at 7:03 gave him his league-leading third power-play tally before his team-leading fourth goal at 8:21. With the goals, Henry, who has four goals in as many games, now ranks second among the league’s top goal-scorers and moved into sixth in scoring among AHL defenseman.

Rochester quickly extended its lead to 5-1 with goals just 32 seconds apart from Garrison and Michal Repik. Garrison banked one off the post on the power-play at 18:22 and Repik scored his first career playoff goal at 18:50 from Evgeny Dadonov and David Brine.
The Amerks’ power-play struck again at 4:43 of the final frame as Chris Taylor collected a goal-mouth rebound and lifted it into the top of the net for his first of the playoffs. Repik picked up his second point of the night with an assist on the play, and Taffe tabbed his third helper of the game to help Rochester to a 6-1 cushion and its fifth straight goal.

Rochester looks to capture the series on Friday, April 23rd in Game 5 of the North Division semifinals at the Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre. The 10:00 p.m. EST contest will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK and FM 107.3, Rochester’s Sports Talk. The Amerks will return home to The Blue Cross Arena for Games 6 and 7, if necessary, on Sunday, April 25th and Tuesday, April 27th.

From the Rochester Americans 

Amerks Try to Even Series at Home in Game 2

Tonight, the Rochester Americans remain home for Game 2 of their 2010 Calder Cup Playoffs North Division semifinals with the Abbotsford Heat. The 7:05 p.m. matchup will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK and FM 107.3, Rochester’s Sports Talk. Fans can also tune in to watch live on Time Warner Cable SportsNet Channel 26. The Heat currently lead the best-of-seven series 1-0 following their 3-2 win Thursday night in Game 1.

The playoff series marks the Amerks’ return to the postseason for the first time in three years and the 40th playoff appearance overall in the 54-year history of the franchise. Rochester has been a part of 77 playoff series over the years, in which it compiled a 205-182 record in 387 games during that time. Rochester finished its season series with Abbotsford with a 1-3-0-0 record, including back-to-back losses at home against the Heat.

The 2009-10 regular season saw four different Amerks players reach the 20-goal plateau, a feat that was last accomplished by the 1996-97 team. Veteran forward Jeff Taffe finished with a team and career-high 28 goals, while team MVP Jamie Johnson came in a close second with 27. Second-year forward Michal Repik potted 22 goals for his first 20-goal campaign and two-time Calder Cup champ Graham Mink netted his 20th in the last game of the season.
Following his 71-point season, Johnson became the first player to reach the 70-point benchmark since Chris Taylor last accomplished the feat during the 2004-05 campaign.

The Amerks come into Game 2 looking to even things up at one game apiece before journeying cross-country for Games 3, 4 and 5 (if necessary) in Abbotsford. Veteran forward Mike York (1+1) and Mink (0+2) each collected two points in Rochester’s Game 1 loss, while goaltenders Alexander Salak and Tyler Plante combined for 26 saves. Plante stopped all 20 shots he faced in relief effort. Both of Mink’s assists came on the power-play, where he is presently tied for first. Defenseman Jordan Henry, coming off his most productive season in his three-year pro career, continued to showcase his offensive side with a power-play goal Thursday night. Defenseman Keith Seabrook led the Heat with a pair of goals, including the eventual game-winner on the power-play, to help his team take Game 1 and a 1-0 lead in the series. Seabrook, a rookie who hadn’t registered a single multiple-goal game during the entire regular season, currently sits second among league defenseman in scoring in the 2010 Calder Cup Playoffs. He also already ranks second in goals scored for the postseason. Staffan Kronwall notched two assists in Game 1, good enough for fourth in that category. Former Amerks netminder David Shantz earned his first win of the postseason, stopping 30 of 32 shots for his first AHL playoff victory.

Rochester saw several of its team members officially make their American Hockey League playoff debuts in Game 1 Thursday night, including Head Coach Benoit Groulx, while others entered the postseason for the first time in an Amerk uniform. Groulx led his team to a 44-33-2-1 record (91 points), a 25-point spike from last season, and his offense was the second best in the North Division, scoring a total of 253 goals. In fact, no current member of the Amerks active roster was on the 2006-07 team that played in the 2007 Calder Cup Playoffs. Johnson led the way offensively with a team-high 71 points and was one of just two skaters to play in all 80 games throughout the regular season. A three-time Amerks player of the month, Johnson performed at under a point-per-game pace, en route to earning team MVP honors and the Amerks scoring champion award. The seventh-year pro finished 12th among the AHL’s top scorers, while his 44 assists were 14th best in the league. Taffe paced Rochester’s offense with a team-high 28 goals, good enough for 14th in the AHL, and captured personal bests in that category. He also finished second among Rochester’s active roster with seven power-play goals. Veteran defenseman Clay Wilson, who made his Panthers debut this season, had the best offensive performance of his five-year professional career this season with the Amerks, one that earned him a spot on the 2009-10 AHL Second All-Star Team. Wilson captured career-highs in all offensive categories in goals (14), assists (46), points (60), penalty minutes (58) and games played (75), finishing second on the team and second among league blueliners in scoring. His 46 helpers were also a team-best. Further, he led the Amerks with 191 shots on goal and was fourth in the league with 24 power-play assists.
Salak completed his first professional season with a 29-14-0 record with a 2.89 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage in 48 games. The 2009-10 AHL All-Star finished his rookie campaign with 29 wins to finish fourth among league netminders. Salak also posted a career-best nine-game winning streak earlier in the season and was the recipient of three league awards. For his efforts, he was named the Amerks’ 2009-10 Rookie of the Year. Plante also had a banner year between the pipes for the Amerks, collecting a career-best in all goaltending categories in wins (12), saves (701), shutouts (3), goals-against average (2.66), save percentage (.914) and games played (27). He also finished 13th among league goaltenders with three shutouts and was named the AHL Goaltender of the Month for March.




Abbotsford, who finished the regular season as the third-seeded team in North Division with a 39-29-5-7 (90 points) record, earns its first trip to the postseason after only its first season as a member in the American Hockey League. Fifth-year pro Jason Jaffray led the Heat in every offensive category in goals (25), assists (29) and points (54), in addition to owning the team’s best on-ice rating with a plus-24 through 72 games. The 2010 AHL All-Star also finished the campaign first on the team and fourth in the league with four shorthanded goals. As a team, the Heat racked up a league-high 1,796 penalty minutes, including 267 from J.D. Watt, who finished the season first on the team and fourth in the league in that category. Shantz finished the season with a 15-10-4 record with a 2.75 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage in 32 games. His 15 wins were the most among Abbotsford’s goaltending depth chart. Second-year netminder Leland Irving saw the most time between the pipes, however, posting a 14-17-2 record with a 2.76 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage.

North Division Semifinal – Series “F” (best-of-7):
N2-Rochester Americans vs. N3-Abbotsford Heat
Game 1: Thursday, April 15th at 7:05 p.m. at The Blue Cross Arena (ABB Leads 1-0)
Game 2: Saturday, April 17th at 7:05 p.m. at The Blue Cross Arena
Game 3: Monday, April 19th at 10:00 p.m. (EST) at Abbotsford Sports and Entertainment Centre
Game 4: Wednesday, April 21st at 10:00 p.m. (EST) at Abbotsford Sports and Entertainment Centre
*Game 5: Friday, April 23rd at 10:00 p.m. (EST) at Abbotsford Sports and Entertainment Centre
*Game 6: Sunday, April 25th at 5:05 p.m. at The Blue Cross Arena
*Game 7: Tuesday, April 27th at 7:05 p.m. at The Blue Cross Arena

*if necessary
Story Courtesy of the Rochester Americans

AHL Coach goes Nuts in Losing Cause

The Abbotsford Heat and the Hamilton Bulldogs got together Saturday night in Abbotsford. Hamilton won the game 4-0 but Heat Head Coach Jim Playfair goes nuts after a call that the refs blew. Here is the video courtesy of Hockey Night in Canada

Amerks beat Crunch to Win Third Straight

The Rochester Americans defeated the Syracuse Crunch 4-3 tonight at the War Memorial at Oncenter.  The win improves Rochester to 25-15-2-0 (52 points), boasting an 8-0-0-0 record against the I-90 rivals. Syracuse falls to 16-20-3-3 (38 points) with the loss.

Leading the way for Rochester was Jeff Taffe and Clay Wilson who both recorded two points on the night, Taffe’s coming on two goals, while Wilson picked up a goal and an assist. Wilson scored the final goal of the contest in the 13th minute of the third period, which proved to be the game-winner.  Wilson’s sixth goal of the season was assisted by Andrew Sweetland and Shawn Mathias.

Michal Repik scored the game’s first goal just 31 seconds in to give Rochester a 1-0 lead.  Assisting on Repik’s goal was Evgeny Dadonov and Keaton Ellerby.  Syracuse followed nearly six minutes later with a goal from Maksim Mayorov, who was assisted by Jared Aulin and Dylan Reese. Taffe closed out the first period with his first goal of the night, an unassisted backhander past Syracuse goaltender Dan LaCosta.

Syracuse’s Jordan Smotherman scored the only goal of the second period, with help from Nick Holden and Aulin, to even the playing field entering the third.

In the final period, Taffe found the back of the net yet again, with assists going to Wilson and Jamie Johnson.  Syracuse responded to make the game 3-3 when Derek MacKenzie beat Amerk netminder Alexander Salak.

Salak finished the night with 29 saves in his 19th win, while Dan LaCosta had 19 stops in the defeat.

In their next game, Rochester will face the Hamilton Bulldogs on January 22nd at The Blue Cross Arena.  Face-off is slated for 7:05 p.m.  The game will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK and FM 107.3, Rochester Sports Talk. The matchup will also be televised live on Time Warner Cable SportsNet Channel 26.

From www.amerks.com 

Rochester Finishes 2009 and Welcomes 2010 with Contests on the Road

After a weekend that saw a season-high four-game losing skid turn into a two-game winning streak, the Rochester Americans have once again reclaimed the top spot in the American Hockey League’s North Division heading into the New Year. With the team continuing its fight to remain among the top of the league standings, the Amerks will usher in the start of 2010 with three straight games on the road, beginning with back-to-back divisional matchups. This week, Rochester takes to the road for midweek tilts with the Hamilton Bulldogs and Lake Erie Monsters before kicking off a new decade against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Rochester kicks off its week on the road as it heads north of the border for a divisional bout with the Hamilton Bulldogs on Wednesday, December 30th at Copps Coliseum. The 7:30 p.m. contest will be the fifth of 10 scheduled meetings this season between the two teams. Rochester is 3-0-1-0 this season after outscoring Hamilton 17-10 through the previous four encounters. The Amerks are 66-51-9 lifetime against the Montreal Canadiens’ affiliate. Rochester returns to Quicken Loans Arena for the second time in a week to take on the Lake Erie Monsters in its final game of 2009 on Wednesday, December 31st at 5:00 pm. The game will be the fourth of eight meetings between the North Division rivals this season. The Amerks are 1-1-1-0 this season and 7-7-1 all-time against the Monsters. The Amerks will ring in the New Year and complete their three-game in four-night stretch as they face the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Saturday, January 2nd at Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza. The 7:05 pm. non-divisional matchup will be the second of four get-togethers for the Amerks and the Baby Pens. Rochester is 1-0-0-0 this season and 11-6-6 all-time against the affiliate of defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. All three games can be heard on Hot Talk 1280 AM WHTK and on 107.3 FM "Rochester Sports Talk" with the "Voice of the Amerks" Don Stevens calling all the action.

The Amerks return to the friendly confines of the Blue Cross Arena on Friday January 8th with a 7:05 pm contest against the Grand Rapids Griffins.