Amerks Games This Week

Friday 11/16 - 7:05pm - at Springfield Thunderbirds (7-3-0-2)

Saturday 11/17 - 7:05pm - at Providence Bruins (5-7-2-0)

Sunday 11/18 - 3:00pm - at Hartford Wolf Pack (5-8-1-2)

AHL North Division Standings as of November 12th

The Amerks went 2-0-0-0 last week to maintain their division lead. Their tenth win came in Game 14, which is four games quicker than they did it last season.

They remain in second place in the Eastern Conference - just one point behind Charlotte - and they’ve climbed to second place in the league.

What Happened Last Week?

Record Nov 5-Nov 11: 2-0-0-0

The Amerks made the short trip west to Buffalo to play their annual “home” game at Key Bank Center in front of a typically small crowd; there they turned in what was perhaps their best win of the season, playing an all-around game that saw Justin Bailey score his first two goals of the year.

They returned back to Rochester to squeak out an overtime win in their second meeting with the Syracuse Crunch. Full recaps of both games can be found at these links:

Game 13 Recap (5-2 Win vs Cleveland) (DBTB)

(5-2 Win vs Cleveland) (DBTB) Game 14 Recap (3-2 OT Win vs Syracuse) (DBTB)

Bright Spots

Welcome back, Sean Malone. Mugsy returned last Wednesday night, roughly 6 weeks after suffering a pre-season knee injury. Playing in front of a hometown crowd, he was paired with fellow WNYer Justin Bailey and Alexander Nylander. Malone earned his first two assists of the year on...

...Justin Bailey’s first two goals of the year. Sparked by a hometown crowd and an old friend centering his line, Bailey finally found the back of the net on Wednesday night. He scored again on Friday night and seems to be rejuvenated. The Blue Cross Arena crowd gave him a roaring ovation after the goal and once again when the video screen flashed his giant smile on the bench.

Zach Redmond continues to turn heads and score goals. He leads all AHL defensemen by a wide margin with 10 goals in 14 games. To put it in perspective, he scored a total of 15 goals in 66 games with Rochester last season. Amerks GM Randy Sexton deserves a bonus for convincing Redmond to agree to an organizationally-friendly two-year AHL-only contract last summer. His goals make up nearly 20% of the Amerks 53GF on the season.

Andrew Ogelvie has finally scored his first professional goal after being in the right place at the right time following up an Alex Nylander rush to the net.

Adam Wilcox’s 2.29 GAA ranks him 5th in the AHL.

Lawrence Pilut continues to play a consistent 200’ game. As has been said by many, it’s a win-win situation right now with a healthy Sabres squad playing well - that means Pilut can continue to marinate and hone his skills in Rochester. It’s only a matter of time before he’s in blue and gold and when that happens he might never go back to red, white, and blue.

Room For Improvement

The Power Play unit is still in the midst of a terrible slump. They are 0-for-21 in the past five games. Hopefully they’ll get a boost if Victor Olofsson returns from injury next weekend.

Keep the foot on the gas. It was pointed out on twitter that the Amerks have given up five last-minute goals this season. The coaching staff will want to make sure the guys play hard and focused until the final horn.

Look Ahead

Off since Friday night’s win, the Amerks will have a full week of practice before they hit the road for the season’s first (of five) 3-in-3 weekend. All three games are on the road as they travel to New England for a trip through the Atlantic Division.

Transactions

November 6, 2018 - Sean Malone (C) from Buffalo to Rochester.

- from Buffalo to Rochester. November 10, 2018 - Taylor Fedun (D) from Buffalo to Dallas Stars.

Video Room

Game 13 - 11/7/2018 - Home Win vs Cleveland Monsters

Game 14 - 11/9/2018 - Home Win at Syracuse Crunch

Injury Report

Victor Olofsson - Lower Body - Day to Day

Jack Dougherty - Lower Body - Day to Day

- Lower Body - Day to Day Kyle Criscuolo - Lower Body - Day to Day

- Lower Body - Day to Day Matt Tennyson - Lower Body - Day to Day

- Lower Body - Day to Day Tyler Randell - Lower Body - Day to Day

Farmville

The Cincinnati Cyclones are 7-3-2-0 and sit in second place in their division.

Jonas Johansson is 3-2-1-0 with a 3.51 GAA and an .880 SV%. He has been outplayed by Michael Houser so far this season - but without watching I can’t tell you if that’s due to the team in front of them.

Old Friends

Meet The New Guys

Here’s the latest video from the Amerks production team, featuring Andrew Oglevie, Brandon Hickey, Lawrence Pilut, Victor Olofsson, Tyler Randell, and Yannick Veilleux.

2018 Get To Know - New Faces