By KEVIN OKLOBZIJA
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — All season – actually, for three seasons – Rochester Americans coach Seth Appert has praised the top-to-bottom quality of the American Hockey League’s North Division.
“Every night you’re fighting for your life,” he said Friday night. “You better have it or you’re going to lose.”
Sometimes you will lose even when you have it, even when you bring a pretty high-quality effort, which was the case on Friday night.
Cleveland defenseman Stanslsav Svozil scored the tying goal with 8:44 remaining and then zipped home the game-winner 3:01 into overtime as the Monsters edged the Amerks 3-2 in front of 10,251 fans at Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial.
The loss seriously jeopardized the Amerks hopes of winning a division championship. If the Syracuse Crunch earn a point in their season finale at home against Utica on Saturday night, the Amerks can’t finish first. Not that a regular season division title is the end-all, be-all.
“It means you have a really good regular season but all that’s kind of gets erased in the playoffs,” said defenseman Jeremy Davies, who scored the second Amerks goal. “Winning (a division) is obviously a feather in the hat but come Monday, every team has zero wins and zero losses.”
Even if the Crunch do earn a point on Saturday, Sunday’s finale for the Amerks at Utica may very well determine home ice for the best-of-five Calder Cup division semifinals first round, which very likely will be against Cleveland. It would be a well-matched series, with the Monsters now reloaded with returnees from the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets.
“It would be great to play these guys in the playoffs because that was fun,” said center Brandon Biro, who scored the Amerks first goal. “Everything about this was a playoff game. It was competitive, it was chippy.”
And it was tight from start to finish. Cole Clayton’s short-handed goal 8:20 into the first period put Cleveland ahead but Biro returned the short-handed favor, converting Graham Slaggert’s pass off a two-on-zero fast break 8:42 into the second period.
Davies put the Amerks ahead at 15:37 of the second on a four-on-three fastbreak. With Lukas Rousek gliding in on left wing, Davies came racing down the left of the slot. Rousek feathered a perfect pass into the deep slot and Davies – with his stick fully extended in front of him – arrived just in time to redirect it into the top corner of the net.
But the Amerks couldn’t hold the lead. Svozil rocketed home a slap shot from just above the right circle after the Amerks lost a faceoff – the theme of the period.
“The biggest issue with us: We got absolutely dominated in the faceoff circle,” Appert said. “And not just the centers, the side guys too. They just had the puck a lot in the third period because they won a lot of faceoffs. And then obviously they scored; they won two or three in a row in our D-Zone that led to the tying goal.”
Amerks goalie Devon Levi (35 saves) had an unobstructed view of the shot but Svozil’s shot was simply perfectly placed.
“At the end of the day you have to tip your hat to the shot,” Appert said. “He hit an unbelievable shot. It was a laser, it was across the grain, in the top corner. I think you can give most players 100 shots there and Devon’s going to save 98 or 99 of them.”
Both teams had superior scoring chances in the chaotic three-on-three overtime. It was decided after a sprawling save by Monsters goalie Jet Greaves on Zach Metsa at one end followed by a fast-break two-on-one going the other way, with Svozil firing a shot from the right circle past Levi.
“In overtime any one of those chances could have gone in at either end,” Davies said.
The officials did conduct a video review of Metsa’s shot to see if it had entered the net, but it did not.
Wahlberg injured but returned
Amerks rookie Anton Wahlberg was smashed face-first into the edge of the boards at 11:39 of the second period by Monsters winger Alex Whelan. A minor penalty was assessed for boarding.
Wahlberg left the game but did return for the third period wearing a full cage.
“He got smashed head-first into the boards,” Appert said. “That should be a five(-minute major).”
Amerks center Mason Jobst ended up with a double minor for roughing and Whelan received the boarding minor and a roughing minor.
“Credit to Jobst for going in and sticking up for him,” Appert said. “Mason Jobst is not the enforcer type but he’s as tough as the day is long.”
Team awards night
Fairand/O’Neil Sportsmanship Award: Brandon Biro.
Unsung hero: Brendan Warren.
Rookies of the Year: Zach Metsa and Viktor Neuchev.
McCullough Plaque (community service): Metsa.
Most Improved Player: Neuchev.
MVP: Mason Jobst.
Tough loss. Thought for sure we had it won in OT just prior to Svozils game winning rocket. We had two golden chances..goalie was sprawled and puck was just inches away from going in.
Then immediately disaster struck and the Monsters cruised up the ice, with numbers as one Cleveland fan sitting behind us yelled with jubilation.
Amerks seem to be unable to win with the huge crowds in the BCA. That trend has to be reversed. Though too that we might be able to hold our lead in the 3rd but Monsters had the play in our end too much, so the tying goal was inevitable and unwelcomed.
Still can be a lot of movement over the final 2 days. Amerks will have to sit out tomorrow and hope Crunch lose in regulation. Also Toronto needs to beat Monsters so Amerks have a decent shot at 2nd and home ice advantage.
Amerks certainly earned their point tonite but 2 points would have been so much better. For just the 2nd time this season, they failed to win when carrying a lead into the 3rd period. (both losses were not in regulation)
I wouldn’t downplay the importance of winning the division. Sure, 2nd place still gets home ice but I’ll take home ice against an opponent whose already fatigued from a minimum 2 game play-in series any day.