By KEVIN OKLOBZIJA
SYRACUSE – They were done, finished, finito.
And there was little doubt, either. The Rochester Americans, facing elimination from the Calder Cup playoffs, were down 3-0 with just 20 minutes to play against a veteran team known for its ability to play lockdown defense.
But a funny thing happened to the Amerks on their way to the first tee. They weren’t ready to let their season end on this first Saturday night in May at Upstate Medical University Arena.
That three-goal deficit they stared down wasn’t daunting. Rather, it was a benchmark, the newest target for this group to hit, the latest challenge to their resiliency.
Did someone say over? Not anyone in the Amerks dressing room between the second and third periods, that’s for sure, and barely an hour later they were victors, celebrating a 4-3 overtime victory over the Syracuse Crunch after Brett Murray slam-dunked the rebound of a Mason Jobst shot into an open net 11:46 into the extra period.
“You work all year for moments like that,” said center Brandon Biro, who scored the first and third goals.
The work, however, isn’t over. All the victory did was tie the series 2-2. Which means another winner-moves-on Game 5 showdown with the Crunch will take place on Friday night at Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial. The North Division semifinals are tied 2-2, just like last year, when the Amerks overcame a 2-0 series deficit to post the reverse sweep.
This time, their hard-to-fathom comeback took place in what could have been the final 20 minutes of their season. The Crunch opened a 1-0 lead just four minutes into the game, then built it to 3-0 on goals by Waltteri Merela and Alex Barre-Boulet in the first seven minutes of the second period.
Though they had not been playing poorly, the Amerks found themselves in a significant hole, and running out of time.
“Credit to the guys for never giving in,” Amerks coach Seth Appert said. “We played really good, even down 3-0. But we were getting no reward for it.”
As such, Appert admitted “it would have been easy to be defeatist.”
But a little intermission pep talk/strategy session helped the Amerks maintain focus on simply winning the next shift, and then the next.
“It just told them take a break, take a breath, we’re going to win this game,” Appert said.
They couldn’t think they would do so in the first three minutes of the third period, however.
“You have to get one the first six, seven minutes … you put the seed of doubt in their mind,” Appert said.
Score in the first 19 seconds and it’s not a seed of doubt, it’s a full-grown sequoia. Defenseman Joseph Cecconi, hardly known for his offensive prowess, moved down the right wing boards and then fired a pass to the goal mouth, where Biro was alone at the left edge to steer it home after just 19 seconds had ticked off the clock.
Three unanswered goals in the third period.
Game-winner in overtime.
Comeback complete ✅
We’ll see you Friday night.@AmerksHockey #LetsGoBuffalo @13WHAM pic.twitter.com/cxyWJGEKWv
— Dan Fetes (@danfetes) May 5, 2024
“It was a great play by ‘Cheeks’ to get it to me on the back side,” Biro said.
The doubt for the Crunch became panic at 10:20 when Cecconi sprinted down the slot off a set faceoff play and was by himself to chip a Lukas Rousek pass over goalie Brandon Halverson. Cecconi scored just one goal in 58 regular-season games.
“ ‘Rousey’ can pass the puck through 10 guys’ skates,” Cecconi said. “We were drawing up plays.”
Was that one they just drew up? “New, old, we’ve got a lot in the bag,” Cecconi said.
At that point, the idea of the Amerks tying the score was seemingly a foregone conclusion. They were riding a tidal wave of momentum; the Crunch uncharacteristically were in panic mode.
Sure enough, with 5:12 remaining, Biro converted a Rousek pass from the top of the crease. Defenseman Jeremy Davies, at the left point, passed to Rousek in the left circle and he moved down low, then found Biro alone in the deep slot. With his back to Halverson, Biro swatted it past the goalie’s left leg.
“Rousey was awesome tonight but (linemate Linus) Weissbach, this was by far his best game of the playoffs,” Biro said. “When he uses his speed, it opens up passing lanes for Rousey and me.”
The Amerks carried that momentum into overtime and scored the game-winner when Halverson stopped a Jobst shot from the right wing but Murray – playing for the first time since April 3 – was at the top of the crease and jammed the rebound home.
“I just spun around and the puck was sitting there,” Murray said. “Sometimes you get lucky.”
No part of Murray’s game is based on luck, though. And his return gave the Amerks an entirely different dimension up front. They’re a smallish, skilled group, and Murray’s 6-foot-5, 235-pound frame offsets and even negates the physicality of the Crunch.
“You could see that tonight, how much more offensive zone time we had, because of his wall battles, his puck battles, his net-front presence,” Appert said. “He’s not just great in the offensive zone, he’s great in the D-zone because he gets the puck out of the D-zone.”
Murray actually book-ended the game with his stamp of return. He jousted with Merela for position on the opening faceoff, then confronted defenseman Philippe Myers as the first shift ended.
“I’ve been saying for years he’s one of the most important pieces of our group,” Appert said.
Murray proved it yet again by establishing position at the crease and scoring the game-winner.
“For him to get the game-winning goal, it just makes sense,” Cecconi said.
Notes: The last time the Amerks played three consecutive overtime playoff games was 1983, in Games 2, 3 and 4 of the Calder Cup semifinals against the New Haven Nighthawks. The Amerks won the series 4-3 and went on to win the fourth Calder Cup in franchise history.
Looking to find a way to counter the physicality of the Crunch in order to create more offensive zone pressure, Appert made two lineup changes, inserting winger Murray and Graham Slaggert and taking out Noah Ostlund and Victor Neuchev.
ted says
We all felt that getting Murray back could be a difference maker, a spark this team was lacking. Having to play 2 teenagers with no pro experience was not helping the cause. Also a couple of key players were stuck in reverse…Biro and Kulich.
Well, Kulich remained unimpressive but Biro awakened bigtime. He was a dynamo in the 3rd period and it resulted in his first 2 goals of the series, and two of the three in the final period comeback.
At that point you had to just hope that Levi wouldn’t have to endure losing 3 straight OT games. He stood tall near the end of the 3rd when the Crunch realized they had let the game slip away. And when needed he make the stops in OT; although on this night Amerks controlled the OT. This was something they hadn’t done yet.
And they were rewarded. When you make a 3 goal comeback in the final period of an elimination game, you deserve to get the win. I didn’t think after 40 pretty listless minutes, they had it in them. Major props to the guys.
We get to see another playoff game Friday night. Talk about drama.
Minutes later I watched the Bruins exorcise a ton of demons by winning game 7 in OT, thanks to Pastrnak…who was earlier called out by his coach as needing to step up. And he did.
Lets fill the BCA to the rafters. And then win the game!!
Andy says
Great piece, Kevin O. This game was fun to listen to on the radio, for those of us who stayed with it until the end.
Thanks for hitting the road to bring us this account.
Finito.