Amerks

By KEVIN OKLOBZIJA Their hockey team may not win, ever, but give Buffalo Sabres owners Kim and Terry Pegula credit for one thing: They can terminate employees — some whose time had come, others who held the key to success — like no other management duo in the NHL. Unfortunately for hockey fans in Western New York, when all you do is fire C-Suite personnel, you end up with … [Read more...] about When all the Sabres do is fire personnel, the result is an endless dumpster fire

By KEVIN OKLOBZIJA Four days after reviving their chances for a run at their first division title in 15 years, the Rochester Americans promptly said they'd rather not add a banner to the rafters. At least that's pretty much what they indicated with their effort on Wednesday night. The streaking Binghamton Devils made quick work of the Amerks, building 2-0 and 3-1 leads en … [Read more...] about Amerks offer little resistance to streaking Devils

By KEVIN OKLOBZIJA Throughout the season, Rochester Americans general manager Randy Sexton had said the development process for a young goaltender is a marathon, not a sprint. You can't rush them through any phase. You can't be fooled by a stretch of strong play and think they're farther along than they really are. We saw this week how very true that is for Ukko-Pekka … [Read more...] about Disappointing week ends for Luukkonen and the Amerks

By KEVIN OKLOBZIJA Way back on opening night, Rochester Americans assistant coach Gord Dineen talked about how impressed he was with the skating abilities of rookie defenseman Jacob Bryson. But only over the past few weeks has Bryson really begun to show what he's capable of producing. It's amazing what a shot of confidence can do. Bryson continued his emergence on Friday … [Read more...] about Bryson lifts Amerks in overtime

By KEVIN OKLOBZIJA If the Rochester Americans were realistically going to take a run at first place in the American Hockey League's North Division, then victory on Wednesday night was paramount. The Belleville Senators came to Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial with a seven-point lead over the second-place Amerks. They left with an eight-point lead — and left behind a … [Read more...] about Amerks learn why Belleville is the team to beat