Amerks

By KEVIN OKLOBZIJA Ar first, the Rochester Americans preferred to look at their recent struggles as merely a bit of a funk, the kind of not-good/not-horrible stretch that many teams go through over the course of a 76-game season. Friday's 5-1 loss on home ice to the Belleville Senators, however, confirmed this is no mid-season blip. This is a bonafide slump. A misplay … [Read more...] about Giveaways, and more giveaways doom slumping Amerks

By KEVIN OKLOBZIJA Casey Mittelstadt has regained his scoring touch, so the Rochester Americans can feel good about that. Sent down by the Buffalo Sabres after scoring just one goal in 22 games, the second-year centerman has goals in three straight with the Amerks, including one Wednesday night. And that's pretty much the end of the positives from a 4-3 shootout loss to the … [Read more...] about Listless Amerks lose (again) to Binghamton

By KEVIN OKLOBZIJA Sometimes, it's best to be a little a little crowd-deaf, to possess the ability to block out the frantic screams of "shoooooooot" and concentrate on what narrow passing or shooting lane may actually exist. Lawrence Pilut has that ability, and put it on display in scoring the tying goal with under seven minutes to play on Friday night. But sometimes, as … [Read more...] about Pilut’s poise (and talent) carries Amerks to buzzer-beating victory

By KEVIN OKLOBZIJA Having gone 39 days without playing a game because of injury, C.J. Smith was eager to finally get back in the Rochester Americans lineup on Wednesday night. "You're out for a long time, you just want to be part of it," Smith said. Now imagine how Taylor Leier felt. Because of off-season shoulder surgery, his last game was April 29, 216 long days ago. "The … [Read more...] about Amerks keep rolling as injured players return

By KEVIN OKLOBZIJA In losing 3-1 to the visiting Charlotte Checkers on Saturday night, the Rochester Americans dug themselves an early hole and couldn't recover. The Checkers were the better team early, took advantage of a pair of first-period power plays and then made sure goalie Anton Forsberg had plenty of help the rest of the way. That's the quick synopsis of the here … [Read more...] about Amerks’ streak finally ends