Rochester Americans

The Rochester Americans three-game winning streak came to end Saturday night as they lost to the Syracuse Crunch in OT, the final score being 3-2. 

With a total of 23 penalties called between the two teams, the Amerks stood up to the hard-hitting Crunch by not backing down and playing a full 60 plus minutes of hockey.

At 13:29 of the second period, a shoving match started in the corner between Drew Larman and Derek Dorsett. 

Aaron Rome of the Crunch was the third man in and pulled Larman away from Dorsett, punches were then tossed around.  The fight was one-sided, in favor of Dorsett, but it was great to see Larman not back down. 

Dorsett was given a game misconduct for being third man in.

Franklin MacDonald was given two minutes for hooking and was in the penalty box, when at 6:48 of the first period, The Crunch opened the scoring with a goal from Adam Pineault.

Andrej Sekera scored the first Amerks goal halfway through the first period on the power play.  The goal was assisted by Zagrapan and Gragnani.  The three players did an excellent job passing the puck around and getting Crunch goaltender LaCosta out of position, at which time Sekera shot the puck in the net.

The second period was scoreless and each team recorded 10 shots on goal.  The second period was also filled with all sorts of penalties, including Crunch player Trevor Frischmon when he put a knee up and hit Mark Mancari.

Anthony Stewart scored a mere 16 seconds into the third period to put the Amerks in the lead 2-1. The goal was assisted by Stefan Meyer and Marek Zagrapan.  I just barely sat down in my seat after returning from intermission, so I apologize for not giving more description of the goal.

Derek MacKenzie scored a power play goal for the Crunch to tie the game at two, halfway through the third period.  Mike Funk had been called for a holding the stick penalty.

Marc Methot scored the game-winning goal at the 2:25 mark of overtime.

Moments before the goal was scored Marc-Andre Gragnani was elbowed in the head, which sent his helmet flying off, but there was no call on the play.  As he was slow to get back up the Crunch came on strong and won the game.

While that’s an instance where there should have been a penalty called, there was also a couple of instances where calls could have been made against the Amerks that weren’t made.  One of those instances included Adam Dennis, at one time, taking out a Crunch player.

Mike Funk was given a game misconduct after the final whistle had blown.  We saw him take his stick and slam it against the glass, as he appeared to either be yelling at a ref or another Crunch player, presumably about the hit on Gragnani.

The Amerks saw a three-game winning streak come to an end, but they have now recorded points in seven of the last nine games.

A big part of this current streak can be attributed to Adam Dennis finding his game and improving drastically between the pipes.  He made 30 saves in the losing effort tonight.

As a whole, the entire Amerks team has been playing as just that, a team.  They’ve been playing a full 60 minutes of hockey, and also have been sticking up for each other a lot more.  Ever since Randy Cunneyworth publicly made comments about the team needing to stick up for each other, they have been, as proven Saturday night against the Crunch.

Even though the Amerks lost, it was well worth the trip down the 90 to the Oncenter Complex in Syracuse for the game.

If you’ve been staying away from games because of the lackluster play, you may want to come back, they’ve been playing some decent hockey again.

The Amerks are back at home on Sunday night at 6:05 p.m. to play against the Hamilton Bulldogs.

(LGA) Long-time rivals and the two oldest teams in the American Hockey League, the Rochester Americans and Hershey Bears will play each other at 7:35 pm on Friday night.

The two teams have played a total of 431 games against each other; the Amerks record against the Bears is 179-199-53. With such a long history one would think this should be a special occasion, but it’s not considered one this season. They didn’t play each other in the '06-'07 season, and this is only the second of two games scheduled this year. The Amerks lost the first game this season 3-1 back on October 20th.

This season so far hasn’t been fun. The only thing really interesting about the season has been the way the Amerks stayed out of record books with a win and goal when needed. Ever since the end of November, when all the financial issues really seemed to come to light, everyone stopped caring including fans, players, coaches, front office, and even the Panthers and Sabres.

All of that leads to a great reason that Friday night's game should have been promoted differently. 

Maybe if more people knew about the Bears coming to town, it could lead to a large crowd, not just an announced large crowd. Even with all of the known front office issues with Rochester Sports Group, this should be a game that proves Amerks hockey is a special thing and that a lot of people do still care about hockey and history. 

Hopefully someone has mentioned the long-time rivalry to the players, or maybe they’ll read this, and they’ll come out showing the desire to win a third straight. Hopefully, a third straight win against a long-time rival will help boost morale to finish the season in a way where we may forget about the month of December.

All of this and more was mentioned by Ted (and others) on Kevin O’s blog as well as Rochester Sports Fan. There’ll probably be an article in Friday’s D&C about all of this, but for one game, all outlets probably should have tried to sell this game earlier in advance.

So, here are our Top Five Reasons to Actually Go to the Game:

5. There are only 14 home games left this season. If you enjoy going to games to see possible “future NHL stars,” your chances are winding down with the current roster.

4. Friday night is the Amerks’ Teddy Bear Toss to benefit Golisano Children’s Hospital at Strong. The Amerks are encouraging fans to bring teddy bears to throw on the ice during the second-period intermission. The furry friends will then be donated to Golisano Children’s Hospital. Kids love teddy bears, and it’s always fun throwing things on the ice.

3. Dan Collins is back in the lineup after playing with the Florida Everblades in the ECHL since December 5th. He showed excellent promise as a possible rookie of the year at the start of the season, and more experience at the ECHL level should give our defense an additional boost.

2. The Rochester Americans and Hershey Bears are long-time rivals and the two oldest teams in the American Hockey League. The two teams have played a total of 431 games against each other. Due to horrible scheduling in the AHL they may not play again for another two years.

1. The Amerks are playing some of their best hockey of the season; they’ve recorded points in five of the last seven games, and are on a two-game winning streak. They seem to have found a way to have fun on the ice together again, and that has resulted in being competitive again.

The game will be broadcast live on TWSN Channel 26, live on B2 Networks, and can be listened to on Hot Talk 1280 WHTK.

Adam Dennis

Goalie
02/08/1985
6’0”
190 lbs

Toronto, ON

Adam Dennis is a goalie with an unusual style who is cool under pressure.  He is known for his success at the junior level, leading two teams to OHL championships and Memorial Cup Tournaments.

Dennis started his junior career in the Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League (OPJHL) where he played 32 games with the Oakville Blades.

From there Adam moved on to the OHL where he played first for the Guelph Storm from 2002 until the middle of the 2004-05 season.  During his time with the Storm he played 87 games and came out with 44 wins, 27 losses, and 10 ties.

In the 2003-04 season, Dennis helped the Guelph Storm win the Wayne Gretzky Trophy (Western Conference Champions) and went on to win the OHL Championship.  He also helped the team make their fourth ever appearance in the Memorial Cup Tournament in Kelowna, BC, taking 4th place.

On January 10, 2005, Dennis was traded to the London Knights where he played with teammates Dylan Hunter and Drew Larman.  The London Knights started their season off with 31 wins in a row that year.  Dennis helped lead them to the OHL Championship (his second in two seasons) and helped them win the esteemed Memorial Cup. 

The next season, Adam was named the 2005-06 OHL Goaltender of the Year.

Adam Dennis was drafted in the 2nd round (182nd overall) in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft by the Buffalo Sabres.

Last season (2006-07), Dennis played 35 games for the Rochester Americans.  He was the first goalie since Mika Noronen to earn wins in his first three starts, and ended the season 18 wins and 17 losses.  He was recalled to the Buffalo Sabres twice to serve as Martin Biron’s backup for three NHL games.

This year Adam has started 23 games and has a 9-12-0-2 record on the season.

Getting To Know Adam Dennis:

LetsGoAmerks: How old were you when you started playing hockey?
Adam Dennis: I started skating when I was three and actually playing hockey when I was four.

LGA: Who got you into playing hockey?
AD: I got into hockey just watching games with my dad when I was younger and really just enjoyed the game.

LGA: Do you have any siblings?
AD: I have one younger brother.

LGA: What is your favorite hockey moment?
AD: In juniors winning the Memorial Cup with the London Knights.

LGA: When you have free time what do you like to do?
AD: I like to spend time with my dogs.

LGA: What do you do during the off season?
AD: Mainly just train for next season, maybe go camping or to cottages for a few weekends.

LGA: What is your favorite movie?  Why?
AD: Rounders, because it’s just a sweet movie!

Originally appeared on - http://letsgoamerks.com/2008/01/21/adam_dennis/

Mark Mancari (13th of season) and Kenndal McArdle (5th of season) scored the only goals for the Amerks. All four goals for the Flames were scored by Grant Stevenson.  Goalie Adam Dennis stopped 30 of 33 shots.

The Amerks played two players under the minimum allowed, as Stefan Meyer and Marek Zagrapan were out presumably with the flu bug.

Franklin MacDonald was playing as a forward tonight, as he now joins Gragnani, who was recently moved.

This isn't the first time the Amerks have been short on players. 

The Buffalo Sabres currently have Clark MacArthur, who was recalled on January 5, and Patrick Kaleta on the 8th.  The Florida Panthers called up Tanner Glass on January 13, and Anthony Stewart back on the 3rd.  Neither team has assigned any players to the Amerks as replacements.

What may have been an insult to current Panther prospects, the Panthers bypassed everyone on the Amerks and called up Shawn Matthias from the juniors. Matthias has been playing for the Belleville Bulls of the OHL.

At this point in a season ,one would think the Amerks would at least try and sign some players to a PTO contract, but we can only speculate as to why that hasn’t happened.  It could be possible the team tried to find replacements, but couldn’t find anyone and get them to the team on time while they’re on the road.  It could be possible that they don’t have the money to be able to sign someone.

Why haven’t the Panthers or Sabres signed someone else, or at least promoted some players to the Amerks? 

It’s because neither team has anyone else.  Players can only be promoted to the AHL from the ECHL and the CHL, neither parent team has any prospects in either of those leagues.  Any additions would have to be new signings.

One last thought is that the only people who care about the outcome of this season are the players on the ice and the Amerks head office, not anyone in Buffalo or Florida.  If they do care, they sure have a weird way of showing it.

The only real possible conclusion to this whole mess goes back to comments that Stefan Meyer made at the end of December:

“It’s easy to play when things are working, but now is a good time for our parent teams to come watch,” said Meyer, the third-year winger who is third in team scoring."

“They can see who can play, who can battle through adversity, things guys will face in the NHL. This is an opportunity for a lot of us to turn the ship around. This is a time for leaders and guys who can handle the NHL to show it.”

The Florida Panthers have said they want and are willing to be back in Rochester next season. If that’s the case, they’re probably going to build the team from next to nothing. 

Stefan Meyer, Rob Globke, Martin Lojek, Drew Larman, Anthony Stewart, and Adam Taylor are all restricted free agents.  Of all those players , Meyer is probably the only one that could be expected to be resigned.

Buffalo has said they’re not coming back to Rochester next season as an affiliate.  Of there prospects, Mark Mancari and Clark MacArthur are the only restricted free agents at the end of this season.

MacArthur has pretty much solidified his spot on the Sabres roster. Mancari leads the Amerks in scoring with 34 points (13 G, 21 A) in 45 games.  Mike Ryan is unrestricted at the end of the season, but the Sabres have not played him to his potential this season, so Ryan may as well play like he is going to take that spot.

With an uncertain future ahead of the Amerks franchise, we have a very bleak second half of the season, as the team tries to shed the label of potential worst team in franchise history.

You can’t really blame season ticket holders for leaving early, fans not wanting to purchase seats, and the rare front page article in the Democrat and Chronicle.

When a team only has 15 healthy players to start a game and there are no attempts to get replacements, it proves that the issues this team has faced this season should not be put solely on the shoulders of the players on the ice.

Article originally appeared at - http://letsgoamerks.com/2008/01/20/15-active-lost-19-of-last-23-wheres-some-help/

The Amerks are at home tonight to play against the Manchester Monarchs, travel to Hamilton against the Bulldogs on Saturday, and return home to face off against the Peoria Rivermen on Sunday.

The Amerks are currently on another losing streak having lost the past 5, and are 1-15 in there past 16 games.  Our last win came against the Hamilton Bulldogs on December 28th when the team ended a 10 game losing skid.

Tonights game at home against the Manchester Monarchs will be the second of two meetings between the teams this season, the last time they played on November 30 the Amerks won 3-1, which was the last win before starting the 10 game losing streak.

The Bulldogs on Saturday will have Carey Price back between the pipes, he was recently sent to them from the Montreal Canadians.  Carey Price led the Bulldogs to the Calder Cup Championship last season and is the main reason the Amerks weren’t able to beat the team in the first round of the playoffs.  The Amerks last win came against the Bulldogs on December 28 when the 10 game losing skid ended, the Amerks are 4-0-1 against them this season.

They return home on Sunday against the Peoria Rivermen for the second of two meetings, the last on December 15 the Amerks lost 4-3.

The biggest challenge of the weekend will be whether or not we can score any goals, especially against Price.  The team has only scored three goals in the last five games.

The article in today’s Democrat and Chronicle titled “Amerks players have plenty left to play for” basically stated at this point the players are still trying to give it all, they understand they won’t be winning a Calder Cup this year, but they still want to win games and the know everyone (fans, parent teams, coaches, other players, other teams, etc) is watching them.

Here’s one excerpt from the article:

Cunneyworth knows the task facing the players is difficult. Minds may be wandering. The attitude of, “oh well, we lost, so what,” could easily set in.

While the players may be trying to keep that attitude away, unfortunately I think it’s safe to say it has already set in amongst a lot of fans.  Many long time season ticket holders have already stated they merely go to games to see friends and typically leave early.

We’ve written about how individual players have been improving, our next hope is that those individual achievements will mesh together to create better chemistry and create some more wins.

It would be great to leave the arena this weekend and see smiling faces celebrating a win rather than the usual saying of, “oh well, we lost, so what.”

Martin Lojek was returned today by the Florida Panthers and should be playing tonight to help out on defense.

Anthony Stewart is still with the Florida Panthers where he has been averaging about 7 minutes of ice time per game.

Clark MacArthur and Patrick Kaleta are still with the Sabres.  With the way that MacArthur has played for the Sabres this week we may not see him back any time soon.

Mike Card is currently the only active Amerk out due to an injury, he suffered another concussion last week.  There hasn’t been any reports about possibility of a return any time soon.

Article originaly appeared at - http://letsgoamerks.com/2008/01/11/three-game-weekend-two-at-home/

 LetsGoAmerks.com - There’s always a lot of talk that this Amerks team needs some veteran leadership on the ice, after watching practice this morning we think current assistant coach Jason Cipolla should suit up and join the team.  He seems to be in great shape and played as recently as 05/06 in Germany where he had 7 goals and 10 assists in 50 games.  Jody Gage, get out a PTO contract and make him sign this weekend!

On to the rest of practice..

While they’re at it, they could also suit up goalie coach Bob Janosz to start some games and give us some more experience in the nets.  Bob was making some great saves at practice to the point one would’ve thought we acquired a new goaltender.  He was in goal along with Adam Dennis because Tyler Plante is sick and had the day off, hopefully he didn’t catch the same flu that Andrej Sekera had.

Ok, maybe those signings would never happen, but it’s a different approach to everything that’s been going on.

Kenndal McArdle also had the day off to get some dental work done, he’s hoping to soon shed the jaw protector he’s been wearing after his jaw was broken earlier in the season.

Towards the end of practice they played 4 on 4 with the offense playing against the defense, Mike Funk was the star of the show after he scored about 5 goals.

Two players we continue to be impressed with as the season goes on are Mike Weber and Franklin MacDonald, both defenseman seem to be giving great effort every minute they’re on the ice and improving daily.

Adam Dennis came flying out of the net and made a save to only get sent flying over Mike Weber.

Marc-Andre Granani started practice with the defense but switched up early on to join the offense, where he should remain.  He’s been much better offensively than when assigned to the defense.

Many are saying there is absolutely nothing to be impressed with regarding this season as the Amerks havn’t been winning games or scoring a lot of goals, but players are putting in an effort to keep improving, and it gets boring if every article everywhere is simply about being in last place.

The Amerks return to the ice at home on Friday against the Manchester Monarchs.

Article originally posted on www.letsgoamerks.com

Mark Mancari
Right Wing
7/11/1985
6′4″
220 lbs
London, ON

Mark Mancari knows how to use his size to his advantage on the ice.

With a slap shot that can take a head clear off and the ability to play both offense and defense, Mancari is an asset to any professional hockey team.

He is known for being coachable, smart, and versatile.

Mancari is always willing to do what it takes to get his team a win. He will play any position asked of him to help the team. He is one of—if not the most—hard-working players in the Rochester Americans lineup.

Mark spent his entire junior career with the Ottawa 67s, where he played 226 games racking up 76 goals and 82 assists for 158 points. He started with the 67s as a defenseman, turning to offense once his skills were seen.

In Mancari’s third season with the 67s, he nearly tripled the point output of his first two seasons combined.

In his last year with Ottawa, Mark was awarded the Brian Kilrea Award for community involvement. He was also named the Booster Club’s Best Two-Way Player and was the runner-up for the Booster Club’s Best Offensive Player.

Mancari was drafted in the seventh round (207th overall) of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft by the Buffalo Sabres.

Mark’s rookie year with the Amerks came in the 2005-06 season. That year he was fifth on the team in points with 42 (18 goals, 24 assists). It didn’t take long for the coaching staff to see that he was a player that would be respected on the ice. The Buffalo Sabres called him up to the big leagues.

Last season, Mark received two more recalls from the Sabres playing in three games for them. He had one assist and two penalty minutes during his stay there. Many people wonder why he hasn’t been recalled yet this season with the Sabres lacking size and heart. Mark has more heart than nearly every other player does in professional hockey.

Mancari finished third on the Amerks in points last season with 58 points (23 goals, 35 assists). He was also awarded the 2006-07 Fairand/O’Neil Sportsmanship Award.

After this season, Mark becomes a restricted free agent.

Getting To Know Mark Mancari:

LetGoAmerks.com: How old were you when you started playing hockey?
Mark Mancari: Three years old, when my parents first put me on skates.

LGA: Who got you into playing hockey?
MM: My parents and my brother.

LGA: Any siblings?
MM: I have one older brother.

LGA: What is your favorite hockey moment you were involved in?
MM: I have two. Finishing my Jr. Career in my hometown of London, Ontario and playing in my first NHL game.

LGA: What was your most memorable goal?
MM: It would have to be scoring a hat trick for my grandmother a day after she past away.

LGA: Who is your favorite person to room with on the road? Why?
MM: Clarke MacArthur because we have been here for three years and we lived together out first year.

LGA: When you have free time, what do you like to do?
MM: I like to relax, hang out with my girlfriend and my dog, shop, go golfing, and see movies.

LGA: What do you do during the off-season?
MM: I train, golf and hang out with family and friends in London [Ontario].

LGA: Favorite movie?
MM: I have always loved Shawshank Redemption.

Originally appeared on www.letsgoamerks.com

The Manitoba Moose scored three early goals, and it was all uphill from there for the struggling Amerks. 

While Rochester managed to have 23 more shots on goal than the Moose (35-12), two late goals by Stefan Meyer weren’t enough to put them over the top. 

Adam Dennis was pulled at the end of the first period, after allowing three goals in the first 11 minutes.  Tyler Plante finished the game without allowing any more goals. 

The first goal was scored by Manitoba's Luc Bourdon, when he fired a shot through the five-hole of Dennis.  Martin Lojek screened Dennis as he was skating in front of the net to get back into position.  Once Dennis saw the puck, it was too late—and it was in the net.

On the second goal, Dennis made the save and deflected the puck to Mike Funk. Funk then tried to knock it away—but instead, it fell right on to the stick of Mike Keane, who easily put it into the net.

The third goal was scored unassisted by Alexandre Boulduc.  As he skated in on net, Peter Aston went down to the ice to try and block a shot, and Boulduc skated around him,

Dennis must’ve been anticipating a pass, and provided an easy opening between his body and the goal post that Boulduc shot the puck through.

The entire team managed to put a lot of pressure on Manitoba in the second and third periods.  Every chance they had to bring the puck into Moose's end of the ice, they worked hard to get some scoring chances.

Meyer scored the Amerks' first goal of the game, at 6:43 of the third on the power play.  Marek Zagrapan fed a cross-ice pass to Mike Weber, who fired a shot. Meyer was parked in front of the net, and as the puck trickled past Corey Schneider, he stuffed it into the net.

Shortly after that, the Moose had the chance to take a 4-1 lead, as Bourdon fired a shot from the point—but Plante made an outstanding glove save.

At 14:08 of third, Meyer made it a 3-2 game, as he skated untouched to the front of the net and Adam Taylor fed him a perfect pass to knock it into the net.

With under a minute left, Mark Mancari shot the puck from the point. The puck was knocked down and slid through the goal crease, but no one was able to knock it in.

The Amerks are now winless in their last nine games against Manitoba, on a five game losing streak, and in last place in the AHL—but we saw a great effort put forth by the team tonight, something which can’t be said about previous games.

There seemed to be more chemistry between the players on the ice, which the team needed.  It was also mentioned that maybe the Manitoba Moose thought it would be an easy game and took the Amerks for granted—but given the state of the Amerks this season, we’re going to call it a great effort against the second-place team.

Clark MacArthur was called up to the Buffalo Sabres earlier on Saturday and did not play.  Franklin MacDonald was a healthy scratch.  Andrej Sekera is still out with the flu.  Mike Card suffered a concussion on Friday night, and did not play.

The Amerks next game is on Friday at home against the Manchester Monarchs.  Game time is at 7:35 and will also be broadcast live on Time Warner Sportsnet Channel 26 in Rochester as well as Hot Talk 1280 WHTK and B2 Networks.

With that effort, the Amerks once again avoided being put in the record books for all the wrong reasons.  Their scoring drought lasted 252:09, until Mancari scored his PP goal at 7:47 of the third period.  The only team with a longer scoreless stint was a team in New Haven in 1938-39, who went 258:49 without scoring a single goal.

Mancari only further proved why it is ridiculous that he has been rotting on the fourth line, while players with half of his skill and experience are getting double shifts.

As expected, the Amerks were defeated by the Manitoba Moose by the final score of 5-1 in Manitoba.  The two teams will meet again on Saturday night and we’ll probably experience a similar outcome.

In the third period, Pierre-Cedric Labrie of the Moose delivered a vicious hit to Mike Card of the Amerks which resulted in every player on the ice throwing punches.  Mike Card layed motionless on the ice and had to be assisted off.

Card had just returned on Wednesday, after missing over a month with a concussion.  He has been diagnosed with another severe consussion and will miss a lot of time.

The Amerks were given seven power play opportunities, but only Mancari was able to capitalize on one of them.

Dylan Hunter and Clark MacArthur returned to the Amerks, as did Tanner Glass, after playing in Florida.

Tyler Plante started in goal for the Amerks and made 16 saves, and his record with the Amerks fell to 1-6.

Franklin MacDonald and Adam Taylor were healthy scratches.  Andrej Sekera did not make the trip, and isn’t expected back on Saturday either.

Goals for the Moose were scored by Luc Bourdon (PP), Michael Grabner (2), Juraj Simek, and Brad Moran (

The two teams will face off again on Saturday night at 8:30pm EST. The game can be heard live on Hot Talk 1280 WHTK and live on B2 Networks.  Based on the way fists were flying in the third tonight, we may expect more of the same.

Article originally appeared on www.letsgoamerks.com