Following a 4-2 loss to the Utica Comets in Game 4 of the teams’ North Division semifinal series last night, Rochester Americans head coach Seth Appert sought to stress a few key points about the growing pains that young prospects must endure in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
The Comets, who finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference during the regular season, had just delivered a thumping to the upstart Amerks. Faced with elimination, the Comets’ key veterans led the way and overwhelmed the Amerks to set up a deciding Game 5 in Utica on Thursday night.
While the Comets set an AHL franchise record with 13 consecutive wins to open the season and remained in first place for the duration, the Amerks had to grind their way through a lengthy stretch drive simply to qualify for the Calder Cup Playoffs on the final day. Then after two punishing opening-round games against the Belleville Senators, they managed to split two games in Utica before taking a raucous 4-3 overtime win on Sunday at a packed Blue Cross Arena to deliver the first bona fide threat to Utica’s season yet.
Utica pushed back, and hard.
The Comets brought the Amerks back to reality with a lesson on what an extended Calder Cup Playoff run would feel like. A team continuously raising its standard through the postseason is a requirement.
“They’re a great team,†Appert told the Rochester media via the team website. “They have a lot of pride. They believe they’re a Calder Cup contender. That’s what I expected from them. I think that as much as you talk to your team about it, I thought that we had too many guys on their heels, especially in the first part of the game, for that level of urgency, physicality, and intensity.â€
The Amerks had just received a master class in playoff hockey. Now Appert must hope that his players can quickly process the stern lessons that Utica veterans A.J. Greer, Chase De Leo, Brian Flynn, and others delivered. Such is the learning process that a Calder Cup hopeful must undergo.
“There’s another level of competitiveness that a championship-caliber team rises to when their back is against the wall,†Appert said. “They did, and it took us too long to get to that level.â€
To the east of Rochester on I-90, the Syracuse Crunch had their own wounds to address last night.
Syracuse’s season is over after the team lost a 2-0 lead to the Laval Rocket and were eliminated in Game 5 of the teams’ North Division semifinal series. The Rocket will face the winner of the Rochester-Utica series in the North Division Finals.
“[Comebacks are part of the] playoffs,†Crunch head coach Ben Groulx said afterward via the team website. “That’s all it is. And I thought when they scored their first goal, I thought our energy went down, theirs went up big time, and we became nervous.
“It’s a game of momentum, and they deserved their win. No doubt about it.â€
Groulx was in the Syracuse dressing room for a lengthy period of time before emerging.
“I just wanted to thank the players,†Groulx said. “It’s a grind every day. They’ve been here since September practicing almost every day. And so I thanked them for their effort, their competitiveness. Good hockey players. Good hockey players that they want to learn. I think they all got better this year. And I think there’s always an opportunity to learn.
“When we’re going to reflect on this season, obviously we’re going to be disappointed with this result here, but overall I think it’s been a good season for us.â€
― Patrick Williams
