The predicament is nothing new for the Rochester Americans.
Tonight they will fight for their season, just as they already have several times. Simply clinching a berth in the Calder Cup Playoffs required a second-half push in a back-and-forth North Division race. They fought off elimination three times against Syracuse in the teams’ division semifinal, clinching the series on the road in overtime.
Now, after a seven-game winning streak has turned into three consecutive losses against the Hershey Bears, the Amerks face elimination once again.
“Our back has been against the wall since early February,” head coach Seth Appert said via the team website before the team departed for Hershey yesterday. “Our guys have a lot of belief that we’ve answered the bell in tough moments, and we’re going to need to do so again here.”
That said, the Amerks face a difficult task going into Giant Center and will need more offense from across their lineup. Rookie Isak Rosen has gone without a point in the series, and fellow first-year standout Jiri Kulich has been held to one assist. All-Star forward Lukas Rousek has one goal. Appert has been forced to juggle his lines in a search for more offensive opportunities.
“Anybody on the ice, we need them to be the best version of themselves,” Appert said. “We need them to execute. We need them to play assertive in all situations.”
But mainly Appert sounded his customary positive tone before that bus ride south to Hershey.
“I think it’s really important to have perspective that we’re one of the last four teams playing in the American Hockey League,” Appert said. “We don’t want to be done with that, but that is an incredible feat. It’s May 30th, we’re still playing the game that we love. That is awesome. We get to wake up on this glorious sunny day and 28 of the 32 teams in the American Hockey League are offseason training or on vacation, and we get to come to the rink and practice.
“We need to keep that in mind, and that allows you to keep the negative emotions away and keep your thoughts moving forward on what’s ahead.”
― Patrick Williams
