Rochester Americans Prepare To Host Binghamton, Utica
Like their parent club, the Rochester Americans are hosting a pair of home games this weekend, with teams visiting on both Friday and Saturday. The Rochester Americans will host the Binghamton Senators on Friday, before the Utica Comets come to town on Saturday.
Entering this weekend, the Rochester Americans are second in the North Division with a 6-4-0-0 record. The team sits six points behind first-place Utica, and just two points ahead of Hamilton. Toronto is fourth, with Adirondack rounding out the division.
The Rochester Americans are looking to rebound after losing both of the last two games. The team fell to the Marlies last Saturday, 3-1, before dropping a 6-1 decision to the Bulldogs in a school-day game (10:15 am) on Tuesday.
Leading the way for Rochester are three players with nine points each: Phil Varone, Joel Armia and Chad Ruhwedel. Varone leads the team with five goals, while Ruhwedel’s seven assists are tied with Luke Adam for the top of that category. Mikhail Grigorenko has eight points and 17 penalty minutes in 10 games so far this season.
Andrey Makarov has a 3-1-0 record, .928 save percentage and 2.47 GAA, while Nathan Lieuwen has a 3-3-0 record, .887 save percentage and 3.07 GAA.
ROCHESTER AMERICANS vs. BINGHAMTON SENATORS
First up for the Rochester Americans this weekend is a Friday night tilt with the Binghamton Senators, AHL affiliate of the Ottawa Senators.
Binghamton has struggled so far this season, with a 3-6-2-0 record. Their eight points seat them last in the East Division. Like the Rochester Americans, the Senators have lost their last two games and will look to battle for a win tonight.
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One bright spot on the Senators so far has been defenseman Chris Wideman, who has 13 points in 11 games. Wideman leads the team in goals (7), assists (6) and points. Three of his goals have come with the man-advantage and he’s currently gunning at 1.18 points per game. He leads all AHL defensemen in scoring.
Other players to watch for the Senators include center Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who has eight points and 19 penalty minutes this season. Right winger Buddy Robinson and defenseman Aaron Johnson each have seven points.
Tonight’s game is the first of four meetings between the Senators and the Amerks this season. Get tickets online here.
ROCHESTER AMERICANS VS. UTICA COMETS
After Friday’s tilt with Binghamton, the Amerks will be right back in action on Saturday night, hosting the Utica Comets, AHL affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks.
Utica is slightly ahead of Rochester entering this weekend, with an 8-1-2-0 record and 18 points on the season. Most dangerously, perhaps, they enter the weekend on a 6-0-1-0 streak, looking to build off a pair of wins over Adirondack and Binghamton.
Leading the way for the Comets is center Cal O’Reilly, who has just one goal this season but has managed 12 assists. Center Dustin Jeffrey has also had a solid season, averaging 1.12 points per game; he had nine points (4-5) in eight games.
Nicklas Jensen and Brandon DeFazio each have four goals on the season, tied with Jeffrey for the team lead. Other players to watch include rookies Brendan Gaunce and Hunter Shinkaruk, both left wingers who have notched five and four points each, respectively.
The most dangerous aspect of Utica’s game, however, has been their goaltending. Jacob Markstrom has appeared in six games this season, and he has four shutouts in that stretch. Four! He has a league-leading 0.82 GAA, 0.968 save percentage and leads the AHL in shutouts.
The Amerks will have to find a way to beat him – assuming he’s in net – to have a chance at the two points.
Tickets for Saturday’s game, the first of 10 meetings between the teams, can be purchased here.