Rochester, NY (WGR 550) – As the Rochester Americans fought on Friday to stay alive in their best-of-five series with the Syracuse Crunch, the last thing I expected was 13 goals to be scored.
Rochester forced a Game 4 on Sunday afternoon in Rochester thanks to an 8-5 win.
Coming into the game, Amerks goalie Malcolm Subban had a .930 save percentage, while Crunch goalie Max Lagace had given up just two goals total in the first two games. Neither looked good on Friday, but the 9,101 fans in attendance got into the game immediately, because the Amerks came to play.
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In the first two games in Syracuse, the Amerks' best players were not their best players, while Syracuse’s best players were their best guys.
Isak Rosen got his first point of his playoff career just 5:31 in when he and Linus Weissbach attacked the zone with speed on the power play. Rosen ripped home a shot from the slot and the fans exploded.
Jiri Kulich missed the first two games of the series with a lower-body injury, but his first Calder Cup Playoffs game was memorable for him. He had probably three Grade-A chances right in front, but the puck wouldn’t go in for him.
In the third, Rochester got a full two-minute 5-on-3 power play, and Kulich was cool in front, as he closed in down the slot and pinpointed a blast past Lagace.
Kulich says frustration never set in for him as the game went on. He just kept trying to put the puck in the net.
"I just tried to stay positive, and it was just keep going and sometimes I have to score," said Kulich following the win.
Kulich was 18-years-old for most of this season and had 24 goals in 62 games.
Captain Michael Mersch had one assist coming in to the game, and he scored the game-winning goal on the second half of the power play to make it 6-4. Mersch hit the empty net later to give him a hat-trick.
Lukas Rousek had two assists for his first points of the playoffs. Brett Murray had a goal and two assists for his first points of the playoffs. Mason Jobst had a huge shorthanded goal and an assist for his first points of the playoffs. Sean Malone scored a huge goal at 18:55 of the second period to give his team a 3-2 lead, which was also his first point of the series.
Now the Crunch’s big guns also showed up, as Alex Barre-Boulet had a goal and five points. Simon Ryfors had three goals and four points. Gage Goncalves had a goal and two assists.
Amerks head coach Seth Appert knew his key players had more to give.
“At this time of year, that’s how you win. Their best players were all over the score sheet tonight," said Appert on Friday following the victory.
“Last weekend, their best guys were a little better than us, but our go-to guys really stepped up and delivered tonight.”
I thought Rosen’s goal just set the tone for the whole night. He played with confidence during that power play.
Rosen is guy who was 19-years-old for most of this season and spent his first season away from Sweden in North America. He had to learn the language and learn a tough, big man's league that his young body isn’t quite ready for yet. However, his speed and skill is ready for it.
“I met with ‘Rosey’, and Rosen didn’t perform very well in Syracuse. They’re a physical team, it’s a hard building and it was his first playoff games in pro hockey. He went through struggles, and that happens," Appert said. "But I thought his response tonight was awesome. He’s a go-to guy, even though he’s only 19-years-old. I thought he was competitive on the puck, I thought he made a lot of plays, and could’ve been on the sheet even more.”
Even though Kulich didn't play in Syracuse, Appert felt those two games were teaching moments for him.
“I talked to him about what he learned just by watching, and he definitely saw the uptick in physicality and the less time and space," he said. "I thought he accounted very well for himself in his first playoff game.”
The fans were great on Friday in Rochester. They were ready to be loud and get into the game.
“It was huge, it was awesome. The crowd was amazing," Appert said of the Rochester faithful. "We talked about it, and that was one thing I said before the game: Bring the fans into the fight, early and often.
“How do you do that? You score goals, you get scoring chances, you block shots, you finish some big hits, you fight. Those are things that rile the crowd up, and it brings them into the fight with you.”
There’s no question, those fans Friday night were ready and 100% into the fight with their team. For those of you that think there’s no such thing as momentum, you should’ve been there Friday night.
