Amerks lost outdoor game last weekend in Charlotte, but experience was one to cherish
The final result wasn’t what the Rochester Amerks were looking for, but the experience they shared last Saturday night in Charlotte will certainly be a memory they will always carry with them.
The Amerks lost 5-2 to the Checkers in an outdoor game dubbed the Queen City Classic that was played at Truist Park, the baseball stadium of the Charlotte Knights, the city’s Triple-A team.
“I’ve never participated in an outside game so it was an awesome event, it was really a cool thing to be part of,” Amerks coach Seth Appert said. “It’s a pretty cool place for an outdoor game, right in the middle of the city, skyline right behind you.”
A crowd of 11,031 was on hand which was considered a sellout, and the vast majority of them went home happy as the Checkers snapped a 2-2 third-period tie as Mackie Samoskevich and Brendan Perlini beat Amerks goalie Eric Comrie in the first 11:16 of the period and Lucas Carlsson tacked on an empty-netter with 3:08 remaining.
Meanwhile, Checkers goalie Spencer Knight made 12 third-period saves including a pair on breakaways that could have changed the course of the game.
This was the 12th outdoor game in AHL history and the second for the Amerks. Back in 2013 they hosted on at Frontier Field and they defeated the Lake Erie Monsters 5-4 in a shootout.
There was a strong contingent of Amerks fans that either made the trip south or are transplants, and make no mistake, they made themselves known.
“It was awesome that they came down here to support us, especially in such a cool event like this,” said captain Michael Mersch. “To have the support from our home fans in Rochester, it just shows this team has a lot of history and a lot of fans who really care about our team so it was really special.”
Added Appert, “We’ve talked about it before, playoffs last year, especially Game 5 at Syracuse. Walking through the streets here and seeing the jerseys and coming into the game tonight, we’re just really fortunate to have the fan base that we did.
“Winning and losing (in an outdoor game) is pretty random with the bounces and how the game plays out. We had it right where we wanted 2-2 in the third period and unfortunately they made a couple plays and Spencer Knight made a couple breakaway saves that were pretty big.”
Mersch, whose goal 1:56 into the second period gave Rochester a 2-1 lead, said the inconsistent ice was an issue at times, but both teams played on the same surface.
“They played a solid game,” Mersch said of the Checkers. “It’s a different style with the ice conditions being a little different than they would in an inside rink but it was really fun, a great experience. We would have liked to come out on top but it was a great experience so you have to remember the good parts of it.”
One of the good parts is the fact that the night before, inside the Checkers home arena, Bojangles Coliseum, the Amerks fell behind 2-1 early in the third period on a power-play goal by Jake Wise, but rallied for a 3-2 victory. Justin Richards tied it at 4:31 and then Joseph Cecconi ripped a slap shot from the high slot with 3:03 left to play. Devin Cooley was outstanding in net as he stopped 37 of 39 shots.
The victory was the 100th of Appert’s tenure in Rochester, making him just the seventh coach in the 68-year team history to reach that plateau.
The weekend split left the Amerks at 16-13-4, their 36 points tied for fourth in the North Division with Laval, though Rochester has two games in hand on the Rocket.
News: Filip Cederqvist, Chris Jandric traded to Montreal
The Buffalo Sabres, who have a surplus of prospects in their pipeline including several who are battling for playing time in Rochester, decided to trade away one of them as Cederqvist was dealt to the Montreal Canadiens for future considerations.
And in a separate deal with the Canadiens, the Sabres also sent defenseman Chris Jandric to the Montreal organization in exchange for defenseman Noah Laaouan.
Cederqvist was a 2019 fifth-round draft pick out of Sweden who finally made his way to North America last year. The 6-foot-3, 208-pound forward gave the Amerks a physical presence up front, and he managed nine goals and 20 points in 55 games as a rookie, then dressed for eight of the postseason games and had three assists.
I was talking to someone in the Amerks’ organization last spring about Cederqvist and I was told that there were some in the Sabres’ hierarchy who thought he had a very good chance to get to Buffalo because of his size and physicality. But this year has been a struggle for the 23-year-old. He appeared in 19 games and had only one goal and three assists and it appears the Sabres no longer were willing to wait.
Jandric, who played four years of college hockey - two at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, and two years at North Dakota - had been languishing in the East Coast league with Jacksonville since turning pro last year. He appeared in only eight games for the Amerks.
Laaouan has also been in the East Coast league, 56 games last year with Atlanta and 36 this season with Trois-Rivieres. He has nine goals and 24 assists combined for those two teams.
Amerks lineup notes
▶ F Lukas Rousek is still rolling as he extended his career-best point scoring streak to 10 games in Charlotte. It’s currently the longest streak in the AHL.
▶ F Jiri Kulich returned after a three-week absence while his playing for Czechia in the World Junior tournament and he recorded an assist Saturday that gave him 23 points, tied for second on the team with Rousek, one behind Isak Rosen. Appert had Kulich and Rosen playing with NHL veteran Tyson Jost and Appert said of that line Saturday, “I thought Kulich, Rosey and Jost were all over the chances tonight.”
▶ D Kale Clague had a three-point weekend (1-2) and he now has 15 assists which is tied for 17th among AHL defensemen.
▶ G Devin Cooley won Friday’s game, his first appearance since Dec. 29, and he improved his record to 6-5-2.
What’s next for the Amerks?
A busy week as they host the Lehigh Valley Phantoms Wednesday night at Blue Cross Arena and the Springfield Thunderbirds on Saturday. In between, they have to head down the Thruway to play at the Utica Comets Friday night and there will be an opportunity to grab some points.
Lehigh Valley sits seventh in the eight-team Atlantic Division with 38 points which is two more than Rochester. Springfield is fifth in that division with 41 points, and Utica sits last in the seven-team North with 32 points.
Sal Maiorana can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana. To subscribe to Sal's newsletter, Bills Blast, which comes out twice a week during the season, please follow this link: https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Rochester Americans lost to Charlotte Checkers in outdoor hockey game
