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Amerks Weekly – Dec 18 – Dec 24

Posted on by Steve Lopez

Amerks Games This Week

  • Wednesday – 12/18 – 7:05pm – at Binghamton (8-15-4-0)
  • Friday – 12/20 – 7:05pm – vs Binghamton (8-15-4-0)
  • Saturday – 12/21 – 7:05pm – vs Utica (15-10-1-2)/

AHL North Division Standings as of December 18th

The Amerks went 3-0-0-0 last week and now have sole possession of first place in the North Division. They are also sit as #1 in the Eastern Conference and #3 overall in the league. In the conference, their points-percentage of .769 is 10% higher than the next team (Hartford – .672). Good stuff!

What Happened Last Week?

Record Dec 10-Dec 17: 3-0-0-0

Check out our latest Amerks Review post for details on last week’s performance.

Notable: While Wednesday and Saturday’s games weren’t very competitive, credit the Amerks for tightening up their game when they needed to on Friday night. After jumping to a 3-1 lead in the third period, Laval quickly responded to make it 3-2 with over 17 minutes remaining in the period. Laval outshot the Amerks 15-3 following that goal but the Amerks, and Jonas Johansson in particular, weathered the storm to secure the win.

Also Notable: Kevin Porter missed his first game of the season on Saturday, the result of an undisclosed injury. It is not expected to be serious and he could be back in action this weekend. The veteran center – once again the team captain – is having another quietly productive season.

Three Stars

.1. Andrew Hammond – Two more wins and another shutout – his career-best fourth of the season. He also earned an assist on Wednesday night – his second of the season!

.2 and 3 through 18. Almost Literally Everyone Else –  The 12 goals scored last week came from 10 different players. Add in assists from 6 additional players for a total of 18 different Amerks with points last week.

Stats Leaders

Look Ahead

Two games against the worst team in the league (Binghamton) and one against Justin Bailey’s Utica Comets (that’s hyperbole). The Amerks should expect to come away from this week with another six points in tow and I’d say anything less than that against these teams would be a disappointment as we approach the mid-point of the season.

Casey Mittelstadt is expected to make his AHL debut on Wednesday night in Binghamton. We’ll see where he slots into the lineup; if Porter remains injured, Casey could find himself centering the 1st line. Regardless of who he’s playing with, it’s almost certain that he’ll see significant ice time in all situations as the team and the organization work to boost his confidence.

Transactions

  • December 15, 2019 – Casey Mittelstadt (F) – ⬇️ from Buffalo to Rochester/

Video Room

Game 24 – 12/11/2019 – Home Win vs Wilkes-Barre/Scranton

Game 25 – 12/13/2019 – Away Win at Laval

Game 26 – 12/14/2019 – Away Win at Laval

Injury Report

  • Remi Elie – Lower Body – Day-to-Day.
  • Scott Wilson – Upper Body – Day-to-Day.
  • Kevin Porter – Unknown – Day-to-Day.
  • Casey Fitzgerald – Unknown – Day-to-Day./

Farmville

The Cincinnati Cyclones are 18-6-3-0 in their quest to return to the top of the ECHL and avenge last season’s premature ending. They finished 2018-2019 with the best record in the league but fell to rival Toledo in the second round of the playoffs.

After a slow start, the Cyclones are rolling and are right in the thick of the hunt for the league lead.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (G) is performing great in his return from offseason surgery, with a 9-3-2-0 record, 2 shutouts, 1.98 GAA, and a .923% save percentage. The timetable for his promotion to Rochester remains somewhat unsure, but it’s likely that will come sometime after the new year.

Old Friends

Talking Points