Rochester to play Syracuse in first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs
The Rochester Americans finished off the regular season as one of the hottest clubs, going 8-1-1 in their final 10 games and finishing strong in the highly competitive AHL North Division, but a 3-2 overtime loss to Cleveland on Friday ended up costing them top spot in the division, as the two clubs finished tied with 88 points, but the Monsters win the division because they had more wins.
The Amerks defeated Utica 3-2 on Sunday, but Cleveland’s win over Toronto gave them the top spot and means that Rochester will play the Syracuse Crunch in the best-of-five Division semi-final. The two clubs met in the first round last April and after falling behind 2-0 in the series, the Amerks rallied to win the next three games, including a 5-4 overtime victory in Game 5.
Rochester finished the season 39-23-10, with forward Jiri Kulich leading the club with 27 goals despite a lengthy scoring drought after returning from the World Junior Championships. Isak Rosen and Mason Jobst finished tied for the club lead in scoring with 50 points, and Devon Levi finished with a 16-6-4 record, 2.42 GAA, and .927 save %.
2022 first-round pick Noah Ostlund made his North American professional debut on Friday and registered his first AHL point on Isak Rosen’s opening goal against the Comets on Sunday and will likely play in the series opener on Friday.
North Division Semifinals (best-of-5)
N2-Rochester Americans vs. N3-Syracuse Crunch
Game 1 – Fri., Apr. 26 – Syracuse at Rochester, 7:05
Game 2 – Sun., Apr. 28 – Syracuse at Rochester, 3:05
Game 3 – Thu., May 2 – Rochester at Syracuse, 7:00
*Game 4 – Sat., May 4 – Rochester at Syracuse, 7:00
*Game 5 – Fri., May 10 – Syracuse at Rochester, 7:05
*if necessary… All times Eastern
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