GAMEPLAY NOTES AND QUOTES: AMERKS AND CRUNCH MEET IN THE FIFTH WINNER-TAKE-ALL GAME

May 10, 2024

After a dramatic and emotional rally by the Rochester Americans in Game 4 against the Syracuse Crunch last weekend, the stage is set for a do-or-die Game 5 between the North Division foes at Blue Cross Arena Friday night.

“These are the days you live for as an athlete,” the Amerks head coach said. Seth Appert. “I’m just happy our guys earned this opportunity. Now you want to enjoy them, but you have to earn these moments. You have to earn them through what you give yourself throughout the season. You earn them because of what you have given yourself through this series. It’s just this awesome, fun, passionate opportunity that’s presented to us tonight.

Blue Cross Arena will be filled to the brim, with the Amerks reporting a sellout earlier in the week, marking the first sellout for an Amerks game since Game 4 of the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals against Hershey.

“It’s exciting,” said Ethan Prow. “Especially considering the racing we had last year and the crowds we had. This city appears. They treat us well.

“We definitely talked about it in the locker room,” said Brandon Biro, who scored two goals in Game 4, including the game-tying conversion late in the third period. “We know there will be a lot of people tonight and they will bring us a lot of energy. We just need to be able to manage our emotions. Sometimes the crowds can make you almost too excited and ready to go. We will use them to our advantage and we know they will bring it, so we must do that too.

“It’s not like that everywhere,” said the team captain Michel Mersch. “There is such a unique history with this Rochester team. There are generational fans, you know, grandparents, parents and children who have all watched the Amerks their whole lives. It’s not like that everywhere in the AHL. It creates a buzz around this city with the fans and it’s unique.

Rochester was 7-6 in 13 playoff games at Blue Cross Arena during the Appert era (2022-present). All-time, the Amerks are 6-3 at home in winner-take-all games.

The Amerks and Crunch meet for a fifth game in the North Division semifinals for a second straight playoff series.

“Deja vu, it’s true,” Mersch said. “Obviously, it’s a great team. It’s been a great series of back and forths. Tonight, anyway, will be the last game of the season against them.

This marks the 17th^th meeting of the season between Syracuse and Rochester (including the playoffs) and 34^th meeting since the start of last season.

“Not at all,” Biro said when asked if he was surprised the series reached a game five. “There have been one-goal games against them all season, so for it to come down to a winner-takes-all game; this is certainly no surprise.

“You knew it was going to be a chore to win that series,” Appert said. “It’s a very good team. It’s difficult to play against them. They have talented players. It’s a great, physical team. So you knew it was going to be a battle. You can never predict how it’s going to go, but I would say I’m not surprised that we’re sitting here preparing for Game 5.

Each of the four playoff games was decided by one goal and each team scored 11 goals. Both teams have split their two home matches played so far. The parallels are endless.

“We kind of knew what we were getting into when we played them,” Prow said. “They are two very good teams that have fought all year. The playoffs are no different.

The emotions released by the fourth match are only a distant memory six days later. The Amerks kept their season alive in what Appert says was his team’s best playoff performance, but they didn’t win the series. Rochester trailed 2-0 in its best-of-five series a year ago. For a second straight playoff run, their journey begins through Syracuse and the need for a come-from-behind series victory remains.

“Our process this week was exactly the same as always. The workouts could have been shorter just because it’s that time of year, but they were similar in nature and theme to how we practice.

“We believe in what we do. Our guys believe in what we’re doing, and we’re just going to try to prepare ourselves to do it the best we can tonight. I think what a coach can do in those moments, the best thing a coach can do in those moments, is give guys clarity and freedom of thought. Clear their minds, make sure they’re very clear on how we need to play and how we want to play so they can just go out there and attack the game without having thoughts running through their minds.