After 60 minutes of play on Friday night the score was tied 3-3 but the Amerks earned the one point that they needed to clinch home ice advantage for the first round of the playoffs. In the coming days I’ll post my recap of the season, but one things for certain – it’s pretty impressive that the team went from one of the worst teams one season and in 2nd place in the division the next.
Rochester will host game 1 of the first round of the playoffs on Thursday April 15th and game 2 will be on Saturday April 17th. If you’re a season ticket holder and put down a deposit for next season make sure to visit the offices to pickup your tickets. If you’re not, call the Amerks offices on Monday morning to purchase playoff tickets.
Tell your friends, your neighbors, your family, your co-workers and even a random person on the street that the season is not over yet!
It’s been a few years since the Amerks made the playoffs so if you don’t remember that far back the sad reality is that attendance may not be the best. That’s something seen all around The AHL (except in a city like Hershey). It’d be nice if the local TV stations picked up on the story to help get the team some publicity but that’s probably asking a lot.
The magic number for the Abbotsford Heat to clinch the number three spot is two points in their final two games. If they do that they’ll be playing the Amerks. The Manitoba Moose are only one point behind the Heat with one game left on their schedule. I hope to have a “playoff preview” posted on Monday morning.
Here’s the entire playoff schedule (assuming it’s Abbotsford):
ROCHESTER AMERICANS FIRST-ROUND PLAYOFF SCHEDULE:
Game 1: Thursday, April 15th at 7:05 p.m. at The Blue Cross Arena
Game 2: Saturday, April 17th at 7:05 p.m. at The Blue Cross Arena
Game 3: Monday, April 19th at 10:00 p.m. (EST) at Abbotsford Sports and Entertainment Centre
Game 4: Wednesday, April 21st at 10:00 p.m. (EST) at Abbotsford Sports and Entertainment Centre
*Game 5: Friday, April 23rd at 10:00 p.m. (EST) at Abbotsford Sports and Entertainment Centre
*Game 6: Sunday, April 25th at 5:05 p.m. at The Blue Cross Arena
*Game 7: Tuesday, April 27th at 7:05 p.m. at The Blue Cross Arena
*If necessary
