Olofsson named AHL Player of the Week

After dropping their first two games to open the 2018-19 regular season, the Rochester Americans have won three straight to improve to 3-2-0-0 on the season following a two-game sweep over the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
The successful weekend puts the Amerks into a three-way tie for first place in the AHL's North Division standings with the Binghamton Devils and Cleveland Monsters entering the week. The Devils, however, have a game in hand on Rochester.

Olofsson named CCM/AHL Player of the Week

The American Hockey League announced Monday that Rochester Americans forward Victor Olofsson has been selected as the CCM/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending October 14, 2018. Olofsson scored three goals - including two dramatic game-winners - and added four assists for seven points in three games last week as Rochester went 3-0-0-0.
On Wednesday night, Olofsson scored his first career AHL goal and chipped in two assists to help Rochester double up Syracuse, 6-3.

On Saturday in Bridgeport, Olofsson assisted on the tying goal early in the third period before scoring the winner with 59.4 seconds remaining, lifting the Amerks to a 4-3 victory.

And in Sunday's rematch with the Sound Tigers, Olofsson duplicated the feat: he set up the tying goal early in the third, and put home the game-winner at 1:46 of overtime as Rochester won, 3-2.

Olofsson, 23, has picked up three goals and five assists for eight points in his first five games this season, one point off the AHL scoring lead. A seventh-round choice by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2014 NHL Draft, Olofsson is in his first season of play in North America after 200 games in the Swedish Hockey League, where he scored a league-best 27 goals for Frolunda in 2017-18.
In recognition of being named the CCM/AHL Player of the Week, Olofsson will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming Americans home game.

Scoring leaders

| Player | GP | G | A | PTS | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1. Victor Olofsson | 5 | 3 | 5 | 8 | | 2. Zach Redmond | 5 | 2 | 5 | 7 | | 3. Lawrence Pilut | 5 | 2 | 4 | 6 | | 4. Alex Nylander | 5 | 1 | 4 | 5 | | 5. C.J. Smith | 5 | 3 | 1 | 4 |

Goaltending leaders

| Player | GP | W | L | OTL | GAA | SV% | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Adam Wilcox | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2.48 | .900 | | Scott Wedgewood | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4.42 | .862 |

News and notes

After enjoying a career-setting year in 2017-18, Zach Redmond has picked up where he left off this season as he shows seven points (2+5) through his first five games to lead all AHL defensemen in scoring. Redmond also currently leads all blueliners in power-play scoring with six points (2+4) and ranks second with 16 shots on goal, seven of which came in Sunday's overtime win.
Rookie Lawrence Pilut sits at a close second behind only Redmond as he paces all first-year defenseman in overall scoring with six points (2+4). Pilut, last year's SHL Defenseman of the Year, has recorded all but one of his six points on the power play this season, including his two goals, which are tied for the most among all AHL defensemen.

Alexander Nylander enters the week riding a four-game point streak, tied for the second-longest in the AHL. Nylander has one goal and four assists over that span, placing him fourth on the team in scoring.
With six combined power-play goals over its last three games, Rochester currently has the fourth-best power-play in the AHL with a 31.8% conversion rate. Entering this week, the Amerks are also one of only two teams to record seven goals with the man-advantage so far this season, joining the Springfield Thunderbirds.

Game recaps

October 10: Crunch 3 - Amerks 6
Watch: Youtube Video
Aided by three power-play goals and a shorthanded marker, the Rochester Americans earned their first win of the season with a 6-3 victory over the North Division rival Syracuse Crunch Wednesday night at The Blue Cross Arena.
Defenseman Zach Redmond and forward Victor Olofsson each recorded a game-high three points (1+2) for the Amerks while Kyle Criscuolo, Danny O'Regan, C.J. Smith and rookie Lawrence Pilut all added a goal and an assist. Former Syracuse goaltender Adam Wilcox, who made his season debut in the blue paint for Rochester, turned aside 30 shots to pick up his first win of the year.
"It was a great night," Olofsson said. "We played great as a team and it feels great to get that first goal. Every game and each day, I'm getting used to the smaller ice."
Of the eight Rochester skaters to record a point, six posted a multi-point effort while all but one of the Amerks registered a shot on net.
"It's good for everyone's confidence," Amerks head coach Chris Taylor said. "We didn't have a great start, but Wilcox played well and kept us into the game. As the game went on, I thought we scored some timely goals and got some key saves. It was a great win."
October 13: Amerks 4 - Sound Tigers 3
Watch: Youtube Video
Facing a 3-1 deficit midway through the second period of the first game of the weekend-series with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the Rochester Americans answered with three straight unanswered goals, including one in the final minute from forward Victor Olofsson, to earn a 4-3 come-from-behind win at Webster Bank Arena Saturday afternoon.

For the second consecutive contest, Olofsson (1+1) and veteran defenseman Zach Redmond (0+2) each booked multi-point performances to help the Amerks to their second straight win. Kevin Porter and Alexander Nylander each scored their first goals of the campaign while second-year forward C.J. Smith added his team-leading third tally in Rochester's first four games.
Scott Wedgewood stopped 20 of 23 to record his first official win between the pipes while wearing the red, white and blue.
As an overtime period was looming, Danny O'Regan forced a turnover in the neutral zone that Olofsson flagged down near the offensive zone. Protecting the puck as he entered Bridgeport zone, the Swedish forward sent a backhanded-shot over the left shoulder of the unsuspecting Gibson to give Rochester its first lead of the afternoon with one minute left in the game.
October 14: Amerks 3 - Sound Tigers 2 (OT)
Watch: Youtube Video
After setting up the game-tying goal in the third period to force overtime during Sunday afternoon's game between the Rochester Americans and Bridgeport Sound Tigers, forward Victor Olofsson delivered the game-winning goal just 1:46 into the extra stanza to give Rochester a 3-2 victory at the Webster Bank Arena.
With the overtime victory, the Amerks have improved to 4-1-1-0 in their last six meetings against the Sound Tigers. Additionally, Rochester has won back-to-back games in Bridgeport for the first time in franchise history.
For the third consecutive contest, Olofsson (1+1) tallied a multi-point game to help lead Rochester to its third straight win while second-year defenseman Brendan Guhle added a pair of assists for his first two-point outing of the season. Zach Redmond recorded his second goal of the slate while Eric Cornel also bagged his second of the campaign.
Goaltender Adam Wilcox, who made his second start in the last three contests, finished the game with 15 saves to earn his second win of the season. Dating back to the end of the 2017-18 season, Wilcox shows a record of 4-0-1 in his last five appearances.

Coming up

The Amerks close out their three-game road swing on Wednesday when they face the North Division rival Utica Comets at the Adirondack Bank Center.
The 7 p.m. contest will be the first of 10 scheduled meetings between the two team this season and can be carried live on The Sports Leader 95.7 FM/950 AM ESPN Rochester as well as AHLTV.