Race for division title heats up as Amerks take on Syracuse this weekend

The Amerks have officially punched their ticket into the 2019 Calder Cup Playoffs, marking the 46th time in the 63-year history of the franchise that the Amerks have advanced to the postseason.
It's also the sixth time in 10 years Rochester has qualified for the playoffs, clinching on the road by way of a 6-4 win over the Binghamton Devils on March 30.

Trailing 3-1 in the final minute of the first period of Saturday's game in Binghamton, the Amerks scored five of the game's next six goals, including four in the third period, to complete the 6-4 win. The victory was the Amerks eighth win when trailing after 40 minutes of play, which is most in the AHL this season.
The Amerks open up the month of April with a home-and-home series against the Syracuse Crunch beginning on Friday, April 5 when the Crunch make their final visit of the season to Blue Cross Arena at 7:05 p.m. Rochester is 5-2-1-1 against Syracuse this year.
The two teams will wrap up the weekend set on Saturday as the series shifts to the War Memorial Arena for a 7 p.m. showdown. Both contests will be carried live on The Sports Leader AM 950/95.7 FM ESPN Rochester as well as AHLTV.

Scoring leaders

| Player | GP | G | A | PTS | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1. Victor Olofsson (on recall with Buffalo) | 64 | 27 | 33 | 60 | | 2. C.J. Smith | 57 | 27 | 29 | 56 | | 3. Zach Redmond | 53 | 21 | 28 | 49 | | 4. Danny O'Regan | 68 | 21 | 28 | 49 | | 5. Wayne Simpson | 66 | 19 | 20 | 39 |

Goaltending leaders

| Player | GP | W | L | OTL | GAA | SV% | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Scott Wedgewood | 45 | 27 | 12 | 2 | 2.63 | .909 | | Adam Wilcox | 26 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 2.63 | .898 |

News and notes

Round 1 ticket info

Tickets for all first-round home games for the 2019 Calder Cup Playoffs will go on sale on Friday, April 5 at 10 a.m. The complete opening round schedule will be released at a later date as soon as Rochester's first-round opponent has been determined.
Rochester secured its second straight playoff berth and fifth in the last eight years by virtue of a 6-4 road win over the Binghamton Devils on Saturday at Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena.
Individual game tickets for Round One of the 2019 Calder Cup Playoffs start as low as just $14 and range in price up to $28 depending on seat location. All tickets purchased on the day of the game will increase by $2.
Fans will also have the opportunity to purchase all potential home playoff games with a Playoff Pack, which will go on sale Wednesday, April 3. Convenient payment options are available and guarantee your seating at the lowest rates for all home playoff games at The Blue Cross Arena.
Additionally, beginning on Thursday, April 4, new and current Amerks Season Ticket Members will be able to purchase additional single-game tickets for all first-round home playoff games for as little as $12.
Amerks Calder Cup Playoff tickets are available for purchase either in person at The Blue Cross Arena Box Office, online at Amerks.com or by calling 1-855-GO-AMERKS.

Game recaps

March 27: Phantoms 4 - Amerks 3 (OT)
Watch: Youtube Video
The Rochester Americans erased a two-goal deficit and tied Wednesday night's game against Lehigh Valley Phantoms (33-27-4-3) before falling 4-3 in overtime at Blue Cross Arena.
Forward and Amerks team-captain Kevin Porter notched his fifth two-point game of the season as he tallied his 10th goal of the season to go with an assist while Eric Cornel and former Phantom Taylor Leier each found the back of the net. Adam Wilcox (11-8-3) suffered the overtime loss despite making 13 saves in 30 minutes after replacing Scott Wedgewood with 7:33 left in the second period.
March 29: Rocket 2 - Amerks 4
Watch: Youtube Video
Reassigned the day before to the Rochester Americans (42-21-4-2) from the parent Buffalo Sabres, second-year forward Tage Thompson surely did not disappoint in his Amerks debut as the newcomer erupted for a pair of goals to go along with an assist to lead Rochester to a 4-2 win over the North Division rival Laval Rocket (28-29-6-6) Friday at Blue Cross Arena.
Rochester is 9-2-0-0 in its last 11 meetings with the Rocket.
While Thompson tallied his first three-point outing of his pro career, Sean Malone and Danny O'Regan finished off the scoring for the Amerks, who now need just a single point to officially clinch a spot in the 2019 Calder Cup Playoffs.
With O'Regan's 20th goal of campaign, Rochester became the first team in the league to have five different players reach the mark and first Amerks team since the 2000-01 season, which included head coach Chris Taylor. In his third game in as many games, goaltender Adam Wilcox made 17 saves to improve to 12-8-4 on the season.
"It feels good to get the win and help offensively," Thompson said. "Two days with these guys, most of whom I know from the summer and at various points of the season, I would say it has been a great start so far."
"…It's a great group of guys and they are very easy to play with. The culture here is really special and I'm glad I can contribute to the group."
March 30: Amerks 6 - Devils 4
After falling behind 3-1 late in the first period of Saturday night's contest at Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena against the Binghamton Devils (26-38-6-0), the Rochester Americans (43-21-4-2) countered with five of the last six goals, including four in the final 20 minutes of play, to come away with a 6-4 victory.
C.J. Smith scored twice to grab a share of the team-lead with his 26th and 27th goals of the season while Nathan Paetsch, who celebrated his 36th birthday today, chipped in his first goal of the slate to go with an assist. Eric Cornel (1+1), Kevin Porter (0+2) and rookie Casey Fitzgerald (0+2), who made his professional debut, all contributed with a two-point effort.
Remi Elie completed the scoring as he picked up his eighth of the season. Netminder Scott Wedgewood (27-12-2) made 16 saves on the night to earn his 27th victory in the Rochester net.