Smith takes over Amerks scoring lead with hat trick against Marlies

The Amerks come into the week sitting atop the AHL's North Division standings with a narrow two-point lead, having earned 10 out of a possible 16 points in their last eight contests.
Among all AHL teams, only the Charlotte Checkers have more wins (28) than the Amerks (23), who are second overall in the Eastern Conference with a .632 points percentage at the halfway point of the 2018-19 season.

Scoring leaders

| Player | GP | G | A | PTS | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1. C.J. Smith | 34 | 16 | 17 | 33 | | 2. Zach Redmond | 38 | 16 | 16 | 32 | | 3. Victor Olofsson | 35 | 11 | 20 | 31 | | 4. Alexander Nylander | 35 | 9 | 15 | 24 | | 5. Danny O'Regan | 38 | 12 | 11 | 23 |

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Goaltending leaders

| Player | GP | W | L | OTL | GAA | SV% | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Scott Wedgewood | 24 | 14 | 7 | 1 | 2.80 | .911 | | Adam Wilcox | 15 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 2.87 | .899 |

News and notes

2019 Hall of Fame Class announced

The Rochester Americans will induct defenseman Doug Janik and forward Steve Langdon into the Amerks Hall of Fame as the Class of 2019. Janik and Langdon were unanimously selected for induction by the Amerks Hall of Fame Committee and will take their rightful place in the prestigious club on Friday, Feb. 8 when Rochester hosts the Springfield Thunderbirds at The Blue Cross Arena at 7:05 p.m. on Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino Legends Night.
Set to become the 63rd member of the exclusive club, Janik spent five seasons patrolling the Rochester blueline from 2001 to 2006, establishing himself as one of the most dominant defensemen in franchise history. Janik recorded 91 points (18+73) over his five seasons with the club, ranking 31st all-time among Rochester blueliners, while also leading the Amerks to four straight playoff appearances. His 376 career games are the third-most of any defenseman and rank 14th all-time.
"I'm forever grateful for the time I spent and the many great people I had the opportunity to meet during my time in Rochester," said Janik, a second-round pick (55th overall) of the Buffalo Sabres in 1999. "I'm honored to be recognized by such a proud franchise. My family and I are greatly appreciative for everything the Rochester Americans have helped us to achieve, both on and off ice."
Janik is currently in his third season as an assistant coach with the AHL's Springfield Thunderbirds.
Langdon spent five of his six pro seasons in Rochester from 1974 to 1979, and much like Janik, helped the team to four straight playoff appearances, including a trip to the Calder Cup Finals in 1977. In 313 career games with the Amerks, Langdon scored 97 goals, ranking him 20th all-time, and added 87 assists for 184 points. He also recorded 14 points (3+11) in 35 postseason appearances.
"I'm very honored to join the Rochester Americans Hall of Fame," said Langdon. "It was a privilege to have spent the majority of my career with such a storied franchise. The city of Rochester has been home for me and my family for over 40 years and I'm proud to consider myself a lifelong Rochesterian."
For the past several years, Langdon has been instrumental in building and maintaining a network of local Amerks Alumni and has spearheaded numerous charitable endeavors, most notably the Thomas M. Nichols Scholarship Fund, which awards a scholarship to a local high school senior that actively participates in Section V hockey and displays excellence in their work ethic, character and determination.
Read more here.

Game recaps

Jan. 11: Marlies 5 - Amerks 1
Watch: Youtube Video
For the first time in six games dating back to last season, the Rochester Americans failed to earn a point against the Toronto Marlies, who scored four straight unanswered goals on their way to a 5-1 victory in front a season-high crowd of 8,326 at The Blue Cross Arena.
Forward Alexander Nylander tallied his ninth goal of the season while goaltender Scott Wedgewood, who has gotten the nod in eight of the last 11 games for the Amerks, saw his four-game win streak halted.
"It was a tough one," said forward Scott Wilson, who made his season and Amerks debut after being reassigned by the parent Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday. "They had five other ones (power-plays) during the night, but one positive we can take is I thought we did a great job on the first kill and overall it was a pretty good effort by everybody."
Jan. 12: Amerks 5 - Marlies 1
Watch: Youtube Video
C.J. Smith recorded his second career hat trick and factored in on four of the five goals for the Rochester Americans (23-13-2-0), who turned the tables with a 5-1 victory over the defending Calder Cup champion Toronto Marlies (19-15-3-2) in the second half of a home-and-home series between the North Division rivals Saturday afternoon at Coca-Cola Coliseum.
The matinee was the first game north of the border after Rochester hosted the first three games of the season series. The Amerks have now won five of their last eight games and widened their lead atop the AHL's North Division standing by a three-point margin.
Smith, who was reassigned yesterday by the parent Buffalo Sabres, tied a career-high as he scored three goals - including the eventual game-winner - to go with an assist, while Zach Redmond registered a pair of helpers in the victory.
Kevin Porter (1+1) also turned in a multi-point effort for Rochester, which improved to 4-1-0-0 this season in the head-to-head matchup against the AHL's defending champions. Victor Olofsson completed the scoring on the day as goaltender Scott Wedgewood, who has gotten the nod in nine of the last 12 games for the Amerks, upped his record to 14-7-1 as he stopped 26 of 27 shot he faced.

Coming up

The Amerks continue their three-game road swing as they travel to Pennsylvania for a pair of matchups, beginning on Friday, Jan. 18 when they meet up with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins before facing the Lehigh Valley Phantoms the next night.
Both of the 7:05 p.m. contests will be carried live on The Sports Leader AM 950/95.7 FM ESPN Rochester as well as AHLTV.