Amerks clinch playoff berth with win over Springfield
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The Rochester Americans secured a spot in the Calder Cup playoffs with Wednesday’s 4-2 win over the Springfield Thunderbirds. Isak Rosen scored the go-ahead goal eight minutes into the third period.
“You work hard all season to get in, into the dance, and it’s a really, really hard division to do it in,” said Leone (watch Leone’s comments here). “Really proud of the guys, for their work and their effort that they’ve shown this season.”
Jack Rathbone opened the scoring for the Amerks five minutes into the first period, but the Thunderbirds responded with two consecutive goals. Anton Wahlberg tied the game in the second, capitalizing on a rebound, setting the stage for Rosen’s goal. On a breakaway, Rosen got his defender off-balance, finding himself parallel with the goal before firing it right by the Springfield goalie.
“He was standing up, so I saw a lot of room, actually,” Rosen said. “Tried my luck and it worked this time.”
Noah Ostlund then scored an empty-netter with 28 seconds left, giving Rochester a 4-2 cushion and ultimately punching the Amerks’ ticket to the playoffs in front of a home crowd.
“For me, being my first year here, it’s been pretty incredible, the fan support and how much they care about the team,” said Mike Leone, the Amerks’ first-year head coach. “It’s great to do it in front of our crowd, I’m glad.”
Wahlberg expressed his gratitude to the fans, saying, “It feels extra, extra good to see that, at our home place in front of our fans.”
The Amerks remain in second place in the North Division with seven regular-season games remaining.
Rosen emphasized the importance of staying focused, saying, “We got to we had to really focus on the games left too… It’s good for the group to feel that we had a good season, but yeah we got to keep playing better.”
Rochester is back in action this weekend with a doubleheader in Belleville before returning home on Wednesday, April 9.
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