Amerks ready for decisive Game 5

The Rochester Americans face a pivotal Game 5 against the Syracuse Crunch in the North Division Semifinals of the Calder Cup Playoffs. After falling behind in the series 2-0, the Amerks battled back with two gritty wins on home ice.

The series shifts back to Syracuse for the decisive game at 7 p.m. on Saturday. Neither team has won on the road this series.

Kulich's preparation

Jiri Kulich returned to the lineup after missing the first two games of the series with an injury. He promptly made an impact, launching eight shots on goal and scoring once to help Rochester to an 8-5 win in Game 3 and tallying his second goal of the series as part of a 4-0 shutout in Game 4.

Rochester coach Seth Appert gave Kulich some homework while he was out. Kulich watched Games 1 and 2 intently from the press box and, at home, studied up on the Stanley Cup Playoffs to get a feel for the physicality of the postseason.

The chance to observe gave Kulich the opportunity to mentally prepare for getting his feet wet in the Calder Cup Playoffs.

"He did a really good job absorbing those lessons without having to go through them himself," Appert said. "That's a credit to his coachability, that he was able to see the intensity and competitiveness and the physicality and then be ready for it in his own debut."

Appert's assignment worked. Kulich rarely looked out of place and provided a jolt to the Amerks' special teams by scoring a power-play goal in Game 2.

"Playoff hockey game is more physical," Kulich said. "You have to be quick, it's different."

Coach's challenge

Appert's message to his team is much different this week ahead of Game 5. There are no second chances anymore in the series and the stakes get higher with every shift. Succeeding in those moments happens long before the puck drops with how the team has practiced and prepared all season.

To hammer his point home, Appert showed the team a clip from Steve Kerr following Golden State's Game 7 victory over the Sacramento Kings in the NBA playoffs. Kerr has won nine championships, five as a player and four more as a coach with the Warriors.

Appert likes to listen to different coaches across the sports landscape and learn about their leadership styles in case something translates. Kerr's message about the repetition of making the simple play over and over and over stuck with the Amerks coach and he wanted to share it with his players.

"In big moments, people don't rise to the occasion. That is false," Appert said. "Michael Jordan didn't elevate in big moments. He was the same stud he always was. Other people get eaten up by the big moments. So, it looks like the great players rise, the great teams rise."

Playing his best

Last season, Amerks forward Linus Weissbach was injured on his first shift of Game 1 in the play-in qualifying round of the 2022 Calder Cup Playoffs against Belleville. Weissbach scored 37 points in 67 regular-season games before suffering an upper-body injury that forced him to miss the remainder of the team's playoff run.

Fast forward to this season and Weissbach has been one of the Amerks' most consistent forwards. He has scored four points (1+3) in four games to help Rochester erase the 2-0 series deficit and force a winner-take-all Game 5.

Appert said Weissbach is playing some of the best hockey of his career and it couldn't come at a more appropriate time as the Amerks look to advance on Saturday night.

"For him to play with the competitive nature that he's played with in these four games," Appert said. "He was our best forward in Syracuse. It's just been really inspiring to see."

Weissbach acknowledged he's felt his game elevate to a different level now that the postseason has arrived.

"It's just a different feeling when you go into playoffs and you want to do anything to win," Weissbach said. "Just help the team in any way you can. I think that kind of pushes me right now and I think that goes for a lot of guys, too."

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Magnificent Mersch

Forward Michael Mersch has led the Amerks in scoring with five points in the series' first four games, including a hat trick in the pivotal Game 3 win. Mersch is one of the veteran leaders in the dressing room and has helped keep things in perspective as the Amerks have recovered in the series.

"We just wanted to take it one game at a time really," Mersch said. "We weren't looking too far ahead. We were just trying to execute during the games and not worry about the results… you can't get ahead of yourself."

The series schedule included a long layoff again between Games 4 and 5. The first break between Games 2 and 3 allowed for the Amerks to hit the reset button after not getting the result they wanted. This week they took the hiatus to fine tune their game plan, but Mersch acknowledged it's a unique challenge to stay dialed in to one series over the course of three weekends.

"It's different because it's longer, but at the end of the day we get to continue to play hockey for three more weeks, when a lot of teams are sitting at home," Mersch said. "I find that special, and important because I love playing."

Injury Report

The Amerks are using the down time between games to once again rest and recuperate. Brando Biro remains out after season-ending surgery to address a lower-body injury. Brendan Warren is considered day-to-day and could potentially play Saturday night. Filip Cederqvist is likely out for Game 5.