May 8, 2024
By Andrew Mossbrooks | @Mossbrooks48
The Rochester Americans were 20 minutes away from seeing their 2023-24 story come to a close Saturday night. While in Syracuse against a top-10 defense in the AHL, the Amerks stared down the tunnel to the ice surface at Upstate Medical University Arena, trailing 3-0 in a must-win game with one period left to play.
We all know what happened next.
Two goals from Brandon Biro were sandwiched between a Joseph Cecconi conversion, tying the game to set up Brett Murray for the overtime winner, guiding the Amerks to a tie series and allowing the Flower City’s team to live to fight another day. The showing was impressive, to say the least, but the most fascinating moment of this Rochester rally didn’t take place on the ice. It came in the locker room.
“I just told the guys to take a break and take a breath, because we’re going to win this game,” said Amerks head coach Seth Appert following the dramatic Game 4 come-from-behind victory, the first of its kind when trailing 3-0 entering the third period and facing elimination. I said that on the way through (the locker room) immediately (after the second period) and I said in seven or eight minutes we’ll talk about it. Then when I came back, we just very calmly laid out how we believed we could get back into it.”
“We gotta get one in the first six or seven minutes. You get one in the first six or seven, you put a seed of doubt in their (Syracuse’s) mind. Then, you get one in the next seven or eight minutes after that and you’ll be sitting there with five minutes to go with a chance to tie it late.”
Appert’s plan was executed almost to a tee.
Biro scored for the Amerks 19 seconds into the third to plant the seed of doubt. Cecconi would tally another just past the midway point of the period to help his team have a chance. Then, with 5:12 to play in their season, Biro lifted the Amerks to a new lease on life, tying the game at three apiece.
“He almost called it verbatim as to what happened on the ice,” said Murray, who ended the night 11:46 into overtime with his second career postseason game-winner in his first playoff game of the year.
“I remember thinking like ‘wow, he actually believes we’re going to win this game,’” said Mason Jobst.
“That was crazy,” said goaltender Devon Levi, who combined for 101 saves over two playoff games in…
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