As per historical custom for any entity associated with the Florida Panthers, a dubious record was set. From Kevin Oklobzija:
For the first time in American Hockey League history, a team with a 3-1 series lead was eliminated after losing Games 6 and 7 on home ice.
Yuck. We'll delve into the Cats' prime prospects and their first round performances in the coming days. Let's Go Amerks! has their typically excellent coverage in full force, so do check them out.
The Rochester Americans defeated the Abbotsford Heat by the score of 4-1 in Game 2 to tie the series 1-1 on Saturday night.
Shawn Matthias assisted on the fourth goal of the game with a great pass to Jeff Taffe early in the third period. The assist and even goals by Matthias in previous games are something he's known for. He's also had some big hits as well, but getting into a fight was something new for him.
I asked Matthias about the fight after the game and he said, "He (Bancks) really wanted to fight. I’ve never been asked to fight before so I kind of jumped on the opportunity and had fun with it."
I then asked him about having a fight card at HockeyFights.com and he laughed and said, "I don’t know if my mom will like it if I do that too often, it was fun and hopefully the team fed off of it and showed them (the Heat) that we’re not scared of them."
Watch until the end to see a nice love tap by Keaton Ellerby as Matthias leaves the ice, a sign of true friendship.
Included in the move: Evgeny Dadonov, Tyler Plante, Steve MacIntyre, Jason Garrison, Shawn Matthias, Keaton Ellerby, and Victor Oreskovich.
Game one is Thursday vs. Abbotsford.