Rochester will face Hershey for the 451st time in the oldest matchup in the AHL.
New head coach Dan Lambert and the Amerks open their 61st American Hockey League season – and 35th as the primary affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres – at 7:05 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 14 against the Hershey Bears. The Opening Night matchup will mark the 451st all-time meeting between the AHL’s two oldest teams. The last time Rochester and Hershey met in a season-opening matchup was in 2010-11 as part of the AHL’s 75th-anniversary celebration.
Forward Matt Lane headlines a promising list of rookies ready to begin their pro careers with the Amerks this season. Lane will become the first Rochester native to skate for the Amerks since Derek Whitmore in 2011-12, and he is the fourth Boston University product to sign with the Buffalo Sabres organization in the past two years (Jack Eichel, Evan Rodrigues, and Cason Hohmann).
With the exception of goaltending coach Bob Janosz, the Amerks have a new-look coaching staff behind the bench this season. Named the 31st coach in franchise history, Dan Lambert served as an assistant coach with the Buffalo Sabres last season, helping the Sabres to a 27-point improvement in the standings from the previous year. Chuck Weber returns for his second stint in Rochester after serving as the team’s head coach during the 2010-11 campaign, and fellow assistant coach Brad Tapper joins the Amerks following two seasons in the same capacity with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves.