Sports

For the Rochester Americans, the upcoming American Hockey
League season will largely be an effort to erase the bad memories of 2005-06,
when the second-oldest franchise in the league missed the playoffs for the
first time since 1989.

The Amerks struggled for much of
last season, thanks partially to the disruptive onset of dual affiliation
between the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres and Florida
Panthers. What’s more, both of those parent teams suffered numerous injuries
during the year and compensated by plundering the Amerks’
roster. Because of that, the 2005-06 Amerks never
completely clicked as a unit, resulting in a disappointing, disheartening
season.

The task of shaping a team that can rebound from that falls
to Rochester
coach Randy Cunneyworth, a cagey vet who’s guided the
Amerks for seven seasons. And it’ll be a tough task,
too: the 2006-07 team is loaded with rookies and other
newcomers who lack the experience that past Rochester teams have had. Other obstacles
include the loss of captain and team leader Chris Taylor, the stiff competition
in the AHL’s North Division, and the ever-evolving
rules handed down by the AHL in an effort to create a faster, cleaner game.

The team began training camp in late September at the ESL
Sports Centre, and after the first night of practice Cunneyworth
spoke with City about his team’s prospects for this season, which starts
Friday, October 6, against Albany.

City: How would you
describe last season?

Randy Cunneyworth: It was a disappointing one from the
standpoint of missing the mark. The playoffs are the ultimate goal. I think the
guys missed out on a real opportunity to show their wares. That’s unfortunate,
but obviously we’ll try to do a better job this year. It comes with teamwork
and commitment.

What would you tell
fans heading into this season? What can they expect this year?

Overall we want to learn from our mistakes. In this
situation of dual affiliation, we have to be a little bit patient. We are a
little bit younger this year, but through the experience the boys
are going to attain early on, I think they can be a much better team — and as
quickly as possible. I’m not saying that by the end we’re looking for that
little jump, we’re looking for that right away. It’s a quicker game now, so I
think the young legs will be a benefit to our game. We want to play a
high-pressure type of game where guys are working hard and we’re rolling the
lines.

What does losing
Chris Taylor mean to this team?

Chris was a well-rounded player that led by example, but
also behind the scenes was the leader in that dressing room. He held the team
together in a lot of ways, but I think it’s up to somebody else to take on some
responsibility that Chris Taylor had on and off the ice.

Anyone
in particular?

It’s probably going to take a couple guys to fill that role,
at least early on. It will take a team effort. I think [winger] Mark Mancari is a guy that comes up. Anybody who’s been through
a season here in the AHL and is a good prospect will figure out very quickly
that leadership has to come from within.

You mentioned dual
affiliation. What are your thoughts? Did it work last year, and will it work
this year?

[Smile, small laugh]
I think [last season] we were a very different team throughout the season at
different times. When the injury bug hits the parent club, it hits double fold
[with the AHL affiliate]. I think everybody has to realize that. It’s really
having the subsequent people to come in and do a good job and fill in until we
get the guys back healthy again.

What kind of team
would you like to put on the ice in an ideal world?

It’s a hard-hitting, fast-skating team. [Speed] can enhance
a team’s chance of winning. We want a disciplined team that’s going to know the
new rules. It’s the wave of the future, and we’ve got a good jump on it. We
don’t want to be behind anybody. I think the young guys who are coming from any
other level will understand they have to know these rules and abide by them and
become better hockey players. If you’re a player that needs to work on your
skating, if you’re too slow for the game, you’ve got to get on your horse and
learn that part of it.

Who are the teams to
beat this year? Who are you looking at to really give you a challenge?

Anybody in our division is going to be a challenge. You play
those guys so often, you have to know them like the
back of your hand. I think our closest rivalry, Syracuse, will always be an entertaining
rivalry, both physically and mentally. You build those rivalries up over time.
[But] it’s important that we look after our own game. If we can come up with a
game plan that we need, I think we’ll be fine. Guys will come through and do
their job.

The Rochester Americans open their season Friday, October 6, at 7:35 p.m.
against the Albany River Rats at Blue Cross Arena. For tickets go to the BCA
box office, call 454-5335, or go to www.amerks.com.

This article appears in Oct 4-10, 2006.