News

The Rochester Junior Americans Elite and Empire teams have both clinched the regular season title for the Northern Conference in their respective divisions.

The Elite team currently has 70 points with a 34-4-1-1 record, while the Empire team has 67 points and a record of 33-3-0-1. Both teams are hoping to carry their momentum into the playoffs.

"We have been playing well but our players know they have a lot of hard work ahead of them," said Elite head coach Craig Macdonald. "They are preparing themselves for a tough playoff road that will hopefully lead to a title."

Goaltender Will Massey has lead the way for the Elite team, which has given up a division low 76 goals. Massey leads the Elite Division with a 1.88 goals against average and .931 save percentage. The offense has been a balanced attack, as 11 Junior Americans have scored over 10 goals. Conlan Keenan has found the net 22 times this season and his 56 points are sixth in the division.

The Elite team will host their opening round playoff series on Friday February 28th and Saturday March 1st. If they win their opening series, the will host a second round series on March 8th and 9th. The playoffs conclude at the Beantown Spring Classic in Marlboro, MA from March 12th-15th.

The Empire team has used a balanced offensive and defensive attack to earn their spot at the top of the table. Their 235 goals scored so far this regular season are 46 ahead of any other teams. The defense and goaltending has done their jobs as well, allowing the second fewest goals in the Empire Division. The team has also set a mark for wins in the history of the Rochester Empire program.

Forward Bryan Owen has 65 points on the season, fourth best in the Empire Division. Defenseman Tanner Woodruff leads all Empire Division defenders with 38 points.

The Empire team will participate in a 16 team playoff from March 13th-16th at the Ice Vault Arena in Wayne, NJ.