An injury kept forward Brandon Biro out of the Rochester Americans’ charge to last year’s Eastern Conference Finals. He is already making significant contributions to this year’s push.
Returning healthy, Biro had another one of his typically steady performances in the regular season by supplying 43 points (16 goals, 27 assists) in 59 regular-season games for the Amerks and providing reliable two-way play. And last night, with Rochester down 3-0 and 20 minutes away from elimination in Game 4 against Syracuse, Biro’s goal 19 seconds into the third period sparked a season-saving comeback. He later assisted on Joseph Cecconi’s goal at the 10:20 mark, then delivered again with his second goal with 5:12 to go in regulation, tying the game.
Brett Murray swatted in a loose puck at 11:46 of overtime for a 4-3 Amerks victory, setting up a winner-take-all showdown Friday in Rochester.
“You work all year for moments like that,” Biro told reporters after the win. “You’re not out of it until zeroes hit the clock.”
The Texas Stars know how difficult it will be to close out the Milwaukee Admirals. Last year, the roles were reversed.
Facing elimination in Game 4 of their division final series in 2023, the Stars trailed by two goals early but came back to scratch out a win in double overtime, pushing the series to the limit. The Admirals eventually prevailed in Game 5, but enough players on both sides remain to know how hard a team can fight when up against postseason elimination.
This time, it’s the Stars with a chance to end the series after capturing the first two games of their Central Division semifinal series on Cedar Park ice. But the rest of the series will be played in Milwaukee, beginning with Game 3 on Wednesday.
“They’re a good hockey club,” Stars head coach Neil Graham told reporters after last night’s 4-1 win in Game 2. “They won the division for a reason. It’s important that we keep our foot on the gas.
“We’ll take a moment here, and then we’ll get back to work and start getting ready for Game 3.”
― with files from Patrick Williams