ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The Rochester Amerks are gearing up to host the Laval Rocket on Wednesday in the first game of the North Division finals.

The puck is set to drop at 7:05 p.m. at the Blue Cross Arena. If the Amerks beat Laval in the best-of-five series, they’ll move on to the semifinals in the battle for the AHL Calder Cup. You can get tickets here.

Here’s the schedule for the series:

• Game one: Wednesday, May 14 at 7:05 p.m. at Blue Cross Arena
• Game two: Friday, May 16 at 7:05 p.m. at Blue Cross Arena
• Game three: Wednesday, May 21 at 7 p.m. at Place Bell
• Game four: Friday, May 23 at 7 p.m. at Place Bell
• Game five: Sunday, May 25 at 4:30 p.m. at Place Bell

News10NBC’s Ian Mills got a look last week at how the players are resting after beating the Syracuse Crunch. Head Coach Michael Leone shared his enthusiasm for watching the NHL playoffs. “I just love it, I think it’s the best,” Leone said.

Goalie Devon Levi said, “We’re going to see The Accountant 2 tomorrow. So I’m watching the first one today so I could go to the movie night tomorrow.”

Not everyone received the invite, though. “Oh, I never heard about it,” center Jiri Kulich joked.

Some players are taking advantage of the break to enjoy outdoor activities. “Play some golf maybe,” Isak Rosen said.

Others are spending time with family. “I have a wife and baby here, so it’s easier for me than a lot of guys. They go home and play video games and talk about hockey or watch hockey all day,” Kale Clague said.

Kulich added, “No, no video games anymore.”

Whatever each Amerk is doing, or not doing, during this break, they’re trying to find a balance of rest and focus.

Kulich emphasized the importance of focusing on the upcoming series against Laval. “No one cares about the first series, that’s in the past. And now we have to focus on Laval. Can’t wait,” Kulich said.

It almost can’t come fast enough. Captain Mason Jobst expressed confidence in the team’s readiness. “I feel like after that first period of game one, you’re back in the flow of things,” Jobst said.

Those Americans are going to be thinking a lot more about what they’ve done on the ice. Not just for the last two weeks, but for the last nine months.

Leone said, “I think it’s how you handle it and how you approach it with the team. We haven’t talked about it one bit like it would. It’s never discussed. It’s it is what it is. You just got to go out there and play. You got practice time to get better.”

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