Amerks head coach on Laval: ‘We believe we're a better hockey team'

Yahoo

19-05-2025

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) – After Friday's win over Laval in Game 2 of the North Division Final, Amerks head coach Michael Leone said, 'We believe we're a better hockey team.'
While Laval had the advantage over the Amerks in the regular season, Leone added he doesn't care what Laval's record is. So before they hit the road to Quebec, the Amerks spoke on why they think they're the better team in the playoff series.
'I think you've got to believe, if you want to win, that you're the better team,' Leone said. 'Just our overall team speed and the way we're relentless on the puck, the way we can skate, I think those are things that have been evident all year. We just can smother teams in a different way, for sure physical, but just the pace that we can play with.'
Captain Mason Jobst said Laval is 'extremely talented,' but still believes that when his team plays within its style, it has a good chance to win.
'I think that we've shown at times that when we play our game and stick to our plan and win battles and what not, that we can dominate at times,' Jobst said.
Josh Dunne also touched on the team's identity playing a large factor into their playoff success. With the recent win, the center is confident in his team's abilities.
'We trust our style of play and our game and our identity, and I think all year we've been saying that when we get to that, we can beat anybody,' Dunne said. 'A lot of our game isn't focused on necessarily what the other team can do or what they have, it's what we can do and how we can play our game.'
When goalie Devon Levi was asked what makes the Amerks the better team, he noted that although Laval finished above them in the division standings, the records don't always determine the outcome of the game.
'The best team doesn't always win, it's the team that plays the best in a given game,' Levi said. 'I think that going out there, we're going to give it our all. We're going to have fun. We'll see who the better team is after this series, and it's exciting to go out there and prove it with the guys to go and compete and fight every day.'
Although Laval is the better team on paper, Levi added that being second to them in the North Division standings only adds motivation for his team to go on the road and win the North Division Final.
The Amerks will look to pull ahead in the series in Game 3 on Wednesday, May 21st at 7 p.m.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.