AHL Rochester Americans

Amerks Close Out January with Two-Game Road set in Grand Rapids

Published on January 26, 2009 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release


(Rochester, NY)... On the heels of a winless three-game in three-night stretch prior to the 2009 American Hockey League All-Star break, the Rochester Americans will finish out their January slate on the road for a two-game weekend set with the Grand Rapids Griffins.

Rochester travels to Van Andel Arena for Games three and four of six this season with its North Division rivals on Friday, January 30th and Saturday, January 31st. Both games are slated for a 7:00 p.m. start and will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK, whtk.com and AHL Live. The Amerks dropped both previous contests between the two teams earlier this season, with the most recent coming in a 6-0 loss back on December 21st at The Blue Cross Arena. Rochester is 0-2-0-0 on the season and is 16-18-2 all-time against the Detroit Red Wings' affiliate.

Rochester (15-26-0-4, 34 points) enters the week currently riding a three-game skid after collecting one out of a possible six points this past weekend. The Amerks began the stretch with a loss to the Syracuse Crunch, coming up empty-handed in a 4-0 setback to their longtime rivals Thursday night and followed that up with a 3-2 shootout loss to the first place Manitoba Moose Friday night. The Amerks completed the weekend falling short in a 3-0 whitewash to the Albany River Rats Saturday evening, Rochester's second shutout in three nights, to fall to 10-6-0-2 in their last 18 games before heading into the All-Star break.

Veteran forward Janis Sprukts, who has 12 points (5+7) in his last nine outings, currently paces Rochester's offense with a team-high 12 goals and 28 points. Rookie defenseman Jason Garrison has a team-best 19 assists and continues to remain Rochester's top scoring defenseman with 22 points overall, good enough for second on the team. Further, his 22 points presently ranks him 19th among AHL blueliners.

First-year forward Michael Duco is first on the team with 107 penalty minutes (PIM), with Tanner Glass a close second at 96 PIM. Goaltender Mike Brodeur, who has started 19 of the last 22 games for Rochester, boasts a 12-5-2 record in 19 games for the Amerks. His 2.16 goals-against average and .930 save percentage presently rank him second among AHL netminders in both goaltending categories, respectively. Further, his two shutouts tie him for fourth in the league.

The 2009 AHL All-Star Classic continues tonight as Brodeur and the Canadian All-Stars take on Amerks captain Rory Fitzpatrick and members of the PlanetUSA All-Stars in the AHL All-Star Game at the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass.

The PlanetUSA AHL All-Stars opened the festivities presented by Charter Communications with an 18-12 victory over their Canadian counterparts in the AHL All-Star Skills Competition Sunday evening. Coverage from Worcester begins at 7:00 p.m. ET on TSN in Canada, a series of regional networks in the United States and on in the internet at AHL Live (www.ahllive.com). The game can also be heard live on the NHL Home Ice channel on Sirius XM Radio and XM Canada.

The Amerks return home on Wednesday, February 4th as the Rockford IceHogs make their only visit of the season to The Blue Cross Arena. The Amerks are 1-1-0 against the Chicago Blackhawks' affiliate. The 7:05 p.m. contest will be carried live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK, whtk.com and AHL Live.

The game falls on a clevermethod Business Persons' Special, where fans can turn in their business cards at The Blue Cross Arena Box Office and receive any 100-premium seat for just $10. Offer is valid for all Amerks home games Monday through Thursday. Contact the Amerks Office at (585) 454-5335 for more information.

It's also Buy One, Get One Half-off night, where fans can purchase a ticket and get another for half the price in any seating section for any Sunday through Thursday game. Tickets can be purchased online through Ticketmaster.com.

Further, it's a RARES Discount Night. The RARES discount is valid for all RARES members by logging onto www.rares.org to review their discounts. For more information, call Nathan Snyder at 454-5335 x-3006.

Lastly, it also marks the next Military Discount Night, in which active military and veterans can present a Military ID or an American Legion or VFW membership card and receive premium seating for just $10 or 200 End seats for $5, a savings of $12.25 per ticket. All tickets can be purchased directly at the Box Office window at The Blue Cross Arena.

AMERKS WEEKLY SCHEDULE

DAY TIME LOCATION

Monday, January 26th AHL All-Star Break ----

6:30 p.m. radio show Winton Road Distillery

Tuesday, January 27th AHL All-Star Break ----

Wednesday, January 28th AHL All-Star Break ----

Thursday, January 29th Travel Day ----

Friday, January 30th 10:00 a.m. gameday skate Van Andel Arena

7:00 p.m. game @ Grand Rapids Van Andel Arena

Saturday, January 31st 7:00 p.m. game @ Grand Rapids Van Andel Arena

Check out the Rochester Americans Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from January 26, 2009


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