AHL Rochester Americans

Amerks Take On Crunch Tonight At The Blue Cross Arena

Published on October 12, 2009 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release


Tonight, the Rochester Americans host the Syracuse Crunch at The Blue Cross Arena. The 7:05 p.m. North Division contest is the first of 10 scheduled meetings between the longtime regional rivals this season and will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK and FM 107.3, Rochester's Sports Talk. The game will also be televised live on Time Warner Cable SportsNet Channel 26.

Head-to-Head: This is the first of three matchups between Rochester and Syracuse in the next two weeks. The two teams faced each other twice in the preseason, with one win going to each team. Rochester posted a 4-8-0 record a year ago in the season series against Syracuse, which included a 4-2-0 record at home. The Amerks are 82-75-15 all-time against the Columbus Blue Jacket's affiliate.

Amerks Notes: Rochester (1-1-1-0, three points) enters the contest tied for third in the North Division after earning three points to start the 2009-10 season, before falling to the Albany River Rats Saturday night at the Times Union Center. Just one night after making five saves in his National Hockey League debut with the Florida Panthers, rookie goaltender Alexander Salak posted 12 saves in his American Hockey League debut Saturday night with the Amerks. Both appearances were in relief duty. Salak is expected to make his first start in goal tonight for Rochester.

In order to accommodate the arrival of Salak, the Florida Panthers reassigned goaltender Chris Beckford-Tseu to the Florida Everblades of the ECHL. The Toronto, Ontario, native appeared in two preseason games with the Amerks. He finished the 2008-09 season with a 3-14-1 record along with a 3.94 goals-against average and a .868 save percentage in 22 games with the Amerks.

The Panthers also returned defenseman Jason Garrison to the Amerks after skating in Florida's home-opening 3-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils. The brief NHL promotion was the second of his career and the first of this season.

The Amerks earned their first win of the season with a 5-2 victory over the Lake Erie Monsters Friday night on home ice. Veteran newcomer Jeff Taffe led the way with a three-point (1+2) performance in his Amerks debut. Mike York potted a pair of goals and second-year forward Michal Repik collected two points (1+1) as the duo each finished the game with a plus-two on-ice rating. Third-year netminder Tyler Plante was solid in goal for the Amerks, making 34 saves, including 14 in the first period, in his second consecutive start between the pipes. Plante has started in net the first three games of the season and boasts a 3.19 goals-against average and a .899 save percentage coming into tonight's contest.

York and Taffe currently share the team lead with three points each, with Taffe averaging 1.5 points per game thus far. York also shares the goal lead with Kenndal McArdle, each with two apiece. Clay Wilson sits as Rochester's top scoring defenseman with two points (1+1). Former two-time Calder Cup winner Graham Mink currently paces Rochester with 11 penalty minutes through the first three games of the young season, while McArdle is at a close second with 10.

Syracuse Notes: Syracuse (1-2-0-0, two points) comes into the matchup after earning its first win of the season, 6-1 over the Adirondack Phantoms. Six different goal-scorers found the back of the net to give the Crunch their first win on home ice. The win snapped a two-game skid for the Crunch, who dropped contests to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Binghamton to begin the season. Fifth-year pro Pascal Pelletier presently leads the Crunch in all offensive categories in goals (two), assists (four) and points (six). His four assists tie for him third in the AHL. Forward Kevin Harvey is first on the team and fourth in the league with 28 penalty minutes. Goaltender Kevin LaLande has seen the majority of time in net thus far, sporting a 2.52 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage. The Crunch currently sit tied for third in the AHL's East Division after making the jump to the Eastern Conference this season.

Next Game: The Amerks will face the Toronto Marlies on Friday, October 16th at 7:05 p.m. at The Blue Cross Arena. The contest will be the first leg of a home-and-home series between the two teams. The second game will be in Toronto on Saturday, October 17th. The Friday night matchup will be carried live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK and FM 107.3, Rochester's Sports Talk. The game will also be televised live on Time Warner Cable SportsNet Channel 26.

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American Hockey League Stories from October 12, 2009


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