Albany went 0-1-0-1 this weekend to fall back to the .500 mark through 10 games of the 2009-10 season. River Rats rookie Matthew Pistilli and Springfield points leader Chris Minard each scored two goals Friday night, but Minard's first-round shootout marker held-up as the game-winner and the Falcons earned a 4-3 shootout decision at the Times Union Center. River Rats shooters Harrison Reed and Drayson Bowman rang shots off of the post in the first and third rounds of the shootout, respectively. Albany had erased a 2-0 deficit late in the second period, but Minard's second of the night gave the Falcons a 3-2 lead midway through the third. The River Rats drew even with 6:17 to play on Pistilli's second goal of the contest. Albany looked to rebound the following night in a Halloween match-up with Hershey but Francois Bouchard scored a goal and added two assists to lead the Bears to a 4-1 home-ice win. Rats Captain Pat Dwyer opened the scoring with a shorthanded goal midway through the first period but Hershey jumped out to a 3-1 lead on second period goals from Andrew Gordon and Oskar Osala, while Boyd Kane added an empty-netter in the closing minute.Week 6 Preview:
The River Rats will skate in three games at the Times Union Center this week, beginning on Wednesday when they face-off with the Binghamton Senators at 7:00 p.m. The Lowell Devils then visit the Capital District on Friday, November 6th for a 7:00 p.m. start and then the Adirondack Phantoms travel south on Saturday for Game Three of the Time Warner Cable Cup Series at 7:00 p.m.
The B-Sens have lost six of their last seven games after falling to the Rochester Americans in their only game of Week 5. Rochester's Jason Garrison broke a third period tie to give his team a 3-2 lead and former Rat Jamie Johnson added an empty-netter to seal the win. Wednesday will be the first of eight games between Albany and Binghamton this season and the two clubs next meet in Binghamton on Saturday, November 21st at 7:00 p.m. The River Rats were 5-2-1-0 against the Senators in 2008-09.
Lowell earned points in two road games last week, falling 3-2 to Portland in overtime on Friday and then winning 3-2 in overtime against Springfield on Saturday. Center Tim Sestito netted the overtime winner at 2:43 to give the Devils their fifth win of the season and to halt Lowell's three-game winless streak. Albany and the Devils meet just twice this year, with the second and final contest scheduled for Friday, December 18th in Lowell.
Adirondack went 1-1-0-0 last week and is currently tied with Albany for third place in the East Division Standings. The Phantoms traveled to Toronto on Friday, and were shutout 3-0 by Marlies goaltender Joey MacDonald. Adirondack returned to Glens Falls on Sunday and rebounded with a dominant 5-0 win over Syracuse. Johan Backlund earned his first shutout of the season and Jon Matsumoto scored twice to stop Adirondack's two-game skid. The River Rats have won both of their meetings with the Phantoms this season by one goal. Jerome Samson netted the game winner in overtime on October 17th when the team's first met in Glens Falls and Zach Boychuk knotched a third period go-ahead goal for Albany's 3-2 win on October 24th at the Times Union Center. Game four of the TWCC series is set for Saturday, December 5th in Glens Falls.
Week 6 Schedule:
(All games are broadcast LIVE on WROW 590 AM "Newstalk 590," are streamed free over the Internet at www.wrow.com and can be watched via internet pay-per-view video on www.ahllive.com)
Practice Schedule :
Tuesday, November 3rd - 10:00 a.m. at the Times Union Center
Thursday, November 5th - 11:00 a.m. at the Times Union Center
Wednesday, November 4th - 7:00 pm - Times Union Center - Albany, NY
vs. Binghamton Senators (3-5-2-0, 8 pts)
Sixth Place, East Division
- Leading Scorer: Ryan Keller (RW) - 10 points (6 goals, 4 assists) in 10 GP. Martin St. Pierre (C) - 10 points (4 goals, 6 assists) in 10 GP.
- Leading Goaltender: Mike Brodeur (G) - 3.57 GAA, .875 save pct., 2-2-0 in 8 GP.
- Who's Hot: Jesse Winchester (C) - 4 points (2 goals, 2 assist) and a plus-2 rating in his last 3 GP. Zack Smith (C) - 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists) in his last 2 GP. Josh Hennessy (LW) - 5 points (2 goals, 3 assists) in his last 5 GP.
Friday, November 6th - 7:00 pm - Times Union Center - Albany, NY
vs. Lowell Devils (5-4-2-0, 12 pts)
Tied-Fifth Place, Atlantic Division
- Leading Scorer: Matt Taormina (D) - 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists) in 11 GP.
- Leading Goaltender: Mike McKenna (G) - 1.97 GAA, .935 save pct., 4-2-0 in 6 GP.
- Who's Hot: Stephen Gionta (RW) - 3 goals in his last 3 GP. Patrick Davis (RW) - is on a two-game assist-streak. Matt Taormina (D) - has 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists) in his last 4 GP.
Saturday, November 7th - 7:00 pm - Times Union Center - Albany, NY
vs. Adirondack Phantoms (5-4-1-0, 11 pts)
Tied-Third Place, East Division
- Leading Scorer: Jon Matsumoto (C) - 10 points (4 goals, 6 assists) in 10 GP.
- Leading Goaltender: Johan Backlund (G) - 2.32 GAA, .917 save pct., 4-2-0 in 6 GP.
- Who's Hot: Jon Matsumoto (C) - 3 points (2 goals, 1 assist) and a plus-3 rating in his last game. David Laliberte (LW) - 5 points (1 goal, 4 assists) a plus-3 rating in his last 4 GP. Jason Ward (RW) - 2 points (1 goal, 1 assist) and a plus-2 rating in his last game.
River Rats Week 5 Game Results:
October 30, 2009 Springfield 4 @ Albany 3 (SOL)
October 31, 2009 Albany 1 @ Hershey 4
River Rats Player of the Week: (Week 5)
Matthew Pistilli - RW - #14
Day Opponent G A Pts. Notable
Fri. vs. Springfield 2 0 2 Two Goals, including the game-tier to force OT
Sat at. Hershey 0 0 0
Totals 2 0 2 Scored the first two goals of his professional career and registered a plus-2 rating
River Rats rookie Matthew Pistilli scored the first two goals of his professional career in Albany's 4-3 shootout loss to Springfield on Friday. The 21 year-old's first of the night resulted from an impressive individual play, which saw Pistilli block a shot in the River Rats defensive zone, explode down the ice for a breakaway and make a quick move to his backhand for a top-shelf finish. The undrafted forward tied the game late in the third period on a gritty goal, knocking a bouncing puck off of his shin pad and into the goal to force overtime.
River Rats Player of the Month: (October)
Jerome Samson - RW - #17
GP G A Pts. GW
Totals 11 4 8 12 2
Jerome Samson led all River Rats in scoring this month with 12 points and a team-high 8 assists. The third-year forward opened the season with points in five-straight games and he recorded a four-game goal scoring streak between October 9th vs. Portland and Octover 17th at Adirondack. Samson's month also featured two game winning goals and three multi-point nights, the biggest of which came on October 10th vs. Rochester when he totaled four points (1 goal, 3 assists).
River Rats Rookie of the Month: (October)
Zach Boychuk - C - #11
GP G A Pts. GW
Totals 11 4 5 9 1
Zach Boychuk scored nine points (4 goals, 5 assists) in his first month of professional hockey to pace all first-year River Rats and rank second overall on the club. Carolinas 2008 first round draft pick (14th overall) started hot with a four-game points streak (1 goal, 5 assists) to open the season. Boychuk recorded a career-high three-point game (1 goal, 2 assists) on October 9th vs. Portland and scored his first game-winning goal on October 24th vs. Adirondack.
River Rats Goaltender of the Month: (October)
Justin Peters - G - #35
GP GAA SV% W-L-SOL
Totals 8 2.48 .0917 4-3-1
River Rats goaltender Justin Peters allowed two goals or less in five of his eight October starts; he allowed three goals or less in all but one appearance this month. Carolina's 2004 second round draft pick (38th overall) enjoyed a three-game winning streak from October 9th vs. Portland to October 17th at Adirondack, and has yet to lose back-to-back games.
Rat Bites:
- BACK TO EVEN - After jumping out to an impressive 4-1-0-0 start this season, Albany has slipped back to .500 by managing just one win in it's last five games. The River Rats have struggled on the road this season, losing three of four away contests in October.
- DIVISION SUCESS - Albany lost its first divisional game of the season Saturday night in Hershey, making the team 3-1 against East Division opponents. The River Rats are in a third-place tie with Adirondack in the tightly-packed division; their 11 points are just three shy of the first place Hershey Bears.
- EARLY LEAD - Saturday night marked the first time that Albany lost a game in which it scored the first goal. The River Rats have not lost a game in which they've led after the first period.
- DEFENSIVE STAT -Brett Bellemore has two assists this season for Albany, but a better indication of the stay-at-home defensman's play might be his team-leading plus-7 player rating. Only six other River Rats closed-out October with a positive player rating; Matthew Pistilli had the next highest mark at plus-3.
River Rats Recent Transactions
October 24 DELETE - Brandon Sutter (C) - Recalled from Loan by Carolina (NHL)
ADD - Jacob Micflikier (LW) - Recalled from Loan from Florida (ECHL)
Albany River Rats Team Leaders:
Games Played: 12 Players Tied (11)
Goals: Pat Dwyer (5)
Assists: Jerome Samson (8)
Points: Jerome Samson (12)
Plus/Minus: Brett Bellemore (+7)
Penalty Minutes: Zach FitzGerald (41)
Power Play Goals: Drayson Bowman, Zach Boychuk (2)
Short Handed Goals: Pat Dwyer (2)
Game-Winning Goals: Jerome Samson (2)
Shots: Jerome Samson (54)
Shooting Percentage: Jacob Micflikier (0.333%)
Saves: Justin Peters (221)
Wins: Justin Peters (4)
GAA: Justin Peters (2.48)
Save Percentage: Justin Peters (0.917)
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