Amerks Open November Slate With Three-Game Homestand

The Amerks will be reinforced with the additions of forwards Jeff Taffe and Michal Repik; and defenseman Keaton Ellerby after the Florida Panthers assigned the trio to Rochester Sunday afternoon. Repik and Taffe each skated in two games for the Panthers during their recall, with Taffe making his Panthers debut in Florida's 6-5 shootout win over the Dallas Stars on Friday night.

Rochester kicks off its first of three straight at home on Friday, November 6th as the Syracuse Crunch make their second visit in 13 days to The Blue Cross Arena. The 7:05 p.m. contest will be the fourth of 10 scheduled meetings between the longtime rivals 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 Channel 98. Rochester is in search of its ninth straight win, a feat the team last accomplished in a 13-day span from February 13th to February 26th during the 1999-00 season. The Amerks also started that same season winning nine straight from October 1st to October 23rd. The Amerks are 3-0-0-0 this season and have outscored the Crunch 10-3 through the previous three encounters. The I-90 rivalry was renewed last weekend when the two teams combined for 171 penalty minutes as part of a home-and-home series between the two teams. Rochester is 85-75-15 all-time against the Columbus Blue Jackets' affiliate.

The Amerks remain home the following night as they take on the Toronto Marlies in a 7:05 p.m. North Division showdown. Powerhouse vocalist and songwriter Lou Gramm will sing the U.S. and Canadian National anthems. He will also sign autographs during the first intermission. The matchup will be third of eight this season between the divisional foes and can be heard live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK and FM 107.3, Rochester's Sports Talk. Fans can also tune in to watch the game live on Time Warner Cable SportsNet Channel 26. Rochester is 2-0-0-0 this season and have outscored the Marlies 9-5, despite owning a14-21-1 lifetime record against Toronto.

The games mark the return of Amerks' Scoro! During the second intermission on both nights, contestants will have the opportunity to win prize packages from Harro East, Time Warner, Conolly Printing, The Original Charbroil House, Finger Lakes Gaming and Racetrack and World Gym.

Rochester (9-1-1-0, 19 points) enters the week currently first overall in the AHL with a one-point lead over the Hamilton Bulldogs and Manitoba Moose. The Amerks are in the midst of an eight-game winning streak, which include five straight at home, after posting a 4-2 win over the Binghamton Senators Friday night at Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena.

The win also extended Rochester's road winning streak to four games. Forwards Jamie Johnson (2+0), Victor Oreskovich (1+1) and Chris Taylor (1+1) each chipped in with two points apiece as rookie goaltender Alexander Salak earned his sixth win with a season-high 38 saves, helping Rochester to its longest winning streak since an eight-game run from January 25th to February 8th, 2005. The last time the Amerks started the season with nine wins and 19 points was during the 2006-07 campaign. Rochester earned seven consecutive wins to kickoff the season and were victorious in 14 of the first 15 games.

The Amerks, who are tied for second in the AHL with four shorthanded goals, have outscored their opponents 29-13 in the last eight games and have allowed the second fewest amount of goals in their division with 24.

Repik and Taylor currently share the team lead with 11 points apiece, each averaging over a point per game. Repik has registered nine points (5+4) in his last seven appearances. His team-high six goals tie him for fourth in the league, while he also currently ranks tied for seventh in overall points in the AHL. Teammate David Brine is tied for fifth in the league with five goals, two of which have been shorthanded.

Taylor, presently riding a five-game point streak, (1+6) earned his team-leading ninth assist in the win over Binghamton to move within three assists of surpassing Dick Gamble into the No.4 spot on the franchise's all-time list. Additionally, Taylor sits just five goals away from moving ahead of Craig Charron for 15th on the all-time list. The power play extraordinaire has accumulated four of his nine helpers on the man advantage, tying him with fellow special teams line mate Clay Wilson for fourth best in the league in that very category.

Despite presently being on recall with the Florida Panthers, third-year forward Kenndal McArdle remains first on the team and tied for eighth in the league with 54 penalty minutes. Tough-guy colleague Jimmy Bonneau is a close second with 49. Bonneau, who presently ranks tied for 12th in the AHL in PIM, has dropped the gloves seven times in his last five games Wilson and defenseman Jason Garrison each have two goals and four assists for six points in the fight for Rochester's top scoring defenseman. The duo is currently tied for eighth in scoring among league blueliners.

Salak, who was named the AHL's Reebok/AHL Goaltender of the Month for October today, shows a flawless 6-0-0 record with 198 saves in just seven games. His 1.66 goals-against average and.947 save percentage are currently sixth among league netminders, respectively, while his six wins tie him for the league best. Salak has started the last four games for Rochester, posting a perfect 4-0-0 record with 126 saves and just five goals against. In just seven games, Salak has only allowed 11 goals.

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