Tonight, the Rochester Americans put their nine-game winning streak on the line as they host the Toronto Marlies at The Blue Cross Arena. The 7:05 p.m. North Division showdown will be the second of a three-game homestand for the Amerks and the third of eight scheduled meetings between the two teams this season. The matchup 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.Promotions: Powerhouse vocalist and songwriter Lou Gramm will sing the U.S. and Canadian National anthems. He will also sign autographs during the first intermission.
Help Arrives: In an effort to strengthen a depleted Amerks lineup, Rochester signed forward Ernie Hartlieb to a 25-game professional tryout today. A native of Warren, Michigan, the 30-year-old has left winger has scored three goals and two assists for five points in 11 games this season with Florida Everblades of the ECHL. A member of the Everblades since the 2004-05 season, the 6-foot-2, 210-pound forward has tallied 59 points (24+35) in 131 career American Hockey League games with Worcester (IceCats), Lowell (Lock Monsters) and Grand Rapids.
Head-to-Head: Rochester is 2-0-0-0 this season and have outscored the Marlies 9-5, despite owning a14-21-1 lifetime record against the Toronto Maple Leafs' affiliate. The Amerks picked up back-to-back wins over the Marlies, including a 4-3 OT win, as part of a home-and-home series between the two teams back on October 16th and 17th.
Looking For 10...and more: The Amerks are in search of their 10th consecutive win, which will put them one win shy of tying the franchise's all-time longest winning streak off 11 games set in a 35-day span from April 14th to May 19th during the 1995-96 campaign. Later that season, Rochester went onto clinch its sixth Calder Cup championship, defeating the Portland Pirates 2-1 in Game 7 of the playoff finals.
Amerks Notes: Rochester (10-1-1-0, 21 points) enters the contest currently atop the AHL standings with a one-point lead over the Manchester Monarchs and a two-point cushion over the Abbotsford Heat. The Amerks are in the midst of a nine-game winning streak, which includes six straight at home, after posting a 4-3 overtime win over the Syracuse Crunch last night at The Blue Cross Arena.
Veteran forward Chris Taylor netted the game-winner on the power play with just over a minute left in the extra frame to keep Rochester's winning streak intact. Forwards Michael Duco, Mike York and Graham Mink each contributed single goals as rookie goaltender Alexander Salak earned his seventh win with 26 saves. The last time the Amerks started the season with 10 wins and 21 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 33-16 in the last eight games and have allowed the second fewest amount of goals in their division with 27.
Taylor's two-point performance last night against Syracuse propelled him into the team lead with a team-high 10 assists and 13 points. Taylor, currently riding a six-game point streak (2+7), is on pace averaging two points per game and is tied for sixth in the league in overall point production. The 18-year pro picked up another assist last night, his seventh in his last six games, to move within just two assists of surpassing Dick Gamble into the No.4 spot on the franchise's all-time list.
Additionally, Taylor sits just four goals and 10 points away from moving ahead of Craig Charron and Norm "Red' Armstrong for 15th and seventh on the all-time list, respectively. The power play extraordinaire has accumulated four of his 10 helpers on the man advantage, tying him with fellow special teams line mate Mike York for fourth best in the league in that very category. Defenseman Clay Wilson sits tied for third in the power play assists table after picking up his fifth last night.
Despite currently being on recall with the Florida Panthers, second-year forward Michal Repik paces Rochester's offense with a team-best six goals. He 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 eighth with 11 overall points in the AHL, good enough for second on the team. Teammate David Brine is tied for fifth in the league with five goals, two of which have been shorthanded.
Amerks tough-guy Jimmy Bonneau currently sits tied for first with Kenndal McArdle with a team-high 54 penalty minutes after dropping the gloves for the eighth time in his last six games. Bonneau, who presently ranks tied for 10th in the AHL in penalty minutes, went toe-to-toe with Syracuse's Jon Mirasty last night for the fifth time in the last three meetings between Syracuse and Rochester. Wilson and defenseman Jason Garrison each have two goals and five assists for seven 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 Rookie of the Month for October, shows a flawless 7-0-0 record with 224 saves in just eight games. His 1.82 goals-against average and .941 save percentage are currently seventh and fifth among league netminders, respectively, while his seven wins tie him for the league best. Salak has started the last five games for Rochester, posting a perfect 5-0-0 record with 152 saves and just eight goals against. In just eight games, Salak has only allowed 14 goals.
Further, York enters the matchup boasting a four-game point streak. York has picked up one goal and four assists in his last four games to establish his first extended point run this season. Second-year defenseman Keaton Ellerby also has four assists in his last four outings and Jamie Johnson is coming off a three-game goal scoring run.
Toronto Notes: Toronto (6-3-1-1, 14 points), playing Game two of a season-high six-game road swing, comes into the matchup currently on the heels of a three-game winning streak, with its most recent coming in 3-2 win over the Lake Erie Monsters last night at Quicken Loans Arena. Ryan Hamilton, Viktor Stalberg and Christian Hanson each found the back of the net for the Marlies, while James Reimer kicked away 26 of 28 shots to improve to 3-1-0 on the season.
Hanson currently leads the Marlies with a team-high 13 points and currently sits tied for sixth in the AHL. Fourth-year forward Jiri Tlusty leads the team with six goals, as Mike Zigomanis has a team-high plus-seven on-ice rating. Further, Zigomanis' team-best 12 assists tie him for first in the league. Fifth-year pro Brennan Evans is first on the team and ninth in the league with 57 penalty minutes. Goaltender Adam Munro has seen the majority of time between the pipes this season. He boasts a 1-2-0 record with a 2.71 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage in five games. Reimer, however, leads Toronto's goaltending depth chart with three wins, despite only seeing time in four contests. The Marlies currently sit tied for fourth place in the AHL's North Division.
Next Game: The Amerks close out their three-game homestand on Tuesday, November 10th as the Hamilton Bulldogs make their first trip across the border to The Blue Cross Arena this season. The 7:05 matchup will be the first of eight meetings 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.
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