The River Rats won two-of-three games last week to move into sole possession of second place in the East Division. Albany dropped a 2-0 decision on Wednesday against the Binghamton Senators. Forward Cody Bass broke a scoreless-tie in the second period and Martin St. Pierre added an empty-netter in the closing seconds while goalie Mike Brodeur made 25 saves to hand the River Rats their first shutout loss. Albany allowed three first period goals the following night against Lowell, but rallied for a 5-4 overtime win. The River Rats connected for a pair each in the second and third periods to force overtime. Albany was awarded a 4-on-3 power play just 23 second into the sudden-death extra-session and defenseman Jamie McBain came through at 1:02 to halt the club's winless streak at four games. The River Rats hosted Game Three of the Time Warner Cable Cup on Saturday and skated away with a 3-1 victory to notch their second-straight win. Albany trailed 1-0 after the first period, but Bryan Rodney tied it up in the second period and Jay Harrison and Jerome Samson added a pair of tallies in the third period for the final score and a 3-0 lead in the 12-game season-series.Week 7 Preview:
The River Rats face three East Division opponents this week, starting with the Syracuse Crunch on Wednesday, November 11 at 7:00 p.m. in Syracuse. The team returns to the Times Union Center for a pair of weekend games on Friday, November 13th against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at 7:00 p.m and against Norfolk Admirals on Saturday, November 14th at 7:00 p.m.
Syracuse sits at the bottom of a tightly-packed East Division, just four points behind the second place River Rats. The Crunch have won one of their lasts six contests, but have earned points in three of those with a pair of overtime losses. Syracuse has been out-scored 15-4 in its last three games. Wednesday night will be the first of eight meetings this season between Albany and the Crunch, with the next match-up set for November 18th at the Times Union Center. The River Rats went 3-4-0-1 against Syracuse during the 2008-09 season.
The Penguins head into this week in a two-way tie with Norfolk for third place in the East after going 1-1 last weekend. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's winless streak reached four games Friday when they lost 2-1 to the Admirals on the road, but the team rebounded Saturday in Worcester with a pair of first period goals from Ben Lovejoy and Mark Letestu, which combined with a 30-save performance from goalie John Curry, led to a 2-1 win. Friday will be the first of an eight-game season-series between the River Rats and the Penguins, with the next contest set for December 6th in Albany.
Norfolk won both of its games last week to extend its winning streak to four games. The Admirals pulled out a 2-1 victory over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Friday and than unloaded six-straight goals on Saturday for a 6-1 rout in Syracuse. Saturday will be the second game of an eight-game season-series between Albany and the Admirals. The River Rats won the first game 3-1 on October 14th at the Times Union Center. Brandon Bochenski put Norfolk on the board first, but Albany responded with three goals in the second and third periods from Steven Goertzen, Stefan Chaput and Jerome Samson. The clubs next square-off in Norfolk on November 27-28.
Week 7 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)
Wednesday, November 11th - 7:00 pm - Onondaga County War Memorial at Oncenter - Syracuse, NY
vs. Syracuse Crunch (4-6-2-1, 11 pts)
Seventh Place, East Division
- Leading Scorer: Alexandre Picard (LW) - 10 points (5 goals, 5 assists) in 12 GP.
- Leading Goaltender: Dan LaCosta (G) - 3.62 GAA, .900 save pct., 3-5-1 in 9 GP.
- Who's Hot: Dan Fritchse (RW) - two points (1 goal, 1 assist) and a plus-3 rating in his last two games. Alexandre Picard (LW) - 2 points (1 goal, 1 assists) and a plus-1 rating in his last three match-ups.
Friday, November 13th - 7:00 pm - Times Union Center - Albany, NY
vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (6-4-1-1, 14 pts)
Tied-Third Place, East Division
- Leading Scorer: Dustin Jeffrey (C) - 10 points (1 goal, 9 assists) in 12 GP.
- Leading Goaltender: John Curry (G) - 2.07 GAA, .930 save pct., 6-3-1 in 10 GP.
- Who's Hot: Dustin Jeffrey (RW) - four points (1 goal, 3 assist) and a plus-4 rating in his last four games. John Curry (G) - has allowed four goals in his last four games. Ben Lovejoy (D) - two points (1 goal, 1 assist) in his last three games.
Saturday, November 14th - 7:00 pm - Times Union Center - Albany, NY
vs. Norfolk Admirals (7-6-0-0, 14 pts)
Tied-Third Place, East Division
- Leading Scorer: Brandon Bochenski (RW) - 12 points (8 goals, 4 assists) in 13 GP.
- Leading Goaltender: Dustin Tokarski (G) - 2.39 GAA, .913 save pct., 5-3-0 in 8 GP.
- Who's Hot: Blair Jones (C) - 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists) and a plus-3 rating in his last game. Brandon Bochenski (RW) - 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists) and a plus-3 rating in his last game. Paul Szczechura (C) - 5 points (3 goals, 2 assists) and a plus-2 rating in his last 4 GP.
River Rats Week 6 Game Results:
November 4, 2009 Binghamton 2 @ Albany 0
November 6, 2009 Lowell 4 @ Albany 5 (W/OT)
November 7, 2009 Adirondack 1 @ Albany 3
River Rats Player of the Week: (Week 6)
Stefan Chaput - RW - #15
Day Opponent G A Pts. Notable
Wed. vs. Binghamton 0 0 0
Fri. vs. Springfield 0 1 1
Sat at. Hershey 0 3 3 Assisted on all three River Rats goals
Totals 0 4 4 Four helpers, plus-2 rating in two come-back wins
Stefan Chaput recorded a team-best four points (0-4-4) in three games last week to earn River Rats Player of The Week honors. The rookie began his assist streak on Friday with a helper in Albany's 5-4 come-from-behind overtime win against Lowell. Chaput then recorded assists on all three River Rats goals and showed a plus-3 rating on Saturday in the 3-1 home win over Adirondack. The 21 year-old forward is tied for third place in the team scoring race with nine (2-7-9) points through 14 games this season.
Rat Bites:
- COMEBACK KIDS - The River Rats halted a four-game winless-streak this weekend with a pair of come-from-behind victories over the Lowell Devils and the Adirondack Phantoms last weekend. The pair of victories marked just the second and third time this year that Albany has won a game in which it failed to score the first goal. Friday night's win over Lowell was the first time this season that the River Rats won a game in which they trailed heading into the third period.
- ASSISTANTS HEALTHY - Assistant Captain Mike Angelidis returned to action this weekend and helped Albany to a 2-0 record after missing 11 games with an upper-body injury. Brett Carson, who also wears an "A" for the River Rats, recently had a cast removed from his wrist and is expected to return to the ice this week.
- BATTLE FOR THE CUP - Albany took a 3-0 lead in the 12-game Time Warner Cable Cup series against Adirondack with a 3-1 victory on Saturday. Despite the lopsided results, the rivalry-series has produced very competitive contests, as all three games were decided in the third period or later. The next Time Warner Cable Cup Game will be played in Glens Falls on Saturday December 5, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. Fans can win great prizes by logging onto timewarnercablecup.twalbany.com, or can receive ticket discounts by showing their Time Warner Cable bill at the Times Union Center and one luck area organization will win a donation as part of the new series.
- SHUTOUT DRAUGHT - River Rats goalie Justin Peters allowed just one goal in each of his two starts last week, lowering his goals against average to 2.19 on the season. Peters has held opponents to one goal four times in his 10 starts and ranks 13th among American Hockey League netminders during the 2009-10 campaign,
River Rats Recent Transactions
November 8 ADD - Zach Boychuk (C) - Returned to loan by Carolina (NHL)
November 5 DELETE - Zach Boychuk (C) - Recalled from loan by Carolina (NHL)
November 3 ADD - Jay Harrison (D) -Loaned from Carolina (NHL)
DELETE - Jacob Micflikier (LW) - Returned to Loan with Florida (ECHL)
Promotional Information
In observance of Veteran's Day, the River Rats will offer complimentary tickets for all veterans and active military personnel to their two home games this weekend. Current and former Troops can choose between two great East Division match-ups, as Albany hosts the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Friday November 13th and then welcome the Norfolk Admirlas on Saturday, November 14th, both at 7:00 p.m. Veterans and Active Military Personnel should bring their military ID, American Legion or VFW Card, or a copy of the DD214 form to the River Rats office during regular business hours or to the Times Union Center Box office prior to each game. There is a limit of one ticket per veteran.
United Way of the Capital Region is the presenting sponsor of Friday night's 7:00 p.m. game, which has been dubbed "Vampire Appreciation Night" as lucky fans will win movie passes to the highly-anticipated second installment of the Twilight saga, "New Moon," coming to theaters November 20th. The 7:00 p.m. game between the River Rats and the Penguins will also feature the popular Aramark Dollar Dogs promotion, where all fans can get $1.00 hot dogs and small sodas at select Times Union Center concession stands. The Battle of the Bands series, presented by Success Recordings, will also continue Friday night, as local bands "Idette & the Sun Runners" and "The Juice Junkees" battle for the right to move on to the second round. Fan and judge's votes will have an equal say in which band advances.
Saturday evening the American Red Cross of Northeastern New York and the River Rats have teamed-up for a special "Mystery Puck" fundraiser as Albany hosts Norfolk at 7:00 p.m. Every River Rat player signed a limited number of special-edition pucks, which have been gift-rapped to cover the autograph from view. The "Mystery Pucks" will be sold on the concourse throughout the night for $10.00 a piece, with all of the proceeds benefiting the American Red Cross of Northeastern NY. Fans will also have the ability to win additional surprises as select "Mystery" pucks will also have prizes including team autographed merchandise, tickets to Disney On Ice, Kicker Arenacross and much more.
Albany River Rats Team Leaders:
Games Played: 11 Players Tied (14)
Goals: Jerome Samson (5), Pat Dwyer (5)
Assists: Jerome Samson (10)
Points: Jerome Samson (15)
Plus/Minus: Jay Harrison (+5)
Penalty Minutes: Zach FitzGerald (52)
Power Play Goals: Drayson Bowman, Zach Boychuk (2)
Short Handed Goals: Pat Dwyer (2)
Game-Winning Goals: Jerome Samson (2)
Shots: Jerome Samson (64)
Shooting Percentage: Nick Dodge (0.168%)
Saves: Justin Peters (270)
Wins: Justin Peters (5)
GAA: Justin Peters (2.19)
Save Percentage: Justin Peters (0.925)
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River Rats 2009-10 season and flex ticket packages are now on sale at the River Rats executive offices at the Times Union Center, by calling (518) 487-2244 or by logging onto www.albanyriverrats.com.
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