AHL Rochester Americans

Amerks Look To Rebound In Grand Rapids Saturday Night

Published on November 13, 2009 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release


(Rochester, NY)... The Rochester Americans close out their three-game in five-night stretch this weekend as they travel north to take on the Grand Rapids Griffins on Saturday, November 14th at Van Andel Arena. The 7:00 p.m. contest will be the first of six meetings this season between the North Division rivals and will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK and FM 107.3, Rochester's Sports Talk. Rochester was 1-4-0-1 a year ago in the season series with the Griffins and own a 17-20-3 lifetime against record against the Detroit Red Wings' affiliate.

Joining the team in Michigan this weekend will be defenseman Matt Duffy. The 23-year-old was assigned to the Florida Everblades of the ECHL after skating in Rochester's home-opener on October 3rd. A native of Windham, Maine, Duffy has registered one assist and 18 penalty minutes in 10 games this season with the Everblades. Originally the Florida Panthers' fourth-round selection (104th overall) in the 2005 National Hockey League Entry Draft, the 6-foot-2, 201-pound blueliner signed a two-way AHL deal with the Amerks on August 24, 2009.

Rochester (12-2-1-0, 25 points) enters the contest currently first overall in the American Hockey League standings with a two-point lead over the Texas Stars and a three-point cushion over the Manchester Monarchs. Last night, the Amerks, in the midst of an 11-game winning streak, were denied their record-setting 12th consecutive win in a 6-3 loss to the Portland Pirates at HSBC Arena. The game was the first meeting between the two teams in a decade since the 1999-00 season. In addition to ending the team's 11-game winning streak, the loss snapped a four-game road winning streak and was Rochester's first since falling to the Albany River Rats on October 10th. The last time the Amerks started the season with 12 wins and 25 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.

Forward Jamie Johnson led the way offensively for the Amerks with a three-point performance (1+2), while Jeff Taffe (1+1) and Mike York (2+0) each chipped in with two points each. Rookie goaltender Alexander Salak made 10 saves before being relieved by Chris Beckford-Tseu in his first loss of the campaign.

The Amerks, who are tied for third in the AHL with four shorthanded goals, have outscored their opponents 44-24 in the last 11 games and have allowed the second fewest amount of goals in their division with 35. Rochester currently ranks third in the AHL with a 23.1 power play percentage and fifth with a 89.3 penalty killing percentage.

Fourth-year forward David Brine leads the club with a team-high seven goals, two of which have been shorthanded. He currently ranks tied for fourth in the league in that category, while his nine points overall put him in a three-way tie for seventh overall on the team.

Veteran forward Chris Taylor, who netted his fifth goal of the season last night, continues to pace Rochester's offense with a team-high 15 points, while his 10 helpers are equal to that of York. Taylor, who has 14 points (5+9) in his last 10 outings, is on pace averaging a point per game and is tied for seventh in the league in overall point production.

The 18-year pro sits just two assists away of surpassing Dick Gamble into the No.4 spot on the franchise's all-time list. Additionally, Taylor sits just two goals and eight points away from moving ahead of Craig Charron and Norm "Red' Armstrong for 15th and seventh on the all-time list, respectively. He needs just nine games to leapfrog the 390-game benchmark set by Amerk legend Don Cherry. The power play extraordinaire has accumulated four of his 10 helpers on the man advantage, tying him with fellow special teams line mate Jason Garrison for fourth best in the league in that very category. York is the team frontrunner in the power play assists table with six, while his three goals on the man advantage also tie him for fourth in the AHL.

Amerks tough-guy Jimmy Bonneau is first on the team and 10th in the league with a team-high 59 penalty minutes after dropping the gloves nine times in his last nine games. Garrison kept his point streak intact last night, picking up his fifth point in as many games to move ahead of fellow blueliner Clay Wilson in the fight for Rochester's top scoring defenseman. The duo is currently tied for sixth and seventh in scoring among league blueliners, respectively.

Salak, who was named the AHL's Reebok/AHL Rookie of the Month for October, shows a 9-1-0 record with 296 saves in just 11 games. His 1.95 goals-against average and.937 save percentage are currently seventh and fifth among league netminders, respectively, while his nine wins are presently a league best. Additionally, despite tabbing his first loss of the season against Portland last night, the Rochester netminder still holds the best record in the AHL among active goaltenders. Salak has started the last eight games for Rochester, posting a 7-1-0 record in that time with 224 saves and just 14 goals against. In 11 games, Salak has only allowed 20 goals.

Before welcoming the Amerks on Saturday night, Grand Rapids (9-4-0-0, 18 points) hosts Milwaukee tonight at Van Andel Arena. The Griffins are currently in the middle of their second homestand of the season after completing a five-game road swing to kickoff the campaign. The Griffins, who have played seven of their last eight on home ice, enter tonight's matchup against Milwaukee on an eight-game winning streak, which includes seven at home. The Griffins have outscored their opponents 35-19 in the stretch. In its most recent action, Grand Rapids earned back-to-back wins over the Lake Erie Monsters to take the two-game sweep as part of a home-and-home series between the two teams.

Fifth-year pro Kris Newbury pilots the Griffins offense with a team-best eight assists and 11 points, while his 58 minutes in penalties are also a team-high. Jeremy Williams, a teammate of Newbury for four years in Toronto, is first on the team and tied for third in the league with eight goals. Four of his eight tallies this season have come on power play, which tie him for fourth in the league, while Newbury has accounted for five of his eight helpers on the man advantage. First-year goaltender and Cambria, New York, native Thomas McCollum has seen the majority of time between the pipes this season in Grand Rapids. The 19-year-old netminder boasts a 4-2-0 record with a 3.07 goals-against average and a.883 save percentage in seven appearances.

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American Hockey League Stories from November 13, 2009


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