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Rochester Americans

Game Night: Amerks Host B-Sens At Blue Cross Arena

December 27, 2009 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release


Tonight, the Rochester Americans close out their 2009 home slate as they host the Binghamton Senators at The Blue Cross Arena. The 5:00 p.m. matinee will be the fourth of 10 meetings between the interstate rivals this season and can be heard 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:

The game falls on the next installment of the Amerks' Red Hot Sundays. Fans can take advantage of the Zweigle's Family Four Pack and receive four tickets, four hot dogs and four sodas for just $44.

Taylor Reaches 1,000, Continues to Climb Up All-Time Lists:

After capturing his 1,000th career professional point last weekend against Hershey, veteran forward Chris Taylor continued his ascent up the Amerks' all-time lists this past week, surpassing both Norm "Red" Armstrong and Geordie Robertson into the No.6 spot on the all-time points table. He recently moved ahead of Craig Charron into the No. 14 spot to tie Gordie Clark on the all-time goals list. Having already slid by Dick Gamble into the No.4 spot on the all-time assist list, the 18-year pro now sits just eight goals and nine assists away from moving ahead of Ron Garwasiuk and Gerry Ehman for 13th and third on the all-time lists, respectively. Taylor skated in his 400th career game as an Amerk last night against Hamilton and moved into 10th all-time on the games played list one game ahead of Les Duff's 399-game benchmark. Furthermore, Taylor is just 22 games away from 1,200 professional games and a mere two games away from 500 career AHL contests. He is just two points away from his 400th as an Amerk.

Home is Where the Wins Are... Not So Much the Road:

With a third of the season already in the books, home ice advantage has been beneficial for the Amerks. After earning their first regulation loss of the season at home last weekend, the Amerks are now 12-2-2-0 on home ice. Conversely, eight of Rochester's 10 losses in regulation thus far this season have been away from the friendly confines of The Blue Cross Arena.

Head-to-Head:

The contest is the fourth of 10 between the Amerks and the Baby Sens this season. Rochester is 2-1-0-0 this season and 24-28-5 all-time against the Ottawa Senators' affiliate.

Amerks Notes:

Rochester (21-10-2-0, 44 points) enters the contest currently tied for third in the American Hockley League with the Texas Stars, just three points behind the league-leading Manchester Monarchs and two from the defending Calder Cup champion Hershey Bears. The Amerks, however, have regained the top spot in the North Division after a 4-2 win over the Hamilton Bulldogs last night at The Blue Cross Arena. Jeff Taffe scored a pair of goals and second-year defenseman Keaton Ellerby had a point on each goal en route to a four-point night to help Rochester snap a season-high four-game losing streak.

The Amerks have won 20 of their last 29 games, including 12 of the last 15 at home, and have the league's fourth best winning percentage (.667). The Amerks, who are tied for third in the AHL with six shorthanded goals, have outscored their opponents 96-78 in the last 28 games and have allowed the second fewest number of goals in their division with 94. Additionally, their 108 goals for are also the most in the division. Rochester is second in the AHL with a 20.5 power-play percentage and is 18th with an 81.8 penalty-killing percentage.

Forward Jamie Johnson, in his seventh season of professional hockey, currently paces Rochester's offense with a team-high 13 goals and 30 points and has skated in all 33 games for the Amerks this season. Averaging just under a point per game, Johnson is tied for fifth in the AHL in overall point production after collecting 26 points (13+13) in his last 22 outings, while his 13 goals also tie him for fourth in the league. Taylor, presently on a four-game point streak (2+4), remains at a close second with 29 points (8+21) and continues to be the team's top playmaker with 21 assists. His 20 points and 21 helpers presently rank him tied for sixth and fifth in the league, respectively.

Amerks tough-guy Jimmy Bonneau is first on the team and fifth in the league with a team-high 116 penalty minutes. Defenseman Clay Wilson (3+19), who chipped in a pair of assists last night, stands just eight points ahead of fellow blueliner Jason Garrison (3+11) in the fight for Rochester's top scoring defenseman. The duo is currently ranked tied for third and 10th in scoring among league blueliners, respectively. Wilson is also tied for first in the AHL with 13 power-play assists, while Garrison, despite presently being on recall with the Florida Panthers, still owns the team's best on-ice rating with a plus-11.

First-year goaltender Alexander Salak boasts a league-best 16-4-0 record with 583 saves in 22 games. His 2.33 goals-against average and.927 save percentage are currently 12th and sixth among league netminders, respectively, while his 16 wins are presently a league best. In 22 games, Salak has only allowed 46 goals.

Binghamton Notes:

Binghamton (14-12-3-1, 32 points) comes into the matchup the losers of two in its last three, with its most recent setback coming in a 3-2 loss to the Adirondack Phantoms last night at Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena. Drew Bannister and Erik Condra each tallied a goal for the B-Sens before surrendering three straight unanswered goals to the Phantoms. Former Amerks goaltender Mike Brodeur made 19 saves in the losing effort.

Fifth-year pro Martin St. Pierre pilots Binghamton's offense, leading the team in all offensive categories in goals (12), assists (20) and points (32) through 30 games. His 12 goals tie him for fifth in the AHL, while his 20 assists are sixth. Former Amerk Denis Hamel is second on the team with 27 points, averaging,.87 points per game. With tough-guy forward Jeremy Yablonski serving a 10-game suspension, rookie forward Tim Spencer is first on the team and 13th in the league with 100 penalty minutes.

Brodeur makes his second return to The Blue Cross Arena since calling Rochester his home in 2008-09. The 25-year-old netminder finished his service in the Flower City among the league's elite goaltenders, compiling an 18-13-4 record in 38 games. His 2.45 goals-against average and.921 save percentage were 11th and 7th best, respectively, at the conclusion of the regular season. This season with the Binghamton, the former AHL All-Star is 5-5-1 with a 2.93 goals-against average and a.896 save percentage. He also made his National Hockey League debut recently with the Ottawa Senators, recording a 22-save win against the Minnesota Wild on December 19th.

Next Game:

The Amerks head north of the border on Wednesday, December 30th for a 7:30 p.m. North Division showdown with the Hamilton Bulldogs at Copps Coliseum. Fans can tune in for the live broadcast on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK and FM 107.3, Rochester's Sports Talk.

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