AHL Rochester Americans

Amerks Host Bears Tonight in 2010-11 Home Opener

Published on October 10, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release


Tonight, the oldest rivalry in the American Hockey League will be renewed as the Rochester Americans host the Hershey Bears in the team's 55th home-opener at The Blue Cross Arena. The two most cornerstone franchises are part of an elite group participating in the historic kickoff to the league's 75th anniversary season. The 5:05 p.m. contest is the first of four scheduled meetings between the longtime rivals this season 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 Time Warner Cable SportsNet Channel 26. As two of the AHL's six senior most cities, both teams will sport their respective time-honored throwback sweaters. Rochester will don the original Stars and Stripes jersey from the 1956-57 Amerks team, one that was later adopted into the mid 1990s and carried over into the new millennium.

Promotions: As part of the festivities for opening night, the Calder Cup will be on display this evening and Native American country star Crystal Shawanda will also be on hand to perform the national anthem. Prior to the game, Shawanda will perform a mini-concert live in the main atrium of The Blue Cross Arena. Everyone in attendance will take home a 2010-11 Amerks magnet schedule, courtesy of M&T Bank. The game also falls on the first installment of the Zweigle's Family Four Pack nights. Fans can purchase four tickets to a game, four hot dogs and four sodas all for one low price of just $52.00.

Head-to-Head: The matchup is the first leg of home-and-home series between the two teams and the first of four get-togethers on the season for the non-divisional opponents. Rochester posted a 1-3-0 record a year ago in the season series against Hershey, which included a 1-1-0 record at home. The Amerks are 182-203-53 all-time against the Washington Capitals' affiliate.

Who's Who: Only a handful of returning players remain in Rochester while several new faces will grace the lineup for the Amerks this season. Led by veteran forward Chris Taylor, and newly acquired 38-year-old Michael Nylander, Rochester's familiar faces include goaltender Tyler Plante, forwards Michael Duco, Michal Repik, Evgeny Dadonov, third-year pro Mike Caruso and 2009-10 AHL All-Star defenseman Clay Wilson. Among the rookies making their professional debuts this season include defensemen Adam Comrie and Colby Robak, in addition to the highly touted netminder Jacob Markstrom, Florida's second-round draft pick from 2008 who makes his transition to the North American game. Other names of interest include veterans Joe Callahan, Triston Grant and a few names from the past in Nathan Paetsch and Andrew Peters.

Home, Sweet Home: The Amerks enter the 2010-11 campaign with a 33-15-6 all-time home-opening record, outscoring their opponent 227-164.

Amerks Notes: Rochester (1-0-0-0, two points) enters the contest after opening up its 2010-11 season with a 4-2 win over the Toronto Marlies Saturday afternoon at Ricoh Coliseum. The win gave new Amerks Head Coach Chuck Weber his first as an AHL bench boss as the Amerks improved to 27-21-7 all-time in regular season openers. The game also marked the first time in over a decade the Amerks opened the season on the road. Four different goal scorers provided the offense for the visiting Amerks, including three from veteran players, as Markstrom made 21 saves on 23 shots in his North American debut. First-year defenseman Colby Robak notched the first two points of his brief pro career, assisting on a pair of goals in his first-ever AHL game. Also picking up their first pro points were forwards Chris Clackson and Scott Timmins, while several others made their debuts in an Amerk uniform. Paetsch skated in his first game back with the Amerks since his last stint in the AHL during the 2005-06 season.

Oh Captain, My Captain: Weber announced Friday the captains for the 2010-11 season, handing out alternate captain duties to Chris Taylor and Joe Callahan. Wilson will also serve as an alternate for home games, while forward Bill Thomas will wear the "A" for all road games. Taylor enters his 19th pro season this fall and ninth with the Amerks after wearing an "A" last year with the club. Callahan, a veteran of over 400 AHL games, gets appointed to the position for the first time in seven-year career. Wilson enters his second season in Rochester and will serve as an Amerks alternate captain for the first time. The defenseman enters his sixth season and is coming off a career-high 60-point season. Thomas rounds out the alternate captains, having split the 2009-10 campaign with the Springfield Falcons (AHL) and Lugano of the Swiss-A league.

Hershey Notes: Hershey (0-0-0-1, one point) comes into the matchup after earning a point in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in its season-opener Saturday night at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. AHL perennial All-Star Keith Aucoin and forward Kyle Greentree each scored a goal and an assist in the loss for the Bears. The two-time defending Calder Cup champs come to town powered by last year's regular season point-getter in 10th-year pro Aucoin. The Waltham, Massachusetts, native posted his best season in 2009-10, capturing career-highs in all offensive categories in goals (35), assists (71), power-play assists (30), game-winning goals (10) and points (106). His 106 points were a league best, in addition to leading the AHL in assists, power-play assists and game-winning tallies before recording 25 points (2+23) in 21 postseason games to lead Hershey to its second straight Calder Cup championship in as many years.

A major loss to the Bears' lineup this season is the departure of forward Alexandre Giroux. Giroux, who spent the last three seasons in Hershey, has accounted for 268 points and 110 goals over the course of just 162 games during that span. He has reached the 50-goal plateau in each of the last two seasons, both resulting in Calder Cup championships for the Bears. Goaltender Braden Holtby returns to his post between the pipes for his second pro season. Holtby finished 2009-10 with a 2.32 goals-against average and a 9.17 save percentage, good enough for fourth and 10th among league netminders, respectively.

Bit of a Homecoming: Hershey's Steve Pinizzotto will have a bit of a homecoming tonight as he and the Bears make their inaugural trip to Rochester this season. Prior to turning pro and joining Hershey at the tail end of the 2006-07 campaign, Pinizzotto played two seasons (2005-07) of collegiate hockey at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). In 54 total games for the Tigers, the Mississauga, Ontario, native scored 20 goals and 37 assists for 57 points. Upon signing with the Washington Capitals before the 2007-08 season, he became the first RIT graduate to sign with an NHL team.

Next Game: The Amerks remain at home on Friday, October 15th as former Amerks coach Randy Cunneyworth leads his Hamilton Bulldogs to the Flower City for the first of 10 meetings between the North Division rivals this season. The 7:35 p.m. contest will mark Cunneyworth's return to The Blue Cross Arena for the first time in three years since last serving as Rochester's bench boss in 2007-08. A 2010 Amerks Hall of Fame inductee, Cunneyworth currently stands as Rochester's longest tenured coach in the 55-year history of the franchise, having posted a 306-273-61 record in his eight season behind the bench. The game will be carried 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.

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American Hockey League Stories from October 10, 2010


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