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Albany heads to Thanksgiving with four games in five nights

November 19, 2002 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Albany River Rats News Release


The Albany River Rats complete the second half of a four-game road trip beginning Wednesday night against the Cleveland Barons at 7:00PM. The Barons (5-9-1-0, 5TH Central) will be hosting the River Rats at Gund Arena for the second and final match up between the two teams during the 2002-2003 season. The River Rats outscored the Barons 5-2 on October 25th in the only other match up of the season. Barons C Ryan Kraft posted three assists in Friday night's win over the Rochester Americans while RW Niko Dimitrakos, who currently leads the team with 15 points (6-9), notched a goal and an assist earning them #1 and #2 star of the game honors, respectively.

Albany makes a second stop in Rochester for a 7:35PM face-off against the Americans Friday night at Blue Cross Arena. The River Rats currently lead the Americans (4-8-4-2, 3RD Central) in the all time regular season series 31-30-8-4 yet trail the all time series away from Pepsi Arena 13-20-1-1. RW Norm Milley leads the team with 16 points (5-11), of which five were earned over the weekend (1-4-3). The teams will face off two more times this season (Nov. 30th @ ALB & Mar. 9th @ ROC).

The River Rats host the Syracuse Crunch (6-6-1-0, 4TH Central) in the first of six match-ups during the 2002-03 season series (Dec. 7th & 20th @SYR, Jan. 25th @ SYR, Feb. 26th @ ALB, & Mar. 12th @ ALB) in a 7:00PM contest at Pepsi Arena. The River Rats lead the all time series against the Crunch (29-26-8-5) and hold an 18-12-2-2 record on home ice. RW David Ling heads the minor league affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets with 17 points (2-15-13) and currently stands tied for 2nd in the league with 15 assists, while G Karl Goehring (3-1-0) tops league netminders with a 1.14 goals against average and a 0.96 save percentage.

The pre-Holiday schedule concludes on Sunday afternoon at 4:05PM with the first of two meetings (Jan. 18th @ ALB) against the Providence Bruins. The Bruins (8-5-4-1, 1ST North) hold an 8-8-3-0 record against Albany at the Dunkin Donuts Center, and trail the all time series 13-19-6-0. RW Martin Samuelsson currently leads league rookies with four power play goals, and C Andy Hilbert (9-7-18) stands 2nd in the league with 72 shots on goal.

River Rats this week: * Practice times are subject to change, please call the River Rats office to confirm dates and times.

Tuesday – Practice at Cleveland Barons Practice Facility, TBA

Wednesday – Game Day skate at Gund Arena, 11:15AM; River Rats at Cleveland Barons, 7:00PM

Thursday – Travel to Rochester; Practice at Blue Cross Arena, 2:30PM

Friday – Game Day Skate at Blue Cross Arena 11:15AM; River Rats at Rochester Americans, 7:35PM

Saturday – Syracuse Crunch at River Rats, 7:00PM

Sunday – River Rats at Providence Bruins, 4:05PM

Rat Bites:

Jiri Bicek's 210th point came in the form of an assist during Saturday's game against Hamilton and leaves him only 2 points away from tying Scott Pellerin and Bryan Helmer for #2 on the All Time River Rats Points Leaders list. Raymond Giroux continues to lead AHL defensemen scorers with 16 points and is tied for first in the league with 12 assists. Scott Clemmensen stands eighth among league goaltenders with a 2.25 goals against average. Over the Air:

Wednesday, November 20TH at Cleveland Barons, 7:00PM (6:45PM Capitaland Motors GMC Pre-Game, Sportstalk 980 AM)

Friday, November 22ND at Rochester Americans, 7:35PM (7:20PM Capitaland Motor GMC Pre-Game, KISS 102.3FM)

Saturday, November 23R vs. Syracuse Crunch, 7:00PM (6:45PM Capitaland Motors GMC Pre-Game, Sportstalk 980 AM)

Sunday, November 24TH @ Providence Bruins, 6:05PM (5:50PM Capitaland Motors GMC Pre-Game, Sportstalk 980 AM)

Community Calendar:

Monday, November 18th- Rowdy the River Rat will be visiting with patrons at Old Country Buffet "Family Night" located in the Latham Circle Mall from 6-7:30PM.

Wednesday, November 20th- Rowdy will be celebrating the Adopt an Angel Campaign Kick-off at Crossgates Mall in Albany in front of the Museum Store from 5:00-6:30PM. Rowdy will be handing out special "Buy one Get one Free" coupons at the event.

Friday, November 22nd- Rowdy will be joining members of the Albany River Rats Booster Club throughout the day as they gather donations for the Regional Food Bank at Crossgates Mall.

Saturday, November 23rd- Rowdy will be celebrating with the Downtown B.I.D. at the Symphony of Lights Celebration on State Street from 4:30-5:30 handing out "Buy one Get one Free" coupons to that evening's game vs. the Syracuse Crunch at 7:00PM. Prior to the ceremony, Rowdy will be greeting fans at the free skate from 2:30-4:30 at Pepsi Arena.

Upcoming Promotions:

Sat. November 23rd vs. Syracuse Crunch- CSEA ICE SCRAPER NIGHT: Just in time for winter, the first 2,000 fans in attendance will receive a FREE 10th Anniversary Ice Scraper courtesy of the Albany River Rats and CSEA – New York's Leading Union. Also, celebrate the annual lighting of Downtown Albany with the Downtown B.I.D.'s Symphony of Lights celebration! Join Rowdy for the ceremony on State Street following the free skate from 2:30-4:30PM on the Pepsi Arena ice to receive your special "Buy one Get one Free" coupon for that evening's game at 7:00PM vs. the Syracuse Crunch.

Sat. November 30th vs. Rochester Americans - HARRY POTTER NIGHT/POST GAME AUTOGRAPH SESSION/PHOENIX TEAM PHOTO GIVEAWAY: This is the night for the ultimate family experience! Join in the fun as the Albany River Rats celebrate the premier of Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets with prize giveaways, activities and more all centered around the motion picture. Join us for a Muggle Shuffle Broomstick Relay, Nimbus 2000 Limbo, A Cauldron of Goo and the Harry Potter Arts & Crafts Table by AC Moore and Radio Disney! All fans in attendance will receive a FREE team photo courtesy of Phoenix, and get the chance to meet all of your favorite Albany River Rat players at the annual post game on-ice autograph session! This night also marks the announcement of the #10 Moment in Team History as voted upon by the fans. To celebrate the announcement, some lucky fans will win pre-paid cellular phone packages and other great merchandise courtesy of Verizon Wireless!

Fri, December 6TH vs. Manchester Monarchs – WIN BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN TICKETS: The Albany River Rats are YOUR source for floor seats to the Bruce Springsteen concert at Pepsi Arena on December 13TH. Be sure to join us at "The Pepsi" when the River Rats award some lucky fans with tickets! Stay tuned for more details!

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American Hockey League Stories from November 19, 2002


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