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Albany Out For Revenge Against Binghamton & Hershey

February 9, 2010 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Albany River Rats News Release


Albany went 1-2-0-0 last week to maintain a seven point lead over the third-place Norfolk Admirals in the East Division standings. Syracuse forward Jordan Lavalee-Smotherman broke a 2-2 tie late in the second period Wednesday night in Albany and the Crunch added two more goals in the third to secure a 5-3 win at the Times Union Center. The River Rats dropped their third straight game on Friday in Binghamton, as Senators Captain Denis Hamel scored twice and Ryan Keller added a goal with two assists for a 4-3 final at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena. Drayson Bowman halted Albany's losing skid on Saturday with the game winning goal at 2:16 of overtime to lift the River Rats to a 7-6 home victory over the Springfield Falcons.

Week 20 Preview:

The River Rats travel to Binghamton on Wednesday for a 7:05 p.m. faceoff against the Senators. Albany returns home on Friday to face the Hershey Bears at 7:00 p.m., and the River Rats face the Senators for the third time in eight days on Saturday night with a 7:00 p.m. start at the Times Union Center.

Week 20 Game 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, February 10th - 7:05 pm - Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena - Binghamton, NY

Saturday, February 13th - 7:00 pm - Times Union Center - Albany, NY

vs. Binghamton Senators (20-23-3-1, 44 pts)

7th Place, East Division

- Binghamton beat the River Rats 4-3 on Friday for the team's only win in six games. The Senators faced the Rochester Americans the following night at home and, after a 1-1 first period, watched the Amerks score three straight goals in the second for a 4-1 lead. Binghamton battled back to within a goal late in the game, but could not find the equalizer as they fell 5-4. The Senators are 3-0 against Albany this season and have out-scored the River Rats 10-4. Wednesday and Saturday night will be the fourth and fifth games of Albany's eight-game season series against Binghamton. The teams next meet on March 2nd at the Times Union Center.

- Leading Scorer: Ryan Keller (RW) - 43 points (22 goals, 21 assists) in 40 GP.

- Leading Goaltender: Mike Brodeur (G) - 3.18 GAA, .888 save pct., 7-6-1 in 21 GP.

- Who's Hot: Ryan Keller (RW) has four points (1-3-4) in his last two games. Josh Hennessy (LW) has three points (2-1-3) in his last two games. Erik Condra (RW) has four points (1-3-4) in his last three games.

Friday, February 12th - 7:00 pm - Times Union Center - Albany, NY

vs. Hershey Bears (39-9-0-2, 80 pts)

1st Place, East Division

- Hershey has won 21 of its last 22 games and extended its winning streak to 10 straight last week with a pair of wins against the Norfolk Admirals and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The Bears' lone blemish during their 22 game run came against the Admirals, who gave Hershey trouble again on Wednesday night. Norfolk led 2-1 late in the contest, but Andrew Joudrey evened the score with 2:08 remaining in regulation and the Bears won the ensuing shootout 2-1 for a 3-2 final. Hershey pulled-off another close victory on Sunday against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, as the Penguins jumped out to a 3-0 lead, only to see the Bears score the game's next four goals. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton evened the score at 4-4 midway through the third period, but former River Rat Brian Helmer scored with 1:04 left in regulation for the Bears victory.

- Leading Scorer: Keith Aucoin (C) - 71 points (28-43-71) in 43 GP.

- Leading Goaltender: Braden Holtby (G) - 2.04 GAA, .928 save pct., 16-2-1 in 19 GP.

- Who's Hot: Mathieu Perreault (C) had four points (3-1-4) in his last game. Kyle Wilson (C) has six points (2-4-6) in his last four games. Andrew Joudrey (C) has three goals in his last two games.

River Rats Player of the Week: (Week 19)

Jamie McBain - D - #2

Day Opponent G A Pts. Notable

Wed vs. Syracuse 0 2 2 plus-2 rating

Fri @.Binghamton 1 0 1 plus-1 rating

Sat vs. Springfield 0 3 3 plus-2 rating

Totals 3 Games 1 5 6 plus-5 rating, two multi-point games

Rookie defenseman Jamie McBain led the River Rats in scoring with six points (1-5-6) in three games last week to earn his club's Player Of The Week nomination. McBain notched his third multi-point night of the season on Wednesday with a pair of assists in Albany's 5-3 road loss to Syracuse. Carolina's 2nd round selection (63rd overall) in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft scored his fifth goal of the season in a losing effort Friday night in Binghamton, before recording his second three-point game of the season on Saturday with a trio of helpers in Albany's 7-6 overtime win against Springfield. The Faribault, MN, native leads all River Rats defensemen in scoring and is tied for fourth place overall on the team with 25 points (5-20-25) through 50 games.

Rat Bites:

- PETERS WINS NHL DEBUT - Goalie Justin Peters earned a 3-1 win over the New York Islanders in his first career NHL action Saturday night in Carolina. The Hurricanes' second round pick (38th overall) in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft stopped 34-of-35 shots faced, and former River Rats captain Pat Dwyer scored the game-winner, assisted by former Rats Brandon Sutter and Zach Boychuk.

- QUICK STRIKES - Jerome Samson scored two goals in the opening minute of Albany's 7-6 overtime win against Springfield on Saturday. His tallies were separated by just 16 seconds. Albany's all-time record for two fastest goals scored is seven seconds, which also happened to come off of a single player's stick (FEB 27, 1994 vs. POR, Jim Dowd (3:49, 1st), Dowd (3:56, 1st), Won, 7-5).

- ALL NATURAL - Three different players had a shot at scoring a natural hat trick in Saturday's game between Albany and Springfield. Jerome Samson scored two in-a-row in the opening minute, Jacob Micflikier scored two-straight in the second period, and Falcons forward Liam Reddox netted back-to-back tallies late in the third period.

- CHARITY AUCTION TOTALS - Albany's fourth annual Ronal McDonald House Jersey Auction raised $20,100 Saturday night. The two highest priced jerseys went for $1,000 each. The first was a special non-game-worn jersey, signed by the entire team to support the ongoing medical costs of honorary River Rat Zach Bennett and his family. Harrison Reed's jersey was the other top seller; his autographed, game-worn sweater came with a team-signed stick, a game-worn helmet and pair of sox, and an intermission zamboni ride.

- LEAGUE LEADERS - Jerome Samson continues to lead the league in shots with 226, 47 more then the AHL's next highest single-player total. Zach FitzGerald's 47 minor penalties also top the circuit, while his 189 penalty minutes rank third in the league. Jacob Micflikier is second in the league in shooting percentage, his 13-for-50 mark is .001% behind the league-leader.

River Rats Recent Transactions

February 2010 February 7 ADD - Zach Boychuk (C) - Returned on loan by Carolina (NHL)

DELETE - Yannick Tifu (LW) - Released from PTO

February 6 ADD - Milan Gajic (RW) - Recalled from loan to Florida (ECHL)

ADD - Mike Morrison (G) - Recalled from loan to Utah (ECHL)

DELETE - Tyler Sims (G) - Released from PTO

February 5 DELETE - Justin Peters (G) - Recalled from loan by Carolina (NHL)

DELETE - Zach Boychuk (C) - Recalled from loan by Carolina (NHL)

ADD - Tyler Sims (G) - Signed PTO

February 4 DELETE - Mike Morrison (G) - Returned on loan to Florida (ECHL)

ADD - Jiri Tlusty (LW) - Returned on loan by Carolina (NHL)

Febryart 3 ADD - Yannick Tifu (LW) - Signed to PTO

February 2 DELETE - Steven Goertzen (RW) - Recalled from loan by Carolina (NHL)

Promotional Information

Dollar Hot Dogs

Date: Friday, February 12, 2010 vs. Hershey Bears

Time: 7:00 p.m. at Times Union Center

Dollar Dogs: All fans can get $1.00 hot dogs and small sodas at select Times Union Center concession stands.

Rowdy Bank Giveaway & Post Game Skate

Date: Saturday, February 13, 2010 vs. Binghamton Senators

Time: 7:00 p.m. at Times Union Center

Banks: The First 1,000 kids 12 & under will receive a free Rowdy-shaped piggy bank, courtesy of Legacy Bank.

Skate: Fans that bring their own skates are invited onto the ice after the game to skate along side their favorite players.

Ticket Info: Tickets can be purchased by calling the Times Union Center box office at 487-2000, by visiting or calling www.tickets.com at 1-800-30-EVENT, or by visiting select Price Chopper Outlets.

Albany River Rats Team Leaders:

Games Played: Chaput, Dodge & Terry (51)

Goals: Jerome Samson (19), Jacob Micflikier (13)

Assists: Jerome Samson (21), Stefan Chaput (19)

Points: Jerome Samson (40), Zach Boychuk (27)

Plus/Minus: Jonathan Paiement (+8), Casey Borer (+7)

Penalty Minutes: Zack FitzGerald (189), Nicolas Blanchard (116)

Power Play Goals: Drayson Bowman, Jacob Micflikier & Jerome Samson (4)

Short Handed Goals: Pat Dwyer (2)

Game-Winning Goals: Zach Boychuk (5), Jerome Samson (3)

Shots: Jerome Samson (226)

Shooting Percentage: Jacob Micflikier (0.260%)

Saves: Justin Peters (940)

Wins: Justin Peters (18)

GAA: Justin Peters (2.55)

Save Percentage: Mike Murphy (0.917)

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River Rats 2009-10 pro-rated season and flexible 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.



American Hockey League Stories from February 9, 2010


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