AHL Rochester Americans

Amerks Can Tie Record Tonight With 11th Straight Win

Published on November 10, 2009 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release


Tonight, the Rochester Americans close out their three-game homestand as the Hamilton Bulldogs make their first trip across the border to The Blue Cross Arena this season. The 7:05 matchup will be the first of 10 meetings this season between the divisional foes and can be heard live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK and FM 107.3, Rochester's Sports Talk. Fans can also tune in to watch the game live on Time Warner Cable SportsNet Channel 26.

In Search of History:

The surging Amerks enter tonight's game just two wins away from breaking their franchise record 11-game winning streak set back during 1984-85 season. A win over the Bulldogs will give the Amerks their 11th consecutive win and will tie the longest winning streak in the 54-year history of the franchise set from October 11th to November 2nd during the 1984-85 season, the last time Ted Nolan wore the Amerks crest. With a win over Hamilton and another over Portland on Thursday, the Amerks could re-write history and set a new franchise record for 12 straight wins, in addition to extending their road winning streak to six games.

Promotions:

Tonight's game falls on a Veteran's Day Special. In conjunction with the United States Marine Corps, the Amerks are offering a buy one, get one ticket special to all active military members and veterans. The buy one, get one offer is good for any seating area and can be purchased at The Blue Cross Arena Box Office with the presentation of a Military ID, VA Card or an American Legion or VFW membership card.

In honor of Veteran's Day (November 11th), the Amerks will have a United States Marine Corps Color Guard present the colors for the singing of the American National anthem. Additionally, the Marines will have a table setup in the upper atrium lobby where fans can pick up information and promotional items. Fans can also watch a video during the game of The Amerks' Moose completing training exercises with members of the Marine Corps.

Reinforcements Arrive:

The Amerks will be reinforced with the return of forwards Jeff Taffe and Michal Repik after the Florida Panthers assigned the duo to Rochester Sunday afternoon. Repik and Taffe each skated in two games with each other for the Panthers during their recall, with Repik scoring his first NHL goal of the season in Florida's 7-4 loss to the Washington Capitals Saturday night. During that same game, Rochester forwards Victor Oreskovich and Kenndal McArdle tallied their first NHL points each with an assist. McArdle help set up Repik's second-period goal for the Panthers.

In order to accommodate space for the arrival of Taffe and Repik, the Amerks released forward Ernie Hartlieb from his 25-game professional tryout. Hartlieb, 30, rejoins the Florida Everblades of the ECHL where has five points (3+2) in 11 games this season. He made his Amerks debut Saturday night, his first AHL contest since the 2004-05 season with Grand Rapids, and scored Rochester's first goal in the teams' 4-1 win over the Toronto Marlies.

Head-to-Head:

This is the first matchup between Rochester and Hamilton this season. Last year, Rochester posted a 3-3-0-2 record in the season series against Hamilton, which included a 2-1-0-1 record at home. Rochester owns a 63-50-9 all-time record against the Montreal Canadiens' affiliate.

Amerks Notes:

Rochester (11-1-1-0, 23 points) enters the week currently first overall in the AHL with a three-point lead over the Manchester Monarchs, Hershey Bears and Hamilton. The Amerks are in the midst of a 10-game winning streak, which includes seven straight at home, after collecting two more wins over the weekend. The last time the Amerks started the season with 11 wins and 23 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.

The Amerks come into this evening with four more points after claiming a 4-3 OT and 4-1 wins over Syracuse and Toronto over the weekend, respectively. The Amerks, who are tied for second in the AHL with four shorthanded goals, have outscored their opponents 37-17 in the last nine games and have allowed the second fewest amount of goals in their division with 28.

David Brine's two-goal output Saturday night propelled him into the team lead in that category with a team-high seven. His seven goals, two of which have been shorthanded, currently rank him tied for third in the league, while his nine points overall put him in a three-way tie for fourth overall on the team.

Veteran forward Chris Taylor, coming off a six-game point streak of two goals and seven assists, continues to pace Rochester's offense with a team-high 10 assists and 13 points. Taylor, who has 12 points (3+9) in his last nine 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 four goals and 10 points away from moving ahead of Craig Charron and Norm "Red' Armstrong for 15th and seventh on the all-time list, respectively. The power play extraordinaire has accumulated four of his 10 helpers on the man advantage, tying him with fellow special teams line mate Mike York for fifth best in the league in that very category. Wilson sits tied for fourth in the power play assists table after picking up his fifth over the weekend, while York's three goals on the man advantage also tie him for fourth.

Rookie goaltender Alexander Salak, who was named the AHL's Reebok/AHL Rookie of the Month for October, shows a flawless 8-0-0 record with 248 saves in just nine games. His 1.72 goals-against average and.943 save percentage are currently sixth and fifth among league netminders, respectively, while his eight wins are presently a league best. Additionally, the Rochester netminder holds the only spotless record in the AHL, among active goaltenders. Salak has started the last six games for Rochester, posting a perfect 6-0-0 record in that time with 176 saves and just nine goals against. In nine games, Salak has only allowed 15 goals.

Hamilton Notes:

Hamilton (8-1-1-3, 20 points), finishing up a two-game road swing, comes into the matchup currently in second place in the North Division, trailing the Amerks by just three points. The Bulldogs have won two of their last three games, with their most recent coming in a 1-0 whitewash over the Binghamton Senators Sunday afternoon at Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena.

Forward Sergei Kostitsyn scored the games' only goal, while Mathieu Darche and Yannick Weber picked up an assist each. Goaltender Cedrick Desjardins recorded 31 saves for his fourth win, and first shutout, of the season.

Darche currently leads the Bulldogs with a team-high seven goals and 10 points, while his seven markers tie him for third in the AHL. The 33-year-old left wing also leads Hamilton in power play goals with two. Center Brock Trotter leads the team in the assists category with six. Right wing Eric Nielson leads the Bulldogs with 41 penalty minutes through 10 games.

Between the pipes, former NHL veteran Curtis Sanford has seen the majority of the time, with nine appearances. He currently holds a 5-2-2 record, averaging 1.40 goals-against and a.947 save percentage. His counterpart, Desjardins, has played in four games, averaging 1.96 goals-against with a.926 save percentage. Sanford's goals-against average currently ranks second in the league, while Desjardins' is ninth. In save percentage, the two are fourth and 12th, respectively.

Next Game:

The Amerks return to action on Thursday, November 12th as they take on the Portland Pirates for the first time in 10 years since the 1999-00 season. The 7:00 p.m. contest will be played at HSBC Arena, home of the Buffalo Sabres and Portland's National Hockey League affiliate. The matchup will be the first of four meetings this season between the two teams and will be carried live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK and FM 107.3, Rochester's Sports Talk.

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American Hockey League Stories from November 10, 2009


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