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AHL Rochester Americans

Amerks Close Out Home Slate Tonight Against Syracuse

April 10, 2009 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release


Tonight, the Rochester Americans close out their home slate of the 2008-09 American Hockey League season as they host the Syracuse Crunch in the final home game of the campaign at The Blue Cross Arena. The 7:35 p.m. contest will be the 11th of 12 meetings and the first of back-to-back weekend tilts between the longtime I-90 rivals and can be heard live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK, whtk.com and AHL Live.

Awards Night: Tonight is the Amerks' annual Awards Night, as the team will announce the club's 2008-09 award winners during a pregame ceremony. The awards include Team MVP, Rookie of the Year, Most Popular Player and Scoring Champion to name a few.

Amerks to Honor DiPonzio: Rochester Police Officer Anthony DiPonzio will be performing the ceremonial puck drop before the Amerks' home finale this evening. During the first intermission, the Amerks will also be presenting DiPonzio with a check with all proceeds raised from the team's/Dick Ide season-long Star Toss promotion. All monies raised will go to the aid of DiPonzio as he enters his recovery. The Amerks have collected $5,193.26 in funds for DiPonzio since implementing the fundraiser on February 18th. DiPonzio, 23, of Greece, has begun his physical therapy and rehabilitation after being shot in the head on January 31st while responding to a complaint on Dayton Street in the City of Rochester.

Win A Car!: The Amerks and Dick Ide will wrap up the season by presenting one lucky fan with a two-year lease on a brand new 2009 Honda Fit. All contestants who participated in the Amerks and Dick Ide Star Toss and successfully landed their star in the back of the Honda Ridgeline will be entered into a drawing and one fan will be selected to win the grand prize.

Promotions: The game falls on the final installment of the Amerks' $7 Fridays, where fans can purchase tickets in the 200 Upper End and 200 Balcony for as low as $7.

The first 5,000 fans will take home an Amerks 2008-09 team photo courtesy of Connors and Ferris. After the game, join the team in the main atrium for a full-team autograph session.

It's also an RBA Special Night. All Rochester Business Alliance members can purchase discounted 100 Level End tickets (regular price $16) for just $10 by calling Adam Winslow at (585)-454-5335 x3019. Further, it's Wendy's Night. Fans can pick up a Wendy's Buy One, Get One ticket voucher at area participating Wendy's locations. Redeem your vouchers directly at The Blue Cross Arena Box Office.

Head-to-Head: The matchup is the 11th of 12 meetings this season and the first leg of a home-and-home series between the divisional rivals. The Crunch are 7-3-0-0 against the Amerks season, including a flawless 5-0-0-0 record on home ice. The Crunch have outscored the Amerks 34-16 in the previous 10 games between the two teams, the largest goal differential among Rochester's North Division opponents this season. The Amerks, however, still maintain an 81-74-15 all-time record against their intra-state foes.

Amerks Notes: Rochester (28-42-0-8, 64 points) enters the contest coming off a 5-4 overtime win over the Toronto Marlies Wednesday night at Ricoh Coliseum. Randall Gelech potted the game-winning goal 1:53 into the extra frame to lift the Amerks to their 28th win of the season. Veteran forward Karl Stewart netted a pair of goals for Rochester, while Keaton Ellerby (0+2) and Drew Larman (1+1) each contributed two points. Goaltender David Shantz posted 27 saves for his second win of the season.

First-year forward Michal Repik, who shows 29 points (11+18) in his last 33 games, currently paces Rochester's offense with a team-high 48 points through 73 games and remains 13th among AHL rookies in scoring. His 30 assists are equivalent to that of Janis Sprukts, who is second on the team with 46 points overall and shows six points (1+5) in his last four outings. Stewart's two goals against Toronto gave him a team-leading 20 markers on the season as he became the first Amerk this season to reach the 20-goal plateau. Rookie defenseman Jason Garrison remains Rochester's top scoring defenseman with 34 points overall, good enough for fourth on the team and 20th among league defensemen. Lastly, forward Stefan Meyer enters the contest with two goals and five assists in his last eight games.

Rookie forward Michael Duco is first on the team with 147 penalty minutes (PIM). Goaltender Mike Brodeur, who has missed the last five games with an injury, boasts an 18-13-4 record in 38 games for the Amerks. His 2.45 goals-against average and .921 save percentage currently rank him 12th and seventh among AHL netminders, respectively.

Syracuse Notes: Syracuse (39-31-5-3, 86 points), comes into the matchup the winners of three in its last five, despite suffering a 4-3 loss to the Binghamton Senators in its most recent contest Wednesday night. Three different goal scorers in Maksim Mayorov, Matt Kennedy and Alexandre Picard each tallied a goal for the Crunch as Kevin Lalande turned away 27 of 31 shots faced in the losing effort.

Veteran forward Mike York currently pilots the Crunch offense with a team-high 46 assists and 57 points. Further, his 46 assists are 11th best in the AHL. Derek Mackenzie currently is Syracuse's top goal-scorer with a team-high 21 goals. The Crunch's Jon Mirasty, although pointless through 58 games, is first on the team and fifth in the league with 227 PIM. Goaltender Dan LaCosta, among the top goaltenders in the AHL, has seen the majority of time in net for the Crunch, posting an 18-18-2 record with a 2.81 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage in 44 games. Newcomer Lalande has made his presence felt between the pipes since joining the Crunch. The 22 year old netminder is 13-5-2 with a 2.23 goals-against average and a .928 save percentage in 20 appearances. Syracuse currently holds the fifth place standing in the AHL's North Division and trails one point behind the Toronto Marlies for the fourth and final spot playoff spot within the division.

Next Game: Rochester will complete the home-and-home series and its regular season on Saturday, April 11th with a 7:30 p.m. matchup against Syracuse at the War Memorial at Oncenter.

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