Amerks Continue Crucial Five-Game Divisonal Stretch
March 14, 2011 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release
(Rochester, NY)... The Rochester Americans will continue their five-game tour of the North Division this week as they battle two teams ahead of them in the standings in the Hamilton Bulldogs and Grand Rapids Griffins. With 13 games left in the regular season, the Amerks have a 30-31-3-3 (66 points) record and occupy seventh place in the North. Rochester sits 11 points behind the Bulldogs for the final playoff spot.
Rochester will get a chance to gain some ground on Hamilton on Wednesday, March 16th, as they embark on its second straight game against the Bulldogs. Faceoff is slated for 7:05 p.m. Fans can tune into all the live action on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK and FM 107.3, Rochester's Sports Talk. Fans can purchase the "Wednesday Facebook Fan Pack" exclusively through the Amerks Facebook page. Fans can get a ticket and a T-shirt for just $15! Click on the 'Amerks Nation' tab to purchase the pack. It's also a Business Person Special, featuring the Buy One, Get One ticket offer for best available seating.
Rochester has a 4-4-0-1 record against the Bulldogs this season and is 72-60-9 all-time against the Montreal Canadiens' affiliate. In the last meeting, the Amerks gained an early lead and held to defeat the Hamilton Bulldogs 6-5 on March 13th at Copps Coliseum. The win was the first for Rochester in the past five games. With the loss, the Bulldogs fell to (35-24-1-6, 77 points).
Mike Kostka (1+2), Patrick Rissmiller (1+2), and Michael Duco (1+1) powered the Amerks' offense as each had multiple-point games. Bill Thomas (0+2) also earned two points with a pair of assists, while Hugh Jessiman (1+0), Triston Grant (1+0), and Evan Oberg (1+0) also netted one goal apiece. Rochester netminder Marc Cheverie earned his first AHL victory with the win, posting 38 saves on 43 shots. Rochester also welcomed back Thomas and Tim Kennedy from their recalls with the Florida Panthers. Kennedy chipped in an assist against Hamilton.
Thomas reached a professional milestone Sunday with his 100th AHL/NHL assist. Additionally, Jessiman played in his 400th professional game. He is also just two points away from eclipsing the 200-point plateau and five assists short of 100. Cullen, who recently reached the 400-point plateau, needs just six more games to reach 500 in his AHL career. After his three-point night Sunday, Kostka leads the Amerks with 48 points (13+35) and is second among AHL defensemen in points. He also has eight points (3+5) in five games in March and is riding a three-game point streak. Third-year forward Michael Duco maintains the team lead with a career-high 18 goals, including a team-high 11 on the power play. He is also fourth in the AHL with a 20.5 percent shooting percentage (18 of 88). Veteran forward Patrick Rissmiller is riding a five-game point streak (2+5) and has a point in every game since he arrived from Lake Erie. He was acquired by the Florida Panthers and subsequently loaned to Rochester the day of the NHL trade deadline.
Rochester kicks off their week with a Wednesday game at home at 7:05 p.m. against Hamilton. The Bulldogs are led by Nigel Dawes, who has 54 points (33+21) in 55 games. Dawes leads the AHL with 33 goals. Goalie Curtis Sanford leads the AHL with a 1.93 goals-against average and has the third best save percentage at .930.
On Saturday, March 19th, Rochester plays the rival Grand Rapids Griffins at 7:00 p.m. at Van Andel Arena. Fans can tune into all the live action on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK and FM 107.3, Rochester's Sports Talk. Rochester is 2-3-0-1 overall and 0-2-0-0 in Grand Rapids this season. In the all-time series, Rochester is 22-23-1 against the Griffins.
The Griffins (32-25-2-8, 74 points) concluded a three-in-three road swing against the San Antonio Rampage Sunday with a 5-4 shootout win to move within three points of third-place Hamilton. Grand Rapids has won eight of its last 10 games and is riding a season-high seven-game point streak (6-0-1-0), which is the longest since a nine-game run from October 23 to November 13, 2009. The Griffins kick off a five-game homestand at Van Andel Arena on Wednesday as they host Oklahoma City Barons at 7:00 p.m. The Griffins are led offensively by Ilari Filppula, who has 57 points (20+37) in 64 games. Defensively, the Griffins received Doug Janik from Detroit on Friday. The former Amerk is an alternate captain for the Griffins and has 20 points (5+15) in 48 games in Grand Rapids this season.
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