AHL Rochester Americans

Amerks Enter Final Month Of Season This Weekend

Published on March 30, 2009 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release


(Rochester, NY)... After posting identical records for the second consecutive week and claiming three out of a possible six points over the past weekend, the Rochester Americans enter the final month of the regular season with three games in as many nights, two of which are against North Division opponents.

Rochester kicks off its three-game weekend on Friday, April 3rd as the Binghamton Senators return to The Blue Cross Arena for the second leg of a home-and-home series between the two teams. The 7:35 p.m. contest will be the eighth and final meeting of the season between the intra-state rivals and will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK, whtk.com and AHL Live. The Amerks fell short in a 3-2 shootout loss in the previous encounter with the B-Sens on Saturday at Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena to remain winless on the road against the Senators this season. Binghamton holds the advantage in the season series with 5-2-0-0 record and has outscored Rochester 21-15 in the seven previous matchups. Rochester is 21-27-5 all-time against the Ottawa Senators' affiliate.

The game falls on the next installment of the Amerks' $7 Fridays, where fans can purchase tickets in the 200 Upper End and 200 Balcony for as low as $7. It's also Star Wars Night. Fans can meet their favorite Star Wars characters and have the opportunity to take photos and get autographs.

The Amerks hit the road the following night for a 7:30 p.m. North Division showdown with the Syracuse Crunch at the War Memorial at Oncenter. The contest will be the 10th of 12 scheduled meetings between the longtime I-90 rivals and can be heard live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK, whtk.com and AHL Live. The Amerks are winless on the road against the Crunch this season and currently trail in the season series with a 3-6-0-0 record, being outscored 31-14. Rochester, however, still maintains an 81-73-15 lifetime record against Syracuse.

The Amerks return home on Sunday, April 5th to host the Grand Rapids Griffins in the sixth and final meeting of the season between the North Division rivals. Faceoff is slated for 6:05 p.m. and will be carried live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK, whtk.com and AHL Live. Grand Rapids has outscored Rochester 21-9 throughout the previous five contests and owns a 4-1-0-0 record this season against the Amerks. Rochester is 17-19-3 all-time against the Detroit Red Wings' American Hockey League affiliate.

Sunday's contest falls on Rochester's final Red Hot Sunday of the season. All fans who wear red to the game can receive tickets for as low as $5.00 for 200-End seating and best available seating for just $10. As part of the festivities, the Amerks will be wearing their red jerseys.

Rochester (26-40-0-8, 60 points) enters the final month of the regular season after earning three out of a possible six points this past weekend. The Amerks began the week collecting two points in a 4-3 come-from-behind shootout win over the Albany River Rats Wednesday night at The Blue Cross Arena. Rookie defenseman Jason Garrison captured his first ever professional multi-goal game with a pair of markers and newcomer Matt Duffy certainly made his presence felt in the Amerks' lineup, notching a pair of assists in his AHL debut. Michal Repik also added two assists while goaltender Mike Brodeur posted a 29-save effort to pick up his 18th win of the season.

After dropping a 4-2 decision to the Lake Erie Monsters Friday night, the Amerks completed the weekend picking up a point in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Binghamton Senators Saturday night in the first of back-to-back tilts with the Sens. Duffy scored his first professional goal against Lake Erie Friday night and would go on to add another assist the following night against Binghamton to establish a three-game point streak (1+3) entering this week.

First-year forward Michal Repik, who shows 26 points (11+15) in his last 29 games, currently paces Rochester's offense with a team-high 45 points through 69 games and remains 14th among AHL rookies in scoring. Further, his 18 goals tie him for the team lead with Karl Stewart while his 27 assists are equivalent to that of Garrison, who remains Rochester's top scoring defenseman with 34 points overall, good enough for fourth on the team and 18th among league defenseman.

Rookie forward Michael Duco is first on the team with 147 penalty minutes (PIM). Brodeur, who has started five of the last six games between the pipes for Rochester, 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 13th and sixth among AHL netminders, respectively. Tyler Plante is 5-5-1 since his return to the Amerks and is 5-10-1 on the season with a 3.25 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage.

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