AHL Rochester Americans

Amerks Host Bulldogs Tonight At The Blue Cross Arena

March 15, 2009 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release


Tonight, the Rochester Americans return home to The Blue Cross Arena as the Hamilton Bulldogs make their final trip of the season across the border to the Flower City. The 6:05 p.m. North Division contest will be eighth and final meeting of the season between the divisional rivals and will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK, whtk.com and AHL Live.

Promotions: The game features the next installment of the Amerks' Red Hot Sundays. All fans who wear red to the game can receive tickets for as low as $5 for 200-end seating and best available seating for $10. As part of the festivities, the Amerks will be wearing their red jerseys.

Fans can take advantage of the Zweigle's Family Four Pack, which consists of four tickets, four hot dogs and four sodas for $55. The package can be purchased through Ticketmaser.com or at The Blue Cross Arena Box Office. Call the Amerks at (585) 454-5335 for more details.

Fans can also enjoy the Buy One, Get One Half-off special. Purchase a ticket and get another for half the price in any seating section for any Sunday through Thursday game. Tickets can be purchased online only through Ticketmaster.com.

It's also the next Tickets for Troops night. Active military and veterans can present a Military ID, VA Card or an American Legion or VFW membership card and receive premium seating for just $10 or 200 End seats for $5, at least a savings of $12.25 per ticket. All tickets can be purchased directly at the Box Office window at The Blue Cross Arena. Lastly, fans can head down to The Distillery on 1142 Mt. Hope Ave. immediately following the game for the Amerks' official postgame party.

Tonight also marks the seventh night of the Amerks' "Star Toss," with all net proceeds of the promotion going toward the recovery of Rochester police officer Anthony DiPonzio. The promotion will run during the second intermission through the Amerks' remaining eight home games. Stars can be purchased at any Amerks home game for just $1 each or in groups of six for $5. The 23 year old Officer DiPonzio was shot in the line of duty on January 31st. He faces a long recovery following brain surgery.

Head-to-Head: The matchup is the eighth and final meeting between the divisional rivals season. The Amerks earned a 4-1 victory in the last meeting with the 'Dogs on February 27th at Copps Coliseum to improve to 3-3-0-1 on the season. The Amerks are 63-49-9 all-time against the Montreal Canadiens' affiliate.

Amerks Notes: Rochester (24-38-0-5, 53 points), enters the contest on the heels of a five-game skid after falling 4-1 last night to the Syracuse Crunch at the War Memorial at Oncenter. Second-year forward Kenndal McArdle, in just his second back in the lineup, netted Rochester's lone goal as goaltender Mike Brodeur registered 19 saves in the losing effort. Michal Repik's five-game point streak also came to an end in the loss to the Crunch.

Repik, who has 23 points (11+12) in his last 22 games, currently paces Rochester's offense with a team-high 18 goals and 42 points. His 42 points presently rank him 13th among American Hockey League rookies in scoring. Rookie defenseman Jason Garrison has a team-best 26 assists and remains Rochester's top scoring defenseman with 30 points overall, good enough for fourth on the team. Further, his 30 points rank him tied for 20th among league defenseman. First-year forward Michael Duco is first on the team with 135 penalty minutes (PIM). Brodeur boasts a 16-11-3 record in 33 games for the Amerks. His 2.39 goals-against average and .922 save percentage currently rank him sixth and third among AHL netminders, respectively. Further, his two shutouts tie him for fifth in the league. Tyler Plante is 5-5-0 since his return to the Amerks and is 5-10-0 on the season with a 3.20 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage.

Player Moves: Amerks General Manager Jody Gage announced today that the Florida Panthers have reassigned rookie forward Andrew Sweetland to the Florida Everblades of the ECHL. A native of Bonavista, Newfoundland, Sweetland has registered three points (1+2) in 48 games with the Amerks this season. In 13 games with the Everblades, the 6-foot-2, 204-pound forward has scored four goals and added eight assists for 12 points.

Hamilton Notes: Hamilton (40-25-2-0, 82 points), kicking off a five-game road swing tonight, comes into the matchup the winners of three in its last five, with the most recent coming in a 5-1 win over the Manitoba Moose last night at Copps Coliseum. Sergei Kostitsyn led the Bulldogs with three points (1+2) while Mike Glumac (2+0) and Yannick Weber (0+2) each chipped in with two points each. Yanick Lehoux currently pilots the Bulldog offense with a team-high 36 assists and 53 points to go along with a plus-four rating. Glumac is first on the team and 10th in the league with 26 goals, 15 of which have come on the man advantage, good enough for fifth best fifth in the AHL. Greg Stewart is first on the team and 15th in the league with 131 PIM. Goaltender Marc Denis has seen the majority of time between the pipes for the Bulldogs this season, posting a 22-15-0 record with a 2.58 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage in 38 games. Further, his 22 wins are eighth among league goaltenders. Hamilton presently holds the third place standing in the AHL's North Division, 29 points ahead of Rochester.

Next Game: The Amerks remain home on Wednesday, March 18th as they play host to the Manitoba Moose at The Blue Cross Arena. The 7:05 p.m. North Division matchup will be the eighth and final meeting between the two clubs this season and will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK, whtk.com and AHL Live.

The game falls on the next installment of the Amerks' Winning Wednesdays promotion. If the Amerks WIN, you WIN a FREE ticket voucher to the next Wednesday night Amerks home game on March 25th against the Albany River Rats.

The game also falls on a clevermethod Business Persons' Special, where fans can turn in their business cards at The Blue Cross Arena Box Office and receive any 100-premium seat for just $10. Offer is valid for all Amerks home games Monday through Thursday. Contact the Amerks Office at (585) 454-5335 for more information.

It's also Buy One, Get One Half-off night, where fans can purchase a ticket and get another for half the price in any seating section for any Sunday through Thursday game. Tickets can be purchased online through Ticketmaster.com. Further, it's a RARES Discount Night. The RARES discount is valid for all RARES members by logging onto www.rares.org to review their discounts.

It also marks the next Tickets for Troops Night, in which active military and veterans can present a Military ID or an American Legion or VFW membership card and receive premium seating for just $10 or 200 End seats for $5, a savings of $12.25 per ticket. All tickets can be purchased directly at the Box Office window at The Blue Cross Arena.

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