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AHL Rochester Americans

Amerks Host Griffins At Blue Cross Arena

January 8, 2010 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release


Tonight, the Rochester Americans kickoff a three-game homestand as they welcome the Grand Rapids Griffins to western New York for the first time this season. The 7:05 p.m. contest will be the second of six scheduled meetings between the North Division foes and will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK and FM 107.3, Rochester's Sports Talk. The matchup will also be televised live on Time Warner Cable SportsNet Channel 26.

Promotions:

The game falls on the second installment of the Amerks Dollar Dogs 'N' Drafts promotion. Tonight, and during each Friday night home game in January, fans can take part in the "Dollar Dogs 'N' Drafts" promotion. Fans will be able to purchase Zweigle's Hot Dogs and 14oz. Draft Beers for just $1 each! Other dates for the promotion include Friday, January 22nd vs. Hamilton and Friday, January 29th vs. Albany. Consumers will have the opportunity to purchase Zweigle's Hot Dogs and 14 oz. Draft beers for just one dollar. Locations for the promotion will be the upper atrium bar, in addition to the concession stands located directly behind sections 102 and 128 in The Blue Cross Arena. All sales specific to "Dollar Dogs 'N Drafts" will be conducted between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. only on the select dates with a limit of two 14oz. draft beers and four hot dogs per sales transaction.

Taylor Reaches 1,000; Continues To Climb Up All-Time Lists:

After capturing his 1,000th career professional point against Hershey, veteran forward Chris Taylor continues his ascent up the Amerks' all-time lists. This season, Taylor has already surpassed both Norm "Red" Armstrong and Geordie Robertson into the No.6 spot on the all-time points table. Last Wednesday night against Hamilton, he scored a goal to move ahead of Gordie Clark into the No. 14 spot on the all-time goals list, in addition to skating in his 500th AHL contest. He skated in his 400th career game as an Amerk last weekend against Hamilton and moved into 10th all-time on the games played list one game ahead of Les Duff's 399-game benchmark. Having already slid by Dick Gamble into the No.4 spot on the all-time assist list, the 18-year pro now sits just seven goals and nine assists away from moving ahead of Ron Garwasiuk and Gerry Ehman for 13th and third on the all-time lists, respectively. Furthermore, Taylor is just 19 games away from 1,200 professional games and a mere one point shy from his 400th as an Amerk.

All-Star Bound:

The AHL announced last week that Amerks defenseman Keaton Ellerby and rookie goaltender Alexander Salak will join veteran forward Graham Mink at the 2010 Time Warner Cable AHL All-Star Classic. Ellerby will represent the Canadian All-Star squad while Salak will be one of three netminders to man the pipes for the PlanetUSA All-Stars. This year, the All-Star game will be January 18th -19th at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland, Maine. The 2010 Time Warner Cable AHL All-Star Classic will feature the 2010 AHL All-Star Skills Competition on Monday, January 18th (8:00 p.m. ET) and the 2010 AHL All-Star Game on Tuesday, January 19th (6:00 p.m. ET), and will be televised live nationally in the United States and Canada.

Home is Where the Wins Are... Not So Much the Road:

With a third of the season already in the books, home ice advantage has been beneficial for the Amerks. After earning their first regulation loss of the season at home, the Amerks are now 13-2-2-0 on home ice. Conversely, 11 of Rochester's 13 losses in regulation thus far this season have been away from the friendly confines of The Blue Cross Arena.

Head-to-Head:

The Amerks earned a 3-1 win in the only previous get-together between the two teams back on November 14th in Grand Rapids. Rochester is 1-0-0-0 this season and 18-20-3 all-time against the Detroit Red Wings' affiliate.

Amerks Notes:

Rochester (23-13-2-0, 46 points) enters the contest currently on a three-game skid after opening up the New Year with a 5-3 setback to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins this past Saturday. The Amerks still maintain a second place standing in the North Division but remain locked in a three-way tie with the Manitoba Moose and Worcester Sharks for fifth overall in the AHL. The Amerks sit 10 points behind the defending Calder Cup champion and league-leading Hershey Bears and seven from the second-place Hamilton Bulldogs.

The Amerks return to The Blue Cross Arena, where they have won 13 of the last 16 on home ice, and have the league's sixth best winning percentage (.622). The Amerks, who are tied for fourth in the AHL with six shorthanded goals, have outscored their opponents 108-95 in the last 32 games and have allowed the third fewest number of goals in their division with 111. Additionally, their 118 goals for are also the second most in the division. Rochester is fourth in the AHL with a 20.2 power-play percentage and is 18th with an 81.7 penalty-killing percentage.

Forward Jamie Johnson, who has skated in all 37 games for the Amerks this season, currently leads Rochester with a team-high 13 goals and 34 points, while his 21 assists are equal to that of Taylor and defenseman Clay Wilson. Averaging just under a point per game, Johnson is tied for eighth in the AHL in overall point production after collecting 30 points (13+17) in his last 26 outings, while his 13 goals also tie him for sixth in the league. The trio sits tied for eighth in the league with 21 helpers. Taylor remains at a close second with 30 points (9+21) and is 12th in the league in scoring.

Amerks tough-guy Jimmy Bonneau is first on the team and sixth in the league with a team-high 121 penalty minutes. Wilson (4+21), who has nine points in his last eight outings, stands nine points ahead of Ellerby (6+10) and continues to remain Rochester's top scoring defenseman. The duo is currently ranked tied for third and ninth in scoring among league blueliners, respectively. Wilson also shows a league-best 14 power-play assists. Third-year defenseman Jordan Henry, who has notched three points over his last four appearances, owns the team's best on-ice rating with a plus-10.

Salak is expected to make his return between the pipes tonight after missing the last five games with an injury. Salak boasts a 16-4-0 record with 583 saves in 22 games. His 2.33 goals-against average and.927 save percentage are currently eighth and fifth among league netminders, respectively, while his 16 wins are third best. In 22 games, Salak has only allowed 46 goals.

Grand Rapids Notes:

Grand Rapids (19-18-0-1, 39 points), playing its first of back-to-back tilts on the road, comes into the matchup after suffering a 3-2 loss to the San Antonio Rampage Wednesday night at Van Andel Arena. The loss was the Griffins' third in their last four games and sixth straight at home.

Veteran forward Patrick Rissmiller, who began the 2009-10 campaign with the Hartford Wolf Pack, leads the Griffins offense with a team-high 17 assists and 27 points and is third with a plus-12 on-ice rating. Fifth-year pro Jeremy Williams remains at a very close with 26 points (14+12) and owns a team-best 107 shots on goal thus far this season. Forward Jan Mursak, in his second season with Grand Rapids, is first on the team and tied for third in the AHL with 16 goals.

Forwards Kris Newbury (117) and Paul Crosty (113) are first and second on the team in penalty minutes, respectively. In addition, the duo holds the eighth and 10th rankings in the AHL in the very same category. Second-year netminder Daniel Larsson has seen the majority of time in net thus far, sporting a 12-10-1 record with a 3.07 goals-against average and a.897 save percentage in 25 games.

Next Game:

Rochester remains home on Saturday, January 9th as it hosts the Lake Erie Monsters in a 2:00 p.m. afternoon matinee at The Blue Cross Arena. The contest will be the third in as many weeks between the two teams and the fifth of eight encounters during the campaign. Fans can tune in for the live broadcast on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK and FM 107.3, Rochester's Sports Talk. The game will also be shown live on Channel 98. The Amerks are 1-2-1-0 this season and 7-8-1 lifetime against the Monsters.

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