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AHL Rochester Americans

Amerks Host Heat Tonight At The Blue Cross Arena

December 11, 2009 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release


Tonight, the Rochester Americans return home from their season-long six-game road trip as the Abbotsford Heat make their inaugural visit to the Flower City. The 7:05 p.m. contest will bethe third straight meeting between the North Division rivals and will broadcast live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK and FM 107.3, Rochester's Sports Talk. The game will also be televised live on Time Warner Cable SportsNet Channel 26.

Promotions:

The Rochester Americans and Knighthawks players will team up with fans, front office staff, the dance team and The Moose and R. Thunder to raise Monday for the Salvation Army Red Kettle Campaign on Monday, December 14th at the four corners in downtown Rochester. Stop by from noon to 2:00 p.m. to make a donation.

The game falls on the first installment of the Amerks' Family Four Pack Special Edition. With this game bundle, fans will receive four tickets for 200-End seating, four T-shirts, four hot dogs and four sodas for the low price of $52. Packages can be ordered by calling the Amerks office directly at (585) 454-5335 and speaking with a ticket sales representative.

Tonight, the Amerks are also kicking off their "Toys for Tots" toy drive campaign. The team will once again collect toys for the United States Marine Corps "Toys for Tots" drive in an effort to provide Christmas gifts to the needy children of the Greater Rochester Area and the surrounding communities. This year marks the eighth consecutive season the Amerks have been affiliated with the program. Fans can donate new, unwrapped toys during two Amerks games in December, beginning tonight. The team will also collect toys on Friday, December 18th. Fans who bring in a new, unwrapped toy on those nights will receive $5.00 off 100 and 200 Premium seats or $4.00 off seats in the 100 and 200 Ends at The Blue Cross Arena Box Office.

Taylor Shoots for 1,000:

With Chris Taylor already moving ahead of Dick Gamble into the No.4 spot on the all-time assist list and currently tied with Craig Charron for 15th on the all-time goal list, the 18-year pro sits just three goals and one point away from moving ahead of Gordie Clark and Norm "Red' Armstrong for 14th and seventh on the all-time list, respectively. He also leapfrogged Don Cherry's 390-game benchmark to take over the 11th spot on the franchise's all-time list. Lastly, Taylor is just three points shy of reaching the 1,000-point plateau and just 30 games away from the 1,200 professional games milestone.

Depleted Amerks Get Help: With 10 of their primary players missing in action due to illness, injury or personal matters, the depleted Amerks well be reinforced with the additions of forwards Ernie Hartlieb and Jordan Fox. The pair each signed 25-game professional tryouts this morning after arriving from their respective teams in the ECHL. Hartlieb, who has one goal in as many games with the Amerks this season, has 16 points (5+11) in 25 games with the Florida Everblades. Fox joins Rochester after collecting 21 points (8+13) in 16 games with the Wheeling Nailers.

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

Despite dropping a 4-3 OT decision to the Lake Erie Monsters in the home and season opener, Rochester remains undefeated in regulation on home ice with a 10-0-0-0 record since a 5-2 win over the Monsters on October 9th. Conversely, all of five Rochester's losses thus far this season have been away from the friendly confines of The Blue Cross Arena.

Head-to-Head:

Rochester is 1-1-0-0 this season after splitting a two-game set with the Heat this past weekend in the first-ever clash with the Calgary Flames' affiliate.

Amerks Notes:

Rochester (19-5-1-0, 39 points) enters the contest tied in second place with the Atlantic Division Manchester Monarchs and trail the West Division Texas Stars by one point. The Amerks still, however, maintain a three-point lead over the Hershey Bears, in addition to a four-point cushion over the Hamilton Bulldogs. The Amerks have won 18 of their last 22 games, including 10 straight at home, and own the league's best winning percentage (.780).

The Amerks, who are tied for third in the AHL with six shorthanded goals, have outscored their opponents 77-51 in the last 21 games and have allowed the second fewest number of goals in their division with 62. Additionally, their 85 goals for are also the most in the division. Rochester currently leads the AHL with a 23.0 power-play percentage and is 10th with an 85.6 penalty-killing percentage.

Veteran forward Chris Taylor, coming off a four-game point streak, currently paces Rochester's offense with a team-high 16 assists and 22 points, with Jamie Johnson at a close second with 20 points (9+11). The duo is presently is tied for eighth and 10th in the league in overall point production, respectively. Taylor is on pace averaging close to a point-per-game this season. His 16 assists are also presently fourth best in the AHL.

Johnson, one of four players tied for the team lead with nine goals, has picked up 16 points (9+7) in his last 14 games. The power-play extraordinaire has accumulated five of his 11 helpers on the man advantage, tying him with fellow special teams line mate Jeff Taffe for seventh best in the league in that very category.

Amerks tough-guy Jimmy Bonneau is first on the team and sixth in the league with a team-high 99 penalty minutes after dropping the gloves 14 times in his last 19 games. Defenseman Clay Wilson (3+12) stands just one point ahead of fellow blueliner Jason Garrison (3+11) in the fight for Rochester's top scoring defenseman. The duo is currently ranked 12th and 13th in scoring among league blueliners, respectively. Wilson is also tied for third in the AHL with nine power-play assists. Third-year defenseman Jordan Henry owns the team's best on-ice rating with a plus-10.

First-year goaltender Alexander Salak boasts a league-best 15-1-0 record with 464 saves in just 17 games. His 2.03 goals-against average and.934 save percentage are currently fifth and fourth among league netminders, respectively, while his 15 wins are presently a league best. In 17 games, Salak has only allowed 33 goals.

Abbotsford Notes:

Abbotsford (14-12-2-2, 32 points), who is in the middle of a three-game road trip, comes into the matchup on the heels of a two-game skid, with its most recent loss coming in a 5-1 setback to the Hamilton Bulldogs Wednesday night at Copps Coliseum.

Fifth-year pro Jason Jaffray leads the Heat offense in all offensive categories in goals (10), assists (15) and points (25) and owns the best on-ice rating with a plus-12. Averaging roughly.86 points per game, Jaffray is currently sixth in the AHL in points, while his 15 helpers tie him for fifth. Defenseman Matt Pelech is first on the on team and fifth in the league with 101 penalty minutes.

Sophomore goaltender Leland Irving has seen the majority of time this season between the pipes for the Heat. Irving shows a 10-10-1 record with a 2.66 goals-against average and.911 save percentage in 22 games. Further, his 10 wins are currently tied for fourth among AHL goaltenders.

Next Game:

The oldest rivalry in the AHL will be renewed as Rochester takes on the defending Calder Cup champion Hershey Bears on Saturday, December 12th at the Giant Center. The 7:00 p.m. contest will be the first leg of a home-and-home series and the first of four scheduled meetings between the league's keystone members this season. The Amerks were 1-1-0-0 in the season series a year ago with Hershey and are 181-200-53 all-time against the Washington Capitals' affiliate.

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