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AHL Rochester Americans

Amerks Host Hershey At Blue Cross Arena

December 18, 2009 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release


Tonight, the oldest rivalry in the American Hockey League will be renewed as the Rochester Americans host the defending Calder Cup champion Hershey Bears at The Blue Cross Arena. The 7:05 p.m. matchup will be the first leg of a home-and-home series and the second of four meetings this season between the league's cornerstone franchises. The game will be carried live on Sports Radio 1280 WHTK and FM 107.3, Rochester's Sports Talk. Fans can also tune in to watch live on Time Warner Cable SportsNet Channel 26.

Promotions: The game falls on the next installment of the Amerks' Family Fun Pack, which includes 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 will be the second and final night of the "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 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.

Amerks' 12 Days of Christmas: In light of the spirit of Christmas, the Amerks will once again perform their own rendition of the traditional "12 Days of Christmas" song. Fans can enjoy the video during the first intermission. Also, as part of the festivities, Santa Claus will make his annual appearance for the game.

Taylor Moves Past Armstrong, Shoots for 1,000: Chris Taylor continued his ascent up the Amerks' all-time lists this week, surpassing Norm "Red" Armstrong into the No.7 spot on the all-time points table. Taylor picked up his 392nd career point as an Amerk with an assist in Rochester's 5-3 win over the Syracuse Crunch Tuesday night. Having already slid by 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 now four points away from moving ahead of Gordie Clark and Geordie Robertson for 14th and sixth on the all-time lists, respectively. Just five games short of 400 career games as an Amerk, Taylor is a mere two points shy of reaching the 1,000-point plateau and just 27 games away from the 1,200 professional games.

Player Moves: One day after the Florida Panthers reassigned goaltender Chris Beckford-Tseu to the Florida Everblades (ECHL), the 25-year-old netminder has returned to Rochester. The Toronto, Ontario, native played in 200th pro game and clinched his fourth win of the season with a 30-save effort in the Everblades' 5-2 rout over the Wheeling Nailers Wednesday night. With Florida this season, Beckford-Tseu is 4-2-0 and is currently among the top goaltenders in the ECHL with a 2.62 goals-against (fifth best) average and .916 save percentage (third best).

Florida also recalled defenseman Jason Garrison earlier this morning for the second time this week. Garrison heads to South Florida and will join the Panthers on the blueline as they take on the Carolina Hurricanes tonight from the BankAtlantic Center.

In order to fill in the empty spot in Rochester's defensive corps, the Amerks signed defenseman A.J. Thelen (THEEL-uhn) to a 25-game professional tryout. In his fourth pro season, the Savage, Minnesota, native has registered 15 points (7+8) in 26 games this year with the Florida Everblades. A first-round selection (12th overall) by the Minnesota Wild in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, the 6-foot-3, 212-pound blueliner captured the 2007 Memorial Cup alongside current Amerks Michal Repik and Kenndal McArdle with the Vancouver Giants.

The Amerks also signed forward Daniel Tkaczuk (kuh-CHOOK) to a PTO today as well. Before arriving in Rochester, the Toronto, Ontario native has notched 18 points (6+12) in 15 combined games this season with the Charlotte Checkers (ECHL) and Syracuse Crunch (AHL). A first-round selection (sixth overall) by the Calgary Flames in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, Tkaczuk has scored 389 points (141+248) in 537 pro games.

Home is Where the Wins Are... Not So Much the Road: With the first quarter 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 last weekend, the Amerks are now 11-1-1-0 on home ice. Conversely, six of Rochester's seven losses thus far this season have been away from the friendly confines of The Blue Cross Arena.

Head-to-Head: The contest is the second in six days between Rochester and Hershey after the Amerks dropped a 6-2 decision to the Bears last Saturday in the 435th regular season meeting between the longtime rivals. The Amerks are 0-1-0-0 this season and 181-201-53 all-time against the Washington Capitals' affiliate.

Amerks Notes: Rochester (20-7-1-0, 41 points) enters the contest currently third in the AHL and trail the league-leading Manchester Monarchs by two points and sit just one behind the West Division Texas Stars. The Amerks have won 19 of their last 25 games, including 11 of the last 12 at home, and own the league's best winning percentage (.732). The Amerks come into the weekend after earning a 5-3 win over the Crunch Tuesday night. Jamie Johnson notched three points (1+2) and forward Nick Tarnasky, on a conditioning assignment from the Florida Panthers, netted a pair of goals in his Amerks debut to help Rochester snap a two-game skid.

The Amerks, who are tied for third in the AHL with six shorthanded goals, have outscored their opponents 85-62 in the last 24 games and have allowed the second fewest number of goals in their division with 73. Additionally, their 93 goals for are the most in the division. Rochester is second in the AHL with a 21.3 power-play percentage and is 11th with an 85.3 penalty-killing percentage.

Johnson, in his seventh season of professional hockey, currently paces Rochester's offense with a team-high 25 points, while his 10 goals are equal to that of Graham Mink for the team lead as well. Averaging .89 points per game, Johnson is tied for seventh in the AHL in overall point production after collecting 21 points (10+11) in his last 17 outings. Taylor remains at a close second with 23 points (6+17) and continues to be the team's top playmaker with 17 assists. His 23 points and 17 helpers presently rank him tied for 10th and sixth in the league, respectively.

Amerks tough-guy Jimmy Bonneau, who surpassed the 100-PIM plateau last weekend, is first on the team and tied for fifth in the league with a team-high 109 penalty minutes after dropping the gloves 16 times in his last 21 games. Defenseman Clay Wilson (3+13) stands just two points Garrison (3+11) in the fight for Rochester's top scoring defenseman. The duo is currently ranked seventh and ninth in scoring among league blueliners, respectively. Wilson is also tied for fourth in the AHL with nine power-play assists, while Garrison owns the team's best on-ice rating with a plus-11.

First-year goaltender Alexander Salak boasts a league-best 16-3-0 record with 638 saves in just 20 games. His 2.26 goals-against average and .928 save percentage are currently ninth and sixth among league netminders, respectively, while his 16 wins are presently a league best. In 20 games, Salak has only allowed 42 goals.

Hershey Notes: Hershey (18-8-0-2, 38 points) comes into the matchup the winners of three in its last four, with its most recent victory coming in a 6-2 defeat over the Amerks last weekend on home ice. Veteran forward Keith Aucoin led the way for the Bears scoring three goals and assisting on another as first-year netminder Braden Holtby secured his third win of the season with 26 saves.

Hershey has three of the league's top 10 scorers in forwards Andrew Gordon (31 points), Alexandre Giroux (29 points) and Keith Aucoin (28 points). The trio ranks first, second and third on the team, respectively, in addition to holding the third, fourth and fifth spots in the AHL. Gordon, in his third season with the Bears, is Hershey's top goal scorer with 15, which is presently a league best. Eight of his 15 tallies have come on the man advantage, also an AHL best. Giroux, last year's regular season and playoff scoring champion, shows a team-high 19 assists, good enough for fifth in the league. Aucoin's 12 goals are second best on the team and tie him for third overall.

Despite currently being on recall with the Washington Capitals, sophomore goaltender Michal Neuvirth remains among the elite in his position this season. The 2009 playoff MVP is fifth and sixth with a 1.99 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage, respectively. He owns a 10-5-0 record in 15 appearances between the pipes this season.

Bit of a Homecoming: Hershey's Steve Pinizzotto will have a bit of a homecoming tonight as he and the Bears make their first of two trips to Rochester this season. Prior to turning pro and joining Hershey at the tail end of the 2006-07 campaign, Pinizzotto played two seasons (2005-07) of collegiate hockey at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). In 54 total games for the Tigers, the Mississauga, Ontario, native scored 20 goals and 37 assists for 57 points. Upon signing with the Washington Capitals before the 2007-08 season, he became the first RIT graduate to sign with an NHL team.

Next Game: The Amerks return to "Chocolate Town" for the second time in a week to complete the two-game set on Saturday, December 19th at the Giant Center. The 7:00 p.m. contest will be broadcast live on Sports Radio 1280 WHTK and FM 107.3, Rochester's Sports Talk.

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