AHL Rochester Americans

Amerks Host Johnson, Griffins Tonight at Blue Cross Arena

Published on October 23, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release


Tonight, the Rochester Americans close out their home portion for the month of October as the Grand Rapids Griffins come to Western New York for the first of six get-togethers this season. The 7:35 p.m. contest will be carried live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK and FM 107.3, Rochester's Sports Talk. It will also be televised live on Time Warner Cable SportsNet Channel 26. The matchup features the return of former Amerk Jamie Johnson, who captured a career-high 71 points (27+44) and skated in all 80 games last season in the red, white and blue.

Remembering Sharky: Prior to the game, the Amerks will honor the life of Hall of Famer Craig Charron, who sadly lost his battle to stomach cancer earlier this week. Fans can see a special tribute video highlighting the career of "Sharky" and join the Amerks in a moment of silence. Tonight, the Amerks will also announce some of the future plans the team has to honor Charron. There will also be further recognition of his outstanding career throughout the season.

Promotions: The game falls on the fourth annual "Sweets in the Suites"night. The highlight of the evening is the Best Costume Contest with fan voting selecting the winners during the second period intermission. The first contest is for kids ages 5 and under with the winner receiving one hour of trick-or-treating with The Moose on Halloween (Sunday, October 31st). The Best Costume winner for kids ages 6-12 will win one hour of trick-or-treating with R. Thunder. Restrictions apply within the Greater Rochester Area. As part of "Sweets in the Suites," all children can trick-or-treat during the first intermission of the game in the suite level of The Blue Cross Arena. All trick-or-treaters will receive a bag to fill with candy. Fans will also be selected to compete in a pumpkin carving contest during the game. The winner will win an Amerks gift bag. Fans are encouraged to dress in costume as part of the Halloween theme.

Amerks Assign Foster to Bossier-Shreveport: The Amerks returned goaltender Brian Foster back to the CHL's Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs late Friday afternoon. The rookie netminder was recalled by Rochester a week ago today to serve in a back-up role in Tyler Plante's absence. The Pembroke, New Hampshire, native was the Florida Panthers' fifth-round selection (161stoverall) in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

Milestone Watch: Veteran forward Michael Nylander, who notched the 600thassist of his 20-year professional career last weekend against Adirondack, is a mere four games from skating in his 1,100th professional game. Nathan Paetsch, who returned to the Amerks this season for the first time since the 2005-06 campaign, is one assist away from the century mark in his pro career. Forward Bill Thomas skated in his 200th AHL game this past Tuesday at Hamilton, while Triston Grant eclipsed the 1,000 penalty minute mark in both his pro and American Hockey League career after compiling 44 PIM last weekend.

Head-to-Head: The matchup will be the first of six scheduled meetings between the North Division rivals this season. Rochester and Grand Rapids split the season series a year ago, each tabbing identical 3-3-0-0 records. The Amerks are 20-23-3 lifetime against the Griffins.

Amerks Notes: Rochester (3-3-0-0, 6 points) enters the contest after dropping a 5-2 decision to the Hamilton Bulldogs Tuesday night at Copps Coliseum. Despite the loss, however, the Amerks currently sit tied for third in the American Hockey League's North Division with Hamilton and have scored the most goals among any other team in their division with 19.

Third-year forward Michal Repik currently paces Rochester's offense with a team-high seven assists and eight points, having collected at least one point in each of his first five games. Playing at more than a point-per-game pace, Repik also currently ranks tied for third and eighth in each category among the AHL's top scorers, respectively. Nylander, a former Griffin, remains at a close second with six points (4+2), while his four goals are a team-best following his four-point outing against the Phantoms last Sunday. His four tallies are also tied for 10th best in the league.

Veteran blueliner Clay Wilson continues to be Rochester's top performing defenseman with three goals and three assists for six points. Wilson, who is also on a point-per-game pace, has collected points in five of his first six games of the young season, including a pair of power-play goals, to pick up right where he left off a year ago. The 2010 Second-Team AHL All-Star currently ranks tied for second on the team in overall scoring and fourth among league rearguards. Fellow defenseman Mike Kostka is off to a productive start of the season since his return to Rochester. Kostka, fresh off a four-game point streak (1+4), has accumulated all of his assists thus far on the man-advantage, presently third best in the AHL. Grant is first on the team and third in the league with 44 penalty minutes.

First-year goaltender Jacob Markstrom, coming off his sixth straight start between the pipes, boasts a 3-3-0 record with a 3.34 goals-against average and a .891 save percentage in six games. His three wins tie him for fourth among AHL netminders, while his 163 saves are fourth most. Rochester is the only team in the league to only employ one goaltender for all its games thus far.

Grand Rapids Notes: Grand Rapids (2-2-0-1, 5 points), comes into the matchup after seeing its recent two-game winning streak come to an end last night after a 3-2 setback to the Milwaukee Admirals on home ice. All five of Grand Rapids' games this season have been decided by a single goal. The win also could have given Grand Rapids its first set of three consecutive wins since December of 2009. Cory Emmerton and Jan Mursak provided single goals for the Griffins, while Joey MacDonald dropped to 2-1-1 on the season.

Four skaters pace the Griffins offense with four points apiece, including reigning Amerk MVP Jamie Johnson. Johnson kicked off the season much as he did a year ago in Rochester with a four-game point streak before being held pointless last night at Van Andel Arena. Forward Ilari Filppula has four points (1+3) in his first four games in North America and Mursak has recorded at least one point in each of his last four outings (2+2). His two goals are currently a team best. Rookie forward Brendan Smith has a team-high 11 penalty minutes.

Veteran netminder Joey MacDonald returns to the Griffins for the first time since the 2006-07 season after spending all of 2009-10 backstopping the Toronto Marlies. MacDonald, who is 2-1 in his last three appearances, comes into the contest a week after leading the Griffins to a two-game sweep over Manitoba by posting a 1.00 goals-against average and a .957 save percentage. During the 1-0 win on October 15th, he made 25 saves and extended his franchise record with his 17th career shutout, his first in a Griffins uniform since February 22, 2006 at Rochester. Last Saturday, he stopped 19 shots to earn his 90th win as a Griffin, tying Jimmy Howard for the most in franchise history. MacDonald currently ranks fifth among AHL goaltenders with a 1.72 goals-against average, while his .929 save percentage is tied for 14th. He stands first in GAA among goalies who have appeared in four or more games, while he is also tied for first in the AHL in shutouts (1) and tied for 10th in wins (2).

Next Game: Rochester hits the road for a four-game road swing starting on Monday, October 25th with the first of back-to-back tilts with Abbotsford Heat at the Abbotsford Entertainment & Sports Centre. The 10:00 p.m. EST contest will be the first of four meetings between the two teams this season and will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK and FM 107.3, Rochester's Sports Talk.

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American Hockey League Stories from October 23, 2010


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