AHL Rochester Americans

Amerks Host Marlies on Red Hot Sunday

Published on February 22, 2009 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release


Game Notes: Tonight, the Rochester Americans return home to The Blue Cross Arena for the second leg of a home-and-home series with the Toronto Marlies. The 6:05 p.m. matchup will be the sixth of eight scheduled meetings between the North Division rivals this season and will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK, whtk.com and AHL Live.

Promotions: The game kicks off Rochester's first Red Hot Sunday. All fans who wear red to the game can receive tickets for as low as $5 for 200-end seating. Fans can also enjoy the Buy One, Get One Half-off special. 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 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 located at 1142 Mt. Hope Ave. for the Amerks' official postgame party.

Tonight also marks the third 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 begins tonight and will run during the second intermission through the Amerks' remaining 12 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 sixth of eight scheduled meetings between the two clubs this season. The Amerks, despite earning their first win of the campaign against the Marlies last night, still trail behind Toronto in the season series with a 1-3-0-1 record. The Marlies have also outscored the Amerks 18-11 in the five previous meetings. Rochester is 11-19-1 all-time against the Toronto Maple Leafs' affiliate.

Amerks Notes: Rochester (22-31-0-5, 49 points), the winners of two straight and three out of its last four, enters the contest after taking a 3-1 win over Toronto last night at Ricoh Coliseum. Rochester scored a goal in each period using three different goal scorers in Karl Stewart, David Brine and Shawn Matthias as Tyler Plante made 37 saves en route to third star honors and his fourth win on the season. Janis Sprukts chipped in a pair of assists to garner second star accolades.

Rookie forward Michal Repik, who shows 15 points (6+9) in his last 13 games, and Sprukts are currently tied for the team lead with 34 points each. Repik is presently ranked 16th among American Hockey League rookies in scoring, while Sprukts' 15 goals are still a team best. Rookie defenseman Jason Garrison has a team best 23 assists and remains Rochester's top scoring defenseman with 27 points overall, good enough for third on the team. Further, his 27 points tie for 20th among league defenseman. Michael Duco is first on the team with 114 penalty minutes (PIM), with Tanner Glass a close second at 100 PIM. Brodeur boasts a 15-6-3 record in 26 games for the Amerks. His 2.20 goals-against average and .930 save percentage currently rank him third among AHL netminders in both goaltending categories, respectively. Further, his two shutouts tie him for fifth in the league. Tyler Plante is 4-3-0 since his return to the Amerks and is 4-8-0 on the season with 3.04 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage.

Toronto Notes: Toronto (28-21-2-5, 63 points), coming off a season-long 11-game homestand, comes into the matchup the winners in five of its last seven, despite falling in its last two contests to Hamilton and most recently, Rochester. Jeremy Williams scored the Marlies' lone goal in Toronto's 3-1 loss last night to the Amerks and goaltender Justin Pogge turned away 26 of 29 shots he faced. Tim Stapleton currently paces the Marlies offense with a team-high 36 assists and 52 points. His 36 helpers are 10th best in the league, while 20 of the 36 have come on the man advantage, good enough for 8th in the AHL. Jiri Tlusty, who recently posted a five-goal game against Syracuse on February 18th, leads the team with 18 goals and ranks second on the team with 42 points overall. Darryl Boyce has a team-high 112 PIM. Pogge has seen the majority of time between the pipes this season for the Marlies, posting a 19-15-4 record with a 2.75 goals-against average and a .894 save percentage. His 19 wins rank him ninth among league netminders.

Next Game: Rochester travels north of the border on Friday, February 27th for a North Division showdown with the Hamilton Bulldogs at Copps Coliseum. The 7:30 p.m. contest will be broadcast live in SportsRadio 1280 WHTK, whtk.com and AHL Live.

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American Hockey League Stories from February 22, 2009


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