AHL Rochester Americans

AMERKS HOST MARLIES TONIGHT

March 13, 2009 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release


Tonight, the Rochester Americans remain home at The Blue Cross Arena as they play host to the Toronto Marlies in their first of three North Division matchups this weekend. The 7:35 p.m. contest will be the seventh of eight scheduled meetings between the two teams this season and will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK, whtk.com and AHL Live. The game will also be broadcast live over the NHL network.

Promotions: It's Irish Night! Wear your green to the game and receive best available seating for just $10.The game also features the next installment of the Amerks' $7 Fridays, where fans can purchase 200 Upper End and 200 Balcony tickets for just $7. The game also falls on AAA Discount Night. All AAA members can bring their cards to The Blue Cross Arena Box Office to receive 100-End Seating for $12 each (Reg. Price $18.25) or 200-End Seating for $9 each (Reg. Price $14.25).

Tonight also marks the sixth 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 will run during the second intermission through the Amerks' remaining nine 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 seventh of eight scheduled meetings between the two clubs this season. The Marlies hold the advantage in the season series with a 5-1-0-0 record and have outscored Rochester 24-13 in the previous six encounters. The Amerks are 11-20-1 lifetime against the Toronto Maple Leafs' American Hockey League affiliate.

Amerks Notes: Rochester (24-36-0-5, 53 points), enters the contest on the heels of a three-game skid after coming up empty handed last weekend. The Amerks dropped back-to-back games to the Lake Eire Monsters as part of a two-game set and closed out the weekend on home ice with a loss Sunday against the Providence Bruins. First-year forward Michal Repik scored a goal in each of Rochester's three games to extend his current goal streak to four games.

Repik, who has 22 points (11+11) in his last 20 games, currently paces Rochester's offense with a team-high 18 goals and 41 points. His 41 points presently rank him 12th among AHL rookies in scoring. Rookie defenseman Jason Garrison has a team-best 26 assists and remains Rochester's top scoring defenseman with 30 points overall, good enough for fourth on the team. Further, his 30 points rank him 19th among league defenseman. First-year forward Michael Duco is first on the team with 135 penalty minutes (PIM). Goaltender Mike Brodeur boasts a 16-9-3 record in 31 games for the Amerks. His 2.34 goals-against average and .925 save percentage currently rank him fifth and third among AHL netminders, respectively. Further, his two shutouts tie him for fifth in the league. Tyler Plante is 5-5-0 since his return to the Amerks and is 5-10-0 on the season with a 3.20 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage.

Player Moves: Florida Panthers General Manager Jacques Martin announced today that forward Michal Repik has been reassigned to Rochester after a brief one-game stint with the Panthers. Repik scored the lone goal in Florida's 3-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres last night at HSBC Arena.

A native of Vlasim, Czech Republic, the 20 year old has skated in five games with the Panthers this season, registering two goals. He made his NHL debut on December 8th and scored his first NHL goal that night in Florida's 4-3 overtime win against the Ottawa Senators. Repik has played in 60 AHL games with the Amerks this season.

Toronto Notes: Toronto (32-26-2-5, 71 points), playing Game three of its current three-game North Division road trip, enters the matchup with only two wins in its last five games after falling in a 3-1 loss to the Syracuse Crunch Wednesday night at War Memorial at Oncenter. Tim Stapleton currently paces the Marlies offense with a team-high 41 assists and 61 points. His 41 helpers are eighth best in the league, while 22 of the 41 have come on the man advantage, good enough for ninth in the AHL. Jiri Tlusty leads the team with 23 goals and ranks second on the team with 58 points overall. Newly acquired forward Jay Rosehill is first on the team and third in the league with 221 PIM. Goaltender Justin Pogge has seen the majority of time between the pipes this season for the Marlies, posting a 21-18-4 record with a 2.76 goals-against average and a .892 save percentage in 44 games. His 19 wins rank him 10th among league netminders. Toronto currently holds the fourth-place standing in the AHL's North Division.

Next Game: The Amerks will be on the road on Saturday, March 14th as they take on their longtime rival the Syracuse Crunch at the War Memorial at Oncenter. The 7:30 p.m. North Division showdown will be the seventh of 12 meetings between the divisional rivals and will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK, whtk.com and AHL Live. Rochester dropped a 4-0 decision to Syracuse in the previous meeting between the two teams back on January 22nd at The Blue Cross Arena and have been outscored by the Crunch 21-9 in the past six games. The Amerks are 2-4-0-0- this season and 80-71-15 lifetime against Syracuse.

Next Home Game: Rochester returns home on Sunday, March 15th to play host to the Hamilton Bulldogs at The Blue Cross Arena. The 6:05 p.m. contest will be the eighth and final meeting of the season between the two clubs and will be carried live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK, whtk.com and AHL Live. The Amerks earned a 4-1 victory in the last meeting with the 'Dogs on February 27th at Copps Coliseum to improve to 3-3-0-1 on the season. The Amerks are 63-49-9 all-time against the Montreal Canadiens' affiliate.

The game features the next installment of the Amerks' Red Hot Sundays. All fans who wear red to the game can receive tickets for as low as $5 for 200-end seating and best available seating for $10. As part of the festivities, the Amerks will be wearing their red jerseys.

Fans can take advantage of the Zweigle's Family Four Pack, which consists of four tickets, four hot dogs and four sodas for $55. The package can be purchased through Ticketmaser.com or at The Blue Cross Arena Box Office. Call the Amerks at (585) 454-5335 for more details. 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 on 1142 Mt. Hope Ave. immediately following the game for the Amerks' official postgame party.

Check out the Rochester Americans Statistics



American Hockey League Stories from March 13, 2009


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