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AHL Rochester Americans

Amerks Host Monsters Tonight

March 27, 2009 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release


Tonight, the Rochester Americans remain home as they host the Lake Erie Monsters at The Blue Cross Arena on Breast Cancer Awareness and Hall of Fame Night. The 7:35 p.m. contest will be the sixth and final meeting of the season between the division rivals and will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK, whtk.com and AHL Live.

Promotions: The game kicks off the Amerks' "Pink in the Rink" promotion with all proceeds raised going to breast cancer research. As part of the festivities, the Amerks players will don special pink jerseys that will be auctioned off throughout the game. The ice surface at The Blue Cross Arena will also be painted pink in honor of the night.

All fans who wear pink to the game are entitled to a $10 ticket. Tickets can be purchased the day of the game only at The Blue Cross Arena Box Office. Prior to the game, all breast cancer awareness supporters, along with their families and friends, can purchase discounted tickets to see a special women's hockey pregame contest.

Tonight is also the Amerks' annual Hall of Fame Night, as former defenseman Larry Hillman will be inducted as the 45th member of the team's Hall of Fame. Hillman, 72, played in six seasons (1961-62, 1963-68) with the Amerks, scoring 14 goals, 108 assists for a total of 122 points in 169 games played. He still ranks 12th on the team's all-time points list for defensemen. Hillman also helped the Amerks win their first Calder Cup in 1964-65 as the team's captain. In addition, he earned First Team AHL All-Star honors that season.

That championship was the second of 10 he would be a part of in his 24 years in professional hockey, 22 as a player and two as a head coach. To go along with the one Calder Cup, he won six Stanley Cups (1955, 1962-64, 1967 and 1969), two Avco Cups (1977-78) and was part of a third Western Hockey Association title (1979). He also holds two places in Stanley Cup history, as the youngest player to be engraved on the Cup (18 years, two months and nine days) and the first player to win Cups with three different organizations.

Tonight marks the 11th night of the Amerks' and Dick Ide "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 four 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 and final meeting of the season between the North Division rivals. Rochester is 3-2-0-0 this season after dropping back-to-back contests to Lake Erie earlier this month as part of a two-game set and is 6-4-1 lifetime against the Monsters.

Amerks Notes: Rochester (26-39-0-7, 59 points) enters the contest on the heels of a two-game winning streak after earning a 4-3 shootout victory over the Albany River Rats Wednesday night at The Blue Cross Arena. Rookie defenseman Jason Garrison recorded his first multi-goal game as a professional with a two-goal night and defenseman Matt Duffy notched a pair of assists in his American Hockey League debut to garner first and third star honors, respectively. Karl Stewart scored in regulation and added another in the shootout as goaltender Mike Brodeur turned made 29 saves for his 18th win of the season.

First-year forward Michal Repik, who shows 25 points (11+14) in his last 27 games, continues to remain Rochester's top point-getter with a team-high 18 goals and 44 points after collecting a pair of assists against Albany Wednesday night. His 44 points presently rank him 15th among AHL rookies in scoring. Further his 26 assists tie him for the team lead with Garrison, Rochester's top scoring defenseman with 33 points overall, good enough for fourth on the team.

Rookie forward Michael Duco is first on the team with 143 penalty minutes (PIM). Brodeur, who has started in net the last four games for the Amerks, boasts an 18-12-4 record in 37 games for the Amerks. His 2.41 goals-against average and .922 save percentage currently rank him seventh and fourth among AHL netminders, respectively. Tyler Plante is 5-5-1 since his return to the Amerks and is 5-10-1 on the season with a 3.25 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage.

Lake Erie Notes: Lake Erie (31-33-3-5, 70 points), currently on a two-game North Division road trip, comes into the matchup on a three-game skid after falling short in a 5-4 loss to the San Antonio Rampage last night at Quicken Loans Arena. Ray Macias (1+1) and Bryan Marshall (0+2) each chipped in with two points apiece as Jason Bacashihua turned away 30 saves in the losing effort.

Philippe Dupuis (16+24) and Chris Durno (15+25) currently share the team lead with 40 points each, while Dupuis' 16 goals are a team best. Durno is also first on the team with 25 assists and 125 PIM. Goaltender Tyler Weiman shows an 18-17-2 record in 39 games for the Monsters and remains among the top goaltenders in the AHL this season. The second-year Lake Erie netminder has the sixth best goals-against average (2.33) while his .919 save percentage is presently 11th in the league. Weiman remains the AHL leader with a league-best seven shutouts this season. Lake Erie presently holds the sixth-place standing in the AHL's North Division, 11 points ahead of Rochester.

Next Game: On Saturday, March 28th, the Amerks hit the road for their final stop of the season at Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena to take on the Binghamton Senators. The 7:35 p.m. non-divisional matchup will be the first of two back-to-back tilts and the seventh of eight meetings between the two teams this season. The Amerks are 0-3-0-0- on the road against the B-Sens this season and currently trail in the season series with a 2-4-0-0 record. Rochester is 21-27-4 lifetime against Binghamton.

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