AHL Rochester Americans

Amerks Host Phantoms At Blue Cross Arena

January 24, 2010 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release


*Game Notes:* Tonight, the Rochester Americans conclude their three-game in three-night stretch as they welcome the inaugural visit from the expansion Adirondack Phantoms to The Blue Cross Arena. The game will be the first in 11 years since Rochester faced an Adirondack-based AHL team after the Adirondack Red Wings ceased operations following the 1998-99 season. The 5:00 p.m. matinee will be the first of four gatherings for the Amerks and the Phantoms and can be heard live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK and FM 107.3, Rochester's Sports Talk. The game will also be televised live on Time Warner Cable SportsNet Channel 26.

*Promotions: *It's an *Amerks Red Hot Sunday!* Fans can take advantage of the *Zweigle's Family Four Pack *and* *receive four tickets, four hot dogs and four sodas for just $44.

*Taylor Continues His Climb Up All-Time Lists:* More than five weeks removed from capturing his 1,000th career professional point against Hershey, veteran forward *Chris Taylor *continues his ascent up the Amerks' all-time lists. This season, Taylor has already surpassed both Norm "Red" Armstrong and Geordie Robertson into the No.6 spot on the all-time points table. In the same game, he scored a goal to move ahead of Gordie Clark into the No. 14 spot on the all-time goals list, in addition to skating in his 500th AHL contest. A week later, he skated in his 400th career game as an Amerk and moved into 10th all-time on the games played list one game ahead of Les Duff's 399-game benchmark. Having already slid by Dick Gamble into the No.4 spot on the all-time assist list, the 18-year pro now sits just five goals and seven assists away from moving ahead of Ron Garwasiuk and Gerry Ehman for 13th and third on the all-time lists, respectively. Most recently, he captured his 400th career point as an Amerk with a goal and is just 12 games away from 1,200 professional games.

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*Home Is Where the Wins Are... Not So Much the Road: *With half 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, the Amerks are now 15-5-2-0 on home ice. Conversely, 11 of Rochester's 16 losses in regulation thus far this season have been away from the friendly confines of The Blue Cross Arena.

*Head-to-Head: *The contest is the first of four scheduled meetings between the interstate rivals this season. Rochester is 17-19-4 all-time against the Phantoms, dating back from 1996 to 2009 when the franchise was located in Philadelphia.

*Amerks Notes:* Rochester (26-16-2-0, 54 points) enters the contest after a solid 5-3 win over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins last night at The Blue Cross Arena. Veteran forward *Jeff Taffe* led the way with a three-point night and has now picked up 10 points (6+4) in his last five games. Salak earned his 20th win of the season with a 29-save effort. *

Jamie Johnson* also kept his point streak intact last night with a goal and an assist to extend his scoring streak to five games. The Amerks remain currently second in the North Division and ninth overall in the AHL. The Amerks have won 15 of the last 21 on home ice, and have the league's eighth best winning percentage (6.14).

Johnson, who has four goals and five assists in his last five outings, currently paces Rochester's offense in all offensive categories in goals (18), assists (26) and points (44). Averaging exactly a point per game, Johnson is tied for seventh in the AHL in overall point production after collecting 40 points (18+22) in his last 33 appearances. Further, his 18 goals and 26 assists rank him tied for eighth and 10th among the AHL's top scorers, respectively.

Defenseman *Clay Wilson*, who shows three points in his last four games, has a team-best 15 assists on the power-play this season, good enough for second in the AHL in that category. Wilson continues to be Rochester's top scoring defenseman with 29 points (6+23) and remains tied for fourth in scoring among league blueliners. Amerks tough-guy *Jimmy Bonneau *is first on the team and tied for seventh in the league with a team-high 138 penalty minutes. Second-year defenseman *Jason Garrison *owns the team's best on-ice rating with a plus-13.

Salak, who has started the last five games for Rochester, boasts a 20-6-0 record with 2.67 goals-against average and.917 save percentage along with 739 saves in 28 games. His save percentage is 11th best among league netminders, while his 20 wins are second best.

*Adirondack Notes:* Adirondack (20-19-2-1, 43 points), kicking off a two-game road trip around New York State, comes into the matchup in the midst of a two-game skin after dropping a 3-2 decision to the Albany River Rats last night at the Glens Falls Civic Center. David Laliberte and Joonas Lehtivuori scored the Phantom's pair of goals, while former NHL veteran goaltender John Grahame made 30 saves in the losing effort.

The Phantoms are currently led by third-year center and 2010 AHL All-Star Jon Matsumoto who has 34 points this season (18+16). He and fellow forward Stefan Legein pace the team with 18 goals and are tied for eighth in the league. Centerman Jared Ross, a 2009 AHL All-Star, leads the team in assists with 18 for the year.

Matsumoto also leads his team in all power-play categories, recording five goals and six assists for 13 points. Legein's three shorthanded goals are a team-high in the category and tie him for second in the league. Winger Matt Clackson leads the Phantoms with 121 penalty minutes, good enough for 12thin the AHL.

Adirondack Goaltender Johan Backlund has seen the majority of time between the pipes this season for the Phantoms. The Sweden native currently shows a 12-8-1 record with a 2.67 goals-against average and a.911 save percentage through 22 games. His counterpart Grahame, a 2004 Stanley Cup winner with the Tampa Bay Lightning, is 2-6-0 with a 2.62 goals-against average and a.904 save percentage in just eight games played.

*Next Game: *The Amerks will complete their four-game homestand on Friday, January 29th as they host the Albany River Rats at The Blue Cross Arena. Faceoff is slated for 7:05 p.m. and will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK and FM 107.3, Rochester's Sports Talk. The game will also be televised live on Time Warner Cable SportsNet channel 26.

Check out the Rochester Americans Statistics



American Hockey League Stories from January 24, 2010


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