Amerks Host Phantoms At Blue Cross Arena
Published on January 31, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release
Tonight, the Rochester Americans return home as the Adirondack Phantoms make their second trip in as many weeks back to the Flower City.The 5:00 p.m. matinee will be the second 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. After the game, head down to The Distillery located at 1142 Mt. Hope Ave. for the Amerks' official postgame party.
McArdle Trades in His Flip-Flops for Snow Boots:
The Florida Panthers reassigned forward Kenndal McArdle back to Rochester earlier this morning. The Toronto, Ontario, native has spent the majority of the season in South Florida, where he's scored one goal and two assists for three points in 19 National Hockey League games. After missing 26 games with an injury, McArdle, 22, returned and netted his first NHL goal in his first game back in the Panthers' 2-0 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on January 23rd. A first-round selection (20th overall) by Florida in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, the 5-foot-11, 205-pound forward has recorded six points (2+4) and 54 penalty minutes in 10 American Hockey League games with the Amerks this season.
Taylor Continues His Climb Up All-Time Lists:
The 18-year pro 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 nine games away from hitting 1,200 professional games.
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 16-6-2-0 on home ice. Conversely, 11 of Rochester's 17 losses in regulation thus far this season have been away from the friendly confines of The Blue Cross Arena.
Head-to-Head:
The matchup is the second of four meetings between the interstate rivals. Rochester earned a 3-1 win in the first-ever meeting with Adirondack last Sunday on home ice. The game was 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. Rochester is 18-19-4 all-time against the Phantoms, dating back from 1996 to 2009 when the franchise was located in Philadelphia.
Amerks Notes:
Rochester (28-17-2-0, 58 points) enters the contest after earning a 2-0 whitewash over the Toronto Marlies yesterday afternoon at Ricoh Coliseum. Goaltender Tyler Plante earned his first AHL shutout and just the second of his professional career with a 22-save effort. Defenseman Clay Wilson also chipped in with two points (1+1) as the duo notched first and second star honors, respectively.
With the win, the Amerks have won six of their last eight. Rochester is second in the North Division and 10th overall in the AHL. The Amerks have won 16 of the last 23 on home ice, and have the league's sixth best winning percentage (6.17). The Amerks have allowed the second fewest number of goals in their division with 143. Additionally, their 152 goals for are also the second most in the division. Rochester is 10th in the AHL with an 18.8 power-play percentage and is 13th with an 83.3 penalty-killing percentage.
Seventh-year pro Jamie Johnson, who has five goals and eight assists in his last eight outings, currently paces Rochester's offense in all offensive categories in goals (19), assists (29) and points (48). Averaging just over a point per game, Johnson is seventh in the AHL in overall point production after collecting 44 points (19+25) in his last 36 appearances. Further, his 19 goals and 29 assists rank him tied for 10th and eighth in each category among the AHL's top scorers, respectively.
Wilson, who shows six points in his last seven games, has a team-best 16 assists on the power-play this season, good enough for third in the AHL in that category. Wilson continues to be Rochester's top scoring defenseman with 33 points (7+26) and remains tied for third in scoring among league blueliners. Amerks tough-guy Jimmy Bonneau is first on the team and ninth in the league with a team-high 138 penalty minutes. Third-year defenseman Jordan Henry owns the team's best on-ice rating with a plus-14.
Rookie goaltender Alexander Salak, who has started six of the last seven games for Rochester, boasts a 21-7-0 record with 2.62 goals-against average and.917 save percentage along with 786 saves in 30 games. His save percentage is 13th best among league netminders, while his 21 wins are second best.
Adirondack Notes:
Adirondack (22-21-2-1, 47 points), kicking off a two-game road trip tonight, comes into the matchup after suffering a 2-1 loss to the Norfolk Admirals last night at the Glens Falls Civic Center. David Laliberte netted the Phantoms' lone goal in the contest as former NHL veteran netminder John Grahame turned away 17 saves in the losing effort.
The Phantoms are currently led by third-year center and 2010 AHL All-Star Jon Matsumoto who has a team-high 21 assists and 39 points this season. Stefan Legein, formerly of the Syracuse Crunch, paces the team with 19 goals and is tied for ninth in the league.
Matsumoto also leads his team in all power-play categories, recording five goals and seven assists for 12 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 133 penalty minutes, good enough for 10th in 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 14-9-1 record with a 2.59 goals-against average and a.914 save percentage through 25 games. His counterpart Grahame, a 2004 Stanley Cup winner with the Tampa Bay Lightning, is 2-7-0 with a 2.56 goals-against average and a.903 save percentage in just nine games played.
Next Game:
The Amerks kickoff their February slate as they visit the Lake Erie Monsters on Wednesday, February 3rd for a 7:00 p.m. North Division showdown at Quicken Loans Arena. The contest will be the sixth of eight scheduled meetings between this divisional rivals this season and will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK and FM 107.3, Rochester's Sports Talk. Rochester is 1-3-1-0 this season and 7-9-1 all-time against the Colorado Avalanche's affiliate.
American Hockey League Stories from January 31, 2010
- Stars Sneak Past Peoria 2-1 In A Shootout - Peoria Rivermen
- Texas Takes Over First Place With A 2-1 Shootout Win In Peoria - Texas Stars
- Admirals Can't Tame Bulldogs - Milwaukee Admirals
- Taffe Lifts Rochester To 2-1 Win Over Phantoms - Adirondack Phantoms
- Bulldogs End Road Trip With 3-2 Win Over Admirals - Hamilton Bulldogs
- P-Bruins Shutout Falcons 6-0 - Providence Bruins
- Amerks Sneak By Phantoms For 2-1 Win - Rochester Americans
- Norfolk Wins 13 Round Shootout To Edge Sound Tigers - Bridgeport Islanders
- Montreal Recalls Matt D'Agostini From Hamilton - Hamilton Bulldogs
- Victory Gives Admirals Most Successful Trip In Seven Years - Norfolk Admirals
- Keith Aulie Traded To The Toronto Maple Leafs - Abbotsford Heat
- Devils Clip Sharks In Overtime, 4-3 - Worcester Sharks
- Ducks Re-Assign Sexton To Moose - Manitoba Moose
- Moose Edged By Penguins, 3-1 - Manitoba Moose
- Minnesota Wild, Houston Aeros Announce Roster Moves - Houston Aeros
- Szczechura Assigned To Admirals For Conditioning - Norfolk Admirals
- Predators Reassign Spaling To Admirals - Milwaukee Admirals
- Amerks Host Phantoms At Blue Cross Arena - Rochester Americans
- Adam McQuaid Back From Boston - Providence Bruins
- Houston Aeros Storm Back, Defeat Peoria Rivermen 5-4 In Shootout - Houston Aeros
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