Amerks Host River Rats Tonight
Published on February 20, 2008 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release
Rochester Americans vs. Albany River Rats Wednesday, February 20, 2008 @ The Blue Cross Arena, AHL Game #798
Game Notes: The Rochester Americans play host to the Albany River Rats in a midweek contest tonight at The Blue Cross Arena. The 7:05 p.m. contest will be broadcast live on Hot Talk 1280 WHTK, whtk.com and B2 Networks, and will be televised live on Time Warner SportsNet Channel 26. The game is the second of Rochester's current four-game homestand.
Promotions: The game falls on College Night. Present your college ID at the Box Office and receive a $16.00 ticket for $10.00, or a $12.00 ticket for just $8.00. It's also Family Night. All Rochester area school children, teachers, school employees, administrators and all families can purchase specially priced tickets. Also if you are amongst the first 6,000 fans, you will receive light-up maracas courtesy of Time Warner.
Head-to-Head: The contest will be the second and final meeting of the year between the Amerks and the River Rats. In their previous encounter, the Amerks surrendered three unanswered second-period goals en route to a 3-2 loss on December 19th at Times Union Center. Despite trailing the Rats 0-1-0 in the season series, the Amerks hold a slight edge in the all-time record books posting a 43-39-9 record against the Carolina Hurricanes' affiliate.
Amerks Notes: The Amerks (16-33-4-4, 40 points) enter the contest currently on a two-game losing streak, with the most recent loss coming in a 4-1 loss to the defending Calder Cup champion Hamilton Bulldogs Sunday night. Rochester is 4-2-1-0 in its lat seven games, claiming nine out of a possible 14 points. The Amerks hold a last place standing in the North Division and Western Conference. Mark Mancari remains Rochester top point-getter with 41 points (15+26), while Stefan Meyer and Marek Zagrapan share the team lead with 16 goals. First-year defenseman turned forward Marc-Andre Gragnani leads the Amerks with 28 assists. His 34 points (6+28) is second best on the team and seventh among league rookies. Gragnani comes into the game currently riding a seven-game point streak (2+6). Adam Dennis has started in goal for seven straight games for Rochester, posting a 4-2-1-0 record, including two shutouts. Dennis presently ranks 10th among league netminders with three shutouts this season. Yannick Tifu will be playing against the team he started the season with tonight. Tifu notched five points (2+3) in nine games with Albany earlier this season.
Player Moves: Rochester Americans General Manager Jody Gage announced yesterday that the Florida Panthers have recalled Amerks center Drew Larman. The recall was Larman's first promotion to the National Hockey League this season. Larman skated 9:36 in Florida's 3-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins last night at Mellon Arena. A native of Buffalo, Larman has collected 13 points (6+7) in 37 games for the Amerks. He appeared in 16 games last season with the Panthers, netting two goals. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound forward signed with Florida as a free agent on September 28, 2005.
River Rats Notes: The River Rats (28-24-0-3, 59 points) come into the game after being whitewashed, 2-0, by the Philadelphia Phantoms Monday night at the Wachovia Spectrum. The Rats are 4-5-0-1 in their last 10. The River Rats are locked in a three-way tie with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers and Binghamton Senators for fourth place in the American Hockey League's East Division. Albany's current roster is led by left wing Brandon Nolan with 48 points (23+25) in 46 games this season. Jamie Johnson is second on the team in points with 38 (13+25), but tied with Nolan in assists. Jerome Samson has found the back of the net 18 times to lead the Rats. Former Amerks goaltender Michael Leighton is ranked in all of the top goaltending categories. His 2.23 goals-against average, 17 wins and five shutouts rank him seventh, 15th and third in the league, respectively. Most impressively, his .927 save percentage is a league best.
Next Game: The Amerks' homefront continues on Friday, February 22nd as the Binghamton Senators make their third trip back to The Blue Cross Arena. The 7:35 p.m. contest will be broadcast live on Hot Talk 1280 WHTK, whtk.com and B2 Networks. It will also be televised live on Time Warner SportsNet Channel 26.
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