AHL Rochester Americans

Amerks in Albany Tonight

Published on January 24, 2009 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release


Rochester, NY)... The Rochester Americans hit the road tonight for its last game before the All-Star break as they travel to the state capital of New York to take on the Albany River Rats at the Times Union Center. Faceoff is slated for 7:00 p.m. and will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK, whtk.com and AHL Live.

The game will be the third of four scheduled meetings between the non-divisional rivals as the Amerks look to rebound after suffering a 3-2 loss to the Rats on December 27th. The Amerks are 1-1-0-0 this season and own a 45-40-9 all-time record against the Carolina Hurricanes' affiliate.

Rochester (15-25-0-4, 34 points), the winners in six of its last 10, enters the contest after suffering a 3-2 shootout loss to the division-leading Manitoba Moose last night at The Blue Cross Arena. Randall Gelech scored his first goal as an Amerk and David Brine converted on a penalty shot opportunity to tally Rochester's pair of goals in regulation. Goaltender Mike Brodeur made 35 saves in the losing effort in his fourth consecutive start between the pipes for the Amerks. Rochester is now 10-5-0-2 in its last 17 games.

Veteran forward Janis Sprukts, who has 12 points (5+7) in his last eight outings, currently paces Rochester's offense with a team-high 12 goals and 28 points. Rookie defenseman Jason Garrison has a team-best 19 assists and continues to remain Rochester's top scoring defenseman with 22 points overall, good enough for second on the team. Further, his 22 points presently ranks him 17th among American Hockey League blueliners.

First-year forward Michael Duco is first on the team with 107 penalty minutes (PIM), with Tanner Glass a close second at 91 PIM. Brodeur, who has started four straight and 19 of the last 21 games for Rochester, boasts a 12-5-2 record in 19 games for the Amerks. His 2.16 goals-against average and .930 save percentage presently rank him third among AHL netminders in both goaltending categories. Further, his two shutouts tie him for fourth in the league, while his 12 wins are tied for seventh. Brodeur will join Amerks captain Rory Fitzpatrick at the 2009 AHL All-Star Classic on January 25th and 26th in Worcester, Mass.

Albany (18-21-3-2, 41 points), playing Game 3 of its current three-game homestand, comes into the game after earning a 4-1 win over the Binghamton Senators last night on home ice.

Former Amerk Michael Ryan notched a pair of goals to go along with an assist and Jakub Petruzalek contributed three assists to guide the Rats. Ryan is presently first on the team and fourth in the AHL with 22 goals, while his 35 points overall is a team best as well. Petruzalek leads the team with 21 helpers. Trevor Gillies is first on the team and 12th in the league with 125 PIM. Goaltender Justin Peters has seen the most time in net for the Rats this season, posting an 8-15-2 record in 27 appearances. His 2.54 goals-against average and .918 save percentage currently rank him 18th and 11th in the league, respectively.

The Amerks return to action after the 2009 AHL All-Star break for a weekend road set with the Grand Rapids Griffins on Friday, January 30th and Saturday, January 31st at Van Andel Arena. Both games are slated for a 7:00 p.m. start and will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK, whtk.com and AHL Live.

Rochester returns home as it hosts the Rockford IceHogs on Wednesday, February 4th at The Blue Cross Arena. The 7:05 p.m. contest will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK, whtk.com and AHL Live.

The game falls on a clevermethod Business Persons' Special, where fans can turn in their business cards at The Blue Cross Arena Box Office and receive any 100-premium seat for just $10. Offer is valid for all Amerks home games Monday through Thursday. Contact the Amerks Office at (585) 454-5335 for more information.

It's also Buy One, Get One Half-off night, where 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 through Ticketmaster.com. Further, it's a RARES Discount Night. The RARES discount is valid for all RARES members by logging onto www.rares.org to review their discounts.

Lastly, it also marks the next Military Discount Night, in which active military and veterans can present a Military ID or an American Legion or VFW membership card and receive premium seating for just $10 or 200 End seats for $5, a savings of $12.25 per ticket. All tickets can be purchased directly at the Box Office window at The Blue Cross Arena.

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American Hockey League Stories from January 24, 2009


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