AHL Rochester Americans

Amerks Play Five Games in Seven-Night Stretch

February 3, 2003 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release


(Rochester, NY)... The Rochester Americans have the unenviable task of playing five games in one week. The stretch begins on Wednesday, February 5th as the Amerks battle the Central Division rival Syracuse Crunch at 7:05 p.m. and ends on Tuesday, February 11th in Hamilton against the American Hockey League's best team, the Hamilton Bulldogs.

The Amerks (16-18-12-4) enter the week in second place in the Central Division with 48 points. Rochester holds a six-point edge over Cincinnati and has a 10-point cushion against the Crunch. Syracuse, however, won the last meeting between the two clubs, earning a 3-2 overtime victory Saturday night. Rochester now has a 2-0-1-1 record against the Crunch this season. Syracuse (15-26-5-3, 38 points) enters the week in fourth place in the division. The Crunch are 3-4-1-2 over their last 10 games. The game Wednesday is the fifth of 12 meetings between the two franchises. The contest will be broadcast on WHTK 1280-AM and on the web at www.amerks.com.

Friday night, Rochester welcomes the Hershey Bears back to town. The Amerks own a 1-1-1 record against the Bears and have an all-time record of 174-194-53 against Hershey. The Bears (22-17-11-1, 56 points) are in second place in the South Division. Friday's 7:35 p.m. contest will be on WHAM 1180-AM and on the web at www.amerks.com. The game will be televised live on Time Warner Cable Channel 98. The game will also be shown on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. The game-night sponsor is the U.S. Army. The 98th Division Band will play the national anthem and a color guard will present the colors during the anthem. A Humvee will be on display in the main atrium lobby and representatives from the Army will also be on hand.

The following day, the Amerks will travel to play the Cleveland Barons. The Barons (13-32-3-3, 32 points) are in fifth place in the Central Division. Rochester has a 3-1-1 mark against Cleveland this season and won the last meeting on December 26th 5-2 at Gund Arena. The Barons are currently riding a three-game losing streak. The game will be broadcast on WHAM 1180-AM and on the web at www.amerks.com.

After the game, the Amerks will return home to play the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Sunday, February 9th. The contest is the second and final game of the regular-season series against the Pens. The first and only meeting of the season was a 4-4 tie on October 30th in Wilkes-Barre. The Pens (22-22-3-3, 50 points) are in third place in the South Division, six points behind Hershey for second place. The game will be broadcast on WHTK 1280-AM and on the web at www.amerks.com.

On Tuesday, the Amerks hit the road to play the Hamilton Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. The Bulldogs (37-8-4-4, 82 points) lead the AHL in points and have a gluttonous 30-point lead over the second-place Manitoba Moose. Bulldog Jason Ward leads the league with 60 points (23+37) in 53 games, and Benoit Gratton is third in the AHL with 55 points (19+36). The Amerks have a 1-2-2 record against the Bulldogs this season. Tuesday's game will be broadcast on WHTK 1280-AM and on the web at www.amerks.com.

News & Notes

Amerks to serve plates instead of pucks for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation: The Rochester Americans will be serving plates instead of pucks at the annual 2003 Amerks Celebrity Waiter Dinner & Sports Memorabilia Auction, to be held on Tuesday, February 25th at 5:30 p.m. at The Four Points Sheraton in downtown Rochester. Amerk players will serve guests their food and drinks for tips, with all proceeds benefiting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Rochester. For dinner, auction and ticket information, contact the Rochester chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation at (585) 697-0777.

· Rochester Americans left wing Jason Botterill is representing the Amerks at the 2003 Dodge AHL All-Star Classic, February 2-3.

· Botterill, who will play for the Canadian All-Star team, leads the Amerks and the AHL with 29 goals. He also has a team-leading 46 points (29+17) in 50 games. He is tied for 11th in the AHL in scoring.

· Chris Taylor is tied for first in the league with 37 assists. He is also tied for 14th in the AHL with 44 points (7+37) in 40 games.

· Sean McMorrow is first in the AHL with 232 penalty minutes.

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