AHL Rochester Americans

Amerks Quest For 2,000 Wins Continues Tonight In Adirondack

Published on February 10, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release


(Rochester, NY)... The Rochester Americans' quest for 2,000 winscontinues tonight as the team makes its first trip back to the Glens Falls Civic Center for the first time in 11 years for a 7:00 p.m. tilt with the Adirondack Phantoms. The matchup will be the third of four scheduled meetings between the interstate rivals this season and will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK and FM 107.3, Rochester's Sports Talk.

Prior to this season, the last time Rochester faced an Adirondack-based AHL team was during the 1998-99 season against the Adirondack Red Wings before the team ceased operations. Rochester is 2-0-0-0 this season and 19-19-4 all-time against the Phantoms, dating back from 1996 to 2009 when the franchise was located in Philadelphia.

Rochester is just a mere two wins away from capturing its 2,000th win in the 54-year history of the franchise. The Amerks will become just the second team in the AHL and only the eighth team in North American hockey history to collect 2,000 wins. In addition to all the founding original six members of the NHL, the only other AHL team to accomplish the feat is the defending Calder Cup champion Hershey Bears. The 10-time league champs claimed their 2,000th win at the tail-end of the 1993-94 season.

Rochester (30-19-2-0, 62 points) enters the contest second in the North Division and 10th overall in the American Hockey League standings. After a 5-4 win over Binghamton last Saturday, the Amerks are 16-3-0-0 this season against the AHL's four other teams from New York.

The Amerks, who have won eight of their last 12, have allowed the second fewest number of goals in their division with 156. Additionally, their 163 goals for are also the second most in the division. Rochester is 10th in the AHL with an 18.6 power-play percentage and is 19th with an 81.6 penalty-killing percentage.

Seventh-year pro Jamie Johnson, who has 16 points (5+11) in his last 12 outings and coming off a season-long 10-game point streak, continues to pace Rochester's offense in all offensive categories in goals (19), assists (32) and points (51). Averaging exactly a point per game, Johnson is sixth in the AHL in overall point production after collecting 47 points (19+28) in his last 40 appearances. Further, his 19 goals and 32 assists rank him 13th and eighth in each category among the AHL's top scorers, respectively.

Veteran defenseman Clay Wilson, who shows nine points in his last 11 games, has a team-best 17 assists on the power-play this season, good enough for fourth in the AHL in that category. Wilson continues to be Rochester's top scoring defenseman with 36 points (8+28) and remains fourth in scoring among league blueliners. Amerks tough-guy Jimmy Bonneau is first on the team and eighth in the league with a team-high 143 penalty minutes. Third-year defenseman Jordan Henry owns the team's best on-ice rating with a plus-16.

Rookie goaltender Alexander Salak, who has started 10 of the last 12 games for Rochester, boasts a 23-8-0 record with 910 saves in 33 games. His 2.63 goals-against average and.920 save percentage currently rank him 20th and 11th among league netminders, respectively, while his 23 wins are second best.

Adirondack (23-23-2-2, 50 points) comes into the matchup after dropping four of its last five, with its most recent loss coming in a 5-0 setback to the Syracuse Crunch this past Saturday night. The Phantoms are currently led by 2010 AHL All-Star Jon Matsumoto, who also leads him team in all offensive categories in goals (19), assists (22) and points (41) this season.

Matsumoto also leads his team in all power-play categories, recording five goals and seven assists for 12 points. Stefan 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 12th 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 15-10-2 record with a 2.56 goals-against average and a.914 save percentage through 28 games. His counterpart, John Grahame, a 2004 Stanley Cup winner with the Tampa Bay Lightning, is 2-8-0 with a 2.80 goals-against average and a.897 save percentage in just 10 games played.

Rochester returns home on Friday, February 12th as it closes out its season series with the Abbotsford Heat. The 7:05 p.m. contest will be the fourth and final get-together for the North Division rivals this season. Fans can tune into the live broadcast 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.

The game falls on the next installment of the Amerks Dollar Dogs 'N' Drafts promotion. Friday night, and now during every Friday night home game for the rest of the season, fans can take part in the "Dollar Dogs 'N' Drafts" promotion. Fans will be able to purchase Zweigle's Hot Dogs and Draft Beers for just $1 each!

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American Hockey League Stories from February 10, 2010


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