AHL Rochester Americans

Amerks Start Weekend at Home on a High Note

Published on December 15, 2008 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release


(Rochester, NY)... After coming off their most productive and perhaps busiest week of the season thus far, the Rochester Americans now focus their attention to a weekend at home.

Rochester looks for its third straight win of the season on Friday, December 19th as the Lake Erie Monsters return to The Blue Cross Arena. The 7:35 p.m. North Division matchup will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK, whtk.com and AHL Live. The game will be the third of six scheduled meetings between the two teams this season, with the Amerks gaining wins in both previous matches. Rochester is 2-0-0-0 this season and 5-2-1 all-time against the Colorado Avalanche's affiliate.

Fans will have a chance to see the game for only $7 with the next installment of the Amerks' $7 Fridays, where 200 Upper End and 200 Balcony level seating is available for as low as $7. It's also AAA Night. All AAA members who present their membership cards to The Blue Cross Arena Box Office will receive 100-End Seating for $12 each (Reg. Price $18.25) or 200-End Seating for $9 each (Reg. Price $14.25).

After having Saturday off, the Amerks close out the weekend as they host the Grand Rapids Griffins on Sunday, December 21st at The Blue Cross Arena. Rochester dropped a 3-1 decision in the previous meeting between the two teams an Van Andel Arena on November 29th. The Amerks are 16-17-2 lifetime against the Griffins.

Fans can purchase the Zweigle's Family Four Pack of four tickets, four hot dogs and four sodas for just $55. Packages are available for purchase at The Blue Cross Arena Box Office. Call the Amerks at (585) 454-5335 for more details.

Sunday is 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. Lastly, it's also 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.

Rochester enters the week after posting a 3-2-0-0 record in last week's five-game in six-night stretch which saw the Amerks improve to 7-20-0-2 on the year. The Amerks have now won a season-best four of their last six, while earning two straight on the road and two back-to-back for the first time this season.

The Amerks began their week with a two-game midweek set in Texas to face the San Antonio Rampage and the Houston Aeros. After falling short to the Rampage, Rochester made up for it the following night with a shootout win over Houston to pick up its first road win this season.

On Friday December 12th, the Amerks dropped a 2-0 decision to the Peoria Rivermen, despite a 26-save effort by goaltender Mike Brodeur. Rochester closed the weekend with a pair of wins in a 3-1 victory over Lake Erie Saturday night and 1-0 whitewash of the Syracuse Crunch last night to collect its seventh win of the season.

Kenndal McArdle scored Rochester's lone goal while Brodeur backstopped the Amerks with a 30-save performance to tab his second shutout of the season in six games en route to first star honors. The win snapped a 13-game losing streak at the hands of the Syracuse Crunch, giving the Amerks their first two-game win streak of the season.

Amerks General Manager Jody Gage announced today that the Florida Panthers have reassigned forwards Michal Repik and Shawn Matthias to the Amerks, while defenseman Noah Welch's conditioning stint has been terminated and will return to the Panthers. Also, right wing Andrew Sweetland has been reassigned to the Florida Everbaldes of the ECHL.

Matthias and Repik return to the Amerks after their recent recalls to Florida. Matthias played in a total of 10 games with the Panthers, recording an assist on December 14th against the Vancouver Canucks. Repik played in just four games, scoring his first National Hockey League goal in his NHL debut against the Ottawa Senators on December 8th.

Welch returns to Florida after tallying three assists and 10 penalty minutes (PIM) in seven games on a conditioning assignment with Rochester. The Brighton, Massachusetts, native appeared in four games with the Panthers to start the season. Sweetland heads to the Everblades (ECHL) after notching an assist and 10 PIM in 21 games with the Amerks. The 22-year-old native of Bonavista, Newfoundland, signed with the Panthers as a free agent on March 23, 2008.

Despite his absence, Repik remains at the top of the Amerks points list, where he is currently locked in a three-way tie for the team lead with 14 points (6+8), along with Janis Sprukts (6+8) and Jason Garrison (2+12). Garrison has a team-high 12 assists and is Rochester's top scoring defenseman. Further, his 14 points ties him for 19th among American Hockey League blueliners. Fourth-year left wing Stefan Meyer paces the goal count with a team-leading seven on the season while his 13 points overall ties him for second best on the team. Duco continues to lead the team with 88 penalty minutes (PIM), good enough for 11th in the league.

Brodeur, who was recently named the Reebok/AHL Player of the Week, boasts a 4-2-0 record with a 1.16 goals-against average and a .958 save percentage. The 25-year-old netminder has started in six straight games for the Amerks, the longest of any Rochester goaltender this season, showing 158 saves while only allowing seven goals. Further, his two shutout ties him for third among AHL goaltenders.

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American Hockey League Stories from December 15, 2008


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