AHL Rochester Americans

Amerks Take on Bulldogs Tonight in Hamilton

Published on February 27, 2009 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release


(Rochester, NY)... The Rochester Americans kickoff their three-game weekend tonight as they travel north of the border to Copps Coliseum for a North Division showdown with the Hamilton Bulldogs. The 7:30 p.m. contest will be the seventh of eight meetings between the two teams this season and will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK, whtk.com and AHL Live.

The Amerks earned a 6-5 victory over the 'Dogs in the teams' last meeting back on January 11th at The Blue Cross Arena. Despite being outscored 24-19 and trailing with a 2-3-0-1 record in the season series, the Amerks still own a 62-49-9 all-time record against the Montreal Canadiens' affiliate.

Rochester (22-32-0-5, 49 points), the winners in three of its last five, enters the contest after posting a 2-1-0-1 record during last week's four-game in five-night stretch.

Veteran forward Janis Sprukts, who has points in three straight games and four of his last five, currently reigns as the Amerks' top point-getter with a team-high 15 goals and 36 points. Rookie forward Michal Repik, who shows 16 points (7+9) in his last 14 games, is 15th among American Hockey League rookies in scoring with 35 points (14+21), good enough for second on the team. First-year blueliner Jason Garrison, currently enjoying a three-game assist streak, has a team best 24 assists and remains Rochester's top scoring defenseman with 28 points overall. Further, his 28 points presently rank him 20th among league defenseman.

Michael Duco, coming off a three-game point streak, is first on the team with 119 penalty minutes (PIM), with Tanner Glass a close second at 100 PIM. Goaltender Mike Brodeur boasts a 15-6-3 record in 27 games for the Amerks. His 2.27 goals-against average and .928 save percentage currently rank him third among AHL netminders in both goaltending categories, respectively. Further, his two shutouts tie him for fifth in the league. Tyler Plante is 4-4-0 since his return to the Amerks and is 4-9-0 on the season with 3.06 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage.

Hamilton (35-21-2-0, 72 points), playing Game three of its current four-game homestand, comes into the matchup the winners of three in its last four games after suffering its only setback in that stretch, a 3-1 loss to the Syracuse Crunch on February 22nd. The Bulldogs enter tonight's contest 7-3-0-0 in their last 10 games.

Yanick Lehoux currently pilots the Bulldog offense with a team-high 32 assists and 48 points to go along with a plus-two rating. Mike Glumac leads the team with 21 goals, 12 of which have come on the man advantage, good enough for fifth in the league. Greg Stewart is first on the team and seventh in the league with 170 PIM. Goaltender Marc Denis has seen the majority of time between the pipes for the Bulldogs this season, posting a 21-12-0 record in 34 games. His 2.45 goals-against average and .921 save percentage rank him 12th and sixth in the league, respectively. Further, his 21 wins tie him for fourth in the AHL. Hamilton presently holds the third place standing in the AHL's North Division.

Amerks General Manager Jody Gage announced today that the team has signed forward Judd Blackwater to a professional tryout (PTO) and will be eligible to play in tonight's game against the Hamilton Bulldogs.

The 21-year-old native of Lethbridge, Alberta made his AHL debut this season with the Rockford IceHogs where he collected three goals and nine PIM in nine games. The 6-foot-0, 193-pound forward also split this season between the Fresno Falcons and the Stockton Thunder of the ECHL, tallying a combined 21 points (7+14) along with 43 PIM in 45 games.

Prior to turning pro, Blackwater played three seasons (2005-08) with the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League. He tallied his best season during the 2007-08 campaign, capturing career highs in all offensive categories in goals (31), assists (29), points (60) and PIM (96) to help guide the Chiefs to their first ever Ed Chynoweth Cup (WHL Championship) and the teams' second Memorial Cup (OHL Championship). He also finished the season third in postseason scoring with 18 points (10+8) in 21 appearances.

The Amerks remain on the road on Saturday, February 28th as they head to Broome County Veteran's Memorial Arena for the first of two back-to-back tilts with the Binghamton Senators. The 7:05 p.m. contest will be the fifth of eight meetings between the intra-state rivals and can be heard live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK, whtk.com and AHL Live. Rookie defenseman Jason Garrison lifted the Amerks to a 3-2 overtime win in their last meeting with the B-Sens on February 7th. The win was Rochester's first against Binghamton this season. The Amerks are 20-26-4 lifetime against the Senators.

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