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AHL Rochester Americans

Amerks Will Try to Stay Hot at Home; Host Toronto Tonight

March 11, 2011 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release


(Rochester, NY)... The Amerks kickoff their first of three games in as many nights this evening as they play host to the Toronto Marlies in a North Division showdown at The Blue Cross Arena. The Amerks will try to stay hot at home, owning a 5-0-0-1 record in their last six games on home ice. The 7:35 p.m. contest will be broadcast live on Sports Radio 1280 WHTK and FM 107.3, Rochester's Sports Talk.

Head-to-Head: Tonight's game will be the seventh of eight scheduled meetings between the two teams this season. Rochester is 4-2-0-0 this season and 23-23-2 all-time against the Baby Maple Leafs. The Amerks have taken three of the last four engagements with the Marlies, dating back to a 2-0 home win on December 17th.

Promotions: The first 5,000 fans in attendance tonight will receive an Amerks tote bag, courtesy of The College at Brockport. It's also Irish Night, where fans can come out and enjoy a night devoted to Irish culture. As part of the festivities, fans can purchase St. Patrick's Day-themed Mystery Pucks. The game also falls on the next installment of the "Dollar Dogs 'N' Drinks" promotion, presented by Molson Coors. Friday, and now during every Friday night home game for the rest of the season, fans can purchase Zweigle's Hot Dogs and select draft products or fountain Pepsi products for just $1.00.

Further, the game features the Mark's Family Value Night special, offering fans four tickets, four T-shirts, one large one-topping pizza, two orders of jumbo wings and one two-liter bottle of soda for just $69 from any area participating Mark's Pizzeria location. Fans can purchase the package online at ticketmaster.com or in person at The Blue Cross Arena Box Office. For more information, please call the Amerks office at (585) 454-5335 and speak with a ticket sales representative today.

Amerks Notes: Rochester (29-29-3-3, 64 points) enters the week after seeing its three-game winning streak halted following back-to-back losses as part of a two-game set with the Grand Rapids Griffins. Veteran forward Mark Cullen, who recently reached the 400-point plateau, needs just 10 more games to reach 500 for his career in the American Hockey League. Hugh Jessiman, fresh of his NHL debut with Florida, is four points away from eclipsing the 200-point plateau. Jessiman is also four games shy of 400 for his career and four assists short of 100. With Michal Repik, Clay Wilson, and newcomer Tim Kennedy all presently on NHL recall, defenseman Mike Kostka leads Rochester's active roster with 31 assists and 43 points . Despite being inactive, Repik continues to be Rochester's top point-getter with a team-high 34 assists and 45 points. Playing at under a point-per-game pace, Repik is currently tied for 15th in the AHL in assists, while also being among the league's top scorers. Third-year forward Michael Duco maintains the team lead with a career-high 17 goals, including a team-high 10 on the power play, placing him tied for ninth in the league in that category. Clay Wilson is currently second on the team and tied for third in scoring among AHL blueliners with 44 points (10+34). His 34 helpers are also the fourth most among league defensemen. Tyler Plante has started 14 consecutive games for the Amerks and shows an 8-5-1 record over that span. On the season, the fourth-year pro and native of Milwaukee, Wis., is 13-12-2 with one shutout through 29 games. Plante also boasts a 3.00 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage. His 13 victories are already good for a new AHL career-high.

Who's Hot: Wilson enters the week in midst of a season-high five-game point streak (2+4), while Kostka shows six points (1+5) in his last five outings, including his four-point game against Manitoba on February 25th. Coming into the week, Taylor boasts three goals and five assists in his last 11 appearances. Veteran forward Patrick Rissmiller, among the newest additions to the Rochester lineup, has points in back-to-back games in an Amerk uniform, starting with a power-play assist Friday night in his Amerk debut. Second-year defenseman Evan Oberg also made the most of his Rochester debut in the same game, collecting his first point as an Amerk with an assist on Triston Grant's goal. The duo was acquired by the Florida Panthers and subsequently loaned to Rochester the day of the NHL trade deadline.

Toronto Notes: Toronto (33-25-1-8, 75 points) comes into the matchup having picked up points in four straight games, three of which have been victories. Most recently, the squad skated away with a 3-2 shootout win over Rockford on Tuesday. The Marlies are tied for third place in the North Division. Veteran forward Mike Zigomanis presently leads Toronto with a team-high 32 assists and 44 points through 59 games. Six of his 12 goals this season have been on the power play, which ties him for the team lead. Rookie forward Joe Colborne, recently acquired in a trade with the Boston Bruins last month, paces the Marlies with 17 goals and has contributed seven points (5+2) in 10 games since his arrival. The center's 33 points overall (17+16) place him in a tie for 15th amongst first-year skaters. Fellow rookie forward Nazem Kadri is currently tied for 12th among league newbies with 36 points (14+22), though appearing in only 41 games this season. The 23 year-old Simon Gysbers leads all Toronto defensemen in scoring with 28 points (7+21), with veteran Matt Lashoff is close behind with 27 (7+20).

Ben Scrivens and Jussi Rynnas have seen a majority of the time between the pipes for the Marlies, appearing in 22 and 28 games, respectively. With Rynnas currently sidelined with an injury, Scrivens has started the team's last five games, surrendering just nine goals in the process. Despite boasting just 10 wins to his name this season, the Spruce Grove, Alberta native is among the top 10 AHL goaltenders with a 2.23 goals-against average and a save percentage of .929.

Next Game: Rochester pays a visit to its I-90 neighbors to the East on Saturday, March 12th, as they exchange pleasantries with the Syracuse Crunch at the War Memorial at Oncenter. Fans can tune in live for the 7:30 p.m. matchup on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK and FM 107.3, Rochester's Sports Talk. The game will be televised LIVE on Channel 98.

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