Conquest Weekly

Published on April 17, 2008 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Albany River Rats News Release


CONQUEST WEEKLY (Week 3)

Conquest Capture Home Opener With Stunning OT Win

Albany Heads To Manchester For East Division Showdown

2008 Record:

1-1 (1-0 Home, 0-1 Road) - Streak: Lost 1 - Tied-Second Place, East Division, American Conference

Week 3 Recap:

The Conquest captured their first win of the young 2008 season with a stunning 55-54 overtime victory over the Peoria Pirates in their home opener on Sunday, April 13th at the Times Union Center. The win was their first in an Albany home opener since the 2003 season. The game went back and forth all afternoon and was tied 27-27 at halftime. Albany grabbed the lead early in the third quarter and held it for most of the second half, before Peoria leveled the score 47-47 with six minutes remaining in the game. Albany failed to convert on a late drive and the Pirates ran out of time before they could attempt a last second field goal. In overtime Peoria marched down the field and took just five plays to score on their first possession to go ahead by seven points. But the Conquest responded as QB Dan Cole scrambled for a 40-yard run before being knocked out of bounds at the Peoria five-yard line. Cole then connected on a five-yard touchdown pass to Clarence Curry and successfully found Vernard Abrams on the two-point conversion to record the 55-54 win.

Week 4 Preview:

This week the Conquest will engage in their 19th meeting with the Wolves franchise (split between Manchester and Mohegan). The Wolves have won four straight against the Conquest, including all three games in 2007. Albany's last victory against Manchester was a 63-61 win on May 13th 2006 at the Times Union Center. The Conquest have never won a game in Manchester, posting a 0-6 record at Verizon Wireless Arena. This is the first of a franchise-high four regular season games in 2008 between Albany and Manchester.

Week 3 Schedule:

(All games are broadcast LIVE on 88.3 FM The SAINT and on the Internet at www.albanyconquest.com)

Friday, April 18 - 7:30 pm - Verizon Wireless Arena

@ Manchester Wolves (1-1) - Streak: Lost 1

Tied-Second Place, East Division, American Conference

* The Wolves had two wait in the wings as the 2008 af2 season kicked off during the final weekend in March as Manchester was given a Week 1 bye on their schedule. They hit the field running in Week 2, beating East Division rival Mahoning Valley 45-39 on the road. But last week the Wolves hit their first set back, suffering a crushing 72-31 road defeat at the hands of the Green Bay Blizzard. * Leading Passer: Justin Rummell (#18) - 30-for-54, 384 yards, 7 TDs, 94.98 QB Rating. * Leading Rusher: Justin Rummell (#18) - 5 carries for 20 yards, 0 TDs, 4.0 yards per carry. * Leading Receiver: Bradley Chavez (#1) - 14 catches for 180 yards, 3 TDs, 12.9 yards per catch. * Leading Tackler: Roger Brown (#20) - 13.5 tackles (12 solo, 3 assists), 1 tackle for loss, 1 FF.

Conquest Player of the Week: (Week 3)

Dan Cole - QB - #7 281 passing yards and 5 TDs, 42 rushing yards & 1 TD

Dan Cole was a force to be reckoned with in Albany's second game of the season. Cole went 26-for-45 passing attempts, throwing for 281 yards and five touchdowns. The Albany native also tallied 42 rushing yards and one touchdown, including a massive 40-yard run in overtime, which set up the game-tying touchdown. Cole finished off his impressive game by linking up with Vernard Abrams for the game-winning two-point conversion.

Conquest Arrows:

- BEST IN THE LEAGUE - WR Jared Jones earned Albany's first league award of the 2008 season by being named the Schutt Offensive Player of the Week award for Week 3. Jones posted an af2 season-high 325 all-purpose yards and three total touchdowns. He also ran back on Peoria kickoff 55-yards for a touchdown.

- HOW SWEET IT IS - Head Coach Jeff Hoffman recorded his first career victory behind the bench, a memorable overtime win over Peoria. Albany had lost their last four consecutive home openers.

- DOUBLE UP - The Conquest are looking to open up a two-game winning streak this Friday in Manchester, which would be their first back-to-back wins since April of 2007 where they beat Green Bay on April 21st and then knocked off Fort Wayne on the road on April 28th.

- CLASS OF THE LEAGUE - The Conquest are off to a hot start on the offensive side of the ball. Albany currently ranks second overall in the af2 in total offense, averaging 298.5 yards per game. QB Dan Cole leads the league in total offense (302.5 yards per game) and yards per carry (8.0). WR Jared Jones ranks second in the af2 in receptions per game (10.50) and receiving yards per game (134.0).

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American Hockey League Stories from April 17, 2008


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