Curry, Penguins Blank Albany 2-0

March 15, 2008 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Albany River Rats News Release


ALBANY, NY - Goaltender John Curry made 24 saves as the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins shutout the Albany River Rats 2-0 Saturday night in front of 6,236 fans at the Times Union Center.

The River Rats lineup took a blow before they even hit the ice, with Carolina calling up Joe Jensen and Pat Dwyer to the NHL squad and Jeff Hamilton was kept out of the lineup do to a Collective Bargaining Agreement issue with reentry waivers. That left Albany with one player short of a full 19-man lineup as they took the ice for a crucial East Division showdown with the Penguins. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton grabbed the lead midway through the first period when former River Rats forward Dave Gove threw the puck toward the goal from the left boards and Kurtis McLean redirected the puck past goaltender Michael Leighton at 10:19.

Albany upped the tempo in the second period, managing to almost double their shot total from the first period, but goaltender John Curry was there to deny all of their scoring chances. Six minutes into the second defenseman Ryan Lannon took a slap shot from the blue line that zipped past as screened Leighton and just inside the far post, doubling the Penguins lead 2-0.

The River Rats tried taking more risks in the third period, even pulling Leighton with 2:21 left on the clock, but Curry would not waiver, leading the Penguins to a 2-0 win and into second place in the East Division, now one point ahead of Albany.

John Curry earned the win and his third shutout of the season by stopping all 25 shots he faces as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton improved to 39-24-0-3 on the season. Michael Leighton turned in another strong performance, blocking 24-of-26 shots as the River Rats dropped to 37-26-2-4. Albany finished the game 0-for-1 on the power play, while the Penguins were 0-for-2.

The River Rats will return to the ice on Wednesday March 19th for a 7:00 pm face off with the Hershey Bears at the Times Union Center.

River Rats playoff ticket packages for the 2008 Calder Cup Playoffs are on sale now, with special pricing available for children and seniors. For more information please contact the Albany River Rats at (518) 487-2244 or online at www.albanyriverrats.com.



American Hockey League Stories from March 15, 2008


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