AHL Rochester Americans

Game Day: Amerks, B-Sens Square off Tonight at Blue Cross Arena

Published on February 11, 2011 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release


Tonight, the Rochester Americans continue their busy stretch of four games in five nights as the Binghamton Senators journey north to The Blue Cross Arena. The 7:35 p.m. non-divisional matchup will be the sixth of eight meetings this season between the intrastate rivals and will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK and FM 107.3, Rochester's Sports Talk.

Promotions: The first 5,000 fans through the arena doors this evening will receive an Amerks wall decal, courtesy of Bodine Unlimited Tours. The game also falls on the next installment of the "Dollar Dogs 'N' Drinks" promotion, presented by Molson Coors. Tonight, 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 for just $1.00. Starting this season, however, fans will also have the opportunity to enjoy any fountain Pepsi products for $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 $69.00 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.

Head-to-Head: The contest will be the sixth of eight get-togethers between the two teams this season. The Amerks show a 2-2-0-1 record in the season series with the B-Sens, including 0-1-0-1 mark at home. Binghamton claimed the last meeting with a 2-1 win over Rochester on home ice back on January 8 th at Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena. The Amerks have lost the last three matchups with the Baby Sens, dating back to a 6-5 shootout loss on December 12th in the second leg of a two-game set. Rochester is also 30-33-6 all-time against Binghamton.

By The Numbers: Rochester is just 9-14-3-0 against North Division opponents this season, but shows a 12-11-0-2 mark against non-divisional rivals. Home ice has not been very welcoming for the Amerks, who are just 8-16-1-2 within the friendly confines of The Blue Cross Arena. Conversely, Rochester's road dominance is prevalent with a 13-9-2-0 mark.

Newest Amerk Arrives: Hugh Jessiman, the latest addition to the Amerks lineup, officially joined his new teammates this morning following his reassignment to Rochester from the Florida Panthers Thursday afternoon. Jessiman was part of a five-player trade that sent him, Jack Skille and prospect David Pacan to Florida from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for forward Michael Frolik and former Amerk goaltender Alexander Salak. Jessiman, a 6-foot-6, 231-pound sixth-year veteran, began the 2010-11 campaign with AHL's Rockford IceHogs, scoring three goals and adding two assists in 25 games. He comes to Rochester after posting back-to-back 20-goal seasons the last two years with the Milwaukee Admirals.

Milestone Watch: After waiting more than four months to get back on the ice, veteran forward Mark Cullen made the most of his 2010-11 season debut, collecting an assist in first game as an Amerk last weekend against Toronto. The ninth-year pro needs just five more points to reach 400 in his career. Forward Bill Thomas, currently on NHL recall with the Panthers, is three assists shy of hitting the century mark, while Jessiman is seven points away from eclipsing the 200-point plateau.

Taylor Nears 500 Games: The 2010-11 season has been one to remember for veteran forward Chris Taylor, who has spent the first 50 games of the campaign moving up the franchise's all-time lists and capturing several other career milestones. Having already scored more career goals than former fan-favorite Scott Metcalfe and recording more points than Stan Smrke, the 19-year pro is only 11 games away from 500 as an Amerk, a feat only accomplished by five others in team history.

Amerks Notes: Rochester (21-25-3-2, 47 points) enters the contest after failing to score in 1-0 loss to the Abbotsford Heat Wednesday night at The Blue Cross Arena. It was the second time this season Abbotsford netminder Leland Irving shutout the Amerks for a 1-0 victory, the last time being on December 14th. Coming into the month of February riding a three-game winning streak, the Amerks have now lost two straight and have been held to just one goal in their last 120 minutes of play. Despite the loss to the Heat, however, the Amerks have won three of their last five and have outscored their opponents 12-8 through their last five games. Though remaining in the basement of the American Hockey League's North Division, the Amerks remain just 11 points out of third place.

Special Teams Breakdown: Rochester currently has the eighth best power-play in the league (20.1 percentage), but its penalty kill ranks 25thout of the 30-team AHL with a 79.0 success rate. As a team, the Amerks have also allowed a league-worst 12 shorthanded goals against, seven coming at home and five on the road. Rochester's power-play unit has proven to be more effective on the road as its 26.9 percentage is second among the AHL's leaders.

Team and League Leaders: Back from his brief one-day stint with the Panthers, 2011 AHL All-Star Michal Repik continues to be Rochester's top point-getter with a team-high 32 assists and 40 points. Playing at just under a point-per-game pace, Repik is currently tied for sixth in the AHL in assists, while also being among the league's top scorers. The Vlasim, Czech Republic, native also paces the Amerks with a team-best 153 shots on goal.

Third-year forward Michael Duco still maintains the team lead with 14 goals, though appearing in just 39 games. Eight of Duco's goals have come on the man-advantage, ranking him first on the team and 10th in the league. Rookie left wing Eric Selleck has a team-high 130 penalty minutes, while he also ranks 16th in the league and second among AHL rookies in that category. Selleck is also tied for fourth in the league with 20 major penalties. Defenseman Clay Wilson is currently second on the team and tied for seventh in scoring among AHL blueliners with 32 points (8+24). Fellow D-man Mike Kostka remains at a close second in that category with 31 points (8+23), good enough for ninth among league rearguards. Kostka's 15 assists on the power-play are also a team-best and 11th most in the AHL.

With first-year goaltender Jacob Markstrom currently sidelined with an injury, Tyler Plante has taken over the starting duties for the Amerks. Coming off his first start between the pipes since January 22nd, Plante boasts a 5-8-1 record with a 3.35 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage. Despite being injured, Markstrom still presently ranks 14thamong AHL netminders in wins (16) and still leads the league with 1,051 saves.

Binghamton Notes: Binghamton (25-20-3-3, 56 points), playing Game 3 of its current five-game road trip tonight, comes into the matchup the winners in two of its last three after splitting a two-game set with the Norfolk Admirals last weekend. Despite dropping the first game in overtime 4-3, the B-Sens countered back with a 3-2 win the next night to complete the miniseries and have now collected points in three consecutive games. The Sens are currently fifth in the East Division and eighth overall in the Eastern Conference. Binghamton presently has the fourth best power-play unit in the league (21.9 percentage), while its road penalty killing unit its tops in the league with an AHL-best 88.7 success rate.

Team and League Leaders: The B-Sens come to town fueled by the AHL's current leading scorer in sixth-year veteran Corey Locke. Locke, who's with his fourth AHL team in six years, currently paces the league with 64 points (16+48), while also sitting atop the AHL in assists (48) and power-play assists (26). Playing at a 1.42 points-per-game pace, the 2011 AHL All-Star has collected at least one point in 20 of his last 24 games, a stretch that includes 13 games with multiple point performances and a seven-game point streak, the second longest this season for the Toronto, Ontario, native. Locke comes into this evening currently in the midst of three-game assist streak (0+5).

First-year forward Bobby Butler, presently on NHL recall with the parent Ottawa Senators, has a team-best 22 goals and is tied for seventh overall among AHL rookies in scoring with 33 points (22+11). His 22 goals are also seventh most in the league, in addition to scoring a team and league-best six game-winning goals. Defenseman Andre Benoit, formerly of the Hamilton Bulldogs, leads all team blueliners and is tied for fifth among league rearguards in scoring with 33 points (5+28) through 50 games. Tough-guy forward Francis Lessard is third in the AHL with 182 penalty minutes, while Erik Condra is tied for 11th with a team-best plus-17 on-ice rating.

Netminder Barry Brust, who's started just four of the last nine games for the B-Sens, has seen the majority of time in net thus far. In 31 games, the sixth-year pro is 17-12-1 with a 2.61 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage, good enough for eighth among AHL goaltenders. Brust also has five shutouts on the season, which ties him for first, and his 17 wins are 11th most in the AHL.

Bit of a Homecoming: Goaltender Mike Brodeur makes his return to The Blue Cross Arena since calling Rochester his home in 2008-09. The 25-year-old netminder finished his service in the Flower City among the league's elite goaltenders, compiling an 18-13-4 record in 38 games. His 2.45 goals-against average and .921 save percentage were 11th and seventh best, respectively, at the conclusion of the regular season. This season with Binghamton, the former AHL All-Star shows a 2-5-0 record with a 3.05 goals-against average and a .896 save percentage in seven appearances. He also made his National Hockey League debut last season with the Ottawa Senators, recording a 22-save win against the Minnesota Wild on December 19 th.

Next Game: The Amerks head north of the border on Saturday, February 12thfor a 4:00 p.m. matinee with the North Division-leading Hamilton Bulldogs at Copps Coliseum. Fans can tune in for all the live action on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK and FM 107.3, Rochester's Sports Talk.

Check out the Rochester Americans Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



American Hockey League Stories from February 11, 2011


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central