AHL Rochester Americans

Game Day: Amerks Host Marlies Tonight at Blue Cross Arena

Published on February 5, 2011 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release


Tonight, the Rochester Americans go for their fourth straight win as the Toronto Marlies make their way over the border for a 7:35 p.m. North Division matchup at The Blue Cross Arena. The contest will be the first for both teams since returning from the 2011 AHL All-Star break and can be heard live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK and FM 107.3, Rochester's Sports Talk. Fans can also tune in for all the live action on Time Warner Cable SportsNet Channel 26.

Promotions: Billed as the World's Greatest Sports Entertainment Show, the ZOOperstars! will make their debut tonight at The Blue Cross Arena in between periods of the game. The ZOOperstars! are a truly unique act offering recognizable names that create interest on many levels. Some names of interest who will be here Saturday include Mackeral Jordan, Mario Lemule, Bobby Orrangutang, Peyton Manatee and the infamous Whale Gretzky, to name a few. The game also falls on the next installment of the Amerks Legends Series Nights, courtesy of the Seneca Gaming Corporation. Former Amerk and gold-medal winning U.S. National Sled Hockey coach Ray Maluta and former goaltender Jim "Seaweed" Pettie will be signing autographs from approximately 6:15 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. in the upper atrium. Lastly, fans can also purchase the "Facebook Fanpack" for Saturday's game exclusively through the Amerks Facebook page. Fans can get a ticket and T-shirt to the game all for the one low price of just $15! Click on the 'Amerks Nation' tab to purchase the pack.

Head-to-Head: The contest will be the fifth of eight scheduled meetings between the divisional foes this season. The Amerks are 4-1-0-0 this season against the Marlies and have outscored their divisional rival 16-11 through the previous five meetings. Rochester also maintains the upper hand with a 23-22-2 all-time record against the Toronto Maple Leafs' affiliate.

By The Numbers: Rochester is just 9-12-3-0 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 8-14-1-2 within the friendly confines of The Blue Cross Arena. Conversely, Rochester's road dominance is prevalent with a 13-9-2-0 mark.

Taylor Gets Two Birds With One Stone: Veteran forward Chris Taylor added two more career milestones to his ever-growing list this season and he accomplished both in the same game in Rochester's 6-1 win over Albany last Saturday. His first-period goal was the 138th of his career as an Amerk, giving him enough to slide past former fan-favorite Scott Metcalfe for 10th on the all-time goals list. No more than 10 minutes later, Taylor notched his 700th career assist as he helped set up Mike Kostka's power-play goal at 7:29 of the second stanza. Already on his list of achievements this season includes moving ahead of Stan Smrke for fifth on the all-time points list and appearing in more career games than Bronco Horvath.

Welcome Aboard, Welcome Back: Forward Mark Cullen is expected to make his season and Amerk debut tonight after missing the first half of the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon he sustained during training camp with the Florida Panthers. An eighth-year pro, Cullen has registered 394 points (145+249) in 508 career professional games, including 32 appearances in the NHL. The Amerks also announced today the club has signed forward Ben Gordon to his second professional tryout. Gordon, a third-year pro, is currently in his second season with the ECHL's Reading Royals, where leads the team in every offensive category in goals (20), assists (25) and points (45). The 5-foot-11, 162-pound forward is also presently eighth overall among the league's top scorers. A native of International Falls, Minnesota, the 5-foot-11, 180-pound Gordon has assisted on two goals in three games with Rochester this season. Gordon played under current Amerks Head Coach Chuck Weber during the 2008-09 campaign, his only season with the Cincinnati Cyclones.

Timmins Returns to Amerks: Re-joining the Amerks this evening is rookie forward Scott Timmins, whose All-Star break was cut short earlier this week with his first-ever call-up to the National Hockey League. After making his NHL debut against the Toronto Maple Leafs on February 1st, the 21-year-old Hamilton, Ontario, native netted his first big league goal the next night in Florida's 3-2 shootout loss to the Montreal Canadiens. Originally the Panthers' sixth-round selection (165th overall) in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, Timmins has played in three games with the Panthers this season. In 44 AHL games with the Amerks, Timmins has registered 22 points (10+12), the most among team rookies, and leads Rochester with a team-best plus-11 on-ice rating.

Amerks Notes: Rochester (21-23-3-2, 47 points) enters the contest after capturing three straight wins prior to the All-Star break to collect its first flawless week this season and match its season-high three-game winning streak for the first time in over three months. The Amerks have also recorded points in four of their last five games, and with the exception of a 5-1 loss to Hershey, have held their opponents to just two or fewer goals during that stretch. In its last three games alone, Rochester has outscored its opponent 11-4, including a 6-1 rout over the Albany Devils most recently. Though remaining in the basement of the AHL's North Division, the Amerks remain just eight points out of third place and trail 12 points behind the division-leading Hamilton Bulldogs. Rochester has scored the fourth most goals among any other divisional opponent with 136 and is fourth in the North with 851 penalty minutes.

Special Teams Breakdown: After converting on 50 percent of its power-play opportunities against Albany last Saturday, Rochester currently has the seventh best power-play in the league (20.7 percentage), but its penalty kill ranks 25th out of the 30-team AHL with a 78.6 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: Coming off his AHL All-Star debut, third-year pro 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 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 143 shots on goal.

Third-year forward Michael Duco still maintains the team lead with 14 goals, though appearing in just 37 games. Eight of Duco's goals have come on the man-advantage, ranking him first on the team and ninth in the league. Rookie left wing Eric Selleck has a team-high 130 penalty minutes, while he also ranks 15th in the league and second among AHL rookies in that category. Selleck is also tied for third in the league with 20 major penalties. Defensemen Mike Kostka and Clay Wilson are currently tied for eighth in scoring among American Hockey League blueliners, each showing eight goals and 23 assists for 31 points. The duo is also tied for second overall on the team in scoring. Kostka's 15 assists on the power-play are a team-best, good enough for 10th in the league, while Wilson, fresh off his second AHL All-Star Classic, remains at a close second in that category with 13.

Markstrom Making His Mark: Rookie goaltender Jacob Markstrom posted his best performance yet before the break as he went 3-0-0-0 and turned aside 91 of 95 shots to help the Amerks to their first three-game winning streak since the start of the season. Markstrom finished the week with an impressive 1.30 goals-against average and .958 save percentage, only allowing just one goal in two of three outings. Coming off his NHL debut just a week ago, Markstrom, who has started three straight and six of the last seven games for the Amerks, boasts a 16-19-1 record with one shutout, a 2.98 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage in 36 appearances. His 16 wins rank him 11th among AHL netminders, while he has the second most saves with 1,021.

Toronto Notes: Toronto (23-20-0-7, 53 points) comes into the matchup 3-2-0-0 in its last five games after a suffering a 3-1 setback to the Manitoba Moose on home ice last Saturday at Ricoh Coliseum. Greg Scott scored the lone goal for Toronto as Ben Scrivens and Jussi Rynnas combined for 15 saves in the losing effort. Despite the loss, however, the Marlies are 5-5-0-0 in their last 10 outings and are currently fourth in the North Division, just six points out ahead of Rochester.

Team and League Leaders: Veteran forward Mike Zigomanis presently leads Toronto with a team-high 23 assists and 31 points through 42 games. Four of his eight goals this season have been on the power-play, also a team-best. Forward Fabian Brunnstrom, recently acquired in a trade from the Dallas Stars last month, paces the Marlies with 13 goals, despite playing in nine games with the club. Veteran defenseman Matt Lashoff leads all Toronto defenseman in scoring with 24 points (6+18), good enough for third overall, while his 90 penalty minutes are also most on the team. Rookie forward Nazem Kadri is currently tied for 17th among league newbies with 24 points (8+16), though appearing in only 24 games this season.

Rookie goaltender Jussi Rynnas is off to a solid start to his professional career and is already among the elite at his position through 26 appearances this season. Coming into tonight's contest, the first-year netminder shows a 9-13-3 record with one shutout and 672 saves. Despite having just nine wins to his name, the Pori, Finland, native is among the AHL's leading goaltenders with a 2.79 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage, respectively.

Gustavsson Joins Marlies: The Toronto Maple Leafs announced on Friday that goaltender Jonas Gustavsson has been loaned to the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League for conditioning purposes. Gustavsson has played in 23 games for the Maple Leafs this season and has registered a record of 6-13-2, a goals against average of 3.29 and a save percentage of .890.

Next Game: The Amerks remain at home on Wednesday, February 9th as the Abbotsford Heat make their second and final appearance this season at The Blue Cross Arena. The 7:05 p.m. North Division contest will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK and FM 107.3, Rochester's Sports Talk. The game will also be televised live on Time Warner Cable SportsNet Channel 26.

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American Hockey League Stories from February 5, 2011


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