AHL Rochester Americans

Game Day: Amerks Host Monsters At Blue Cross Arena

Published on January 9, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release


The Rochester Americans continue their three-game homestand this afternoon as it hosts the Lake Erie Monsters in a 2:00 p.m. matinee at The Blue Cross Arena. The contest will be the third in as many weeks between the two teams and the fifth of eight encounters during the campaign. Fans can tune in for the live broadcast on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK and FM 107.3, Rochester's Sports Talk. The game will also be shown live on Channel 98.

Promotions:

The game falls on the next installment of the Amerks' Family Fun Pack, which includes four tickets for 200-End seating, four T-shirts, four hot dogs and four sodas for the low price of $52. Packages can be ordered by calling the Amerks office directly at (585) 454-5335 and speaking with a ticket sales representative.

Taylor Reaches 1,000; Continues To Climb Up All-Time Lists:

After capturing his 1,000th career professional point against Hershey, veteran forward Chris Taylor continues his ascent up the Amerks' all-time lists. This season, Taylor has already surpassed both Norm "Red" Armstrong and Geordie Robertson into the No.6 spot on the all-time points table. Last Wednesday night against Hamilton, he scored a goal to move ahead of Gordie Clark into the No. 14 spot on the all-time goals list, in addition to skating in his 500th AHL contest. He skated in his 400th career game as an Amerk last weekend against Hamilton and moved into 10th all-time on the games played list one game ahead of Les Duff's 399-game benchmark. Having already slid by Dick Gamble into the No.4 spot on the all-time assist list, the 18-year pro now sits just six goals and nine assists away from moving ahead of Ron Garwasiuk and Gerry Ehman for 13th and third on the all-time lists, respectively. Most recently, he captured his 400th career point as an Amerk with a goal against Grand Rapids last night and is just 18 games away from 1,200 professional games.

All-Star Bound:

The AHL announced last week that Amerks defenseman Keaton Ellerby and rookie goaltender Alexander Salak will join veteran forward Graham Mink at the 2010 Time Warner Cable AHL All-Star Classic. Ellerby will represent the Canadian All-Star squad while Salak will be one of three netminders to man the pipes for the PlanetUSA All-Stars. This year, the All-Star game will be January 18th -19th at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland, Maine. The 2010 Time Warner Cable AHL All-Star Classic will feature the 2010 AHL All-Star Skills Competition on Monday, January 18th (8:00 p.m. ET) and the 2010 AHL All-Star Game on Tuesday, January 19th (6:00 p.m. ET), and will be televised live nationally in the United States and Canada.

Home is Where the Wins Are... Not So Much the Road:

With a third of the season already in the books, home ice advantage has been beneficial for the Amerks. After earning their first regulation loss of the season at home, the Amerks are now 13-3-2-0 on home ice. Conversely, 11 of Rochester's 14 losses in regulation thus far this season have been away from the friendly confines of The Blue Cross Arena.

Head-to-Head:

The contest is the fifth of eight meetings this season between the North Division rivals. Rochester earned a point in a 3-2 OT loss to Lake Erie in its season opener before claiming a full two points in a 5-2 win against the Monsters on October 9th. Since then, however, the Monsters have collected back-to-back home victories in the most recent pleasantries between the two teams. Rochester is 1-2-1-0 this season and 7-8-1 all-time against the Colorado Avalanche's affiliate.

Amerks Notes:

Rochester (23-14-2-0, 46 points) enters the contest currently on a season-high four-game skid after dropping a 6-3 decision to the Grand Rapids Griffins last night at The Blue Cross Arena. The Amerks still maintain a third place standing in the North Division but remain locked in a three-way tie with the Milwaukee Admirals and Worcester Sharks for sixth overall in the AHL.

The Amerks have won 13 of the last 17 on home ice, and have the league's sixth best winning percentage (.605). The Amerks, who are tied for fourth in the AHL with six shorthanded goals, have outscored their opponents 111-101 in the last 33 games and have allowed the fourth fewest number of goals in their division with 117. Additionally, their 121 goals for are also the third most in the division. Rochester is third in the AHL with a 20.0 power-play percentage and is 17th with an 81.7 penalty-killing percentage.

Forward Jamie Johnson, who has skated in all 38 games for the Amerks this season, currently leads Rochester with a team-high 14 goals and 35 points. Averaging just under a point per game, Johnson is tied for eighth in the AHL in overall point production after collecting 31 points (14+17) in his last 27 outings, while his 14 goals also tie him for sixth in the league. Johnson comes into the game on the heels of a three-game point streak (1+2) and has now collected five points (1+4) in his last five games. Taylor remains at a close second with 31 points (10+21) and is 11th in the league in scoring.

Defenseman Clay Wilson, also currently on a three-game point streak, took over the team lead in assists last night with his 22nd helper of the season on the power-play. The veteran blueliner has a team and league-best 15 assists on the man advantage this season. Wilson (4+22), who has 10 points in his last nine outings, stands 10 points ahead of Ellerby (6+10) and continues to remain Rochester's top scoring defenseman. The duo is currently ranked tied for third and 13th in scoring among league blueliners, respectively.

Salak, who returned to his post between the pipes last night, boasts a 16-5-0 record with 612 saves in 23 games. His 2.51 goals-against average and.922 save percentage are currently 17th and 12th among league netminders, respectively, while his 16 wins are third best.

Lake Erie Notes:

Lake Erie (16-19-0-4, 36 points) comes into the matchup on a two-game skid, with its most recent loss coming in a 3-1 decision to the Hamilton Bulldogs last night at Copps Coliseum. Ryan Stoa netted the Monsters' lone goal as Tyler Weiman turned away 29 saves in the losing effort.

The Monsters return to the Flower City fueled by former two-time Calder Cup winner Darren Haydar, who leads the team in all goals (16) and points (35) and is on pace averaging a point per game. The power-play extraordinaire has potted nine of 16 tallies this season on the man advantage, tying him for second overall in the AHL in that very category. Third-year forward T.J. Hensick has a team-high 22 assists, good enough for seventh in the league. Second-year winger Patrick Bordeleau paces the Monsters with a team-high 66 penalty minutes, averaging roughly 2.64 minutes per game. Fifth-year goaltender Tyler Weiman has seen the majority of time between the pipes this season for the Monsters, posting a 12-12-3 record with a 2.34 goals-against average (10th in the AHL) and.914 save percentage (14th in the AHL) in 27 appearances.

Lake Erie goaltender Billy Sauer and defenseman Kevin Montgomery have traces back to Rochester. The pair of Rochester natives each started their careers in the Rochester Youth Hockey program. Sauer, a former McQuaid Jesuit netminder, tended goal for the University of Michigan the past four seasons. Selected by the Colorado Avalanche in the seventh round (201st overall) in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, Sauer posted his best season for the Wolverines in 2007-08, boasting a 1.95 goals-against average and.924 save percentage. Sauer made his AHL debut with the Monsters this season, compiling a 2-2-0 with a 2.66 goals-against average along with a.912 save percentage in five games.

A former member of the U.S. National U-18 Team, Montgomery has registered one goal and two assists for three points and 12 penalty minutes in 26 games with Lake Erie this season. He has 36 games of professional experience under his belt, all with the Monsters.

Next Game:

The Amerks complete their three-game in three-night stretch as they take on the Binghamton Senators in the weekend finale on Sunday, January 10th at The Blue Cross Arena. The 5:00 p.m. non-divisional matchup will be the fifth of 10 get-togethers for the Amerks and the Baby Sens and will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK and FM 107.3, Rochester Sports Talk. The matchup will also be televised live on Time Warner Cable SportsNet Channel 26. Rochester is 3-1-0-0 this season and 25-28-5 all-time against the B-Sens.

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American Hockey League Stories from January 9, 2010


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