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AHL Rochester Americans

Game Day: Amerks Welcome First-Ever Visit from Sharks Tonight

February 16, 2011 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release


Tonight, the Rochester Americans continue their three-game homestand as the Atlantic Division Worcester Sharks make their inaugural visit to The Blue Cross Arena. The game will mark the first appearance of a Worcester AHL franchise in Western New York in a decade since the Worcester IceCats came to Rochester during the 2000-01 season. The 7:05 p.m. contest will be just the second-ever meeting between the two teams and will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK and FM 107.3, Rochester's Sports Talk.

Promotions: Fans can purchase the "Wednesday Facebook Fan Pack" for tonight's game exclusively through the Amerks Facebook page. Fans can get a ticket and a T-shirt for just $15! Click on the 'Amerks Nation' tab to purchase the pack. It's also a Business Person Special, featuring the Buy One, Get One ticket offer for best available seating.

Head-to-Head: The contest marks just the second meeting in league history between the two teams and the first in Rochester. The Amerks earned a 4-3 road victory in the only other get-together with the Baby Sharks back on October 29th at the DCU Center in Central Massachusetts.

By The Numbers: Rochester is just 11-14-3-0 against North Division opponents this season, but shows a 12-12-0-2 mark against non-divisional rivals. Home ice has not been very welcoming for the Amerks, who are just 9-17-1-2 within the friendly confines of The Blue Cross Arena. Conversely, Rochester's road dominance is prevalent with a 14-9-2-0 mark.

Milestone Watch: After waiting more than four months to get back on the ice after recovering from injury, veteran forward Mark Cullen needs just five more points to reach 400 in his professional career. Bill Thomas is three assists shy of hitting the century mark, while newcomer Hugh Jessiman , acquired last week in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks, 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 eight games away from 500 as an Amerk, a feat only accomplished by five others in team history.

Amerks Notes: Rochester (23-26-3-2, 51 points) enters the contest after collecting back-to-back wins over divisional opponents in the tail-end of its recent four-game in five-night stretch to move within 10 points of second place in the American Hockey League's North Division. With wins in five of their last eight and a 6-4-0-0 mark in their last 10, the Amerks continue their climb up the divisional standings where only a mere two points separates them from one of six teams currently ahead of them in the standings. After beginning last week failing to score a goal in consecutive games, Rochester's offense has accounted for six in its last two outings and have outscored its opponent 18-14 through its last eight contests. The Amerks aim for their third straight win tonight where a victory can potentially lift them out of the basement of the North Division.

Special Teams Breakdown: After going two-for-three on the man-advantage Saturday afternoon, Rochester currently has the sixth best power-play in the league (20.0 percentage), but its penalty kill ranks 24th out of the 30-team AHL with a 80.1 success rate. As a team, the Amerks have also allowed a league-worst 13 shorthanded goals against, eight coming at home and five on the road. Rochester's power-play unit has proven to be more effective on the road as its 27.8 percentage is presently tops in the AHL.

Team and League Leaders: Despite being held scoreless his six games, 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 eighth in the AHL in assists, while also being among the league's top scorers. The 2011 AHL All-Star also paces the Amerks with a team-best 160 shots on goal.

Third-year forward Michael Duco still maintains the team lead with 14 goals, though similar to Repik, has not found the back of the net in five 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 135 penalty minutes, while he also ranks 15th in the league and second among AHL rookies in that category. Selleck is also tied for fourth in the league with 21 major penalties. Triston Grant is right on his heels with 124 penalty minutes, good enough for 19th among the league leaders who frequent the sin bin.

Veteran defenseman Clay Wilson is currently second on the team and tied for fourth in scoring among AHL blueliners with 36 points (8+28). Fellow D-man Mike Kostka remains at a close second in that category with 33 points (9+24), good enough for eighth among league rearguards. Kostka's 16 assists on the power-play are also a team-best and 10th most in the AHL. Kostka is also the only member among Rochester's active roster to appear in all 54 games thus far this season.

Plante Playing to Near Perfection: With rookie goaltender Jacob Markstrom currently sidelined with an injury, Tyler Plante has readily taken over the starting duties for the Amerks. Plante, who has started the last four games between the pipes, a season-high, boasts a 7-9-1 record with a 3.07 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage. Most recently, the fourth-year netminder went 2-2-0-0 last week for Rochester, finishing with 111 saves on 117 shots with a 1.51 goals-against average and a .949 save percentage in four straight starts. He also has three straight games with 20 or more saves.

Who's Hot: Wilson has four assists in his last two games, holding true to his 2010 AHL Second All-Star Team status. PJ Fenton has points (0+2) in back-to-back games for the first time all year long, while Kenndal McArdleshows three points (1+2) in his last two appearances. Selleck scored his first goal in over two months Sunday afternoon against Grand Rapids, snapping a 30-game goal scoring drought in the process. Despite missing the last four games with an injury, Markstrom still presently ranks 15th among AHL netminders in wins (16) and still leads the league with 1,051 saves.

Worcester Notes: Worcester (25-18-2-6, 58 points), kicking off a four-game road trip tonight, comes into the matchup in the midst of a five-game winning streak, a stretch that included four straight wins at home and back-to-back whitewashes over Providence and Springfield, respectively. The Sharks, coming off a season-long six-game homestand, have outscored their opponents 17-7 on their current winning streak, including 7-0 in their last two games. Despite currently sitting in fourth place, Worcester's recent success has enabled it to move within one point of the Connecticut Whale for third place in the seven-team Atlantic Division.

Team and League Leaders: The Sharks come to the Flower City fueled by former NHL standout Jonathan Cheechoo, who leads the team in assists (27), power-play assists (14), power-play goals (six) and points (41) through 47 games. A veteran of 501 career NHL games and the 2005-06 recipient of the Maurice "Rocket" Richard trophy for the NHL's annual goal-scoring leader, Cheechoo is currently performing at just under a point-a-game pace, in addition to owning a team-high 141 shots on goal.

Forward Michael Swift, playing in just his second game with the Sharks since being acquired from the Albany Devils, has a team-best 16 goals this season while his 28 points overall are second most among Worcester's active roster. Four of Swift's goals have been scored while his team was shorthanded, good enough for third in the AHL. Forwards Dan DaSilva and Andrew Desjardins are first and second on the team with plus-16 and plus-15 on-ice rating, respectively. Fifth-year pro Sean Sullivan leads all team defenseman with 24 points (10+14) in 44 appearances.

Despite missing the last two games with an injury, third-year netminder Alex Stalock has certainly been a mainstay between the pipes for the Sharks this season. Coming off his 61-game season a year ago and having already played more than half of the campaign himself in 2010-11, the former AHL All-Star currently boasts a 19-17-4 record with a 2.63 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage in 41 games. His 41 games and 2,397 minutes played are second to only Abbotsford's Leland Irving. Further, his 19 wins tie him fourth among league goaltenders and his 1,025 saves are third most.

Next Game: The oldest rivalry in the American Hockey League will be renewed on Friday, February 18th as the back-to-back defending Calder Cup champion Hershey Bears make their second and final stop this season in the Flower City. The 7:35 p.m. matchup will be the fourth this season and 442ndmeeting in league history between the AHL's cornerstone franchises. Fans can tune in for all the live action 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.

Friday's game falls on the next installment of the "Dollar Dogs 'N' Drinks" promotion, presented by Molson Coors. Friday, 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.

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