AHL Rochester Americans

Game Night: Amerks, 'Dogs Square off Again Tonight at BCA

Published on December 10, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release


Tonight, the Rochester Americans look to complete a two-game sweep over the first-place Hamilton Bulldogs as the North Division rivals collide in the second leg of back-to-back tilts this evening at The Blue Cross Arena. The 7:35 p.m. contest is fifth of 10 scheduled meetings this season between the two teams and 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.

Promotions: Tonight is USA Hockey Night, with the first 3,000 fans taking home their very own Ryan Miller bobblehead. In continuing with the theme of the night, members of the Gold-Medal winning U.S. National Sled Hockey team, coached by former Amerk Ray Maluta, will perform a mini demonstration during the first intermission. The game also features the second Amerks Legends Series Night, courtesy of the Seneca Gaming Corporation. Former Amerk and NHL centerman Steve Ludzik will be signing autographs from approximately 6:15 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. Additionally, the matchup falls on the next installment of the "Dollar Dogs 'N' Drinks" promotion and the Mark's Family Value Night special. For more information, please call the Amerks office at (585) 454-5335 and speak with a ticket sales representative today. Lastly, it's the final "Toys for Tots" night. Fans who bring in a new, unwrapped toy will receive $4.00 off any purchased ticket at The Blue Cross Arena Box Office, with the exception of the 200 Upper End and 200 Balcony seating.

Head-to-Head: The contest marks the fifth of 10 encounters between the divisional adversaries this season. Despite surrendering their first loss of the season to Rochester on Wednesday night, Hamilton still maintains a 3-1-0-0 record in the season series, outscoring the Amerks 18-11 through the previous four get-togethers. The Amerks are 69-58-9 all-time against the Montreal Canadiens' affiliate.

By The Numbers: Rochester is just 3-7-1-0 against North Division opponents this season, but shows an 8-6-0-0 mark against non-divisional rivals. The Amerks have played 11 of their first 20 games on the road, but they will now play six of their next eight contests at home, where they show a 4-9-0-0 record. Five of Rochester's last six games have been decided by one-goal margins, with three wins coming over key opponents in that stretch.

Milestone Watch: Defenseman Clay Wilson skated in his 100th game in an Amerk uniform in Wednesday's clash with the Bulldogs. Fellow blueliner Joe Callahan needs just four more points to hit the century mark in his professional career. Newcomer Bates Battaglia needs six more games to reach 900 in his professional career since lacing up the skates for the first time this season two nights ago. Veteran forward Chris Taylor will pass Gerry Ehman for eighth on the franchise's all-time games played list Saturday night in Binghamton as he suits up for his 466th game in the red, white and blue.

Amerks Notes: Rochester (11-13-1-0, 23 points) enters the contest after earning a 4-3 win over the Bulldogs no more than 48 hours ago at The Blue Cross Arena. Despite trailing 3-1 midway through the contest, the Amerks erupted for three unanswered second period goals to rally from behind, including David Marshall's game-winner to cap off a three-goal outburst in a span of 5:53. Third-year netminder Tyler Plante made 39 stops to pick up his third win of the season in just his sixth start. With a win tonight, Rochester will capture its second straight since its last three-game winning streak from October 26th to October 30th. Despite the much needed win, however, the Amerks have lost seven of their last 10 and remain in the basement of the American Hockey League's North Division, four points from the sixth-place Grand Rapids Griffins and nine from division-leading Hamilton. The Amerks have scored the most goals among any other divisional opponent with 78 and are fourth in the North with 440 penalty minutes. Rochester currently has the fourth best power-play in the league (20.6 percentage), but its penalty kill ranks 28th out of the 30-team AHL with a 77.8 success rate. As a team, the Amerks have also allowed a league-high eight shorthanded goals against, four coming at home and four on the road.

Team and League Leaders: Third-year forward Michal Repik continues to be Rochester's top point-getter with a team-high 22 assists and 26 points. Playing at more than a point-per-game pace, Repik also currently ranks tied for the AHL lead in assists, while being tied for 11th overall among the league's top scorers. Repik also has a team-best eight assists on the power-play, good enough for eighth in the league. The Vlasim, Czech Republic, native has not gone more than two straight games without a point all season. Evgeny Dadonov, presently on NHL recall with the Florida Panthers, leads the team with eight goals despite joining the big club last week. Rookie left wing Eric Selleck has a team-high 73 penalty minutes, while he also ranks 14th in the league and second among AHL rookies in that category. Selleck is also tied for the AHL lead with 11 major penalties.

Wilson is presently tied for 12th in overall scoring among league blueliners with 15 points (5+10) and fellow defenseman Mike Kostka remains at a close second with 14 points (3+11), good enough for 18th among AHL rearguards. Rookie goaltender Jacob Markstrom has seen the majority of time between the pipes thus far. Markstrom, who has started 11 of the last 15 games for the Amerks, boasts an 8-11-0 record with a 3.60 goals-against average and a .883 save percentage in 19 appearances. His eight wins tie him for 13thamong AHL netminders, while he has the fourth most saves with 513. Plante, coming off his first start since November 20th, shows a 3-3-0 record with a 3.19 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage.

Who's Hot: First-year forward AJ Jenks has five points (3+2) in as many games, including a pair of multi-point nights. Taylor has five assists in his last four games, having collected a pair of helpers in back-to-back outings during that stretch. Repik also has four assists in three games since returning from the National Hockey League.

Hamilton Notes: Hamilton (14-7-1-3, 32 points) comes into the matchup on a three-game skid after relinquishing a 3-1 lead which quickly turned into a 4-3 loss to Rochester on Wednesday night. The Bulldogs have now dropped four of their last five and have gone 5-4-1-0 in their last 10 games, though remaining atop the North Division standings. Hamilton, who owns a North Division-best .640 winning percentage, ranks third in the Western Conference and sixth overall in the American Hockey League standings. The 'Dogs also own the AHL's fifth best power-play unit on the road with a 21.6 success rate.

Team and League Leaders: Forwards Max Pacioretty (15+14) and David Desharnais (7+22) pace the Bulldogs offense each with a team-high 29 points through the first 25 games of the season for Hamilton. The pair is also currently ranked tied for third in scoring among the AHL's top performers. Pacioretty, a third-year pro, has a team and league-best 15 goals, six of which have come on the power-play, also a team-best. Desharnais, also in his third full season with the Bulldogs, is first on the team and tied for the league lead with 22 assists, 11 of which have come on the man-advantage as well. Pacioretty comes into this evening's matchup with six points (5+1) in his last six games and goals in seven of his last nine. Desharnais, who posted a personal-best 13-game point streak earlier this season, has five points (1+5) in his last five games, including back-to-back multi-point nights during that stretch.

For the second straight season, veteran netminder Curtis Sanford is among the elite at his position, though splitting time with his counterpart in Robert Mayer. Through just 13 games, Sanford shows an 8-4-0 record while ranking fourth among league goaltenders with a 1.85 goals-against average sixth with a .933 save percentage. Mayer, who backstopped Chuck Weber'sCincinnati Cyclones last season to a 2010 ECHL title, boasts a 5-4-2 record with a 3.01 goals-against average and a .883 save percentage.

The Bulldogs are still without the services of stellar defenseman Yannick Weber, who remains on NHL recall with the Montreal Canadiens. At the time of his recall, the Morges, Switzerland, native was Hamilton's most productive blueliner and his eight goals were a team-best. Weber also tied for 14th in the AHL in goals and was fourth overall in scoring among league defensemen.

Next Game: On Saturday, December 11th, the Amerks hit the road for a rare December away game, one of just three this month, as they take on the Binghamton Senators at Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena. The 7:05 p.m. matchup will be the first leg of a home-and-home series between the intrastate rivals. Binghamton makes its way upstate the following night to close out the two-game set at The Blue Cross Arena on Sunday, December 12th. Fans can hear all the action live 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 December 10, 2010


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