AHL Rochester Americans

Game Night: Amerks Go For Four Straight Tonight Against Hamilton

Published on January 22, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release


Tonight, the Rochester Americans kicks off their four-game as the North Division leading Hamilton Bulldogs make their way to The Blue Cross Arena. The 7:05 p.m. 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. The matchup will be the seventh of 10 scheduled meetings this season and the fifth in as many weeks between the divisional foes.

Promotions:

The game falls on the next installment of the Amerks Dollar Dogs 'N' Drafts promotion. Every Friday night home game for the rest of the season, fans can take part in the "Dollar Dogs 'N' Drafts" promotion. Fans will be able to purchase Zweigle's Hot Dogs and 14oz. Draft Beers for just $1 each!

Reinforcements Arrive:

Re-joining the Amerks tonight will be defenseman Jason Garrison and forward Victor Oreskovich after the Florida Panthers reassigned the pair to Rochester earlier today. Garrison returns after receiving his fourth promotion to the big club on December 18th. The White Rock, British Columbia, native recorded his first NHL point with an assist in Florida's 1-0 win over the Atlanta Thrashers on January 18th. He has one point in 19 career games with the Panthers. Oreskovich, who has been with the Panthers since October 31st, has scored two goals and three assists for five points in 40 games with Florida. The Whitby, Ontario, native has four points (1+3) in just five games for Rochester.

Amerks shine in 2010 AHL All-Star Classic:

Amerks defenseman Keaton Ellerby (Canada), goalie Alexander Salak (PlanetUSA) and right wing Graham Mink (PlanetUSA) participated in the 2010 Time Warner Cable AHL All-Star Classic on January 18-19. All three Rochester players earned assists in the Canadian AHL All-Stars 10-9 shootout win on Tuesday. In the contest, Salak became only the second goaltender in AHL All-Star history to record a point in the AHL All-Star Game. He closed out the first period, making six saves on eight shots.

Head-to-Head:

The contest is the seventh of 10 scheduled meetings this season between North Division rivals. The Amerks are coming off a 6-5 shootout win against the 'Dogs in the previous get-together one week ago tonight. Rochester is 4-1-1-0 this season and own a 67-52-9 all-time record against the Montreal Canadiens' affiliate.

Amerks Notes:

Rochester (25-15-2-0, 52 points) enters the contest on a three-game winning streak. The Amerks are currently second in the North Division and have won 14 of the last 19 on home ice. Rochester has the league's sixth best winning percentage (6.19). This week, forward Mike York underwent successful knee surgery and is expected to make a full return to the lineup in three to four weeks. Jamie Johnson, who has three goals and three assists in his last three outings, currently paces Rochester's offense in goals (17), assists (24) and points (41). Defenseman Clay Wilson, who shows three points in his last two games, has a team-best 15 assists on the man advantage this season, good enough for second in the AHL in that category. Wilson continues to be Rochester's top scoring defenseman with 29 points (6+23) and remains tied for third in scoring among league blueliners. Salak boasts a 19-5-0 record with 2.57 goals-against average and.920 save percentage along with 701 saves in 26 games. His save percentage is 12th best among league netminders, while his 19 wins are second best.

Hamilton Notes:

Hamilton (19-7-2-3, 43 points), playing Game 2 of a season-long seven-game road swing, comes into the matchup in the midst of a four-game losing streak after a 3-1 loss to the Grand Rapids Griffins just prior to the All-Star break. The Bulldogs hold the top spot in the North Division and trail the league-leading and defending Calder Cup champion Hershey Bears by a mere seven points. Hamilton has scored 140 goals this season, while only allowing 102, both division bests. Forward Brock Trotter currently leads Hamilton's offense in goals (18), assists (24) and points (42) and is second on the team with a plus-17. Trotter is tied for sixth in the AHL in point and goals and is tied for 13th in assists. First-year blueliner P.K. Subban, who netted the game-winning goal in the shootout for team Canada in the 2010 AHL All-Star Game, is first among team defensemen and fourth overall with 28 points (9+19) in 43 games. His 28 points are also sixth among league defensemen. Between the pipes, Canadian All-Star goaltender Cedrick Desjardins has played in 26 games (17-6-2) and owns the league's second best goals-against average (1.81), in addition to the league's fifth best save percentage (.929). His counterpart, Curtis Sanford, has made 22 appearances and currently holds a 9-8-2 record, averaging 2.33 goals-against along with a.911 save percentage. Sanford's goals-against average currently ranks eighth in the league among league netminders.

Next Game:

The Amerks remain home on Saturday, January 23rd as they host the East Division Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the third of four get-togethers between the two teams this season. The 7:05 p.m. 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 January 22, 2010


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