AHL Rochester Americans

Game Night: Amerks, Heat Square off in North Division Battle Tonight

Published on December 14, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release


Tonight, the Rochester Americans remain at home as the Abbotsford Heat journey cross-country for their first appearance this season at The Blue Cross Arena. The matchup will be Abbotsford's first in Rochester since ousting the Amerks from the 2010 Calder Cup Playoffs with its Game 7 win in the North Division semifinals. The 7:05 p.m. North Division contest will be the third of four scheduled meetings between the two teams this season and will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK and FM 107.3, Rochester's Sports Talk. The game will also be shown live on Time Warner Cable SportsNet Channel 26.

Head-to-Head: The contest marks the first meeting in Western New York between the divisional foes this season. The Amerks claimed three out of a four possible points in a two-game set with the Heat back in October, earning a win in the first leg only to fall in overtime in Game 2 of the miniseries. Rochester looks for its first-ever home win against Abbotsford after finishing winless in two encounters last season at The Blue Cross Arena. This season, the Amerks are 1-0-1-0 and are 2-4-0 all-time against the Calgary Flames' affiliate.

By The Numbers: Rochester is just 3-7-2-0 against North Division opponents this season, but shows a 9-6-0-1 mark against non-divisional rivals. The Amerks have played 11 of their first 20 games on the road, but they will now play four of their next five contests at home, where they show a 4-9-1-1 record. Eight of Rochester's last nine games have been decided by one-goal margins, including back-to-back games where it's been tested in a shootout.

Milestone Watch: Defenseman Joe Callahan is just a mere two points shy of hitting the century mark in his professional career. Newcomer Bates Battaglia needs three more games to reach 900 in his 14-year career since lacing up the skates for the first time this season a week ago.

Taylor On The Move Again: Veteran forward Chris Taylor passed Gerry Ehman for eighth on the franchise's all-time games played list Saturday night in Binghamton as he suited up for his 466th game in the red, white and blue. Prior to capturing that career benchmark, the 19-year pro surpassed Stan Smrke for fifth on the all-time points list. Coming into tonight, he sits just two goals away from eclipsing Amerks Hall of Famer Scott Metcalfe for 10th on the all-time goals list.

McArdle Returns to Rochester: Joining the Amerks this evening will be forward Kenndal McArdle, who returns to Rochester after his latest NHL stint with the Florida Panthers. In five games with the big club this season, the Toronto, Ontario, native has been held pointless with 11 penalty minutes. A first-round selection (20th overall) of the Florida Panthers in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, the 5-foot-11, 190-pound forward has registered 11 points (7+4) in 17 American Hockey League contests with the Amerks. For his career in the NHL, the fourth-year pro has collected one goal and two assists for three points in 27 appearances, all with Florida.

Amerks Notes: Rochester (12-13-2-1, 27 points) enters the contest after falling to the Binghamton Senators in a 6-5 shootout loss Sunday night at The Blue Cross Arena. Four of the five Amerk goals scored in regulation came from defensemen, including a three-point night by Mike Kostka en route to earning second star honors. The Amerks close out a five-game in seven-night stretch tonight and have collected points in five of their last six games, most recently including six out of a possible eight in their last four. Despite that, however, the Amerks remain in the basement of the American Hockey League's North Division, just one point from the sixth-place Manitoba Moose and nine from division-leading Hamilton. The Amerks have scored the most goals among any other divisional opponent with 89 and are fifth in the North with 468 penalty minutes. Rochester currently has the fourth best power-play in the league (21.7 percentage), but its penalty kill ranks 28thout of the 30-team AHL with a 77.5 success rate. As a team, the Amerks have also allowed a league-high nine shorthanded goals against, four coming at home and five on the road.

Team and League Leaders: Coming off his third three-assist effort this season, third-year forward Michal Repik continues to be Rochester's top point-getter with a team-high 26 assists and 30 points. Playing at more than a point-per-game pace, Repik also currently leads the AHL in assists, while being tied for sixth overall among the league's top scorers. Repik also has a team-best 10 assists on the power-play, good enough for seventh in the league. The Vlasim, Czech Republic, native has not gone more than two straight games without a point all season. In just four games back from injury, Michael Duco has taken over the team lead in goals with nine after posting three straight games with single tallies from December 8th to December 11th. Rookie left wing Eric Selleck has a team-high 73 penalty minutes, while he also ranks 15th in the league and second among AHL rookies in that category. Selleck is also tied for the third in the AHL with 11 major penalties.

Veteran defenseman Clay Wilson is presently tied for sixth in overall scoring among league blueliners with 19 points (6+13), good enough for second overall on the team. Kostka remains at a close second with 18 points (5+13), tying him for 10th among AHL rearguards. First-year netminder Jacob Markstrom has seen the majority of time between the pipes thus far, boasting a 9-11-0 record with a 3.55 goals-against average and a .887 save percentage in 20 appearances. His nine wins tie him for 11th among AHL netminders, while he has the fourth most saves with 558. Tyler Plante, who has started three of the last four games for Rochester, shows a 3-4-1 record with a 3.34 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage in eight games of service.

Who's Hot: Duco is riding a four-game point streak (3+1) coming into this evening, one that includes goals in three consecutive games since his return to lineup against Hamilton on December 8th. Taylor has nine points (1+8) in his last seven outings and is currently in the midst of a four-game point streak (1+4) of his own. Repik also has eight assists in six games since returning from the National Hockey League. Wilson shows four points (1+3) in his last three games and Kostka also has four points (2+2) in his last two appearances.

Abbotsford Notes: Abbotsford (15-12-0-3, 33 points), kicking off a four-game road swing tonight, comes into the matchup after seeing its three-game winning streak halted following its 5-2 loss to the Chicago Wolves this past Saturday night on home ice. As a team, the Heat have recorded points in five of their last 10 games, going 4-5-0-1 in that time. Abbotsford, in its second season as the primary affiliate to the Calgary Flames, is currently tied for second in the North Division with the Toronto Marlies, despite scoring the second fewest amount of goals among its divisional opponents with 74.

Team and League Leaders: Veteran forward Matt Keith paces the Heat offense with a team-high 11 goals and 16 points, while his three power-play goals and 85 shots on goal are also a team best. Keith is also just one of six skaters to dress in all 30 games. Rookie defenseman T.J. Brodie leads Abbotsford with 11 assists and is tied for third overall with 12 points. Forward Greg Nemisz, also in his first season of professional hockey, is first on the team and fifth in the league with three shorthanded goals. Tough-guy forward J.D. Watt is tied for 15th in the AHL with Rochester's Eric Selleck with a team-high 73 penalty minutes.

Third-year goaltender Leland Irving has spent a lot of time between the pipes this season for the Heat. In 25 games, Irving has compiled a 14-8-1 record with a 2.27 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage. His 14 wins are the most among AHL netminders, while he has the 10th best GAA in the league. Further, the Swan Hills, Alberta, native leads the league in minutes played (1,430), is third in saves (563) and is presently the AHL's top performing goaltender in shootouts with a 5-1 record and .800 save percentage.

Stefan Meyer makes his first return to The Blue Cross Arena since calling Rochester his home for four seasons from 2005-06 to 2008-09. In 266 career games with Rochester, Meyer scored 64 goals and 66 assists and ranks 61stamong all-time Amerks forwards with 130 points. Meyer has only been with the Heat for seven games, recording four points (3+1). He spent the first two months with the parent Calgary Flames, notching two assists in 16 games.

Next Game: The Amerks remain at home on Friday, December 17th as they host the Toronto Marlies in the first of back-to-back tilts as part of a home-and-home series. The 7:35 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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