AHL Rochester Americans

Game Night: Amerks Host B-Sens At Blue Cross Arena

February 28, 2010 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release


Tonight, the Rochester Americans return home to close out their February slate as they battle the Binghamton Senators for the second time in two weeks. The 6:30 p.m. contest will be the eighth of 10 scheduled meetings this season between the interstate rivals and can be heard live on SportRadio 1280 WHTK and FM 107.3, Rochester's Sports Talk. The game will also be shown live on Time Warner Cable SportsNet Channel 26.

Time Change: The Amerks are encouraging local hockey fans to enjoy a full day of hockey this afternoon. The Amerks have moved their American Hockey League contest from 3:00 to 6:30 p.m. to allow fans to watch the Olympic Men's gold-medal ice hockey game between the United States and Canada. That game, at the XXI Winter Olympic Games, will face off at 3:00 p.m. in Vancouver. The Blue Cross Arena will open its doors to patrons at 2:30 p.m. and the game will be displayed on the arena's scoreboard. Concessions will also be made available to the public as well.

Promotions:

The game falls on an Amerks Red Hot Sunday! Fans can take advantage of the Zweigle's Family Four Pack and receive four tickets, four hot dogs and four sodas for just $44.

Johnson Receives Team Honors: The Amerks announced this week that veteran forward Jamie Johnson has been named the Morgan Stanley Player of the Month for the months of December and January. With the honors, the seventh-year pro has been selected as Rochester's Player of the Month three straight months. Johnson receives the honors after registering 30 total points (10+20) throughout the past two months, including a season-long 10-game point streak in January.

Taylor Passes Ehman, Nears Garwasiuk

: Veteran forward Chris Taylor recently surpassed Gerry Ehman for the third on the all-time assist list (283) last week against Manitoba. The only two ahead of him are Bronco Horvath and Jody Gage. Further, the 18-year pro sits just a mere four goals away from moving ahead of Ron Garwasiuk for 13th on the all-time goals list.

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

With just five weeks left in the regular season, home ice advantage has been beneficial for the Amerks. After earning their first regulation loss of the season at home, the Amerks are now 20-11-2-0 on home ice. Conversely, 15 of Rochester's 26 losses in regulation thus far this season have been away from the friendly confines of The Blue Cross Arena.

Head-to-Head: The matchup will be the eighth of 10 get-togethers for the non-divisional foes. Rochester is 5-2-0-0 this season against the B-Sens, which includes a perfect 3-0-0-0 record on home ice. The Amerks, however, are 27-29-5 all-time against the Baby Sens.

Amerks Notes

: Rochester (33-26-2-0, 68 points), the winner in two of its last three, enters the contest after falling short in a 4-1 decision against the North Division-leading Hamilton Bulldogs last night at Copps Coliseum. The loss snapped Rochester's two-game win streak and dropped the Amerks to third place in the American Hockey League's North Division, two points behind the Abbotsford Heat. Rochester remains tied for 13th overall in the AHL standings with the Norfolk Admirals.

Johnson, who shows seven points (3+4) in his last nine games, continues to pace Rochester's offense in all offensive categories in goals (22), assists (36) and points (58). Averaging just under a point per game, Johnson is tied for eighth in the AHL in overall point production after collecting 23 points (7+16) in his last 22 outings. Further, his 22 goals and 36 assists rank him tied for 13th and 10th in each category among the AHL's top scorers, respectively.

Veteran defenseman Clay Wilson has a team-best 20 assists on the power-play this season, good enough for third in the AHL in that category. Wilson continues to be Rochester's top scoring defenseman with 44 points (11+33) and is second in scoring among league blueliners.Additionally, Wilson is tied for 14th in the AHL with 33 assists. He enters the contest with eight points (3+5) in his last seven games.

Rookie goaltender Alexander Salak, who has started 16 of the last 22 games for Rochester, boasts a 25-12-0 record with a 2.75 goals-against average and a.913 save percentage in 39 games. His 25 wins presently rank him tied for fourth among league netminders.

Taylor shows six points (1+5) in his last nine games and veteran forward Jeff Taffe comes into the game with seven points (3+4) in as many games. Since returning to the lineup on February 19th, veteran forward Mike York has collected five points (2+3) in five games, including a four-game point streak.

Binghamton Notes:

Binghamton (22-29-3-3, 50 points), kicking off a season-high five-game road trip tonight, comes into the matchup in the midst of a season-long six-game losing streak after coming up short in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Norfolk Admirals last night at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena. The B-Sens currently sit at the bottom of the AHL standings.

Fifth-year pro Martin St. Pierre presently leads the Binghamton offense with a team-high 35 assists and 52 points and ranks 12th and 15th in the AHL in each category, respectively. Forward Ryan Keller is first on the team and seventh in the league with a team-best 25 goals, seven of which have come on the man advantage this season. The 2010 AHL All-Star is on pace averaging exactly one point per game. Former Amerk Denis Hamel leads the Sens with nine power-play tallies, good enough for 10th in the AHL. Tough-guy forward Jeremy Yablonski has recorded a team-high 128 penalty minutes this season.

Goaltender Mike Brodeur makes his fourth return to The Blue Cross Arena since calling Rochester his home in 2008-09. The 25-year-old netminder finished his service in the Flower City among the league's elite goaltenders, compiling an 18-13-4 record in 38 games. His 2.45 goals-against average and.921 save percentage were 11th and seventh best, respectively, at the conclusion of the regular season. This season with Binghamton, the former AHL All-Star is 9-10-2 with a 3.21 goals-against average and a.896 save percentage in 29 appearances. He also made his National Hockey League debut this season with the Ottawa Senators, recording a 22-save win against the Minnesota Wild on December 19th.

Next Game:

Rochester opens its March slate on Friday, March 5th as they travel to the Glens Falls Civic Center to face the Adirondack Phantoms. The 7:30 p.m. matchup will be the fourth and final meeting between the two teams this season and will be carried live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK and FM 107.3, Rochester's Sports Talk.

Check out the Rochester Americans Statistics



American Hockey League Stories from February 28, 2010


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