AHL Rochester Americans

Game Night: Amerks Host Crunch At Blue Cross Arena

December 15, 2009 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release


Tonight, the Rochester Americans kickoff their busy four-game week as the Syracuse Crunch make their final trip east down the I-90 this season. The rare midweek contest was originally scheduled for January 27th but needed to be rescheduled in order to accommodate an event at The Blue Cross Arena. The 7:05 p.m. contest will be the seventh of 10 meetings this season between the longtime rivals 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:

The game falls on the second installment of the Amerks' Family Fun Pack, which includes four tickets for 200-End seating, four T-shirts, four hot dogs and four sodas for the low price of $52. Packages can be ordered by calling the Amerks office directly at (585) 454-5335 and speaking with a ticket sales representative.

The Amerks, in conjunction with Brother Wease from 95.1 FM The Fox, will host their WEASE CARES Night. The team will donate funds raised from its Star Toss promotion during all December home games to the WEASE CARES Children's Fund. The Rochester Knighthawks/Amerks Charitable Foundation, Inc. will donate $1.00 for each ticket sold through Ticketmaster to the children's fund. That night, fans can also purchase a teddy bear for $15 to benefit WEASE CARES.

Fans can also participate in the Star Toss during the second intermission of the Rochester-Syracuse Crunch game. Stars are sold for $1.00 or in groups of six for $5.00. Half of the proceeds raised will be presented to the winner of the contest, while the other half will be donated to WEASE CARES through the Rochester Knighthawks/Amerks Charitable Foundation, Inc.

Taylor Shoots for 1,000:

With Chris Taylor already moving ahead of Dick Gamble into the No.4 spot on the all-time assist list and currently tied with Craig Charron for 15th on the all-time goal list, the 18-year pro sits just three goals and one point away from moving ahead of Gordie Clark and Norm "Red' Armstrong for 14th and seventh on the all-time list, respectively. Just six games short of 400 career AHL contests, Taylor is just three points shy of reaching the 1,000-point plateau and just 28 games away from the 1,200 professional games.

Depleted Amerks Get Help: The Florida Panthers have reassigned forward Michael Duco and defenseman Jason Garrison back to the Amerks earlier this morning. Duco returns to the Amerks after making his National Hockey League debut with the Panthers where he recorded 43 penalty minutes in seven appearances. Garrison received his third promotion to the big club Monday morning, despite not playing in Florida's 7-1 rout over the New York Islander last night at Nassau Coliseum. The pair will be in the lineup tonight for Rochester.

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

With the first quarter of the season already in the books, home ice advantage has been beneficial for the Amerks. After earning their first regulation loss of the season at home over the weekend, the Amerks are now 10-1-0-0 on home ice. Conversely, six of seven Rochester losses thus far this season have been away from the friendly confines of The Blue Cross Arena.

Head-to-Head:

Rochester shows a flawless 6-0-0-0 record against the Crunch, including a perfect 4-0-0-0 record at home, and have outscored its nemesis 26-12 through the previous five encounters. The Amerks are 88-75-15 all-time against the Columbus Blue Jackets' affiliate.

Amerks Notes:

Rochester (19-7-1-0, 39 points) enters the week currently third in the AHL and trail the league-leading Manchester Monarchs by four points and sit just three behind the West Division Texas Stars. The Amerks have won 18 of their last 24 games, including 10 of the last 11 at home, and own the league's best winning percentage (.722).

The Amerks come into the week currently on a two-game skid after dropping back-to-back contests to Abbotsford and Hershey over the weekend. With the losses, Rochester has now dropped four of its last five.

The Amerks, who are tied for third in the AHL with six shorthanded goals, have outscored their opponents 80-59 in the last 23 games and have allowed the second fewest number of goals in their division with 70. Additionally, their 88 goals for are also the second most in the division. Rochester is second in the AHL with a 21.8 power-play percentage and is 11th with an 85.5 penalty-killing percentage.

Veteran forwards Chris Taylor and Jamie Johnson currently pace Rochester's offense with a team-high 22 points apiece, both averaging.81 points per game. The duo is presently tied for 10th in the league in overall point production, while Taylor continues to lead the team with 16 assists. His 16 helpers are also presently seventh best in the AHL. Two-time Calder Cup champion Graham Mink netted his team-leading 10th goal of the season over the weekend to become the first player this year to reach double-digits in that category. Johnson has now picked up 18 points (9+9) in his last 16 games.

Amerks tough-guy Jimmy Bonneau, who surpassed the 100-PIM plateau over the weekend, is first on the team and tied for fifth in the league with a team-high 109 penalty minutes after dropping the gloves 16 times in his last 20 games. Defenseman Clay Wilson (3+12) stands just one point Garrison (3+11) in the fight for Rochester's top scoring defenseman. The duo is currently ranked seventh and eighth in scoring among league blueliners, respectively. Wilson is also tied for third in the AHL with nine power-play assists. Garrison also owns the team's best on-ice rating with a plus-eight.

First-year goaltender Alexander Salak boasts a league-best 15-3-0 record with 499 saves in just 19 games. His 2.22 goals-against average and.928 save percentage are currently ninth and fifth among league netminders, respectively, while his 15 wins are presently a league best. In 19 games, Salak has only allowed 39 goals.

Syracuse Notes:

Syracuse (10-14-2-2, 24 points), who is finishing up a two-game road swing tonight, comes into the after dropping two of its last three games, with its most recent loss coming in a 6-3 setback to the Binghamton Senators Saturday night at Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena.

Forward Dan Fritsche presently leads the Crunch offense with a team-high 19 points (8+11) in 25 games. Fifth-year pro Alexandre Picard leads with nine goals and is second on the team with 18 points overall. His nine tallies this season currently rank him tied for eighth in the league. Newly acquired forward Brendan Bell, obtained in a trade that sent Pascal Pelletier to the Peoria Rivermen, shows a team-best 13 assists, despite skating in just three games with the Crunch. Tough-guy forwards Jon Mirasty (145) and Kevin Harvey (116) are first and second on the team in penalty minutes, respectively. In addition, the duo holds the first and fourth rankings in the AHL in the same category. Fourth-year netminder Kevin Lalande has seen the majority of time in net thus far, sporting a 6-7-1 record with a 3.27 goals-against average and a.901 save percentage in 17 games.

Next Game:

On Friday, December 18th, the oldest rivalry in the AHL will be renewed as Rochester hosts the Hershey Bears at The Blue Cross Arena. The 7:05 p.m. matchup will be the first leg of a home-and-home series and the second of four meetings this season between the league's cornerstone franchises. The game will be carried live on Sports Radio 1280 WHTK and FM 107.3, Rochester's Sports Talk. Fans can tune in live to watch Friday's game on Time Warner Cable SportsNet Channel 26.

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American Hockey League Stories from December 15, 2009


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