AHL Rochester Americans

Game Night: Amerks Host 'Dogs in Divisional Matchup Tonight

Published on December 8, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release


Tonight, the Rochester Americans kickoff a four-game in five-night stretch as former Amerk head coach Randy Cunneyworth and the first-place Hamilton Bulldogs return to The Blue Cross Arena for the first of back-to-back tilts between the North Division foes. The 7:05 p.m. contest is the fourth 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: The matchup falls on the third of four "Toys for Tots" nights throughout the month of December. 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.

A Few Familiar Faces Return: Cunneyworth returns to The Blue Cross Arena where he spent nearly a decade as Rochester's bench boss, having last served in that capacity during the 2007-08 campaign. A 2010 Amerks Hall of Fame inductee, Cunneyworth currently stands as Rochester's longest continuously tenured head coach in the 55-year history of the franchise, having posted a 306-273-61 record in his eight seasons behind the bench. Former Amerk Jimmy Bonneau also makes his return to Rochester, a place he called home for 57 games last season.

Head-to-Head: The contest marks the fourth of 10 encounters between the divisional adversaries this season. Hamilton owns a perfect 3-0-0-0 record against Rochester this season, outscoring the Amerks 15-7 through the previous three get-togethers. Despite having yet to earn a win this season against the Bulldogs, the Amerks own a 68-58-9 all-time record against the Montreal Canadiens' affiliate.

By The Numbers: Rochester is just 2-7-1-0 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 seven of their next nine contests at home, where they show a 3-9-0-0 record. Four of Rochester's last five games have been decided by one-goal margins, with both wins during that stretch coming over Syracuse.

Taylor On The Move Again: Having already surpassed Barry Merrell and Jim Pappin for 11th on the franchise's all-time goals list, in addition to moving ahead of Stan Smrke for fifth on the all-time points list this season, veteran forward Chris Taylor is nearing his next career milestone as an Amerk. The 19-year pro will pass Gerry Ehman for eighth on the club's all-time games played list Friday night against Hamilton.

Milestone Watch: Defenseman Clay Wilson will skate in his 100th game in an Amerk uniform tonight, while fellow blueliner Joe Callahan needs just four more points to hit the century mark in his professional career. Second-year forward Evgeny Dadonov reached a pair of benchmarks this past weekend, skating in both his 200th professional game and 100th AHL game against Syracuse and Albany, respectively.

Amerks Notes: Rochester (10-13-1-0, 21 points) enters the contest after earning two out of a possible four points over this past weekend, with its only win coming in the form of a 6-5 victory over the Syracuse Crunch Friday night. Despite the much needed win, however, the Amerks have lost seven of their last nine and remain in the basement of the American Hockey League's North Division, four points from the sixth-place Grand Rapids Griffins and 11 from the division-leading Hamilton Bulldogs. The Amerks have scored the third most goals among any other divisional opponent with 74 and are fourth in the North with 432 penalty minutes. Rochester currently has the third best power-play in the league (21.4 percentage), but its penalty kill ranks 28th out of the 30-team AHL with a 77.9 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: Coming off his three-assist outing against Syracuse Friday, third-year forward Michal Repik continues to be Rochester's top point-getter with a team-high 21 assists and 25 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 10th 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. Dadonov, presently on NHL recall with the Florida Panthers, leads the team with eight goals and is one of just five Amerks to appear in all 24 games for Rochester. 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 10th 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 16th among AHL rearguards. The pair also has seven helpers each on the power-play, which ties them for 19thin the AHL. Rookie goaltender Jacob Markstrom has seen the majority of time between the pipes thus far. Markstrom, who has started five straight and 11 of the last 14 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 12th among AHL netminders, while he has the third most saves with 513.

Who's Hot: Dadonov has collected six points (3+3) in his last five games, including a pair of power-play tallies he scored back on November 21stagainst Syracuse. First-year forward AJ Jenks has four points (2+2) in as many games, including a pair of multi-point nights. Taylor has four assists in his last three games, having collected a pair of helpers in back-to-back outings during that stretch. Selleck scored his first professional goal last Friday against the Crunch and Wilson saw his three-game point streak (1+4) come to an end that night against his former team.

Hamilton Notes: Hamilton (14-6-1-3, 32 points), who will spend the next three days in the Flower City, comes into the matchup on a bit of a skid after dropping two straight and three of its last four following a pair of 2-1 home setbacks to Peoria and Chicago this past weekend, respectively. Despite the losses, however, the Bulldogs have gone 6-3-1-0 in their last 10 games, including a three-game winning streak from November 21st to November 26th. Hamilton, who owns a North Division-best .667 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 21.3 success rate.

Team and League Leaders: Forwards Max Pacioretty (14+14) and David Desharnais (7+21) pace the Bulldogs offense each with a team-high 28 points through the first 24 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, also has a team-best 14 goals, good enough for third in the AHL in that category. Five of his team-leading 14 goals 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 21 assists, 10 of which have come on the man-advantage as well. Pacioretty comes into this evening's matchup with five points (4+1) in his last five games and goals in six of his last eight. Desharnais, who posted a personal-best 13-game point streak earlier this season, has four points (1+3) in his last four 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 12 games, Sanford shows an 8-3-0 record while ranking third among league goaltenders with a 1.66 goals-against average and .939 save percentage. Mayer, who backstopped Chuck Weber's Cincinnati 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: The same two teams meet again on Friday, December 10th at The Blue Cross Arena to close out a two-game set. The 7:35 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 December 8, 2010


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