AHL Rochester Americans

Game Night: Amerks Host Griffins Tonight at Blue Cross Arena

Published on January 26, 2011 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release


Tonight, the Rochester Americans return home after their four-game road swing as they welcome back former Amerk Jamie Johnson and the Grand Rapids Griffins to The Blue Cross Arena. The 7:05 p.m. North Division showdown will be the second of six 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 televised live on Time Warner Cable SportsNet Channel 26.

Promotions: Fans can purchase the "Wednesday Facebook Fan Pack" for the game exclusively through the Amerks Facebook page. Fans can get a ticket and a T-shirt for just $15! Click on the 'Amerks Nation' tab to purchase the pack.

Head-to-Head: The matchup will be the second of six scheduled meetings between the North Division rivals this season. Rochester is 0-1-0-0 this season following its 4-1 loss to Grand Rapids on October 23rd in the only other get-together with the Griffins. The Amerks are 20-24-3 all-time against the Detroit Red Wings' affiliate.

By The Numbers: Rochester is just 7-12-3-0 against North Division opponents this season, but shows an 11-11-0-2 mark against non-divisional rivals. Home ice has not been very welcoming for the Amerks, who are just 6-14-1-2 within the friendly confines of The Blue Cross Arena. Conversely, Rochester's road dominance is prevalent with a 12-9-2-0 mark. Excluding their 4-3 win over Lake Erie on January 4th and their subsequent 6-4 loss to the Monsters January 16th, Rochester has been held to two or fewer goals in nine of its last 11 games.

Markstrom Makes His Mark in the NHL: First-year netminder Jacob Markstrom finally made his much anticipated National Hockey League debut this past Sunday in Florida's 5-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils. Recalled early Sunday morning to back-up Scott Clemmensen, Markstrom entered the contest before the start of the second period and finished the game with 12 saves and two goals against as the Panthers dropped their fourth straight game.

Taylor On The Move Again: Veteran forward Chris Taylor needs just one more goal to eclipse former fan-favorite Scott Metcalfe for 10th on the all-time goals list. Already on his list of achievements this season includes moving ahead of Stan Smrke for fifth on the all-time points list, appearing in more games than Bronco Horvath and scoring more career goals than Jim Pappin and Barry Merrell. Coming into tonight, the 19-year pro is also just one assist away from 700 in his professional career.

All-Star Bound: Amerks defenseman Clay Wilson and forward Michal Repikhave been named to the Western Conference All-Star team for the 2011 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Capital BlueCross, which will be held this weekend at the Giant Center in Hershey as a tribute to the league's 75th anniversary season. The league also announced that Amerks athletic trainer Kent Weisbeck will serve in the same capacity for the Western Conference All-Star team.

Amerks Notes: Rochester (18-23-3-2, 41 points) enters the contest coming off a 5-1 setback to the defending Calder Cup champion Hershey Bears Saturday night at the Giant Center to close out a four-game road swing. The loss, Rochester's seventh in its last eight games, came a night after the Amerks halted their season-long six-game losing streak with a 2-1 win over the Syracuse Crunch at the War Memorial at Oncenter. Despite their recent skid, however, the Amerks have scored the fifth most goals among any other divisional opponent with 125 and is fourth in the North with 798 penalty minutes. Rochester currently has the eighth best power-play in the league (20.8 percentage), but its penalty kill ranks 28th out of the 30-team AHL with a 77.7 success rate. As a team, the Amerks have also allowed a league worst 11 shorthanded goals against, six coming at home and five on the road. The Amerks remain in the basement of the American Hockey League's North Division standings, 10 points out of third place and four points behind the Grand Rapids Griffins for sixth.

Team and League Leaders: Third-year forward Michal Repik continues to be Rochester's top point-getter with a team-high 30 assists and 37 points. Playing at just under a point-per-game pace, Repik is currently fourth in the AHL in assists, while also being among the league's top scorers in overall points. The Vlasim, Czech Republic, native also paces the Amerks with a team-best 131 shots on goal.

Following his return from injury over a month ago, Michael Duco has taken over the team lead in goals with 13, though being held scoreless the last four games. Seven of Duco's goals have come on the man-advantage, ranking him first on the team and 14th in the league. Rookie left wing Eric Selleck has a team-high 125 penalty minutes, while he also ranks 15th in the league and second among AHL rookies in that category. Selleck is also tied for second in the league with 19 major penalties. Defensemen Mike Kostka (7+22) and Clay Wilson (8+20) are currently tied for fifth and eighth in scoring among American Hockey League blueliners, respectively. Kostka's 14 assists on the power-play are a team-best, good enough for 11th in the league, while Wilson, fresh off his recent NHL stint with the Florida Panthers, remains at a close second in that category with 13.

Markstrom, who has started three of the last four games for the Amerks, boasts a 13-19-1 record with one shutout, a 3.14 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage in 33 appearances. His 13 wins rank him 18th among AHL netminders, while he has the second most saves with 930. Tyler Plante, who has also seen time in three straight games, shows a 5-7-1 record with a 3.51 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage in 15 games of service.

Who's Hot: Repik has tallied points in back-to-back games for the first time since a two-game run from December 26th to December 29th when he scored goals in consecutive outings. Kostka continues to stay hot as of late, having collected six points (2+4) in his last nine appearances, while being held scoreless in only four occasions during that stretch.

Grand Rapids Notes: Grand Rapids (20-21-1-4, 45 points) comes into the matchup after surrendering back-to-back games to the Chicago Wolves as part of a two-game set last weekend at Van Andel Arena. It was the first time since December 4th and 5th the Griffins dropped two straight at home, also being swept in a two-game miniseries with the San Antonio Rampage. Despite the pair of losses, the Griffins are 4-6-0-0 in their last 10 games, including going 3-1-0-0 in their recent four-game tour of the Lonestar State. Grand Rapids currently holds a four-point advantage over Rochester in the divisional standings.

Veteran forward Ilari Filppula, a 2011 AHL All-Star selection, paces the Griffins offense with a team-high 15 goals and 33 points in just his first season in North America. Filppula, who has four points (2+2) in his last three games, also has a team-best six goals on the man-advantage. Fellow forward Tomas Tatar remains at a close second with 30 points and leads the Griffins with 20 assists. Reigning Amerk MVP Jamie Johnson comes into the game in the midst of a three-game (1+2) point streak and four points (1+3) in his last six games. Earlier this season, Johnson had a 10-game scoring drought, the longest of such a streak in his professional career. Rookie forward Brendan Smith, among the newest additions selected to the 2011 AHL All-Star Classic, is sixth on the team and tied for 16th in scoring among AHL newbies. Defenseman Greg Amadio, a two-time Calder Cup winner in Hershey the last two years, is first on the team and fifth in the league with 158 penalty minutes.

Veteran netminder Joey MacDonald, back for his second stint with the Griffins this season, shows a 10-9-1 record with three shutouts to go along with a 2.78 goals-against average and a .894 save percentage in 20 games. MacDonald has also appeared in five games for the parent Detroit Red Wings this season.

Next Game: Rochester remains home on Friday, January 28th as the Manitoba Moose make their first visit this season to The Blue Cross Arena. The 7:35 p.m. matchup 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 first 3,000 fans will take home a Jason Pominville bobblehead. Prior to the game, the Amerks will induct former defenseman and assistant coach Doug Houda and longtime broadcaster Don Stevens into the franchise's Hall of Fame as the Class of 2011.

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American Hockey League Stories from January 26, 2011


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