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Rats Play Five-In-Seven This Week

February 15, 2010 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Albany River Rats News Release


Albany went 1-1-0-1 last week and saw its lead over the third-place Norfolk Admirals shrink to four points in the East Division standings. The River Rats began their week on Wednesday night in Binghamton, where the club erased a 3-0 deficit to force overtime before losing in the ensuing shootout for a 4-3 final. Albany hosted the Hershey Bears on Friday, and saw Andrew Gordon score two goals with one assist to lead the defending Calder Cup Champions to a 5-2 victory. The River Rats rebounded the following night at home with a franchise-record five power play goals in front of Mike Murphy's shutout performance for a 7-0 victory.

Week 21 Preview:

The River Rats play five games this week, beginning with a Monday night home match-up against the Norfolk Admirals at 5:00 p.m. The team travels to Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday for a 7:05 p.m. faceoff against the Penguins, before returning for a pair of weekend home games against the Portland Pirates on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. and the Adirondack Phantoms at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday. The busy schedule comes to an end with a re-match against the AHL-leading Bears on Sunday evening at 5:00 p.m. in Hershey.

Week 21 Game Schedule:

(All games are broadcast LIVE on WROW 590 AM "Newstalk 590," are streamed free over the Internet at www.wrow.com and can be watched via internet pay-per-view video on www.ahllive.com)

Monday, February 15th - 5:00 pm - Times Union Center - Albany, NY

vs. Norfolk Admirals (27-24-3-1, 58 pts)

3rd Place, East Division

- Norfolk won three straight games last week, while out-scoring their opponents 13-4. The third-place Admirals held-off the fourth-place Penguins Wednesday night, as Juraj Simek broke a 3-3 tie in the third period and Justin Keller added an empty net goal for a 5-3 victory. Norfolk then hosted the Lowell Devils in back-to-back weekend games, beginning on Friday when Jaroslav Janus posted a 24-save shutout in a 3-0 Admirals win. Lowell struck first the following night in Norfolk, but the home-team responded with five-straight tallies en route to a 5-1 win. Monday's contest will be the fifth of eight meetings this season between Albany and Norfolk. The River Rats are 3-0-1-0 against the Admirals this season and have out-scored Norfolk 11-8. Two of those contests were decided in overtime. The clubs next meet for back-to-back games in Norfolk on March 5th and 6th.

- Leading Scorer: Brandon Bochenski (RW) - 32 points (16 goals, 16 assists) in 35 GP.

- Leading Goaltender: Dustin Tokarski (G) - 2.58 GAA, .914 save pct., 17-14-1 in 32 GP.

- Who's Hot: Juraj Simek (LW) is on a three-game goal scoring streak. Justin Keller (LW) has seven points (4-3-7) and a plus-2 rating in his last six games. Jaroslav Janus (G) has allowed one goal in his last two games, both wins.

Wednesday, February 17th - 7:05 pm - Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza - Wilkes-Barre/PA

vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (25-26-1-1, 52 pts)

T-4th Place, East Division

- The Penguins won three straight games last week against Binghamton, Hershey and Adirondack. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton blew a 2-0 lead Friday night against the Senators, but scored on 4-of-5 shootout attempts to earn a 3-2 home win. Goaltender Brad Thiessen turned-in a 29 save shutout the following night and Chris Conner chipped in three points as the Baby Penguins blasted Hershey 5-0 to halt the first-place Bears' eleven game winning streak. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton finished its week in Glens Falls on Sunday, handing the Phantoms a 4-3 defeat with three third period goals. Wednesday will be the fifth meeting of the season between Albany and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The Penguins are 3-1 against the River Rats and have out-scored Albany 9-8. The clubs next meet on March 10th in Pennsylvania and March 13th in Albany.

- Leading Scorer: Dustin Jeffrey (C) - 51 points (16 goals, 35 assists) in 51 GP.

- Leading Goaltender: John Curry (G) - 2.98 GAA, .895 save pct., 18-16-1 in 36 GP.

- Who's Hot: Luca Caputi (LW) is on a four-game point streak, with one goal and three assists during that stretch. Jesse Boulerice (RW) has a goal in each of his last two games. Dustin Jeffrey (C) has six points (3-3-6) in his last four games.

Friday, February 19th - 7:00 pm - Times Union Center - Albany, NY

vs. Portland Pirates (29-16-5-2, 65 pts)

3rd Place, East Division

- The Pirates enter this week riding an eight-game winning streak. Last week they turned in a 3-1 home victory over Syracuse on Friday and a 5-4 win over Adirondack on Saturday. The Phantoms erased a 4-1 road deficit with a trio of second period tallies to knot the game, but Derek Whitmore scored the game-winner in the third period to lift the Pirates to their eighth straight. Portland faces Hartford on Monday at home before traveling to Albany on Friday and then Rochester on Saturday and Sunday. Friday night will be the second of four meetings this season between the River Rats and Pirates. Portland won the first game of the season series 5-2 in Albany on October 9th. The club's next meet in Maine on February 26th and 28th.

- Leading Scorer: Mark Mancari (RW) - 52 points (21 goals, 31 assists) in 52 GP. Tyler Ennis (C) - 52 points (17 goals, 35 assists) in 53 GP.

- Leading Goaltender: Jhonas Enroth (G) - 2.35 GAA, .920 save pct., 22-14-1 in 38 GP.

- Who's Hot: Tyler Ennis (C) had a four point night (1-3-4) in his last game. Marc-Andre Gragnani (D) in on a four game point streak, with one goal and three assists over that stretch. Mark Mancari (RW) had a three point night (1-2-3) in his last game.

Saturday, February 20th - 5:00 pm - Times Union Center - Albany, NY

vs. Adirondack Phantoms (24-24-2-2, 52 pts)

4th Place, East Division

- The Phantoms dropped back-to-back games last weekend to Portland and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Adirondack trailed 4-1 early but battled back with three second period goals on Saturday, only to see the Pirates net the game-winner in the third for a 5-4 win. The Phantoms were deadlocked at 2-2 in the third period the following night against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, but the visiting Penguins took control with the game's next two goals and held on for a 4-3 win. Albany is 6-1-1-0 in eight games this season against the Phantoms this season. Game 10 of the 12-game Time Warner Cable Cup series is on March 24th in Glens Falls.

- Leading Scorer: Brandon Bochenski (RW) - 32 points (16 goals, 16 assists) in 35 GP.

- Leading Goaltender: Dustin Tokarski (G) - 2.58 GAA, .914 save pct., 17-14-1 in 32 GP.

- Who's Hot: Stefan Legein (RW) has three points (1-2-3) and a plus-4 rating in his last two games. Jared Ross (C) has four points (1-3-4) and a plus-3 rating in his last three games. Mika Pyorala (LW) has four points (1-3-4) with a plus-4 rating in his last three games.

Sunday, February 21st - 5:00 pm - Giant Center - Hershey, PA

vs. Hershey Bears (40-10-0-2, 82 pts)

1st Place, East Division

- The Bears saw their 11 game winning streak come to an end Saturday night in Wilkes-Barre, but rebounded in Lowell on Sunday with a 5-2 victory. Hershey's 84 points lead the league this season and pace the East Division standings by 22 points. Sunday will be the seventh of eight meetings this season between the River Rats and Bears. Albany is 2-4 against Hershey this season and has been out-scored 28-16. The season series concludes in Hershey on March 19th.

- Leading Scorer: Brandon Bochenski (RW) - 32 points (16 goals, 16 assists) in 35 GP.

- Leading Goaltender: Dustin Tokarski (G) - 2.58 GAA, .914 save pct., 17-14-1 in 32 GP.

- Who's Hot: Chris Bourque (LW) has four points (1-3-4) in his last two games. Mathieu Perreault (C) has seven points (3-4-7) in his last four games. Andrew Gordon (RW) has four points (2-2-4) in his last three games.

River Rats Player of the Week: (Week 20)

Bryan Rodney - D - #33

Day Opponent G A Pts. Notable

Wed @ Binghamton 0 3 3 plus-2 rating

Fri vs. Hershey 0 1 1

Sat vs. Binghamton 0 2 2 extended assist streak to season-record four games.

Totals 3 Games 0 6 6 Two multi-point nights, plus-3 rating

Defenseman Bryan Rodney led the River Rats in scoring with six points (0-6-6) in three games last week to earn his club's Player Of The Week nomination. McBain notched his first three-point night of the season on Wednesday with a trio of assists in Binghamton. The fifth-year pro extended his assist streak to three games with one helper Friday night against Hershey, and matched the team's season-record of four-straight games with an assist on Saturday against the Senators with a pair of helpers. The London, ONT., native has 23 points (4-19-23) in 38 games this season.

Rat Bites:

- PETERS WINS AGAIN - Goalie Justin Peters earned his second straight win in his second career NHL start. The Hurricanes' second round pick (38th overall) in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft stopped 23-of-25 shots faced to earn a 5-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils. Peters shows a 1.52 GAA and a 0.950 save percentage with a 2-0-0 record in his NHL career.

- BOYCHUK NETS FIRST GOAL - Zach Boychuk scored his first career NHL goal Saturday night against New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur. Former River Rats Brandon Sutter and Brett Carson assisted on the tally. Boychuk had been recalled on Saturday morning and was returned to Albany immediately after the game.

- STREAKING DEFENSEMEN - Jamie McBain is on a six-game point streak dating back to February 3rd against Syracuse. Carolina's second round pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft shows one goal and eight assists over that stretch and is one game shy of tying Albany's season-high point streak, set by Jerome Samson in early January. McBain's point streak also includes a team season-high four game assist streak (six assists). Defenseman Bryan Rodney's assist streak also currently stands at four games (eight assists).

- FRANCHISE MARKS - The River Rats scored a franchise record five power play goals on Saturday night in their 7-0 win over Binghamton. The seven-goal differential also tied a franchise mark; the River Rats have won by seven goals, seven times in their 17 year history.

- TWCC - Albany holds a commanding 6-1-1-0 lead in the 12-game Time Warner Cable Cup series against the Phantoms and needs one point in the remaining four games against Adirondack to ice the season-series. The River Rats take their first crack at the hardware on Saturday night in Albany.

- LEAGUE LEADERS - Jerome Samson continues to lead the league in shots with 240, 53 more then the AHL's next highest single-player total. Zach FitzGerald's 54 minor penalties also top the circuit, while his 203 penalty minutes rank third in the league. Jacob Micflikier ranks fourth in the league in shooting percentage with a 0.236% mark. Rookie Jamie McBain is tied for 14th place in scoring among defensemen, with five goals and 23 assists.

River Rats Recent Transactions

February 2010 February 13 ADD - Zach Boychuk (C) - Returned on loan by Carolina (NHL)

ADD - Justin Peters (G) - Returned on loan by Carolina (NHL)

ADD - Steven Goertzen (RW) - Returned on loan by Carolina (NHL)

DELETE - Zach Boychuk (C) - Recalled from loan by Carolina (NHL)

February 7 ADD - Zach Boychuk (C) - Returned on loan by Carolina (NHL)

DELETE - Yannick Tifu (LW) - Released from PTO

February 6 ADD - Milan Gajic (RW) - Recalled from loan to Florida (ECHL)

ADD - Mike Morrison (G) - Recalled from loan to Utah (ECHL)

DELETE - Tyler Sims (G) - Released from PTO

February 5 DELETE - Justin Peters (G) - Recalled from loan by Carolina (NHL)

DELETE - Zach Boychuk (C) - Recalled from loan by Carolina (NHL)

ADD - Tyler Sims (G) - Signed PTO

Promotional Information

Dollar Hot Dogs

Date: Friday, February 10, 2010 vs. Portland Pirates

Time: 7:00 p.m. at Times Union Center

Dollar Dogs: All fans can get $1.00 hot dogs and small sodas at select Times Union Center concession stands.

Ticket Info: Tickets can be purchased by calling the Times Union Center box office at 487-2000, by visiting or calling www.tickets.com at 1-800-30-EVENT, or by visiting select Price Chopper Outlets.

Albany River Rats Team Leaders:

Games Played: Chaput, Dodge & Terry (54)

Goals: Jerome Samson (21), Jacob Micflikier (13)

Assists: Jamie McBain (23), Jerome Samson (22)

Points: Jerome Samson (43), Jamie McBain & Chris Terry (28)

Plus/Minus: Jonathan Paiement (+8), Nick Dodge & Chris Terry (+7)

Penalty Minutes: Zack FitzGerald (203), Nicolas Blanchard (126)

Power Play Goals: Drayson Bowman & Jerome Samson (5)

Short Handed Goals: Pat Dwyer (2)

Game-Winning Goals: Zach Boychuk (5), Jerome Samson (3)

Shots: Jerome Samson (240)

Shooting Percentage: Jacob Micflikier (0.236%)

Saves: Justin Peters (940)

Wins: Justin Peters (18)

GAA: Justin Peters (2.55)

Save Percentage: Mike Murphy (0.917)

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River Rats 2009-10 pro-rated season and flexible ticket packages are now on sale at the River Rats executive offices at the Times Union Center, by calling (518) 487-2244 or by logging onto www.albanyriverrats.com.



American Hockey League Stories from February 15, 2010


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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