Rats Set For Four-In-Five Docket

Published on March 9, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Albany River Rats News Release


Albany went 2-0-0-1 last week to earn five-of-six possible points against a pair of East Division Opponents. The River Rats played their first ever "Ratinee" Day Game on Tuesday morning at 11:00 a.m. and leading scorer Jerome Samson rose to the occasion with a four point game (1-3-4) to lead Albany to a 6-1 victory over the Binghamton Senators. Albany added three players to its roster on Wednesday, as Carolina acquired goaltender Justin Pogge and forwards Osacar Osala and Cedric McNicoll prior to the NHL's 3:00 p.m. trade deadline. The restocked club then traveled to Norfolk for a crucial two-game set against the third-place Admirals. River Rats rookies Chris Terry and Jamie McBain netted a goal and a shootout marker each on Friday night, but the Admirals scored on four-of-five shootout attempts to earn a 3-2 win. Albany reclaimed its three-point lead in the East Division on Saturday night, as Samson scored two goals with one assist to lift the River Rats to a 4-2 victory.

Week 24 Preview:

The River Rats play a pair of road games on Wednesday and Friday before returning to the Times Union Center for a pair of matinee games this weekend. Albany takes on the Penguins on Wednesday, March 10th at 7:05 p.m. and then travels to Rochester on Friday for another 7:05 p.m. tilt. The club hosts the Penguins on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. and then welcomes the Syracuse Crunch to Albany on Sunday for another 3:00 p.m. start.

Week 24 Rats Game Schedule:

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

Wednesday, March 10th - 7:05 pm - Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza - Wilkes-Barre, NY

Saturday, March 13th - 3:00 pm - Times Union Center - Albany, NY

vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (31-29-1-2, 65 pts)

4th Place, East Division

- The Penguins went 1-2-0-0 last week and are now seven points behind Norfolk in the East Division's third and final guaranteed playoff spot. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton sits just four points behind the Atlantic Division's fifth-place club, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, and they have three games in hand on that would-be fourth seed in the East. The Penguins hosted Norfolk in their first game of the week on Wednesday night at home, where Konstantine Pushkarev broke a 2-2 tie midway through the third period and Dustin Jeffrey added an empty net goal for a 4-2 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton win. The Baby Pens traveled to Syracuse on Friday and saw the Crunch post three third-period goals en route to a 5-2 final. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton wrapped up its week on Saturday night in Hershey, where the league-leading Bears rolled to 4-0 victory behind Keith Aucoin's three point night (1-2-3) and a pair of goals from Alexander Giroux. Albany is 1-4-0-0 against the Penguins this season and has been out-scored 18-11. Wednesday and Saturday will be the sixth and seventh meetings of the season-series between the River Rats and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and the final game will be played on April 9th in Pennsylvania.

- Leading Scorer: Dustin Jeffrey (C) - 58 points (19 goals, 39 assists) in 60 GP.

- Leading Goaltender: John Curry (G) - 2.76 GAA, .897 save pct., 21-17-1 in 40 GP.

- Who's Hot: Tim Wallace (LW) has three points (1-2-3) in his last three games. John Curry (G) has won three of his last four starts.

Friday, March 12th - 7:05 pm - Blue Cross Arena at the Rochester War Memorial - Rochester, NY

vs. Rochester Americans (37-26-2-0, 76 pts)

2nd Place, North Division

- The Americans are on a four game winning streak and sit in second place in the North Division, just two points ahead of third-place Abbotsford. Rochester won three road games last week, beginning on Friday night in Glens Falls, where Evgeny Dadonov broke a 2-2 third period tie and Michal Repik added two more goals for a 5-2 Amerks win. Goaltender Tyler Plante turned in a 40-save shutout the following night in Toronto, while Mike York scored the game's only goal for a 1-0 Rochester win. The Americans finished their week on Sunday with a nail-biter in Portland, which saw Jeff Taffe score the game-winner with 1:05 to play as the Amerks beat the Pirates 3-2. Friday will be the fourth and final game of the season-series between the River Rats and the Amerks. Albany is 2-1-0-0 this season against Rochester and has out-scored the Americans 11-6.

- Leading Scorer: Jamie Johnson (C) - 62 points (23 goals, 39 assists) in 65 GP.

- Leading Goaltender: Alexander Salak (G) - 2.73 GAA, .913 save pct., 27-12-0 in 41 GP.

- Who's Hot: Clay Wilson (D) has six points (1-5-6) with a plus-6 rating in his last six games. Mike York (LW) has eight points (3-5-8) with a plus-4 rating in his last four games. Alexander Salak (G) has won four straight starts.

Sunday, March 14th - 3:00 pm - Times Union Center - Albany, NY

vs. Syracuse Crunch (29-29-3-3, 64 pts)

5th Place, East Division

- The Crunch went 3-0-0-0 last week and pulled to within a point of the fourth-place Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the East Division. Syracuse's led the Penguins 2-1 after 40 minutes on Friday night and cemented their win with three third period goals for a 5-2 final. The Crunch carried their momentum into Saturday night's home game against the Pirates, scoring the game's first four goals before seeing the Pirates battle back late in the third period to make it a 4-3 final. The Crunch capped off their week with an overtime thriller on the road against the Binghamton Senators, which saw David Liffiton score the game-winner for Syracuse midway through the sudden death session. Albany is 3-2-0-1 against the Crunch this season and has out-scored Syracuse 23-21. The clubs will meet for the eighth and final time this season on March 27th in Syracuse.

- Leading Scorer: Derek MacKenzie (C) - 47 points (17 goals, 30 assists) in 47 GP.

- Leading Goaltender: Kevin Lalande (G) - 2.74 GAA, .913 save pct., 21-17-2 in 43 GP.

- Who's Hot: Brandon Bell (D) has six points (4-2-6) in his last four games. Derek MacKenzie (C) has 11 points (2-9-11) in his last seven games. Chad Kolarik (RW) has five points (2-3-5) in his last three games.

River Rats Player of the Week: (Week 23)

Jerome Samson - RW - #17

Day Opponent G A Pts. Notable

Tue vs. Binghamton 1 3 4 Plus-3 rating

Fri @.Norfolk 0 0 0

Sat @ Norfolk 2 1 3 Plus-2 rating, reached the 30 goal mark

Totals 3 Games 3 4 7 Plus-4 rating

Right Wing Jerome Samson led the River Rats in scoring last week with seven points (3-4-7) and a plus-4 rating in three games to earn his club's Player Of The Week nomination. The undrafted forward opened the week with his second four-point game and 12th multi-point effort of the season, notching one goal with three assists and a plus-3 rating in Albany's 6-1 home win over Binghamton. Samson then turned in his fourth multi-goal game of 2009-10 on Saturday, tallying two goals with one assist and a plus-2 rating to lift the River Rats to a 4-2 road win over Norfolk. The Greenfield Park, QC., native shows a career-high 59 points (30-29-59) through 63 games this season and is on pace for his second consecutive River Rats scoring title.

Rat Bites:

- 30 GOALS FOR SAMSON - Jerome Samson is the first River Rat to score 30 goals in a season since Pierre Dagenais did so in 2000-01 (34). Samson became the 19th player in River Rats history to reach the 30-goal mark in a single season, and the undrafted, third-year pro has a point in nine of his last ten games.

- LEAGUE LEADERS - Jerome Samson continues to lead the league in shots with 283, which are 71 more then the AHL's next highest total. Samson's 59 points rank 10th among the league's scoring leaders and his 30 goals are tied for fourth. Zach FitzGerald's 64 minor penalties rank first in the league, while his 240 penalty minutes are the third highest in the AHL. Justin Pogge's 2.51 GAA is tied for 14th in the league, while Justin Peters is 17th with a 2.60. Jamie McBain is tied for 13th place among AHL defensemen with 34 points (6-28-34) this season.

- ROOKIE LEADERS - Zach Boychuk (15-21-36) and Chris Terry (14-22-36) are tied for 11th place in the league's rookie scoring race, while Jamie McBain (6-28-34) and Stefan Chaput (10-24-34) are tied for 13th place.

River Rats Recent Transactions

March 2010 March 9 DELETE - Milan Gajic (RW) - Returned on loan to Florida (ECHL)

March 5 ADD - Milan Gajic (RW) - Recalled from loan to Florida (ECHL)

March 3 ADD - Justin Pogge (G) - Loaned by Carolina (NHL)

ADD - Oskar Osala (LW) - Loaned by Carolina (NHL)

ADD - Cedric Lalande-McNicoll (C) - Loaned by Carolina (NHL)

DELETE - Harrison Reed (LW) - Recalled from loan by Carolina (NHL)

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

DELETE - Jay Harrison (D) - Recalled from loan by Carolina (NHL)

Albany River Rats Team Leaders:

Games Played: Chaput, Dodge & Terry (65)

Goals: Jerome Samson (30)

Assists: Jerome Samson (29)

Points: Jerome Samson (59)

Plus/Minus: Nick Dodge (+13)

Penalty Minutes: Zack FitzGerald (240)

Power Play Goals: Jerome Samson & Drayson Bowman (6)

Short Handed Goals: Pat Dwyer (2)

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

Shots: Jerome Samson (283)

Shooting Percentage: Jacob Micflikier (0.215%)

Saves: Justin Peters (1,224)

Wins: Justin Peters (22)

GAA: Justin Pogge (2.51)

Save Percentage: Justin Pogge (0.922)

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River Rats 2009-10 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.

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American Hockey League Stories from March 9, 2010


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