Sports stats



Rats Set To Kick Off Homestand With Three Games This Week

January 4, 2010 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Albany River Rats News Release


Albany went 1-2-0-0 last week, but maintained a one-point lead over the third-place Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the East Division standings. The River Rats started their week with a home-and-home split against the Glens Falls Phantoms in Games Five and Six of the Time Warner Cable Cup series. Jon Matsumoto scored a goal and added two assists to lead the Phantoms to a 4-2 victory Wednesday night at the Times Union Center for his team's first win in five tries against the River Rats this year. Albany responded the following night in Glens Falls as Zach Boychuk scored the game's only goal and rookie goaltender Mike Murphy turned-aside all 34 shots faced to earn his first career shutout. The River Rats traveled to Syracuse Saturday, where Jerome Samson scored two first period goals to tie the game at 2-2, before the Crunch unloaded four third period markers to earn a 6-3 win.

Week 15 Preview:

Albany opens a five game home-stand on Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. when the River Rats host Game Seven of the Time Warner Cable Cup series against the Glens Fall Phantoms. Albany then welcomes a pair of Atlantic Division clubs to the Times Union Center this weekend, starting with the division-leading Manchester Monarchs on Friday at 7:00 p.m. The River Rats finish their week on Saturday with a 7:00 p.m. faceoff against the Hartford WolfPack.

Week 15 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)

Wednesday, January 6th - 7:00 pm - Times Union Center - Albany, NY

vs. Glens Falls Phantoms (16-16-2-0, 34 pts)

T-4th Place, East Division

- The Phantoms went 2-3-0-0 during a challenging five games in seven days last week, all against East Division opponents. After opening the docket with a 4-3 road loss to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, the Phantoms split their home-and-home with the River Rats. Glens Falls edged Norfolk Saturday on Stefan Legein's second period game winner before dropping a 4-1 decision to the East Division-leading Hershey Bears on Sunday. Veteran backstop John Grahame and Johan Backlund have shared the workload evenly over the last eight games; the Phantoms are 4-4-0-0 over that stretch, with Backlund earning all four of their wins. The clubs next meet for Game Eight of the Time Warner Cable Cup series on January 23rd in Glens Falls.

- Leading Scorer: Jon Matsumoto (C) - 29 points (15 goals, 14 assists) in 34 GP.

- Leading Goaltender: Johan Backlund (G) - 2.69 GAA, .908 save pct., 10-8-0 in 19 GP.

- Who's Hot: Stefan Legein (RW) is on a two game goal-scoring streak and ranks third in the league in goals (17). David Laliberte (RW) has five points (1-4-5) in his last five games with a plus-4 rating. Johan Backlund (G) has won his last four starts.

Friday, January 8th - 7:00 pm - Times Union Center - Albany, NY

vs. Manchester Monarchs (23-11-1-3, 50 pts)

First Place, Atlantic Division

- The Atlantic Division leading Monarchs hit a three game skid last week, with a 0-2-0-1 record. They turned in a pair of 5-2 losses at the hands of the Worcester Sharks and the Lowell Devils on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively, before battling the Portland Pirates to a 4-3 shutout loss for their only point of the week on Saturday. The Monarchs had won seven-of-nine before their recent winless streak. Friday will be the third of four meetings this season between Manchester and the River Rats, with the Monarchs holding a 2-0 lead in the season series. Manchester earned a 6-3 road win in the 2009-10 River Rats season opener on October 3rd, and turned-in a 2-1 home win over Albany on November 20th.

- Leading Scorer: Cory Elkins (C) - 24 points (10 goals, 14 assists) in 34 GP.

- Leading Goaltender: Jonathan Bernier (G) - 2.07 GAA, .940 save pct., 16-9-3 in 29 GP.

- Who's Hot: Cory Elkins (C) has four points (2-2-4) in his last two games and is on a two game goal-scoring streak. David Meckler (LW) is on a five game point scoring streak (2-3-5).

Saturday, January 9th - 7:00 pm - Times Union Center - Albany, NY

vs. Hartford WolfPack (19-13-1-4, 43 pts)

Fourth Place, Atlantic Division

- Hartford has won four straight games to climb into fourth place in the tightly packed Atlantic Division. Next week the WolfPack face the third place Lowell Devils and the second place Worcester Sharks before traveling to Albany on Saturday. Hartford wraps up its four-game road trip Sunday with a 4:05 p.m. faceoff in Providence. The WolfPack started their winning streak by taking both games of a home-and-home against the Springfield Falcons. Hartford than earned a 3-2 decision at home against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Saturday and they snuck past the Syracuse Crunch with a 2-1 shootout decision Sunday afternoon in Central New York. Saturday will be the second and final meeting between the River Rats and the WolfPack this season. Albany won the first game of the series in Hartford on December 13th with a 2-1 shootout decision.

- Leading Scorer: Cory Locke (C) - 44 points (15 goals, 29 assists) in 37 GP.

- Leading Goaltender: Chad Johnson (G) - 2.07 GAA, .927 save pct., 12-7-2 in 22 GP.

- Who's Hot: Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau (RW) has nine points (2-7-9) with a plus-6 rating in his last seven games. Ilkka Heikkinen (D) has two points (1-1-2) with a plus-2 rating in his last two games. Evgeny Grachev (LW) has two goals in his last two games.

River Rats Player of the Week: (Week 14)

Jerome Samson - RW - #17

Day Opponent G A Pts. Notable

Wed. vs. ADK 0 1 1 Assisted on Albany's first goal of the game

Thu.. @ ADK 0 0 0

Sat.. @ SYR 2 0 0 Scored two goals and took a season-high 10 shots

Totals 2 1 3

River Rats leading scorer Jerome Samson tallied a team-high three points in three games last week to earn his club's Player Of The Week nomination. The third year forward recorded his fifth multi-point game of the season and his first two-goal game Saturday night in Syracuse with a pair of first period markers. Samson's 163 shots this season lead the league and his 29 points (13-16-29) have the undrafted forward eyeing his second consecutive River Rats scoring title.

River Rats Player and Rookie of the Month: (December)

Zach Boychuk - C - #11

GP G A Pts. +/-

Totals 12 5 4 9 +8

Zach Boychuk led all River Rats in scoring last month with nine points (5-4-9) and a plus-8 rating in twelve games to earn his team's Player of the Month and Rookie of the Month nomination. The Airdrie, Alberta native tallied two multi-point games in December and recorded an "even" or better rating in all twelve contests. Boychuk's stellar play earned the first round draft pick (14th overall in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft) his second NHL call-up of the season. Boychuk's 24 points (11-13-24) in 34 games this season rank second on the River Rats and fifth in the league among rookie skaters; the 20 year-old has also notched an assist in three games with Carolina this year.

River Rats Goaltender of the Month: (December)

Mike Murphy - G - #31

GP GAA SV% W-L-SOL

Totals 4 1.00 0.969 4-0-0

River Rats goaltender Mike Murphy went 4-0 in December while recording a league-best 1.00 GAA and 0.969 save percentage to earn Albany's goaltender of the month nomination. Carolina's sixth round draft pick (165th overall) in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft turned in a pair of one goal efforts in his first two starts of the month, and finished the calendar year with his first career professional shutout on December 31st. The 20 year-old rookie boasts an 8-7-0-1 record this season with a 2.54 GAA and a 0.925 save percentage.

Rat Bites:

- HOME SWEET HOME - Albany looks to turn around it's current season-high two-game home losing streak this week, as it begins a five game home stand. The River Rats are 13-6-0-1 at home, and they've out-scored their opponents 61-43 in Albany; their 27 points on home ice rank fourth in the league.

- DECISIVE FRAME - The River Rats show a 14-1-0-1 record when scoring the game's first goal, compared to a 5-14-1-1 record when allowing the first marker. Albany is 10-0-1-1 when leading after the first period.

- TWCC Double-Header - Albany took a commanding 5-1 lead in the Time Warner Cable Cup series last week, and needs just two more victories over the Phantoms to lock up the season series. Glens Falls earned its first win of the season over Albany on Wednesday and has been steadily climbing the East Division standings, ensuring that every TWCC game this season will be significant, even after the 12-game series is decided. In addition taking home the hardware, the winning team will designate a local non-profit group to receive a $5,000 grant from Time Warner Cable.

- LEAGUE LEADERS - Jerome Samson continues to lead the league in shots with 163, while Zach FitzGerald's 29 minor penalties also top the circuit. Nicolas Blanchard's 15 major penalties rank fourth in the league and Justin Peters' 2.17 GAA is good for sixth in the league. Zach Boychuk is tied for fourth in the league's rookie scoring race with 24 points (11-13-24), while Stefan Chaput is in an eleventh place tie.

River Rats Recent Transactions

January 2010 January 2 ADD - Jiri Tlusty (LW) - Returned on loan by Carolina (NHL)

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

January 1 ADD - Matthew Pistilli (RW) - Recalled from loan to Florida (ECHL)

ADD - Matt Schepke (LW) - Signed to PTO

DELETE - Jiri Tlusty (LW) - Recalled from loan by Carolina (NHL)

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

Promotional Information

$5.00 Tickets OR 4 for $40.00

Date: Wednesday, January 6, 2010 vs. Adirondack Phantoms

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

Ticket Discount: All fans can purchase tickets for just $5.00, or they can buy four tickets, four hotdogs and four sodas for just $40.00.

Yankee Trails World Travel Giveaway: The first 1,000 fans through the doors will receive a free Casino Day Pass to either Foxwoods or Turning Stone, courtesy of Yankee Trails World Travel.

$1.00 Hot Dogs and Battle of the Bands

Date: Friday, January 8, 2009 vs. Manchester Monarchs

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

Dollar Dogs: all fans can get $1.00 hot dogs and small sodas

Battle of the Bands Championship Round: Two bands remain in the 2009-10 Success Records Battle Of The Bands competition tournament and fan and judge's votes will determine a champion following the final performances of the season.

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: Four Players Tied (37)

Goals: Jerome Samson (13), Pat Dwyer & Zach Boychuk (11)

Assists: Jerome Samson (16), Stefan Chaput (14), Zach Boychuk (13)

Points: Jerome Samson (29), Zach Boychuk (24)

Plus/Minus: Nick Dodge (+9), Jacob Micflikier (+7)

Penalty Minutes: Zack FitzGerald (113), Nicolas Blanchard (105)

Power Play Goals: Zach Boychuk, Pat Dwyer & Jerome Samson (3)

Short Handed Goals: Pat Dwyer (2)

Game-Winning Goals: Zach Boychuk (4), Jerome Samson (3)

Shots: Jerome Samson (163)

Shooting Percentage: Jacob Micflikier (0.227%)

Saves: Justin Peters (625)

Wins: Justin Peters (11)

GAA: Justin Peters (2.17)

Save Percentage: Justin Peters (0.929)

####

River Rats 2009-10 season and flex 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 January 4, 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.

Other Recent Albany River Rats Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central