AHL Rochester Americans

Reinforced Amerks Take Aim At Syracuse This Weekend

Published on November 16, 2009 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Rochester Americans News Release


(Rochester, NY)... Despite being denied the chance to make history last week, the surging Rochester Americans enter the week unscathed and remain among the top of the American Hockey League standings. Coming off a three-game in five-night stretch, the Amerks, who have won 12 of their last 13 games, now set their sights on this weekend when the Syracuse Crunch come to town.

The Amerks will be reinforced with the addition of rugged forward Steve MacIntyre.

The Brock, Saskatchewan, native was claimed off waivers last Tuesday by the Florida Panthers after being placed on waivers by the Edmonton Oilers, which is the same team that claimed him last year when the Panthers attempted to send him to Rochester.

The 6-5, 250-pound MacIntyre, who topped 200 penalty minutes in five of his six AHL seasons, signed as a free agent on July 3, 2008, but was claimed off waivers by Edmonton two months later. MacIntyre had two goals in 22 games last season for the Oilers. In four games this season, he recorded seven penalty minutes. In his pro career, the 29 year old has 34 points (14+20) and 1,727 PIM in 413 games. In his American Hockey League career, he has played in 92 games with teams in Hartford and Providence.

Rochester's only night of action this week will be on Friday, November 20th as the Syracuse Crunch make their fourth visit this season to The Blue Cross Arena. The 7:05 p.m. contest will be the fifth of 10 scheduled meetings this season between the longtime rivals and will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1280 WHTK and FM 107.3, Rochester's Sports Talk. Fans can also tune in to watch the game live on Channel 98. The Amerks, who have outscored Syracuse 14-6 this season, own a perfect 4-0-0-0 record against their archrivals, which includes a flawless 3-0-0-0 record on home ice. The Amerks are 86-75-15 all-time against the Columbus Blue Jackets' affiliate.

The game falls on the first installment of the Zweigle's Family Four Pack Special Edition. Fans who take advantage of this special offer will receive four tickets, four T-shirts, four hot dogs and four sodas for the low price of $52. Please call the Amerks office directly at (585) 454-5335 and speak with a ticket sales representative to purchase the package. Also that night, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, the Amerks will be hosting Turkey Bowling, along with Scoro during the first intermission. Lastly, the game features the return of the Amerks' Star Toss. Stars for the 50/50 raffle will are being sold for $1.00 or in groups of five for $6.00. Half of the proceeds raised will be presented to the winner of the contest, while all net proceeds will benefit the recovery and rehabilitation of injured Rochester Police Officer Anthony DiPonzio who was wounded in the line of duty last January.

Rochester (13-2-1-0, 27 points) enters the week currently second overall in the AHL and trail the West Division Texas Stars by one point. The Amerks, however, still maintain a three-point leave over the Manchester Monarchs and Hershey Bears, in addition to a five-point cushion over the Hamilton Bulldogs and Manitoba Moose. The Amerks have won 12 of their last 13 games, which includes eight straight at home, after collecting four out of a possible six points this past week. The last time the Amerks started the season with 13 wins and 27 points was during the 2006-07 campaign. Rochester earned seven consecutive wins to kickoff the season and were victorious in 14 of the first 15 games.

The Amerks began the week with a 4-1 win over Hamilton last Tuesday night to extend their winning streak to 11 games and tie the franchise record for most consecutive wins before falling to the Portland Pirates 6-3 Thursday evening at HSBC Arena. The loss was Rochester's first since suffering a 6-1 loss to the Albany River Rats on October 10th. The Amerks capped the weekend with a 3-1 defeat over the Grand Rapids Griffins Saturday night as Rochester ended the Griffins' nine-game winning streak and became the first team this season to leave Van Andel Arena victorious.

The Amerks, who are tied for third in the AHL with four shorthanded goals, have outscored their opponents 47-25 in the last 12 games and have allowed the second fewest number of goals in their division with 36. Rochester currently ranks second in the AHL with a 24.1 power play percentage and fifth with an 88.8 penalty killing percentage.

Sixth-year pro Jamie Johnson posted seven points over the past three games (3+4), including back-to-back three-point outings, to become Rochester's top point-getter with a team-high 16 points. Johnson currently ranks tied for seventh in overall point production, while his seven goals are equal to that of teammate David Brine for the team best. In addition to presently riding a three-game point streak, Johnson has now picked up seven goals and five assists for 12 points in his last eight games, averaging a point per game. The power play extraordinaire has accumulated five of his nine helpers on the man advantage, tying him with fellow special teams line mate Clay Wilson for fourth best in the league in that very category

Mike York, currently on a three-game assist streak (0+4), paces the Amerks offense with a team-high 11 assists and continues to be the team's frontrunner in the power play assists table with seven. A veteran of 579 NHL games, York is tied for second in the AHL with seven power play helpers, while his three goals on the man advantage also tie him for fourth in the AHL. Further, his 11 assists tie him for fifth best in the league.

Veteran forward Chris Taylor, whose 15 points are tied for second best on the team, sits just two assists away of surpassing Dick Gamble into the No.4 spot on the franchise's all-time list. Additionally, Taylor sits just two goals and eight points away from moving ahead of Craig Charron and Norm "Red' Armstrong for 15th and seventh on the all-time list, respectively. He needs just eight games to leapfrog the 390-game benchmark set by Amerk legend Don Cherry.

Amerks tough-guy Jimmy Bonneau is first on the team and tied for 11th in the league with a team-high 64 penalty minutes after dropping the gloves 10 times in his last 10 games. Defenseman Jason Garrison, coming off a five-game point streak, stands one point ahead of Wilson in the fight for Rochester's top scoring defenseman. The duo is currently tied for ninth and 10th in scoring among league blueliners, respectively.

Salak, who was named the AHL's Reebok/AHL Rookie of the Month for October, shows a 10-1-0 record with 329 saves in just 12 games. His 1.87 goals-against average and.940 save percentage are currently eighth and fifth among league netminders, respectively, while his 10 wins are presently a league best. Additionally, despite tabbing his first loss of the season against Portland Thursday night, the Rochester netminder still holds the best record in the AHL among active goaltenders. Salak has started the last nine games for Rochester, posting an 8-1-0 record in that time with 257 saves and just 15 goals against. In 12 games, Salak has only allowed 21 goals.

Check out the Rochester Americans Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



American Hockey League Stories from November 16, 2009


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.

OurSports Central