River Rats 2004-05 season in review

Published on April 18, 2005 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Albany River Rats News Release


The Albany River Rats completed the 2004-05 American Hockey League season with a 29-37-7-6 (71pts) record, placing seventh in the East Division, 13th in the Eastern Conference and 25th overall on the circuit. The team improved by eight victories and nine points in their second season under head coach Robbie Ftorek, who now has a 175-139-45-15 mark behind the River Rats bench. Albany welcomed 148,144 (3,703/game) fans through the doors to the club's 40 home games at Pepsi Arena, a total of 10,000 fans higher than during the 2003-04 season.

2004-05 Albany River Rats Team Leaders:
Goals: Ahren Nittel & Aleksander Suglobov - 25 Assists: Dean McAmmond - 42
Points: Dean McAmmond - 61 Plus-Minus: Ryan Murphy +15
Power Play Goals: Ahren Nittel - 17 Game-Winning Goals: Zach Parise - 6
Shorthanded Goals: Ryan Murphy & Zach Parise - 2 Shots: Pascal Rheaume - 208
Penalty Minutes: Cam Janssen - 337 Shooting Percentage: Ahren Nittel 18.1%
Goaltending:
Wins: Ari Ahonen - 16 Goals Against Average: Scott Clemmensen - 2.81
Saves: Scott Clemmensen - 1,349 Shutouts: Ari Ahonen - 4
Save percentage: Scott Clemmensen - .916 Minutes Played: Scott Clemmensen - 2,644:38

Rat Bites:
* The Albany River Rats put together a seven-game winning streak from March 26 - April 9 that was the longest since the 1998-99 season. The team's 71 points are the most since that same year, when Albany notched its fourth 100th point season.

* RW Brian Gionta closed the season with 10 (5-5) points in his last 10 games and posted 12 (5-7) points in 15 games with the club after signing as a free agent on March 15th. He now shows 37 (14-23) points in 52 games with the River Rats during his AHL career.

* C Zach Parise completed his freshman campaign with 58 (18-40) points in 73 games played. The Minneapolis, MN native placed second among all AHL rookies with 40 assists and finished fifth among all new comers with his point total.

* LW Ryan Murphy notched nine (6-3) points in his last 10 games to finish the season with career-high totals of 13 goals and 23 assists for 36 points in his second year with the River Rats.

* LW Ahren Nittel finished the season tied for third in the American Hockey League with 17 power play goals and totaled 36 (25-11) points in 50 games after posting just seven (4-3) points during the 2003-04 season.

* LW Dean McAmmond led the River Rats with 42 assists and 61 points in his first AHL season since skating with the Cape Breton Oilers back in 1993-94.

Milestones & Achievements:
* The Albany River Rats established a new franchise record by allowing just 11 shots on goal in a 1-0 overtime win against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers at Pepsi Arena on March 20th.

* G Ari Ahonen set a host of team records during the 2004-05 season, including most career appearances (162), most career saves (4,632), and shutouts in a season (4). The 24-year-old ranks second in team history with seven shutouts & fourth with 48 wins.

* LW Rob Skrlac completed the season as the franchise leader in penalty minutes after passing Geordie Kinnear on January 9th in Philadelphia. The 29-year-old has 1,209 penalty minutes in 321 games with the River Rats since the 1997-98 season.

* C Pascal Rheaume placed third on the club with 49 (24-25) points and continued his climb up the franchise leaderboard in the following categories: Games Played (330,/5th), Goals (107/2nd), Assists (133/4th), Points (240/3rd) and Power Play Goals (27/2nd).

* RW Cam Janssen led the River Rats, all league rookies and ranked third overall in the AHL with 337 penalty minutes this season. That total stands second in franchise history behind Matt Ruchty's 348 penalty minutes during the 1994-95 campaign.

* David Hale, Cam Janssen, Teemu Kesa, Ivan Khomutov, Kenny Magowan, Zach Parise, Steven Spencer & Barry Tallackson all scored the first goals of their professional careers during the 2004-05 season.



Community Outreach Appearances:

Tues., April 26th @ 9:00 a.m. - "Rowdy" The Rat will visit School 27 to read to youngsters as a segment of the "Reading with Rowdy" program. School 27 is located at One Academy Park in Albany.

River Rats Rewind: Week 27 - April 11, 2005 (1-3-0-0, 2pts)

April 13th - BRI 3 @ ALB 5 - RW Barry Tallackson notched a goal and an assist in his AHL debut as the River Rats won for the eighth time in the last nine games. LW Dean McAmmond added two (1-1) points and G Ari Ahonen stopped 29 shots in his seventh consecutive victory.

April 15th - ALB 2 @ HAR 4- LW Ahren Nittel and C Zach Parise each scored a power play goal along with an assist as the River Rats split the season series with Hartford at one game apiece. RW Brian Gionta added an assist to give him points in three straight games and G Scott Clemmensen turned aside 25 shots on goal.

April 16th - PHI 4 @ ALB 0 - C Zach Parise took a team-high five shots on goal and G Ari Ahonen saw his winning streak come to an end with 26-saves in Albany's final home game of the season. The River Rats were shutout for the eighth time this season and finished the campaign with a 15-20-3-2 mark at Pepsi Arena.

April 17th - ALB 1 @ LOW 6 - RW Brian Gionta scored a second period power play goal as the River Rats close their season on the road for only the second time in franchise history. LW Ahren Nittel and C Pascal Rheaume recorded the assists, while Goaltenders Ari Ahonen (20 saves) and Scott Clemmensen (18 saves) split time in goal.

2005-06 Season Ticket Packages on Sale Now!

Full Season and Flexible Ticket packages for the Albany River Rats' 2005-06 season are available now. Season ticket prices for the 40-game home schedule beginning in October are $440 for Adults and $330 for children 18 & under, full-time college students with a valid ID and seniors ages 65 and up.

Albany River Rat 2005-06 Season Ticket Holder benefits:
Season Ticket Booklet & Personalized ID Card!
Membership to the NEW Citizens Bank Club Sports Bar at Pepsi Arena!
Same Great Seat At Every Game!
Exclusive Ice-Trap Lounge Membership & The ‘Meet The Players' Party!
Season Ticket Holder Prize Drawing At Every Game!
2006 Calder Cup Ticket Privileges!
100% Ticket Redemption!
5 Complimentary Weekday & 2 Complimentary Opening Day Tickets!
* Fans that reserve their seats before May 31, 2005 receive a discount on the price of their 2005-06 season ticket package.

For further information on 2005-06 season and flexible ticket packages contact (518) 487-2244 or visit www.albanyriverrats.com.

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American Hockey League Stories from April 18, 2005


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