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River Rats Back Home after a Winning Weekend

November 18, 2003 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Albany River Rats News Release


The Albany River Rats begin a three-games-in-four-nights week against the Hershey Bears at Pepsi Arena on Wednesday night in a 7:00pm face-off. The Bears (9-3-2-2, T-1st East) have won two straight road games and are unbeaten in their last three (2-0-1) overall following a 6-3 road win over the Norfolk Admirals on Saturday night. LW Shane Willis leads the club with 15 (7-8-15) points while former River Rat captain Steve Brule is tied for the team lead with two power play goals. D Pascal Trepanier tops all American Hockey League defensemen with 13 assists is also the leader for the top prospects of the Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning. The River Rats hold a 26-15-1-2 record in the all-time regular season series against the Bears, including a 14-7-1 mark at Pepsi Arena. Albany turned in a 2-1-1 record against Hershey last season, outscoring the Chocolate City sextet by a 16-11 margin.

Albany then makes the second of three visits to the Springfield Civic Center on Friday night to face-off against the Falcons at 7:35pm. The Falcons (6-7-2-0, 7th Atlantic) are unbeaten over their last two games (1-0-1) after a 4-3 come-from-behind road win over the Manchester Monarchs on Saturday night. C Jeff Taffe is third on the circuit with 10 goals, leads the league with four game-winners and stands fifth overall with 16 points during the 2003-04 campaign. RW Peter Ferraro ranks second on the roster with 14 (7-7-14) points and leads the top affiliate of the Phoenix Coyotes with three power play markers. The River Rats show a 20-19-8-3 record in the all-time regular season series against the Falcons, which includes an 8-11-3-3 road record. Springfield leads the season series 2-0 after defeating Albany 5-4 at home on October 11th and then 2-1on October 21st at Pepsi Arena.

The River Rats close out the weekend with the club's first home game against the Binghamton Senators at 7:00pm on Saturday night. The Senators (8-4-2-2, 2nd East) dropped a 4-3 decision to River Rats on Saturday and will host Manchester on Friday night. LW Denis Hamel continues to lead the AHL in points with 18 (11-7-18) points, while placing second overall among league goal scorers. Rookie C Brooks Laich is tied for second among AHL newcomers with five goals and ranks third on the top affiliate of the Ottawa Senators with 10 points during the 2003-04 season. The River Rats hold a 1-6-3 record in the all-time regular season series against the Senators, including a 1-0-1 mark this season. Albany outscored Binghamton 7-6 in the games last weekend with another seven match-ups remaining after Saturday (Dec. 27 @ ALB, Jan. 9 & 16 @ BNG, Jan. 23 @ ALB, Jan. 30 @ ALB, Mar. 14 @ ALB and Mar. 19 @ BNG).

Rat Bites: * LW Jiri Bicek, who tallied two goals and an assist on Saturday, now ranks third on the club's games played list with 380 games. He needs another 26 games to pass current Assistant Coach Geordie Kinnear for the club record of 406 games played.

* C Craig Darby scored twice on Friday night including his AHL-high second shorthanded goal of the season. He leads the club with 14 (6-8-14) points in 13 games this year.

* LW Steve Kariya picked up his 100th AHL assist in Saturday's win over the Senators. He is third on the team with nine (2-7-9) in 11 games this season.

* D Raymond Giroux notched his 150th pro assist on Saturday. He is tied for tops among team defenders with six (3-3-6) points.

* LW Maxim Balmochnykh has points (1-2-3) in three straight games and shows five (2-3-5) points in eight games this season.

Over the Air: Wed., Nov. 19th vs. Hershey Bears, 7:00pm (6:45pm Capitaland Motors GMC Pre-Game Show, Moon Radio AM 1160 WABY)

Fri., Nov. 21st @ Springfield Falcons, 7:35pm (7:20pm Capitaland Motors GMC Pre-Game Show, Moon Radio AM 1160 WABY)

Sat., Nov. 22nd vs. Binghamton Senators, 7:00pm (6:45pm Capitaland Motors GMC Pre-Game Show, Moon Radio AM 1160 WABY)

** Hear all the action LIVE at www.albanyriverrats.com**

Community Calendar: Mon., November 17th @ 4pm – "Rowdy" The Rat will be at Albany's Main Branch Library located at 161 Washington Avenue for the "Reading with Rowdy" Program.

Tues., November 18th @ 5pm –"Rowdy" The Rat will be at the Bowlers Club located at 1210 Troy-Schenectady Road for the PBA National Tour's Day with Kids.

River Rats Rewind: Week 6 - November 10, 2003 (1-0-1, 3pts)

November 14th – ALB 3 @ BNG 3 – D Krisjanis Redlihs opened the scoring at 2:55 of the first period with his third goal and C Craig Darby scored twice as the River Rats picked up a point in the first meeting between the New York State rivals. LW Maxim Balmochnykh and LW Steve Kariya picked up assists in front of G Scott Clemmensen, who stopped 40 shots for second star honors.

November 15th – ALB 4 @ BNG 3 – RW Jiri Bicek and RW Aleksander Suglobov scored 52 second apart during the first period to give the River Rats a 2-0 lead. Then, trailing 3-2 in the third period, Bicek and LW Maxim Balmochnykh scored 1:08 apart allowing G Ari Ahonen (25 saves) to post his first victory of the season.

Upcoming Promotions:

Wed., November 19th vs. Hershey Bears @ 7:00pm – ALL SEATS JUST $10 - Best Deal in Town!

Former captain Steve Brule returns to Pepsi Arena!

ALL TICKETS ARE JUST $10!

Sat., November 22nd vs. Binghamton Senators @ 7:00pm – ARMED SERVICES NIGHT (Still Supporting Our Troops!)

National Graphic Supply Team Picture Giveaway & Post-Game Autograph Session!

ALL fans attending the game will receive a FREE team picture!

Stay after the game for pictures & autographs with all your favorite players right on the ice!

Here's How to Support Our Troops:

Fans are invited to bring the following types of items for use in special "Care Packages" being sent to United States troops in Iraq: Toiletries, sunscreen, personal hygiene cleansers, mouthwash, socks, batteries, new and used magazines, books & CD's, non-perishable food items, powdered drink mixes, envelopes, stamps & bubble wrap.

A more complete list of items and how to make donations is available at www.SupportOurTroopsInIraq.com.

Sat., November 29th vs. Philadelphia Phantoms @ 7:00pm – Finding Nemo w/Radio Disney!

Radio Disney will be at the game in our Kids Zone!

Plus, Games and Prizes to celebrate one of the year's top films!

THE STANLEY CUP IS COMING! DECEMBER 13, 2003

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American Hockey League Stories from November 18, 2003


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