River Rats begin final stretch

March 28, 2005 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Albany River Rats News Release


The Albany River Rats host the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for the third and final time at Pepsi Arena on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. Fans can join the festivities as the 1995 Calder Cup championship team will be honored along with an appearance by the Calder Cup at the game! The Penguins (35-20-6-6, 4th East) dropped a 5-3 road decision to Hershey on Sunday and will host the Bears on Wednesday night. RW Michel Ouellet leads the AHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins with 30 goals and 56 points during the 2004-05 campaign. Former R.P.I. Engineer Matt Murley is tied for fourth in the league with a +27 rating this season. Albany holds an 11-17-5-0 record in the all-time regular season series against Wilkes-Barre, including a 7-6-3-0 record at home. The River Rats are 2-3-0-0 against the Penguins this season and have been outscored 17-13 in the five previous games. Albany C Pascal Rheaume has five (3-2) points in five games, while Wilkes-Barre's Ouellet holds seven (4-3) points in the season series.

Albany then takes on the Rochester Americans for the last time this season this Saturday in a 7:30 p.m. face-off at Pepsi Arena. NASCAR Night presented by 93.7 The Eagle, 94Rock and Fox 23 will include a Pepsi 400 prize packages giveaway including air, hotel accommodations and tickets to the race in Daytona, Florida July 4th Weekend! The Americans (48-12-4-6, 1st North) are coming off a 6-1 home loss to the Hershey Bears on Friday night and will host Cleveland on April 1st. LW Thomas Vanek leads the Amerks and ranks second among all rookies with 31 goals, while placing third among newcomers with 55 points this season. G Ryan Miller leads the league with 38 wins and eight shutouts for the AHL affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. Albany holds a 34-36-9-6 record in the all-time season series against Rochester, including a 19-12-6-5 mark on home ice. The River Rats are 0-5-0-0 against the Amerks this season and have been outscored 17-6 in the five games. Albany's Rheaume tops the club with four (3-1) points, while C Derek Roy (4-3) and RW Jason Pominville (1-6) top Rochester with seven points in the season series.

The River Rats close the weekend with the final visit ever to the DCU Center to take on the Worcester IceCats in a 4:05 p.m. face-off. The IceCats (35-27-4-2, 4th Atlantic) dropped their fifth straight contest in a 4-3 decision to the Lowell Lock Monsters on Saturday night and host Providence on Wednesday before visiting Binghamton & Wilkes-Barre over the weekend. RW Jon DiSalvatore (20-20) and C Jay McClement (13-27) are tied for the team lead with 40 points during the 2004-05 campaign. Albany shows a 16-16-5-2 record in the all-time regular season series against Worcester, which includes a 6-9-3-1 road record. The River Rats are 2-1-0-0 against the IceCats this season and have a 12-11 scoring advantage in the three games. Albany's Rheaume once again is the point leader with seven (2-5), while DiSalvatore tops the charts with seven (4-3) points during the season series.

River Rats this week: * Practice times are subject to change, please call the River Rats office to confirm dates and times.

Tuesday, March 29th - Practice at Pepsi Arena, 9:30 a.m.

Wednesday, March 30th - Practice at Bethlehem Area YMCA, 10:00 a.m.

Thursday, March 31st - Practice at Bethlehem Area YMCA, 10:00 a.m.

Friday, April 1st - Game Day Skate at Pepsi Arena, 10:00am; Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins @ RIVER RATS, 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, April 2nd - Game Day Skate at Pepsi Arena, 10:00am; Rochester Americans @ RIVER RATS, 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, April 3rd - RIVER RATS @ Worcester IceCats, 4:05 p.m.

Rat Bites: * G Ari Ahonen recorded his second straight shutout over the Springfield Falcons on Saturday. He has already set a career-high with three shutouts and ranks second in team history with six during his Albany career.

* C Zach Parise dished out two assists over the weekend and leads not only the River Rats but also all AHL rookies with 38 assists this season.

* The River Rats have won three of their last four games and each victory has come by a 1-0 score. Albany has allowed just 10 goals in the last five games.

* RW Aleksander Suglobov netted three (2-1) points over the weekend and has already set career-highs with 23 goals and 43 points in 63 games during the 2004-05 campaign.

Over the Air:

Fri., April 1st vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, 7:00 p.m. (6:45 p.m. Capitaland Motors GMC Pre-Game Show, AM 1160 WABY)

Sat., April 2nd vs. Rochester Americans, 7:30 p.m. (7:15 p.m. Capitaland Motors GMC Pre-Game Show, AM 1160 WABY)

Sun., April 3rd @ Worcester IceCats, 4:05 p.m. (3:50 p.m. Capitaland Motors GMC Pre-Game Show, AM 1160 WABY)

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

Community Outreach Appearances:

Thurs., March 31st @ 3:00 p.m. - "Rowdy" The Rat will visit Mechanicville Elementary to read to an assembly of youngsters as a part of the Reading with Rowdy program. Mechanicville Elementary School is located at 10 North Main Street in Mechanicville.

Sat., April 2nd @ 10:00 a.m. - "Rowdy" The Rat will pay a visit to the East Greenbush Hannaford Supermarkets to sign autographs at the Albany River Rats table. The Hannaford store is located at 596 Columbia Turnpike in East Greenbush.

Saturday April 2nd @ 12:30 p.m. - "Rowdy" The Rat will pay a visit to the Hannaford Supermarket location at 900 Central Avenue in Albany to sign autographs at the Albany River Rats table.

River Rats Rewind: Week 24 - March 21, 2005 (1-1-0-0, 2pts)

March 18th - LOW 5 @ ALB 3 -RW Aleksander Suglobov scored two goals and LW Dean McAmmond added a power play goal during the third period as the River Rats saw their shutout streak snapped at just over 156 consecutive minutes. LW Ahren Nittel and C Zach Parise each recorded two assists and G Scott Clemmensen stopped 35 shots in the loss.

March 26th - SPR 0 @ ALB 1 - LW Ilkka Pikkarainen scored the game's only goal late in the second period and G Ari Ahonen stopped 25 shots to shutout Springfield for the second time in a week. D Matt DeMarchi and RW Aleksander Suglobov chipped in the assists as the River Rats finished the season series with a 4-2-0-0 mark against the Falcons.

Upcoming Promotions:

Fri, April 1st vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins @ 7:00 p.m. - 10th Anniversary Calder Cup Party!

Join us in honoring the 1995 Calder Cup Champions!

Broadway Joe's Pre-Game Party from 5-7 p.m.!

Meet Former New Jersey Devil Tommy Albelin & The Labatts Girls!

Sat, April 2nd vs. Rochester Americans @ 7:30 p.m. - NASCAR Night!

Win a Trip For Two to the Pepsi 400 in Daytona, Florida!

Prize Package includes:

Air Transportation, Hotel Accommodations & Race Tickets

Presented by 94Rock/93.7 The Eagle & Fox 23!



American Hockey League Stories from March 28, 2005


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