River Rats Begin Homestand

Published on November 25, 2002 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Albany River Rats News Release


The Albany River Rats begin a four-game homestand against the Hamilton Bulldogs on Friday night at 7:00PM. The Bulldogs (12-6-1-1, 1ST Canadian) have lost two consecutive games following a 1-0 road shutout loss to the Syracuse Crunch on Sunday night. Hamilton visits Lowell on Wednesday before making the second of three trips to the Capital District this season (January 3RD). RW Jason Ward is tied for tops in the American Hockey League with 26 (10-16) points while linemate C Benoit Gratton stands fourth overall with 23 (9-14) points during the 2002-03 campaign. The Bulldogs swept a home-and-home series from the River Rats back on November 15TH & 16TH by outscoring the top minor league affiliate of the New Jersey Devils 5-1. The teams will face-off another three times this season (January 3RD @ ALB, January 22ND @ HAM & February 5TH @ HAM).

The River Rats host the Rochester Americans for the third and final time at Pepsi Arena this season on Saturday night at 7:00PM. The Americans (4-9-5-2, 4TH Central), who are winless in their last two games after being shutout 3-0 at home on Saturday by San Antonio, visit the Philadelphia Phantoms on Wednesday and host the Milwaukee Admirals on Friday prior to their final stop in Albany. Rochester is winless on the road this season (0-5-2-1) and is led by RW Norm Milley's 17 points and LW Jason Botterill's 11 goals during the 2002-03 season. The River Rats shows a 2-0-2 record against the Amerks this season, outscoring the top minor league affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres 10-6. The teams skated to a 2-2 tie at Blue Cross Arena last Friday night and meet on March 6TH @ 6:05PM at Rochester in the final match-up of the season series.

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

Monday – Off Day

Tuesday – Practice at B.I.G. Arena, 10:00AM

Wednesday – Practice at B.I.G. Arena, 10:00AM

Thursday – Practice at Pepsi Arena, 10:00AM

Friday – Game Day Skate at Pepsi Arena 10:00AM; Hamilton Bulldogs at River Rats, 7:00PM

Saturday – Game Day Skate at Pepsi Arena 10:00AM; Rochester Americans at River Rats, 7:00PM

Sunday – Off Day

Rat Bites:

* G Scott Clemmensen ranks fifth among league netminders with 798 minutes played in 14 games during the 2002-03 season.

* G Ari Ahonen has not allowed more than three goals against in a game since a 4-2 loss at Hartford back on October 27TH. He holds a 2.03 goals against average over the last five games and has half of his 2001-02 win total through 22 games.

Over the Air:

Friday, November 29TH vs. Hamilton Bulldogs, 7:00PM (6:45PM Capitaland Motors GMC Pre-Game, Sportstalk 980 AM)

Saturday, November 30TH vs. Rochester Americans, 7:00PM (6:45PM Capitaland Motors GMC Pre-Game, Sportstalk 980 AM)

Community Calendar:

Wednesday, November 27TH- D Mike Matteucci, G Ari Ahonen & "Rowdy" The Rat will visit the Albany Medical Center Children's Ward from 2:30PM-3:30PM.

Friday, November 29TH - "Rowdy" The Rat will be at Clifton Park Center to celebrate the kick-off of the Holiday Season from 11:00AM – 1:00PM

River Rats Rewind:

November 20TH ALB 2 @ CLE 4 – River Rats LW Brett Clouthier scored his first goal of the season and LW Joe Hulbig added his first marker since November 3RD as the club lost in its only visit to Cleveland this season. G Scott Clemmensen played well in the loss, making 32 saves on 36 shots against the top prospects of the San Jose Sharks.

November 22ND ALB 2 @ ROC 2 – Albany LW Max Birbraer opened the scoring in the first period and D Raymond Giroux scored the game-tying goal with 47 seconds left in the second to forge a tie for the River Rats. G Scott Clemmensen made 27 stops in his second straight start, keeping Albany unbeaten against Rochester this season (2-0-2).

November 23RD – SYR 2 @ ALB 0 – Syracuse G Karl Goehring made 29 saves for his AHL-leading third shutout of the season at Pepsi Arena on Saturday night. The River Rats and Crunch meet another five times during the 2002-03 season.

November 24TH – ALB 0 @ PRO 4 – Baby Bruins netminder Andrew Raycroft stopped 26 shots to blank Albany in their only visit to Providence this season. The teams square off at Pepsi Arena on January 18TH at 7:00PM in the season series finale.

Upcoming Promotions:

· Week of November 25TH – The River 99.5 River Rats Rewards Redemption: Your chance to win great prizes like CD's, concert tickets and River Rats memorabilia all week long at Pepsi Arena. Earn River Rewards points by grabbing your bonus code at "Rowdy's Den" located at Pepsi Arena, or you can join the coolest club on the net at www.wrve.com to receive all the awesome benefits. You receive even more bonus points by listening for codes at games on November 29TH& 30TH.

· Sat. November 30th vs. Rochester Americans - HARRY POTTER NIGHT/POST GAME AUTOGRAPH SESSION/PHOENIX TEAM PHOTO GIVEAWAY: This is the night for the ultimate family experience!

· Come celebrate the premier of Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets with prizes, free movie tickets and activities!

· Fun includes the Muggle Shuffle Broomstick Relay, Nimbus 2000 Limbo, A Cauldron of Goo and an Arts & Crafts Table!

· All fans in attendance will receive a FREE team photo courtesy of Phoenix

· Meet your favorite Albany River Rat players at our annual post game autograph session out on the ice!

· Come for the announcement of the #10 Moment in Team History as voted upon by the fans!

· You could win pre-paid cellular phone packages & other great merchandise courtesy of Verizon Wireless!

· Wed., December 4TH vs. Portland Pirates @ 7:00PM – Trustco Take It To The Bank Skills Challenge: The Albany River Rats and Trustco Bank want you to be prepared for the Holidays, so do not miss your chance to win $1,000! Fans will be selected through a random drawing for the chance to come onto the River Rats ice and participate in a variety of skills challenges. If successful, the winner will be awarded the $1,000 prize and if not, another $1,000 will be added to the bank with a total of $12,000 available courtesy of Trustco Bank and the Albany River Rats.

· Fri, December 6TH vs. Manchester Monarchs @ 7:00PM – WIN BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN TICKETS: The Albany River Rats are YOUR source for floor seats to the Bruce Springsteen concert at Pepsi Arena on December 13TH!

· Be at "The Pepsi" when the River Rats award tickets to see THE BOSS for the best poster that incorporates Bruce Springsteen, New Jersey and the River Rats! Winners will be selected from the crowd and then must participate in a BORN TO RUN relay race out on the ice for the chance to win!

· All fans 12 and under will receive a FREE NYS Department of Motor Vehicles Traffic Safety Booklet courtesy of the New York State DMV & the Albany River Rats.

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American Hockey League Stories from November 25, 2002


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