River Rats face busy week

Published on January 17, 2005 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Albany River Rats News Release


Whats Ahead:

The Albany River Rats close out their three-game homestand against the Rochester Americans in a 7:00pm face-off at Pepsi Arena on Wednesday night. All seats are just $10 to see the top prospects of the New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres! The Americans (25-8-3-3, 2nd North) defeated the Utah Grizzlies 3-2 at home last night to pull within a point of Manitoba for first place in the North Division. Captain Chris Taylor (9-25) and C Derek Roy (9-25) are both tied for the team lead with 34 points during the 2004-05 campaign. G Ryan Miller shows a league-best 21 victories and a 2.29 goals against average with a .926 save percentage in 33 games for the top affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. Albany holds a 34-33-9-6 record in the all-time regular season series against Rochester, including a 19-11-6-5 mark at Pepsi Arena. The River Rats trail the 2004-05 season series 0-2 and have been outscored 5-2 in the first two games. The teams meet up again on February 4th and March 18th in Rochester before closing out the season series in Albany on April 2nd at 7:30pm.

The River Rats then visit the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in a 7:35pm face-off at the Arena at Harbor Yard on Friday night. The Sound Tigers (15-21-1-1, 6th East) are winless in their last nine (0-8-0-1) games following a 3-1 road loss to the Lowell Lock Monsters on Sunday. RW Rob Collins leads the top affiliate of the New York Islanders in goals (10), assists (13), points (23) and game-winning goals (4) during the 2004-05 season, while D Chris Campoli ranks second among AHL rookie defensemen with 16 (4-12) points in 37 games this year. Albany shows a 6-14-5-2 record in the all-time regular season series against Bridgeport, which includes a 1-9-2-2 road mark. The River Rats are 1-1-1 against the Sound Tigers in the 2004-05 season series, with each team scoring eight goals. The East Division rivals meet another four times on February 26th & March 20th in Albany, April 6th in Bridgeport and finally on April 13th at Pepsi Arena.

Albany returns home for Ladies Night against the Manchester Monarchs on Saturday night at 7:30pm. Fans will win prizes from Rizzos Florist, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Cravings of Albany, Delmar Health & Fitness, St. Croix Tan, and a pair of earrings from Hannoush Jewelers! The Monarchs (29-7-3-1, 1st Atlantic), who defeated the Portland Pirates 3-1 yesterday, will host Worcester on Wednesday and visit Binghamton on Friday night. C Mike Cammalleri, who earned seven (4-3) points in three games last week, stands second in the AHL in goals (26) and points (57), while leading the league with 12 power play goals. C Yanick Lehoux also tops the charts, placing third on the circuit with 54 (23-31) points in 38 games for the top affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings. Albany has a 2-4-1-2 record in the all-time regular seasons series against Manchester, including a 2-1-0-1 record on home ice. The River Rats dropped a 5-2 decision to the Monarchs back on November 5th at Verizon Wireless Area in the only previous meeting of the season series.

The four-game week comes to a close on Monday night against the Philadelphia Phantoms in a 7:05pm face-off at the Wachovia Spectrum. This game was moved from its original Sunday date to accommodate the NFC Championship game on January 23rd. The Phantoms (24-10-2-3, 1st East) dropped a 3-2 shootout decision to Norfolk on Sunday and will visit Rochester on Friday before moving on to Hershey on Saturday night. Former R.P.I. Engineer RW Mark Murphy leads the top affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers with 21 assists and ranks second with 30 points this year. D Dennis Seidenberg ranks 10th among AHL defensemen with 23 (6-17) points, including three-game winning goals during the 2004-05 campaign. Albany has turned in a 14-14-4-3 record in the all-time regular season series against Philadelphia, which includes a 5-9-2-1 road record. The River Rats are 0-1-1-1 against the Phantoms this season, having been outscored 12-7 in three games. The clubs face-off another two times on April 10th in Philadelphia and then at Pepsi Arena on April 16th.

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

Tuesday Practice at Bethlehem Area YMCA, 10:00am

Wednesday Game Day Skate at Pepsi Arena, 10:00am; Rochester Americans @ RIVER RATS, 7:00pm

Thursday Practice at Pepsi Arena, 10:00am

Friday Game Day Skate at Pepsi Arena, 10:00am; RIVER RATS @ Bridgeport Sound Tigers, 7:35pm

Saturday Game Day Skate at Pepsi Arena, 10:00am; Manchester Monarchs @ RIVER RATS, 7:30pm

Sunday Travel to Philadelphia

Monday Game Day Skate at Wachovia Spectrum, 10:00am; RIVER RATS @ Philadelphia Phantoms, 7:05pm

Rat Bites:

* C Pascal Rheaume scored three points in Fridays home win over Hartford to move into third place on the River Rats all-time point-scoring list. The Quebec native shows 214 (99-115) points as a River Rats and now trails Jiri Bicek by 28 points for second place.

-More-

Rat Bites Continued:

* LW Dean McAmmond notched four assists in two games last week to take over the team point-scoring lead with (7-22) 29 points in 39 games during the 2004-05 season.

* G Ari Ahonen snapped a 12-game losing streak by stopping 36 of 37 shots in Friday nights 5-1 home victory over Hartford. The win was his 36th in an Albany uniform, tying him with J.F. Damphousse for fifth place in team history.

* LW Ryan Murphy posted three (1-2) points in two games last week, giving him 19 (5-14) points to match his 71-game total from the 2003-04 campaign. The third year pro also leads the River Rats with a plus-10 rating in 38 games this year.

Over the Air:

Wed., Jan. 19th vs. Rochester Americans, 7:00pm (6:45pm Capitaland Motors GMC Pre-Game Show, AM 1160 WABY)

Fri., Jan. 21st @ Bridgeport Sound Tigers 7:35pm (7:20pm Capitaland Motors GMC Pre-Game Show, AM 1160 WABY)

Sat., Jan. 22nd vs. Manchester Monarchs, 7:30pm (7:15pm Capitaland Motors GMC Pre-Game Show, AM 1160 WABY)

Mon., Jan. 24th @ Philadelphia Phantoms, 7:05pm (6:50pm Capitaland Motors GMC Pre-Game Show AM 1160 WABY)

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

Community Outreach Appearances:

Mon., January 17th @ 5:30pm D Ray Schultz and D Krisjanis Redlihs will attend at Bethlehem Youth Hockey Practice from 5:15-6:15pm to help young players develop their hockey skills. The practice is scheduled to take place at the Bethlehem Area YMCA at 900 Delaware Avenue in Delmar.

Sat., January 22nd - Rowdy the Rat will visit the Grafton Lakes State Park Annual Winter Festival. Rowdy will be on hand to sign autographs and participate in the festivals various events. The Grafton Lakes State Park is located off of Long Pond Road in Grafton.

River Rats Rewind: Week 14 January 10, 2005 (1-1-0-0, 2pts)

January 14th HAR 1 @ ALB 5 C Pascal Rheaume scored three (2-1) points and LW Dean McAmmond added three assists as the River Rats snapped an 11-game losing streak. LW Ryan Murphy chipped in a goal and an assist, while G Ari Ahonen stopped 36 of 37 shots for his first win since November 5th.

January 15th WBS 2 @ ALB 1 River Rats C Pascal Rheaume scored his team-high 15th goal of the season and G Scott Clemmensen was named second star of the game by stopping 32 of 34 shots. D Ross Lupaschuk posted a goal and an assist and LW Ramzi Abid scored the game-winning goal as the Penguins earned their second straight win over Albany.

Upcoming Promotions:

Wed., January 19th vs. Rochester Americans @ 7:00pm $10 Wednesday!

All Seats are Just $10!

Sat., January 22nd vs. Manchester Monarchs @ 7:30pm Our Annual Ladies Night!

People WILL Win these great prizes:

Flower Bouquets from Rizzos Florist!

Gift Baskets courtesy of Mary Kay Cosmetics!

Chocolate & Nut Baskets from Cravings of Albany!

Memberships to Delmar Health & Fitness plus a George Hettie Massage!

St. Croix Tan Gift Certificates!

Tickets to a Show at the Comedy Works!

Dinner at Carmines Restaurant & Butcher Block!

A Chameleon Salon Haircut!

.And a pair of earrings from Hannoush Jewelers!

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American Hockey League Stories from January 17, 2005


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