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River Rats getting close to the wire

March 14, 2005 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Albany River Rats News Release


What's Ahead:

The Albany River Rats make their second and final visit to Blue Cross Arena to take on the Rochester Americans on Friday night at 7:35 p.m. The Americans (45-11-4-6, 1st North) are winless in their last two (0-1-0-1) games following a 6-5 shootout loss to the Syracuse Crunch at home on Sunday night. LW Thomas Vanek, who posted a hat trick on Sunday, is tied for tops among AHL rookies with 28 goals and stands tied for second among all newcomers with 49 points during the 2004-05 campaign. Albany holds a 34-35-9-6 record in the all-time regular season series against Rochester, including a 15-23-3-1 record away from home. The River Rats are 0-2-0-0 against the Amerks this season and have been outscored 12-3 in the pair of games. The teams meet for the final time on April 2nd at Pepsi Arena. Albany C Pascal Rheaume (2-0) & LW Dean McAmmond (0-2) lead with two points each, while C Derek Roy tops Rochester with five (3-2) points in the season series.

Albany then moves on to the Springfield Civic Center for a 7:00 p.m. meeting with the Springfield Falcons. The Falcons (17-39-2-3, 7th Atlantic) have lost six straight after a 2-1 road loss to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Sunday evening. Springfield will host Hershey on Wednesday and Bridgeport on Friday night. Former River Rat C Craig Darby leads the club with 21 assists and ranks third with 27 points during the 2004-05 season. The Albany Academy graduate recently scored his 200th AHL goal for the AHL affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Albany holds a 24-22-9-3 record in the all-time season series against Springfield, including a 10-13-3-3 road mark. The River Rats are 2-2-0-0 against the Falcons this season and hold a 10-9 scoring advantage in the four games. The teams meet for the final time this season on March 26th in a 4:00 p.m. contest at Pepsi Arena. Albany LW Ryan Murphy (2-2) and C Pascal Rheaume (3-1) have four points each, while Nikita Alexeev (1-2), Darby (1-2) and RW Shane Willis (1-2) show three points against the River Rats.

The River Rats return home to host Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Sunday in a 4:00 p.m. matinee in the Capital District. Fans can win two round-trip tickets to anywhere in the Continental U.S. courtesy of Southwest Airlines! Plus, someone will win a set of custom Callaway X-16 Irons from Northway Golf Centers! The Sound Tigers (29-30-2-1, 6th East) have won two-in-a-row following a 2-1 home victory over Springfield yesterday. The AHL affiliate of the New York Islanders visit Binghamton on Wednesday, Springfield on Friday and Manchester on Saturday night. RW Rob Collins leads the team in goals (19), assists (29) and points (48) during the 2004-05 campaign. Albany shows a 6-14-5-4 record in the all-time regular season series against Bridgeport, including a 5-5-3-1 record at Pepsi Arena. The River Rats are 1-1-2-1 against the Sound Tigers this season and have been outscored 15-13 in the previous games. Albany LW Dean McAmmond (2-3) and C Zach Parise (0-5) lead the way with five points versus Bridgeport, while Collins (2-3) tops the Tigers with five points against the River Rats.

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

Tuesday, March 15th - Practice at Bethlehem Area YMCA, 10:00 a.m.

Wednesday, March 16th - Practice at Pepsi Arena, 10:00 a.m.

Thursday, March 17th - Practice at Pepsi Arena. 9:30 a.m.; Travel to Rochester

Friday, March 18th - Game Day Skate at Blue Cross Arena, 11:15 a.m.; RIVER RATS @ Rochester Americans, 7:35 p.m.

Saturday, March 19th - Game Day Skate at Bethlehem Area YMCA, 10:00 a.m.; RIVER RATS @ Springfield Falcons, 7:00 p.m.

Sunday, March 20th - Bridgeport Sound Tigers @ RIVER RATS, 4:00 p.m.

Rat Bites:

* G Ari Ahonen set a franchise record by playing in his 153rd game as a River Rat on Sunday in Providence. The Finnish netminder ranks second in team history with four shutouts and fifth overall with 41 victories.

* D David Hale returned to the lineup on Saturday night against Binghamton after missing 48 games due to illness. New Jersey's first round selection (22nd overall) in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft notched four (2-2) points in 14 match-ups earlier this season.

* LW Ahren Nittel scored three goals in four games last week and with 19 goals on just 99 shots, he ranks fourth on the circuit with a 19.2% shooting percentage. The 21-year-old is tied for fifth in the AHL with 14 power play goals, which ties him with Bill Armstrong for the second highest total in team history.

Over the Air:

Fri., March 18th @ Rochester Americans, 7:35 p.m. (7:20 p.m. Capitaland Motors GMC Pre-Game Show, AM 1160 WABY)

Sat., March 19th @ Springfield Falcons, 7:00 p.m. (6:45 p.m. Capitaland Motors GMC Pre-Game Show, AM 1160 WABY)

Sun., March 20th vs. Bridgeport Sound Tigers, 4:00 p.m. (3:45 p.m. Capitaland Motors GMC Pre-Game Show, AM 1160 WABY)

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

Community Outreach Appearances:

Tue., March 15th @ 1:30 p.m. - Brett Clouthier & Adrian Foster will attend Wildwood School to spend time signing autographs and taking photos with children who attend the school. The Wildwood school is located at 2295 Curry Road in Schenectady.

Tue., March 15th @ 4:30 p.m. - LW Brett Clouthier will assist a Special Olympics New York Volleyball Clinic at the Capital District Psychiatric Center, which is located at 75 New Scotland, Avenue in Albany.

Wed., March 16th @ 5: 00 p.m. - Two River Rat players will attend Kiwanis Ice Rink to assist in a Skill Clinic with youth hockey players to develop skills in skating, shooting, and stick handling. The Kiwanis Ice Rink is located off of Washington & Small World Avenues in Saugerties.

Sat., March 19th @ 10:00 a.m. - "Rowdy" The Rat will pay a visit to the Central Ave location of Hannaford Supermarkets to sign autographs and mingle with fans at the River Rats table. The Hannaford is located at 900 Central Avenue in the Century 11 Plaza.

Sat., March 19th @ 12:30 p.m. - "Rowdy" The Rat will pay a visit to the Wolf Rd location of Hannaford Supermarkets to sign autographs at the River Rats table. The Hannaford is located at 96 Wolf Road in the Windsor Plaza in Colonie.

Sun., March 20th @ 10:00 a.m. - "Rowdy" The Rat will visit the Clifton Park Mini Mites end of the year party to sign autographs. The Clifton Park Ice Rink is located at 16 Clifton Common Blvd., Clifton Park.

River Rats Rewind: Week 22 - March 7, 2005 (0-3-0-1, 1pt)

March 9th - ALB 2 @ HAM 3 F/SO - G Scott Clemmensen made a career-high 49 saves in the second and final game between the River Rats and Bulldogs this season. C Zach Parise opened the scoring 42 seconds into play and C Ivan Khomutov added his fifth goal early in the third period in a game that saw Albany get outshot 52-33 on the night.

March 11th - WOR 6 @ ALB 5 - C Pascal Rheaume totaled three (1-2) points, while D Steven Spencer added his first AHL goal and assist in a wild game against Worcester. D Bobby Allen scored on the power play to start off a seven-goal second period between the two clubs and G Ari Ahonen stopped 34 shots in the loss.

March 12th - BNG 5 @ ALB 3 - RW Aleksander Suglobov scored his 20th goal of the season to kick-off a three-goal third period but the River Rats went on to drop their final game against Binghamton. LW Ahren Nittel & LW Ilkka Pikkarainen, who netted a goal for the second straight night, also tallied as Albany finished the season series with a 4-6-0-0 mark against the Senators.

March 13th - ALB 2 @ PRO 3 - LW Ahren Nittel scored two power play goals during the third period as the River Rats finished the season series with a 2-1-0-1 record against Providence. C Zach Parise & RW Aleksander Suglobov each collected an assist and G Scott Clemmensen stopped all 11 shots on goal in a relief stint beginning late in the second period.

Upcoming Promotions:

Sun, March 20th vs. Bridgeport Sound Tigers @ 4:00 p.m. - The Getaway!

Win Two (2) Round Trip Tickets to Orlando, Florida Courtesy of

Southwest Airlines & New Channel 13 WNYT!

Win a Set of Custom X-16 Callaway Irons from Northway Golf Center!

Sat, March 26th vs. Springfield Falcons @ 4:00 p.m. - AAA Hudson Valley Day!

The first 3,000 fans receive AAA Ice Scrapers!

Fans can win great prizes like luggage, car safety kits or AAA membership for a year!

Show support for police, fire & EMS personnel at our Guns-N-Hoses pre-game block party!

Block Party to feature live music, food, games, fun & fire trucks!

Cheer on your heroes during the intermission tug-of-war!

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