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River Rats Look to Build on Three-Win Week

December 9, 2002 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Albany River Rats News Release


The Albany River Rats embark on a road trip to Canada for a two-game series with the Saint John Flames on Friday night at 8:30PM and then on Saturday night at 8:00PM. The Flames (8-12-2-1, 3RD Canadian) dropped a 2-0 decision to the Binghamton Senators to extend their current winless string to four (0-2-1-1) games. C Matt Lombardi ranks second among AHL rookies with 10 goals, while leading the club and standing sixth among newcomers with 20 points during the 2002-03 season. The Flames have not won in their last eight games on home ice dating back to November 8TH. The Flames picked up a 4-3 overtime win at Albany back on November 12TH and the teams will conclude the season series on March 15TH at Pepsi Arena @ 2:00PM. The River Rats hold a 9-6-3 record in the all-time regular season against Saint John, including a 4-4-1 mark at Harbour Station. The top minor league affiliate of the Calgary Flames won the 2001-02 season series 2-0, outscoring the River Rats 10-4.

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

Tuesday – Practice at Pepsi Arena, 10:00AM; Booster Club Holiday Party, 6:00PM

Wednesday – Practice at Pepsi Arena, 10:00AM; Travel to Orono, Maine

Thursday – Practice at Orono, Maine, 11:15AM; Travel to Saint John

Friday – Game Day Skate at Harbour Station, 11:15AM; River Rats at Saint John Flames, 8:30PM

Saturday – Game Day Skate at Harbour Station, 11:15AM; River Rats at Saint John Flames, 8:00PM

Sunday – OFF DAY

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

Rat Bites:

* River Rats LW Rob Skrlac moved past Krzysztof Oliwa into 4TH place on the all-time penalty minute list with 770 penalty minutes in 205 games played for Albany since the beginning of the 1997-98 campaign. He trails LW Matt Ruchty by 15 minutes for 3RD place and RW Eric Bertrand by 49 minutes for 2ND place.

* River Rats LW Jiri Bicek tied Bryan Helmer and Scott Pellerin for 2ND place on the club's all-time point scoring list with 212 points with a goal on Friday. He was re-called by the New Jersey Devils the next night and went scoreless with four shots on goal at Toronto against the Maple Leafs – where he made his NHL debut on February 19, 2001.

* The River Rats' road victory at Syracuse on Saturday was the club's first road win against the Crunch since March 17, 2000. Albany potted a season-high three power play goals in the victory that came after 10 unsuccessful tries at Syracuse.

* River Rats C Scott Cameron's penalty shot goal on Friday night was the club's first at Pepsi Arena since Steve Sullivan scored on Adirondack's Norm Maracle back in February 1996.

Over the Air:

Fri., December 13TH at Saint John Flames, 8:30PM (8:15PM Capitaland Motors GMC Pre-Game, Sportstalk 980 AM)*

Sat., December 14TH at Saint John Flames, 8:00PM (7:45PM Capitaland Motors GMC Pre-Game, Sportstalk 980 AM)*

* Web broadcast available at www.albanyriverrats.com

Community Calendar:

Tues., December 10TH – Rowdy "The" Rat will join Santa Claus at the Center for the Disabled from 1-2:30PM.

Sat., December 14TH – "Rowdy" The Rat is scheduled to attend in a Northern Berkshire Youth Hockey Practice in North Adams, Massachusetts.

Sun., December 15TH - "Rowdy" The Rat will be at the Bowler's Club in Latham as part of the New York State Police Bowling Benefit to help the U.S. Marine Corps Toys-For-Tots drive from 2-3:00PM.

River Rats Rewind:

December 4TH - POR 1 @ ALB 2 – River Rats Captain Ken Sutton was named first star of the game after a two (1-1) point performance that included a power play goal and the primary assist on D Mikko Jokela's game-winning goal as the club snapped its 11-game winless skid.

December 6TH - MCH 3 @ ALB 4/OT – River Rats LW Greg Crozier scored his 1STAlbany goal and RW Jiri Bicek moved into a second place tie on the all-time scoring list with 212 points with a goal as the River Rats won their second straight. C Scott Cameron scored on a penalty shot at the 20-minute mark of the second period for Albany, which sent 38 shots on net.

December 7TH - ALB 4 @ SYR 2 – The River Rats scored a season-high three power play goals en route to a 4-2 road win over the Syracuse Crunch. C Craig Darby, LW Greg Crozier and D Raymond Giroux each recorded a goal and an assist and G Ari Ahonen stopped 28 of 30 shots for his fourth victory.

December 8TH - BPT 3 @ ALB 1 – River Rats LW Dave Roche scored for the first time since November 6TH but the Sound Tigers would go on to get the next three markers to snap Albany's three-game winning streak. LW Greg Crozier extended his point-scoring streak to three games (2-2-4) with an assist and the River Rats held their annual Teddy Bear Toss to benefit the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Capital Region.

Upcoming Promotions:

Wed., December 18TH vs. Springfield Falcons @ 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 the jackpot which now stands at $2,000! Fans are 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 cash 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.

Sat, December 28TH vs. Binghamton Senators @ 7:00PM – SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS HOCKEY NIGHT! The Albany River Rats welcome the underwater hero to Pepsi Arena for the first ever game against the Binghamton Senators at Pepsi Arena!

· Come meet Spongebob Squarepants & you could win a trip to Universal Studios to see a LIVE Spongebob show!

· See the River Rats announce the #9 moment in team history with 10TH Anniversary prizes courtesy of the New Jersey Devils.

· One of 10 Authentic Autographed Devils jerseys signed by Patrik Elias, Scott Stevens, Martin Brodeur or Joe Nieuwendyk!

· One of 10 Autographed sticks from the New Jersey Devil players!

· One of 10 pairs of tickets to see the New Jersey Devils play on either January 1ST vs. Florida or January 15TH vs. the Islanders!

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American Hockey League Stories from December 9, 2002


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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