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River Rats Play Another Three-In-Three This Weekend

December 8, 2009 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Albany River Rats News Release


Albany swept its East Division three-in-three schedule last weekend to claim sole possession of second place, moving four points ahead of the Binghamton Senators. The River Rats started the week with a bang, building a 2-0 lead over the Hershey Bears and holding-off the defending Calder Cup Champions for a 3-1 final Friday night. Albany traveled to Glens Falls the following night and took a 4-0 lead in the Time Warner Cable Cup series, as goaltender Mike Murphy kept the Phantoms off-the-board until 14:09 of the third period in a 4-1 victory. River Rats leading scorer Jerome Samson broke a third period tie Sunday against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Albany tacked-on late goals for a 4-1 win at the Times Union Center. The River Rats have won four straight games and earned points in their last six games (5-0-1-0); they've also won five straight on home ice.

Week 11 Preview:

The River Rats fare another three-in-three this weekend, beginning Friday with a rematch against the East Division-leading Hershey Bears at 7:00 p.m. at the Times Union Center. Albany hosts the Providence Bruins on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. before traveling to Hartford on Sunday for a 4:00 p.m. start against the Wolf Pack.

Week 11 Game Schedule:

(All games are broadcast LIVE on WROW 590 AM "Newstalk 590," are streamed free over the Internet at www.wrow.com and can be watched via internet pay-per-view video on www.ahllive.com)

Friday, December 11th - 7:00 pm - Times Union Center - Albany, NY

vs. Hershey Bears (17-7-0-2, 36 pts)

First Place, East Division

- The Bears return to the Times Union Center exactly one week after dropping a 3-1 decision in Albany. Hershey closed-out its weekend docket with a pair of home wins, first edging the Norfolk Admirals 5-4 and then blowing-out the Hartford Wolf Pack 9-2. Friday will be the third of eight meetings this season between the River Rats and the Bears. The teams have split their first two games and next meet on January 15th in Albany this season.

- Leading Scorer: Andrew Gordon (RW) - 30 points (14 goals, 16 assists) in 25 GP.

- Leading Goaltender: Michal Neuvirth (G) - 1.99 GAA, .929 save pct., 10-5-0 in 15 GP.

- Who's Hot: Keith Aucoin (C) has seven points (1-6-7) and a plus-3 rating in his last four games and ranks third on the team in scoring (9-15-24). Andrew Gordon (RW) has ten points (6-4-10) and a plus-5 rating in his last six games. Chris Borque (LW) has five points (3-2-5) in his first two games this season with the Bears.

Saturday, December 12th - 7:00 pm - Times Union Center - Albany, NY

vs. Providence Bruins (14-11-1-0, 29 pts)

T-Fifth Place, Atlantic Division

- The Bruins have won four-straight to climb-into a three-way tie for fifth place in the tightly-packed Atlantic Division, just three points out of second place. Providence opened last week with a pair of road shootout wins, first downing the Bridgeport Sound Tigers 2-1 Wednesday and then earning a 3-2 decision Friday in Portland. The P-Bruins returned to Portland for their third and final game of the week, and they downed the Pirates 4-3 for the first regulation win of their current four game win streak. Saturday night will mark the first of two meetings between Albany and the Bruins this season, with the final match-up coming in Providence on January 17th.

- Leading Scorer: Mikko Lehtonen (RW) - 24 points (9 goals, 15 assists) in 26 GP.

- Leading Goaltender: Danny Sabourin (G) - 2.68 GAA, .908 save pct., 12-7-0 in 20 GP.

- Who's Hot: Mikko Lehtonen (RW) is on a four-game point streak (2-2-4). Trent Whitfield (C) has four points (3-1-4) in his last two games, including his 500th career AHL point (scored Friday). Jordan Knackstedt (RW) scored two points (1-1-2) and had a plus-3 rating in his last game.

Sunday, December 13th - 4:00 pm - XL Center - Hartford, CT

At Hartford WolfPack(13-11-1-2, 29 pts)

T-Fifth Place, Atlantic Division

- Hartford was out-scored 20-4 in three road losses last week, extending the WolfPack's winless streak to five games (0-3-1-1). They opened their week Friday in Manchester where the Atlantic Division leading Monarchs earned a convincing 7-1 final. Hartford traveled to Wilkes-Barre Saturday and dropped a 4-1 decision to the Penguins, before being routed 9-2 the following day in Hershey. Sunday will be the first of two meetings between the River Rats and the Wolf Pack in 2009-10. The final meeting of the season-series is set for January 9th in Albany at 7:00 p.m.

- Leading Scorer: Corey Locke (C) - 35 points (12 goals, 23 assists) in 27 GP.

- Leading Goaltender: Chad Johnson (G) - 2.10 GAA, .926 save pct., 10-6-1 in 18 GP.

- Who's Hot: Corey Locke (C) had two assists in his last game. Derek Couture (RW) has two points (1-1-2) in his last three games.

River Rats Player of the Week: (Week 10)

Mike Angelidis - C - #10

Day Opponent G A Pts. Notable

Fri. vs. Hershey 1 0 1 Scored the Game Winning Goal

Sat. at Adirondack 0 1 1 Recorded an assist for a two-game point streak

Sun. vs. WB/Scranton 0 2 2 Tallied two assists for a three-game point streak

Totals 1 3 4 Plus-2 rating, three-game point streak, one multi-point game

River Rats Assistant Captain Mike Angelidis totaled four points (1-3-4) during Albany's three-game weekend sweep to earn the club's Player Of The Week honors. The fourth-year forward scored his second goal of the season Friday for the game-winner in the River Rats' 3-1 decision over Hershey. Angelidis then added an assist on Saturday in Glens Falls as his club downed the Phantoms 4-1, and he notched his second multi-point game of the season Sunday with two helpers in Albany's 4-1 win over the Penguins. The undrafted center has seven points (2-5-7) in 16 games this season.

Rat Bites:

- HENNIGAR'S STREAK SNAPPED -Rob Hennigar saw his five-game assist streak come to a close Sunday in Albany's 4-1 win over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The second-year forward tallied six assists in his first five games with Albany this season, after being called-up from the ECHL's Florida Everblades on November 24th. Hennigar's run marked Albany's longest assist streak of the season and tied the team's longest point streak (set by Jerome Samson: October 3 vs. MAN - OCT 17 vs. ADK, 4-5-9).

- STOUT GOALTENDING - The River Rats surrendered just one goal in each of three games this weekend to improve to 8-0-0-0 when holding their opponents to one goal. Neither River Rats goalie has recorded a shutout this year. Justin Peters improved to 9-5-2 this weekend with a 2.23 GAA and a 0.923 save percentage, while Mike Murphy improved to 5-6-0 with a 2.74 GAA and a 0.919 save percentage. Justin Peters recorded all four of Albany's 2008-09 shutouts.

- OUT-SHOT - Albany's 24 shots against Adirondack on Saturday and their 21 shots against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Sunday marked the team's two lowest shot totals of the season (the team also registered 24 shots on October 31st in Hershey). The River Rats have out-shot their opponent once during their current six-game point streak (Saturday at Adirondack) and they've been out-shot 169-137 over that stretch. Albany is 7-3-1-1 this year when being out-shot by an opponent and 7-7-0-1 when out-shooting their opponent; the River Rats have been out-shot 848-742 this season.

- SEASON-HIGH WIN STREAKS - Albany tied its season-high four-game winning streak Sunday with a 4-1 decision over the Penguins. The River Rats are also currently on their longest point-streak of the season (6 games, NOV 25 vs. SYR - Present) and their longest home-winning/point streak of 2009-10 (5 games, NOV 14 vs. NOR - Present). Albany's three-game road point-streak (NOV 27 @ NOR - Present) and two game road win-streak (NOV 28 @ NOR - Present) also mark season highs.

- RATS TAKE 4-0 TWCC LEAD - Albany took a 4-0 lead in the Time Warner Cable Cup series with a 4-1 win over the Phantoms Saturday in Glens Falls. The rivals next faceoff in a home-and-home series later this month, beginning on Wednesday, December 30th in Albany and concluding on New Years Eve in Glens Falls. Fans are encouraged to try to predict the total number of goals, shots and penalty minutes for games five through 11, which will be played between December 30 and April 3, for the chance to win four tickets to the final match-up at the Glens Falls Civic Center on April 10th along with autographed hockey jerseys from both teams. The official contest entry period ends on December 27th.

- LEAGUE LEADERS - Jerome Samson continues to lead the league in shots with 121, and his 23 points (11-12-23) are good for a 10th place tie in the AHL scoring race. Zach FitzGerald holds the league mark for most minor penalties with 25. Justin Peters' 2.23 GAA is good for 10th in the league. Stefan Chaput's 18 points (4-14-18) are tied for fifth most among rookies and his 14 assists are tied for second most among first-years.

River Rats Recent Transactions

December 2009 December 7 DELETE - Brett Carson (D) - Recalled from loan by Carolina (NHL)

December 6 ADD - Bryan Rodney (D) - Returned on loan by Carolina (NHL)

DELETE - Jay Harrison (D) - Recalled from loan by Carolina (NHL)

December 3 ADD - Jiri Tlusty (LW) - Loaned by Carolina (NHL)

ADD - Jacob Micflikier (RW) - Recalled from loan to Florida (ECHL)

DELETE - Bryan Rodney (D) - Recalled from loan by Carolina (NHL)

DELETE - Matthew Pistilli (RW) - Loaned to Florida (ECHL)

December 1 ADD - Pat Dwyer (RW) - Returned to loan by Carolina (NHL)

Promotional Information

$1.00 Hot Dogs and Battle of the Bands Semi-Finals

Date: Friday, December 11, 2009 vs. Hershey Bears

Time: 7:00 p.m. at Times Union Center

Dollar Dogs: all fans can get $1.00 hot dogs and small sodas

Battle of the Bands: Two local bands will battle for the right to move on to the next round, with fan and judge's votes having an equal say in which band advances.

Aramark Pretzel Giveaway, Disney On Ice Tickets and Vacation Village Getaway

Date: Saturday, December 12, 2009 vs. Providence Bruins

Time: 7:00 p.m. at Times Union Center

Giveaways: Free Pretzel at Knickerbocker Grill and Capital Kitchen with the purchase of any beverage.

Fans will have the chance to win tickets to Disney On Ice at the Times Union Center

One lucky fan will win a three day, two night Berkshire Vacation Getaway at the Patriot Suites Hotel

Ticket Info: Tickets can be purchased by calling the Times Union Center box office at 487-2000, by visiting or calling www.tickets.com at 1-800-30-EVENT, or by visiting select Price Chopper Outlets.

Albany River Rats Team Leaders:

Games Played: Five Players Tied (27)

Goals: Pat Dwyer & Jerome Samson (11)

Assists: Stefan Chaput (14)

Points: Jerome Samson (23)

Plus/Minus: Brett Bellemore (+8)

Penalty Minutes: Zack FitzGerald (95)

Power Play Goals: Pat Dwyer & Jerome Samson (3)

Short Handed Goals: Pat Dwyer (2)

Game-Winning Goals: Jerome Samson (3)

Shots: Jerome Samson (121)

Shooting Percentage: Jacob Micflikier (0.400%)

Saves: Justin Peters (434)

Wins: Justin Peters (9)

GAA: Justin Peters (2.23)

Save Percentage: Justin Peters (0.923)

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River Rats 2009-10 season and flex ticket packages are now on sale at the River Rats executive offices at the Times Union Center, by calling (518) 487-2244 or by logging onto www.albanyriverrats.com.

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